Left Plusnet broadband - 6th August - received a new bill

[#1]

Hello,

This is on behalf of my mum, who is unwell and therefore not able to ring Plus net to add me on to her authorised users as I was advised when I called Plus net in an attempt to resolve this issue. I'm therefore reaching out on this forum.

Hopefully someone can offer advice/help, please.

Here is where we are at:

She was originally due to migrate to her chosen new provider in July - however, Openreach did not arrive for their appointment as a 'cease order' from Plus net prevented them from doing so.

Contacted Plusnet, who belatedly advised her there was some outstanding monies owed on the portion of her bill for that portion of her contract whilst still with Plusnet. - Settled bill.

6th August: a new appointment was arranged with Openreach to move her to new provider - (she had cancelled her renewed contract with Plus net - after 4 days of renewing - so, within the 14 days to change your mind).

Moved across to new provider - all going well.

Until....on 26th August received both a text and email from Plus net saying that she owed them £29.99 for the period of 19 days after she had left Plus net for said new provider.

If she remains under contract, as Plus net are stating, then why would the 'cease order' have been removed and transfer to a new provider enabled? Yes, it is nonsensical.

Can anyone untangle this issue, please?

As the very limited options for contacting Plus net seem to begin and end with phoning....I was unable to resolve this as I am doing this on Mum's behalf, as mentioned in my intro to this post.

[#2]

sounds familiar https://community.plus.net/t5/Everything-else/Cease-corder-question/m-p/1979096 

Add on PN cease notice period and that is likley to what your bill shows.

[#3]

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@Mustrum wrote:

sounds familiar https://community.plus.net/t5/Everything-else/Cease-corder-question/m-p/1979096 

Add on PN cease notice period and that is likley to what your bill shows.

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But this is a cancellation with the 14 day cancellation period - there shouldn't be a charge for any period beyond the cancellation - at least not according to Plusnet's T&Cs: 

9.2. If you cancel any services within this cancellation period you must:

9.2.1. pay for any services received up to the date that you told us you wanted to cancel;

9.2.2. pay any installation, connection or activation charges associated with that service (including the full cost of charges that were discounted or advertised as free as a condition of taking services on the terms that you agreed); and

9.2.3. return any equipment we have provided as set out in paragraph 9.5 below.

[#4]

9.4. If the service you signed-up for is a product change, a re-contract or add-on, upon cancelling the service we may move you back to your previous agreement if your previous product remains available, or the closest matching service.

Hence you revert to the cancellation terms and period of the previous agreement.

[#5]

@GBP 

For information, an authorised person cannot make contractual changes, this has to be done by the account holder.

From what I gather, please clarify if wrong: your mother signed up with a new provider, they would have arranged the take over of the working Plusnet service.

She then cancelled the Plusnet service so there was no longer a working service to take over. 
Then I gather the Plusnet contract was extended due to the service being switched off due to the cancellation.

Then the new Plusnet contract was cancelled and the move to the new ISP reinstated.

If so, it’s not surprising that the billing system is confused. You either need to either wait for a member of the help team to come along or ring in with your mother present. You can then do the talking apart from your mother confirming that you can talk on her behalf then for her to agree with any conclusions.

PS I think that if you log in to the Plusnet account you can add an authorised person.

[#6]

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@MisterW wrote:

Hence you revert to the cancellation terms and period of the previous agreement.

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Hmm. That's rather nasty when you are cancelling the service.

I can understand doing that if you order an add-on, where there is an underlying service to fall back to, but where the service is being cancelled to say that it isn't cancelled just moved back to a previous service which is then cancelled under different terms seems perverse to me.

It makes me glad I'm no longer a Plusnet customer!

[#7]

but if that wasn't the case, you could effectively avoid any notice period by re-contracting and then immediately cancelling!.

if effect there are two separate actions, one to cancel the re-contract within the 14 days, and then a separate one to cancel the service.

I suspect that most providers will operate similarly.

edit: just looking at Zen's T & C for instance

f you have ordered the services online or by telephone you have a legal
right to cancel an order for services within 14 days without giving us any
reason (“cooling-off period”) but if you ask us to provide or you use the
services before the end of the cooling off period your right to cancel ends.

Seems like if you were to use the service at all after a re-contract, you'd lose the right to cancel and would be liable for ETC's on the new contract.