ASA UK Ban PlusNet Broadband ISP TV Advert for Misleading Half Price Offer

[#1]

If you negotiated a deal with us during the period the offer was available to all (31st Jan - 7th Feb) then if you contact our Customer Options Team they can apply the discounts for you. If you contacted us outside of the offer period then the offer you agreed then is the one you'll stay on.
I've just been through 6 of the people posting on this thread and without naming people, none of them were actually eligible for the discounts despite asking us in this thread why they didn't have the discount. The reasons for this are:
2 requested their account change *after* the offer had expired (significantly after, not just a day or so).
2 requested their account change *before* we started the offer (even for new customers).
1 was already on a different offer from when they signed up.
1 is not on an eligible product.
It's also worth noting that some of the above also did this account change online so never actually spoke to our customer options team to negotiate a discount at all.

[#2]

Quote from: Chris

I've just been through 6 of the people posting on this thread and without naming people, none of them were actually eligible for the discounts despite asking us in this thread why they didn't have the discount. The reasons for this are:

If PN did put out conflicting information, and then start back tracking, and putting out a misleading advert we would not be in this situation.
I feel its like been pulling teeth getting the correct information.
Can you please answer my questions from reply 43 and the one from 34 below

Quote

Can we have a straight answer have PN told the ASA it was for existing customers or not?

Kind Regards
Mike

[#3]

And what about the others that have been posting here, some may not have changed product having been given the "now false" impression it didn't apply to them    (I'm not implying myself necessarily).

[#4]

We updated the advert on the 31st January to remove the new customers only line, if you requested an account change outside of this period then there was no offer on. if you were inside this period then contact us and we'll sort it out.

[#5]

Quote from: Chris

12 months half price. To clarify the advert was changed to remove the reference to 'new customers only' on the 31st Jan. So if you negotiated a deal with us between then and the offer end date of the 7th Feb and weren't offered the correct deal, then please feel free to contact our Customer Options Team.

Was the reference 'new customers only'  also removed from the website T&Cs as well during that period ?
Regards
Mike

[#6]

I'm not sure mike, however I'm of the opinion that what we've said about giving customers this offer if they had requested it during the period is very fair and reasonable. all they need to do is get in touch with COT

[#7]

" very fair and reasonable"
It should not have taken this much time and effort and all these posts and fact finding information by your customers to get to this point
Chris you have not offered the same offer tho. You have offered 18 months not 12 months like PN told the ASA ( see article below) . It like pulling teeth.
PN have said in a few posts today  it was for new customers only  then after the ASA article info was posted PN then change their mind

PN state is the ASA article as been 12 month (see above it clear is day), why are you not sticking to this and instead saying 18 month?
Can you please respond to my earlier questions in reply 34 and 43
In the offer time frame ( 31st Jan to Feb ) if the T&C still 'new customers only' this would put some people of asking for the offer in my opinion.
Then you have the customer who will have asked  for the offer in the said period and have not been given it, and are none the wiser about the developments in this thread.
Regards
Mike

[#8]

Quote from: Oldjim

Some of us went to unlimited before the offer came out

Seems some of us went to unlimited after the offer too!

[#9]

Quote

Can you please respond to my earlier questions in reply 34 and 43

I believe we're speaking (or have spoken) to the ASA to clarify the position.
And we'll sort the 18 / 12 month contract out when the customers contact us. Remembering that anyone on Fibre is an *18* month contract anyway.

[#10]

If the ASA article is correct (12 month) i assume PN will do the right thing and offer what PN said it would.
I would appreciate an update to the thread once you have clarified the article with the ASA.
This offer does not affect me  (i got the offer as i migrated back in), i like to see companies stick to what they say, and in the whole PN do, and do a very very good job of providing phone and bb.
Regards
Mike

[#11]

I'm really struggling to see what there is that's still not clear about what we're doing? If a customer contacted us to request the offer and wasn't given it, they need to get in touch and we'll give it them (12 month contract).
What else is there?
I'm not sure we're going to give you detail of any contact we may have with the ASA in private.

[#12]

Quote from: Chris

OK, here we go. Changes were made to our ad whilst it was still on air to clarify that they offer was available to all customers. i.e the wording ‘New Customers only’ was removed. Existing customers contacting us during the offer period could have taken advantage of the offer on an 18 month contract. If this wasn’t the case when you rang in during the offer period then you need to contact us so that we can look at what we can do to remedy this for you. I'm just getting this briefing into the Customer Options Team so they're aware that some people may contact them.

"I'm really struggling to see what there is that's still not clear about what we're doing?".. You first said 18 month nothing about 12 month , you have only just mentioned 12 month now, how was that clear.
I was quite clearly not asking for details just to confirm if the article was correct, as you can see from my previous posting
Regards
Mike

[#13]

Sorry, I thought I'd clarified that in post 53: http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,114552.msg986896.html#msg986896

[#14]

In your reply at 11.39 i assumed the 18 month you mentioned then was referring to the adsl packages (was that not the case) as this was the packages that had the 12 month discount.

Quote from: Chris

And we'll sort the 18 / 12 month contract out when the customers contact us. Remembering that anyone on Fibre is an *18* month contract anyway.

I now assume from this you where referring the 18 month to fibre and the 12 month to adsl. ?
Regards
Mike

[#15]

Yep, I've advised the COT managers of the contract issue and that we should allow 12 months on ADSL for customers contacting us about this.