Clarification PLEASE on LRS & 30 day notice

[#1]

Thanks for your feedback everyone, we understand fully that some of you may be unhappy about this and we're taking that onboard.
To clarify as I'm sure you're all aware LRS is a separate contract.

[#2]

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

To clarify as I'm sure you're all aware LRS is a separate contract.

Adam,
With the very greatest of respect, that is splitting hairs.  LRS is a means of payment of the contracted for line rental.
The means of payment gives a discount for the commitment to pay in advance for 12 months, with the constraint that in the event of the user simply 'choosing' to exit the substantive contract, the advance payment is not refundable.  The duration of the contract is governed else where - for example 18 months.
The issues here is that there is a material change to the substantive contract (paid for in advance) which under regulatory rules affords the user the option of ceasing the substantive contract without exit penalty.  To not refund "unused" LRS is in effect an exit penalty.
If the user elects to exit the contract WITHOUT penalty then either the residual LRS should be refunded or the user should be allowed to exercise their penalty free exit at the end of the LRS.  At worse, the full (non-LRS) rental fees to the termination date, should be deducted from the amount of the LRS paid and the remainder refunded, if (possibly quite reasonably) a full pro-rata refund is thought inappropriate.
Kevin.

[#3]

I hear you Kevin but politely disagree. Appreciate that;s not what you would want to hear.

[#4]

Hi Adam,
I would always want to hear that you are polite, which I have never seen a cause to dispute 
I would be very interested to be pointed to material which clearly indicates that LRS is a separate contract, rather than simply a different means of paying the monthly line rental.  I am on LRS and have no cognisance of it being a distinct contract and I am very careful over reading T&Cs.
Whilst the way we would like things to work is not what PlusNet are facilitating, I am sure that you would agree (if not bound by corporate constraints) that either refunding residual LRS or allowing the penalty free exit at the end of LRS would be somewhat more transparent and dare I say honest too?
Kevin

[#5]

Quote

Whilst the way we would like things to work is not what PlusNet are facilitating, I am sure that you would agree (if not bound by corporate constraints) that either refunding residual LRS or allowing the penalty free exit at the end of LRS would be somewhat more transparent and dare I say honest too?

Rather than not reply at all I just wanted to say that would be giving my personal opinion which I'm not here to do.
Sorry if that sounds blunt, there's no other way I can put it.

[#6]

I understand the constraints!

[#7]

Quote from: Townman

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_ To clarify as I'm sure you're all aware LRS is a separate contract. Adam, With the very greatest of respect, that is splitting hairs.  LRS is a means of payment of the contracted for line rental. The means of payment gives a discount for the commitment to pay in advance for 12 months, with the constraint that in the event of the user simply 'choosing' to exit the substantive contract, the advance payment is not refundable.  The duration of the contract is governed else where - for example 18 months. The issues here is that there is a material change to the substantive contract (paid for in advance) which under regulatory rules affords the user the option of ceasing the substantive contract without exit penalty.  To not refund "unused" LRS is in effect an exit penalty. If the user elects to exit the contract WITHOUT penalty then either the residual LRS should be refunded or the user should be allowed to exercise their penalty free exit at the end of the LRS.  At worse, the full (non-LRS) rental fees to the termination date, should be deducted from the amount of the LRS paid and the remainder refunded, if (possibly quite reasonably) a full pro-rata refund is thought inappropriate. Kevin.

Kevin,
I fully support your view, in effect Plusnet is changing our contract through increasing all the call charges and nothing we can do about. I have raised a ticket and if I am not hearing anything I will contact Ofcom, as I am not happy with their broadband service either.

[#8]

Best of luck with the ticket, I raised one for exactly the same purpose and got the following reply

Quote

Thanks for taking the time to contact Plusnet. We're making some changes to the way we handle our customers questions. So, we’re not able to answer your question in this way but we’d be more than happy to help you quickly and easily though Plusnet Chat. Just follow the link below to chat to us online and we’ll do all we can to help. https://www.plus.net/home-broadband/contact/

[#9]

In my opinion it impossible to define LRS as a separate contract for the purposes of this discussion (it can't be entirely separate from calls packages or call charges that rely on the  line rental (however paid) for their existence).
Anyone with LRS will be affected by increased call package and call charges, it is not possible for anyone to move their call charges or package elsewhere while leaving LRS with Plusnet, the increase in call / package charges are a direct material detriment to the LRS contract but the non-refundable aspect of the LRS makes it ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE for a customer to leave 'without penalty' since loosing a significant part of what has already been paid for is a penalty in itsself.
For anyone on LRS their price increase on line rental will actually happen on expiry of the LRS (IS THAT NOT SO Plusnet?) so I'd argue that such customers surely have the right to exit at that point without penalty (if not before due to calls / package price increases).

[#10]

The line rental increases then but the call costs go up from 2nd Sept.
I gave up trying to get a refund, even opening a complaint got the same stock reply.
However I spent the obligatory time on the phone to get through to the COT and beat a deal from them, I could get cheaper with cash back (but I have found that cash back is not always guaranteed, or can take the best part of a year to get paid) but I got a reasonable deal and so I am staying for another year (2 year contract but they will increase the line rental again next year same as past times)