VAT Increase & Price Changes - January 2011

[#1]

Bob,
I was looking at the matrix you linked to.
Also on that page it states

Quote

Stuff you need to know † - Home Phone changes from 4th January 2011: Line rental will increase to £11.99. Off-peak calling hours will change from 6pm – 6am to 7pm – 7am. There will also be some changes to call plans: Evening & Weekends – 300 free minutes to landlines removed. Anytime – 25% discount to mobiles removed.

What does this refer to as it doesn't link from the International calls

[#2]

Is there one webpage that compares the legacy "Unlimited" package (which now faces a £5 increase) with current packages?  In terms of everything, including: prices, features, bandwidth, data transfer, and traffic shaping.
When previous packages have changed, this sort of question is always asked, with people wanting an easy comparison between their legacy package and the new ones - hopefully Plusnet have learnt, and have got one ready and waiting...?    
I've just seen http://usergroup.plus.net/prodcomp2.php - is this kept up to date, and is it considered "canon" by plusnet, or is it "just" a usergroup thing that should not be taken as official?  Even this doesn't show the differences in features between products.
I am on Plusnet Unlimited, paying £16.34 per month, market 3.  I get around 3200kbps download speed.  My monthly data usage is around 22GB, incl. just under 20GB Peak usage (mainly web & streaming).  Presumably I will face a increase to £21.34 if I don't change package.  What are the best options?
I had a free house move in February 2010; presumably I won't face an additional charge for changing product before the end of 12 months from this, but will a package change mean the 12 months count down starts again before I can leave Plusnet entirely without penalty?
BTW, I have yet to receive the email about the price change.

[#3]

FFS £5 on the unlimited charge, not very competitive look like I may have to move provider now.  

[#4]

To compare the two packages put them in here http://usergroup.plus.net/prodcomp1.php
Changing product doesn't affect your house move etc. nor cost anything - and I haven't received the email either
To add - with Extra 60GB included you can go onto ADSL2+

[#5]

I just had an evil thought  - can I go onto the new extra anytime package and then after the first 3 months change provider with no effect on the previous rebates
Edit - mistake corrected 

[#6]

Quote from: mitchell20

It's also doesn't cost you that much extra to process credit cards (and most certainly NOT debit cards)

We don't accept the majority of debit cards for recurring subscription payments, we stopped doing that some time ago. If we hadn't frozen the price of your broadband product then you'd probably be looking to pay an extra pound or two anyway wouldn't you? Regardless, it's fairly painless to set up a Direct Debit to avoid having to pay it in the first place.

Quote from: snozboz

Is there one webpage that compares the legacy "Unlimited" package (which now faces a £5 increase) with current packages?  In terms of everything, including: prices, features, bandwidth, data transfer, and traffic shaping.

You can use the link Jim's provided for that (thanks Jim).

Quote from: snozboz

I am on Plusnet Unlimited, paying £16.34 per month, market 3.  I get around 3200kbps download speed.  My monthly data usage is around 22GB, incl. just under 20GB Peak usage (mainly web & streaming).  Presumably I will face a increase to £21.34 if I don't change package.  What are the best options?

Sounds to me like Extra might be right up your street.

Quote from: snozboz

I had a free house move in February 2010; presumably I won't face an additional charge for changing product before the end of 12 months from this, but will a package change mean the 12 months count down starts again before I can leave Plusnet entirely without penalty?

Under almost all circumstances, you can change package every 30 days or so.

Quote from: snozboz

BTW, I have yet to receive the email about the price change.

It's going to take a number of days to send them all. Ideally we'd want to stagger them further due to the reduced staffing at the moment but the 30 days notice we need to provide means we can't.

Quote from: Hairy

FFS £5 on the unlimited charge, not very competitive look like I may have to move provider now.

Have you looked at a potential move to Extra? If it suits, you stand to save money as opposed to paying more.

[#7]

Quote from: Oldjim

I was looking at the matrix you linked to. Also on that page it states Quote Stuff you need to know † - Home Phone changes from 4th January 2011: Line rental will increase to £11.99. Off-peak calling hours will change from 6pm – 6am to 7pm – 7am. There will also be some changes to call plans: Evening & Weekends – 300 free minutes to landlines removed. Anytime – 25% discount to mobiles removed. What does this refer to as it doesn't link from the International calls

I think that's a typo and should refer to the international minutes, I'll get somebody to take a look tomorrow...

Quote from: Oldjim

I just had an evil thought  - can I go onto the new extra package and then after the first 3 months change provider with no effect on the previous rebates

Do you mean Anytime, rather than Extra? If so, then yes you can but be clear that it's the calling package that's free and not the line rental.

[#8]

yes I did

[#9]

Quote from: Bob

Quote from: 4C Quote The 300 inclusive international minutes will be removed from our Talk Evenings & Weekends product, What a dirty low-down trick   Although worth remembering they weren't originally offered with Evenings & Weekends. If you use this feature a lot, then it might be worthwhile upgrading to the existing Anytime package before it changes on the 4th January. Having said that, your sig says you're on Anytime already and not Evenings & Weekends?

Yes Bob, I left BT to sign up to Anytime last month - it suits my calling pattern very well, especially with the international minutes.
At the same time I signed my daughter up to Talk Evenings & Weekends, with international minutes being a major "carrot". She'll not be at all happy about this - will have to have a re-think. 

[#10]

So just to confirm...
Line Rental up to £11.99
Broadband (Plusnet Extra) will stay at £11.49
And I get 3 months free Talk Anytime
And there won't be any VAT increase on these prices?
Doesn't seem too bad to me - considering TalkTalk have put my parent's package up by 60p plus the VAT.

[#11]

Hi
Is the £1.50 card surcharge applicable to only phone products or will it apply to broadband ONLY users like myself, I didn't find the FAQ clear on this point, possibly thats just me!
Pete
Edit: Silly old fool, I have just realised I pay by Direct Debit already

[#12]

Quote from: Bob

Quote from: mitchell20 £1.50 fee for paying by card from Feb 2011 - I DONT THINK SO. Easy solution to that would be to set up a Direct Debit? How come you abject to the idea?

Ahem. ‘Easy’ maybe… until it goes wrong.
Anyway, I'm not surprised to see the line rental increases considering that other companies have put their prices up too recently (so, presumably, the wholesale cost went up), although the lack of anything like BT's Line Rental Saver means that switching back to BT may now be beneficial for a number of people. On the positive side, it's good to see that prices aren't going up with VAT. I just wish that what with PN's sloppy administration of billing, and the exacerbation created by direct debits, they weren't now choosing to impose them on everybody by forcing a surcharge on non-abiders.
Edit: actually, why is a non-direct-debit surcharge being introduced now? Surely if PN used to be able to afford to let customers pay by other payment methods with the subscription prices on offer, then they still can? The only justifiable explanation would be that PN's credit/debit card processing fees have been increased by £1.50 by whoever provides them, and I find that unlikely. So essentially it's just a way to earn a few extra quid at the inconvenience of a number of customers.

[#13]

Quote from: Bruce47

So just to confirm... Line Rental up to £11.99 Broadband (Plusnet Extra) will stay at £11.49 And I get 3 months free Talk Anytime And there won't be any VAT increase on these prices? Doesn't seem too bad to me - considering TalkTalk have put my parent's package up by 60p plus the VAT.

All the above is correct but you'd have to request a move to the new Anytime package. If you're already on Anytime then this would mean a £1.50/mnth reduction on the cost of the call package but you'd lose your international minutes.

Quote from: PGRGrandad

Hi Is the £1.50 card surcharge applicable to only phone products or will it apply to broadband ONLY users like myself, I didn't find the FAQ clear on this point, possibly thats just me!

For the benefit of others, the £1.50 surcharge will be applicable to *all* paying residential customers. It only applies to recurring subscription payments though.

Quote from: Be3G

I just wish that what with PN's sloppy administration of billing, and the exacerbation created by direct debits, they weren't now choosing to impose them on everybody by forcing a surcharge on non-abiders.

I can't remember the exact figures but it's a pretty small percentage of the customer base that are still paying their subscription by card.

Quote from: Be3G

Edit: actually, why is a non-direct-debit surcharge being introduced now? Surely if PN used to be able to afford to let customers pay by other payment methods with the subscription prices on offer, then they still can?

The market changes, as do prices and other elements outside of our control like VAT. Ideally we'd like everybody on Direct Debit then we could do away with the cost of processing card payments entirely.

Quote from: Be3G

The only justifiable explanation would be that PN's credit/debit card processing fees have been increased by £1.50 by whoever provides them, and I find that unlikely. So essentially it's just a way to earn a few extra quid at the inconvenience of a number of customers.

I don't think our merchant provider has increased the costs of processing card payments but I'd have to check that before being able to say for sure.

[#14]

Quote from: Bob

All the above is correct but you'd have to request a move to the new Anytime package. If you're already on Anytime then this would mean a £1.50/mnth reduction on the cost of the call package but you'd lose your international minutes.

Thanks Bob.  I'm on Evenings & Weekends at the moment so this comes as an added bonus.  I was expecting the line rental to increase anyway at some point so this change isn't too bad.

[#15]

I currently pay by Credit Card if I change to Direct Debit will I be able to choose the Direct Debit Date so that it goes out of my bank account on or just after the date I choose every month?
Forgot to say that I am a Broadband only customer.