Bill error? How to get it sorted?

[#1]

Sometimes I despair of PlusnNet.  When I received an email notifying me of my last bill on 25th April it seemed wrong.so I replied to the email.  Several days later I got an automated response telling me that the emailaddress was unmonitored and saying "we prefer tickets" but when you try to start a ticket you can't and get referred to a series of help pages culminating in a reference to this Community. This is the text of the email that I sent to "support@plus.net".

Thank you for your Bill Notification. 

I have examined the bill and, regrettably, find it TOTALLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE.

Perhaps I am being simple minded. When I signed up for my new 24 month contract yhe overall package for Broadband, Phone and Call package was £26 per month.  As I understood the position this would be increased by CPI + 3.9% on 31 March 2022 – ie to £28.42pm.  My last payment was on 25 March and I presume that the current month would therefore be a little less than £28.42. Instead it is £30.33 and the way in which that is calculated is totally arcane.  The only item on the bi which makes any sense at all is the Referrals of £1.25 less the call costs of £1.21 giving a credit of 4p on the final bill.

Please explain – It does not seem to me that all the adjustments have made sense.

The monthly charges section of the bill consisted of 17 lines which seems excessive for Broadband plus landline phone.

OK - I could phone PlusNet but I don't suppose a support clerk would understand the bill either.

HOW DO I GET AN EXPLANATION.  And for the sake of customer sanity PLEASE restore the Open a ticaket facility or provide a manned email address for queries.

.

[#2]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from ADSL Broadband to My Account/Billing

[#3]

2022 Billing increases

Users have found the first bill following the price changes on 31st March 2022 odd because the brief summary presented at the top of the bill is just that - a summary. It does not reflect the important details of each line as fully described on subsequent pages. The first bill after the price rise, has for each chargeable item and their associated discounts...

1. A refund for the charges already paid on the previous bill (at the old rate) for the period from 31st March to the billing date
2. A re-charge in arrears (at the new rate) for the period from 31st March to the billing date
3. The charge at the new rate for the following month (charged in advance)

Consequently comparing this months bill with last months bill can create the impression that it has gone up more than the expected 9.3%. It is also possible that the annual prise rise is coincident with the end of the discounted minimum term, making the increase appear much larger.

Note: In some cases there is a known error on the first bill run which has omitted to adjust applicable discounts.

[#4]

I get that but it's more complex than just the price increase. My old contract was renewed during March at less per month than I was paying on my previous contract. The bill itself with 6 entries for the call plan, 6 entries for Fibre and 3 entries for line rental is, to me and without explanation, incomprehensible - and I am a retired actuary!

[#5]

Hmm that sounds like two lots of 3!

I wonder if it things went something like this...

1. Your new contract started BETWEEN billing dates
2. Your new contract started after the 31st March
3. You paid an initial month on the new contract prior to 31st March in advance

I can envisage that out of the above there might be some horrible complications as there are effectively two break points in the charging period, requiring refunds and recharges.  I thought I might speculate what they might be, but I doubt I can guess lines which match the numbers reported.

Do the dates on the details of the charge lines not help?

[#6]

Hiya @inspiredon, thanks for getting in touch. I'm so sorry for the confusion caused with your bill and would like to do what I can to help here

What @Towman has advised is correct, though I'll try provide more details on this for you.

The first or so page of your bill will give a breakdown of the items that make up your bill amount and show the total amount.

Under the 'charges broken down' section of the bill, this will provide you with more info on those listed items, providing the dates the amounts all refer to. 

Due to the price increase on the 31st March, your April bill will consist of the amount for your service for the month in advance (at the new price) and then will also have backdated charges to cover the period between the 31st March (when the new price starts) up until the date before the bill date. 

Your breakdown will include 3 lines for each product (i.e broadband/ line rental/ call plans/ discounts etc) and these reflect the following:

1. A minus amount, to reflect what you have already paid us for that service on the previous bill for the period of March 31st up to the bill date.

2. A charge for that same period but at the new cost

3. A charge for the month in advance (at the new cost)

This will be the same for any chargeable services that you have. 

You will also see a breakdown for any discounts you have (again with this being listed 3 times) and these are to show the following:

1. A charge to reflect the discount you received for the period from 31st March to the new bill date

2. A  minus amount, which reflects the new discount for that period (as this will have too been adjusted with the increase)

3. The discount for the product it relates to for month in advance

I hope this provides some further clarity for you!