Autumn Price increase FAQ's

[#1]

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

Quote Same here, my LRS ends 13th September, how do I renew, I have plusnet anytime, is there any changes to this price plan, if so may have to rethink the whole package? If you already have LRS you should be receiving a renewal email with a link in order to do that. Please let me know if I've missed anyone's questions that still need to be addressed.

Thanks Adam, missed the bit about any change to Plusnet Anytime Calls...

[#2]

Adam
What many people on here are saying is that yes it seems that we can leave without penalty, however if we do and have LRS then we get no refund of the unused months and so we lose out and are effectively being  held to ransom. Even TalkTalk refund the price of unused months.
To take an extreme example if someone signs up to LRS and then a month after PN put up the price of the call package to £20 per month then there are 2 choices. Either grimace and pay the increased price of the call package or leave "without penalty" and lose over £100 in unused LRS.
Is this correct? I hope that I have misinterpreted the terms and conditions.

 

[#3]

Also - some people here are on bundled telephone/internet packages - are they free to cancel/move the lot without penalty because of the changes?

[#4]

@Adam I think Salmo explained it perfectly.

[#5]

An excellent reason NOT to have both your phone & broadband with a single supplier.
If Plusnet increase their broadband prices, I can look elsewhere.
If BT increase their line rental hugely, I can look elsewhere.

[#6]

From reply #51

Quote from: Linn

Quote Does this mean we can also migrate our broadband, or only the phone line? If you wished to migrate away due to the price increase you would be able to migrate just the phone or both phone and broadband away. This is entirely your choice. We would need to be notified of this within 30 days of you receiving the email and you would have to give us 14 days notice. Please note that if you only migrated the phone away and carried on with Plusnet for your broadband you would be subject to the extra £2.50 charge per month for having broadband only.

Does this answer your question AndyH or is

Quote from: AndyH

... without penalty ....

an oblique reference to the LRS issue?

[#7]

Right, this is my take on this.
The following statement has been made by Plusnet at least twice in this thread -

Quote from: Linn

.................................. We do appreciate that some customers may have recently taken out a new contract with us and should they wish to leave as a result of the increase in prices, they will be able to leave without penalty due to this change in their terms and conditions providing they inform us within 30 days of receiving the email and give us 14 days notice. ............................

So this seems fairly clear to me, particularly for those on LRS,
1) you get your email
2) within 30 days you notify Plusnet "I don't like the price rises, so I'm leaving when my LRS expires."
3) you ask for your MAC before your LRS expires and use it within the 30 days, but not within 14 days.
(Remember MACs are only valid for 30 days - that's not a Plusnet condition)
I can't see anything anywhere that says you have to apply for the MAC within 30 days of the email!
If you don't use your MAC or move to cable by the time your LRS expires, after that then it seems Plusnet would then be within their rights to charge any penalty if your BB was still under comtract.

[#8]

Hi Anotherone
I can vaguely see what you mean. However suppose I have 10 months left on my LRS. I tell PN within 30 days that I don't like the call plan price rise and I'm leaving when my LRS expires as per your point 2. I assume that I will have to pay the new increased call plan charges until my LRS expires and I leave which could be many months. If I leave straight away with no penalty I forfeit the unused portion of my LRS. I can understand PN not refunding unused LRS when they haven't changed call plan charges but I feel to increase the call plan charge and keep the unused LRS fee lf I move because of the increase to be unfair.

[#9]

My point is perhaps more relevant to those on a BB contract that doesn't expire before the LRS.

[#10]

Quote from: Salmo

I will have to pay the new increased call plan charges until my LRS expires and I leave which could be many months.

It's got to be 10 months at maximum, hasn't it?  So if you have two call plans and they each go up by 50p per month you will pay an extra £1 per month or £10 in total; worst case.  I'm not sure if that's fair but it's peanuts compared to the money wasted if you leave with 10 months of your LRS still unused.  But that's if Anotherone is right and you really can elect to leave after your LRS expires. 

[#11]

Hi ReedRichards.
I agree the amount is small this time but it's the principle that bothers me. There could be a larger rise next time and the same conditions will still apply.
From a personal point of view I've been stupid and my broadband retention deal and LRS are out of sync so I think that I will have to stay for a while and may well have done anyway. However looking around there are better deals which would have given me something to consider at least.

[#12]

Phew! Good job I apply LRS last month £131.88 as it just started 22nd July 2014, so my LRS will carry on the same price until end of July 22nd 2015. No effect on mine. But, I am still not happy with line rental going up copy from BT. Next year, July 2015 I am serious consider going to put my foot down and look for broadband alone, and phone alone as mistaken to take both phone and broadband because plusnet are too clever smart to keep u staying with long term contract. Well not anymore from next year.
Plusnet has gone from value to expensive now. A big let down from Plusnet Company. So disappointed.
Do Plusnet plan to add Plusnet Basic just like BT Basic for low income customers?

[#13]

No don't think they do.
Am I right in thinking we can't do anything until the email has come through?

[#14]

correct as that triggers the 30 day period

[#15]

I have a real issue with line rental and always have. It has become another means to scam customers and lock people into contracts. Moved to Plusnet based on the low cost line rental saver paid up front as well as the fast unlimited broadband. I came back to Plusnet after Sky took over Be. I had been a previous Plusnet customer and had left because of these tactics in the past and a steady increase in usage caps and throttling at the time.
Line rental is an extortion. The cost of maintaining the copper network does not justify the cost charged to customers. It is simply another device to make 'extra' money on top of the broadband package.
I also did not realize until renewing that I do not get *ANY* inclusive free weekend or evening calls on my LRS package. Something that I used to get with BT at what is now the same price plus 12 months up front prepaid discount. if I could get broadband only at the same price I pay now I would be back to BT for line rental like a shot!
The one good thing is I use the land line rarely since I use my mobile phone more these days. My main issue however is because I have a usage cap on my mobile this also means that certain numbers are blocked including 0845 and even 0800 numbers. So I still have to use the land line on occasion to contact certain companies (at present that is Churchill insurance over an insurance claim who only use a 0845 number for their recoveries/legal advice department).
The other issue is I paid 12 months up front for line rental but am locked into 18 months broadband which puts both out of sync with each other. This just makes things awkward if you wanted to get out of the LRS early. I don't know how this would effect the remaining contracted broadband months.
Although I have made a saving with Plusnet and have a better overall deal broadband wise and did save on the initial line rental I still feel like Plusnet are trying to pull themselves in line with other providers price wise (and probably are having their strings pulled by BT their overseer) and make a bigger profit at the expense of their overall image as a value for money provider.
There is now very little to differentiate Plusnet from their competitors.
It's all a bit sad really.