BT cheaper than Plusnet! for existing customers

[#1]

The BT offer, which runs out 6 Jan, gives 6 months unlimited broadband at £8 then £16 per month for an 18 month contract. It also gives £50 Sainsburys voucher. I currently have a £9.99 per month unlimited broadband package with Plusnet.
Compared to BT, this means I will pay £46.52 more over the 18 months, plus I don't get the BT extras (BT Sport app and online player, Unlimited wi-fi, BT SmartTalk, BT Home Hub 4, 2GB BT Cloud).
I pointed this out to Plusnet, and they offered me an 18 month contract at £2.75 per month for 6 months then £9.99 for 12 months. Compared to the BT offer this saves me £3.62 over the 18 months, but does not give me any of the BT extras (was also offered a 24 month contract at £2.75 per month for 12 months, then £9.99 a month for 12 months, but not interested in 24 month contracts and still not a good offer).
The Plusnet offer that would beat BT is a the £2.50 a month unlimited broadband that is only available to new customers.  I think the choice is obvious. For very little hassle I am going to become a new customer to BT, get their offer and extras, then may switch back to plusnet and their new customer offer at the time.
I know businesses need to attract new customers, but it annoys me that they seem to forget loyal customers. If that is the game they wish to play, then I guess I need to play it.

[#2]

Of course you are ignoring the cost difference for the phone part but then again you are fully aware of that aren't you

[#3]

I ignored it because they are virtually identical for BT and Plusnet. You can also get a discount of the same amounts from both if pay 12 months in advance for line rental.

[#4]

I'd rather pay the little bit extra and never had to deal with the Indian call centres again from when I used to be with BT.
That couple of quid saving a month can rapidly be offset by the days of hassle trying to get someone to listen to you.
Some have had bad experiences with PN customer care but the times I've had to contact them have been positive experiences.

[#5]

The offer you received was £3.62 cheaper for broadband over the 18 months and adding in the standard line rental charge (weekend calls only) you would save an additional £17.1 giving a total of £20.72
Now this still isn't a huge amount but I am quoting your own figures
However if you are really going because of the extras then do so

[#6]

Agreed, but I would normally pay line rental 12 months in advance for Plusnet, which is £11.49.  Doing the same for BT is £11.75, so not a great deal of difference. So yes, it is down to paying a little more and getting lots of extras - but maybe poorer service, or sticking with Plusnet.
However, if nothing else it is worth noting that if you are the standard contracts being offered by Plusnet (e.g. mine being the £9.99 for unlimited bb), then asking for a better deal can get you offers that are not shown on the Plusnet web and give some savings - although requiring you to commit to a contract.
I know Plusnet are not different to many other companies who will negotiate better deals if asked, and I am sure it makes good business sense to let people who don't bother to continue to pay more.
Also, just noticed that the Community Home page has an advert for the £2.50 per month for 12 months broadband offer, even though no existing customer can get this.  Most visitors to the community pages would be existing customers I would have thought?

[#7]

Quote from: GCC

Agreed, but I would normally pay line rental 12 months in advance for Plusnet, which is £11.49.  Doing the same for BT is £11.75, so not a great deal of difference. So yes, it is down to paying a little more and getting lots of extras - but maybe poorer service, or sticking with Plusnet.

Plusnet is actually £10.99 per month equivalent for LRS

[#8]

Quote from: GCC

Also, just noticed that the Community Home page has an advert for the £2.50 per month for 12 months broadband offer, even though no existing customer can get this.  Most visitors to the community pages would be existing customers I would have thought?

And when they see that, they can tell their non-Plusnet friends and relatives about it

[#9]

Well this is what Plusnet sent me recently
"If you currently pay for 12 months line rental in advance, we'll send you a reminder before your Line Rental Saver expires, with details on how to renew. The renewal charge will be £137.88 equivalent to £11.49 a month after 1  st October 2013"
If you pay less then I am being ripped off more than Ithought

[#10]

There is a difference
Your LRS includes evening and weekend calls the latest one doesn't and the BT one only includes weekend calls
To match your current LRS you need to add £2 per month to the BT LRS rate http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/products/landline/packages

[#11]

Thanks for that. I had not realised I was not comparing like for like. Like most services, it is never easy to make a straight comparison because of the different options and what is and is not included. With BT I would use the BT Smart Talk facility to make some savings, but others might not.
On balance, for me, BTs offer coupled with their extra services is so much better than the current standard contract Plusnet offer me it is a no brainer to switch. Plusnet's new offer to me, given only when I threatened to leave, is better than what I have now, but not enough to make me stay in terms of cost versus benefits (in my opinion). I would probably stay with Plusnet if I could get the new customer offer, but that is never going to happen.

[#12]

Best of luck with your new provider then

[#13]

Like you GCC I get annoyed when firms rely on the inertia of many loyal customers so they can offer new ones attractive rates. Plusnet are no better or worse than many organisations in this respect.
I hope the change to BT goes smoothly. I notice that Quidco seem to have a good offer for joining BT although I have not studied it thoroughly (of course you can never guarantee the cash back). 
http://www.quidco.com/bt-broadband/?ac
Unfortunately I'm still in contract or I would be tempted.

[#14]

OK tried to sign up for BT but discovered that their "Family Protection" which is in fact McAfee is only free for the first month then over £3 a month after that.  This is appalling and sneaky. If they had not even offered McAfee I would have accepted that, but to pretend they give it for free when they don't means I will not be going with them.
Plusnet have just informed me that I can have 6 months at £2.50 unlimited broadband but then it is still 12 months at the £9.90. Still not good enough for me compared to what new customers get and what I can get as a new customer with other providers.
Have looked at the deal from Primus and I can get exactly the same broadband (speed, unlimited download, UK call centre) for £4 a month and a £10 a month line rental (if paid in advance) with weekend and evening free calls. I don't get McAfee for free as with Plusnet, but at £14 a month compared to the £32 a month for my current package or £18.92 for the revised 18 month contract offer, I think I might go with them. Lots of free antivirus packages and fed up with how McAfee slows my PC when updating anyway.
I have to say Plusnet are a good provider and I would stay with them, but I need the same or similar broadband and line rental at the best price. My best option therefore seems to be to leave Plusnet for a better deal then maybe at some future point come back as a new customer and reap the benefits this will bring.

[#15]

McAfee is rubbish anyway so you haven't missed much, the only Anti-Virus that's worse is Norton IMO, about 12 years ago I bought and installed NAV 2001, and the ruddy thing killed me PC!