Leaving plusnet. calling retentions was a waste of time

[#1]

Been with plusnet since 2004, and up until now have managed to get a decent, and competitive deal upon renewal

So just phoned up today to see if they would offer anything, mentioned I was about to sign upto Now (tv) broadband

My plusnet offer via the renewal page is £24.99/month for the 80/20 fttc/vdsl product for 18 months plus anytime calls at £8.37 a month which works out at £33.36a month, or over  the first 12 months  £400.32

 if i upgrade the VDSL/FTTc product to the 80/20

Now Broadband are offering the 80/20 product with inclusive calls for £20/month ( plus £5 router delivery) which costs £240 over 12 months , which is a saving of just over £160 .

The  call to retention's was short , pretty much closing the call off as soon as possible - mentioned i was about to sign with now TV , and just said they ( now) will send a new router and it will just be a case of unplugging the old plusnet one and plugging in the Now Tv one, and it will take 14 days ( notice period) at which point the retention agent ended the call - didnt even ask for customer details such as username etc.

Its been a long time since i moved ISP.  before plusnet i was with Freeserve/Wanadoo ( up until 2004)

 I intend to sign up to a better deal before the end of the weekend.

 a few  questions:

 How long until the plus net email accounts are de activated?

 Will plusnet refund any outstanding credit on the account, or will the change over only happen at the end of the billing cycle?

 As ive been with plusnet for a while - is the billing a month in areas or a month upfront?

Whats the best thing to do with the old plusnet router(s)

[#2]

@pint No surprise really - BT (as the parent company) appear to want to be rid of the Plusnet brand - notice how anyone wanting to move to an FTTP connection is gently prodded in the direction of EE/BT.

To try and answer your questions:-

Email: in theory you can still ask to be moved to an 'email only' account - but I suspect that option will soon disappear.

If you are due any refund, this should be paid back to you within 28 days of the account closure, equally, if you owe them anything, you will receive a final bill.

Billing is a month in advance for line/broadband charges

Modem/routers - you should be able to request a returns bag - or just recycle them via your council electrical equipment recycling service.

[#3]

Thanks, ive posted on here a few thoughts about Plusnets long term future on here, and its certainly doesnt appear to be the same thing as it once was when i first signed up:

 Gone are things like the 24/7 customer support , with live stats call waiting times, busy periods etc and webcams although i hardly used it on the odd occasion it was useful.

 Also gone is the we mainly advertise through word of mouth and via a sponsorship on ( our) local football team shirt, as TV/radio advertising is expensive

My previous email accoutn was kept running by using a dial up modem and connecting to freeserves emails via a modem on a Sega Dreamcast to keep the account alive - which was downgraded to dial up pay as you go.

 I've got some settings from the period when i signed up to plusnet - or sometime not long after stating that the plusnet dial up internet service is as follows:

Plusnet internet Dial up number 0845 1400101

Username: plusnet username

 password: plusnet account password

While the Dreamcast has had its last dream - somewhere ive got a USB 56k modem

[#4]

Re; Email - if you are still using a legacy (freeserve) account for email, as I understand it from posts on here, it will die with account closure - only @plusnet accounts can be converted to to 'email only'.

[#5]

The freeserve account was left to die after about 12 months - when id notified everyone that the account was no longer in use and it stopped reeving anything but spam

[#6]

So you are not using an ISP email address then?

[#7]

My plusnet mailboxname@username.plus.com email addresses are still alive and in partial use

the freeserve mail died sometime around 2006

[#8]

Ah - if you want to try and keep the username@plus.com ones, you need to ring urgently and request they are converted to an email-only account on closure.

[#9]

I havent completed the sign up with Now yet - I told retention i was thinking of signing up to Now TV Broadband ( as opposed to have signed up)

[#10]

OK - but do as I advised if you DO sign up.

[#11]

I might give them another call to ask about email only accounts.

 However when ive renewed in the past Plusnet have been quite keen and enthusiastic , this time wound it was completely different - although if i remember right there was a retention's number ( this is going in via the standard CS numbers)

[#12]

IF you decide to move AND want to keep the email (for as long as possible) you need to specifically request the facility - but only call them when you have made the decision to move.

[#13]

Hi @pint

I'm really sorry to see the bad experience you've had and you're looking at leaving us as a result.

I'll listen to the call when it shows up in our call recording software and make sure feedback is passed on where appropriate. 

In the meantime, I'll be happy to escalate this and arrange for an adviser to call you back to discuss what we can do for you as you've been with us for a very long time (Thanks for your loyalty!). If you'd like to go ahead, send me a private message with a contact number we can reach you on and a rough time frame when you'll be available for a call. 

However, if you do choose to leave, I'd like to thank you again for your loyalty to us for so long and wish you all the best with your new provider. I've logged on your account a request to retain your e-mails after cancellation, and I'll make sure we do, though you will have some disruption, normally a few days as your account's cancelled and then reactivated to a free e-mail only product, and you'll have to setup your e-mail addresses again at Manage My Mail Here.

Regarding billing, as you pay for your services in advance, within 20 days of your account being closed, we'll produce your final bill, which will take into account for anything you may have overpaid, call charges and/or anything we owe.

If the end total is that you owe money, we'll e-mail you to let you know but similarly if we do, then refund it to your bank account through a direct debit if one exists, otherwise we'll e-mail instructions on how to 'claim' the money as a bank transfer. At a last resort, we'll post a cheque if we need to. 

Let me know if you've got any further queries and I'll be happy to help. 

[#14]

Just made another call - actually managed to get a bit of a conversation but no budging on the price, as the call rep stated  plusnet will not  price match, instead loads of waffle about UK based call centres and if i need to call technical support then i will be stuck with a non UK call centre if a call centre exists.

 Mentioned that i havent called Tech support much as most issues have been self fixable , and then got more waffle about uk based call centres

[#15]

Now TV sign up - havent finished it yet, the ironic thing is I'm about to cancel my Now TV entertainment pass as i need to cut back on some spending, even though its at a discount of £4.99/month