Price Changes December 2019

[#1]

My guess is that prices are having to rise to make up for the accounting black hole created when the "New Billing System" failed to take payments from customers over a considerable number of months, and then only clawed back the accumulated debt for a maximum of 90 days.  I'd also suggest that the wages cost in emergency software developers overtime for correcting the billing system failures, and increased customer support agents, must have been considerable, as the problems started more than a year ago and are only starting to get back to normal now.

[#2]

I had a quick look at Zen - who appear to offer better (cheaper) than Plusnet - although it may be necessary to investigate the fine print.

[#3]

Hmm well 40 minutes on the phone (mostly on hold) to the suggested number. First he said my price was not going up, then when I queried this he double checked with a colleague and said my call package was going up by a pound.

However after much more checking he said I was free to leave without penalty and get my line rental refunded if I declared I was leaving because of the price rise (how?) within 30 days. But as I am on a new customer deal they have no interest in price matching competing providers....

So I will look around. 43 days since joining plus.net this could be a record short contract deal...

[#4]

A little odd that the email made no mention of the right to leave my contract early penalty free and when I asked the man what my options were he made not mention of it until I brought it up and pressed? But he confirmed I could so I suppose I must believe him?

[#5]

You would need to check the exact wording of "within 30 days of a price rise notification" - maybe this doesn't kick in until 30 days prior to 2nd December.

Get any notification in writing (or at least in email).

[#6]

The email i got today mentioned the Price increase of the anytime phone package by £1, I'm on a fixed contract for fibre extra and line rental so no other price increases,

The only mention of 30 days within the email was my call package ( anytime) is on a rolling contract and can be removed free of charge should I wish. 

As my broadband is fixed price and not increasing same for line rental it is not a option to leave the entire contract penalty free so unless your on a rolling contract or in one that is not fixed price you can't leave without paying the remainder of the contract.

[#7]

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@Terranova667 wrote:

so unless your on a rolling contract or in one that is not fixed price you can't leave without paying the remainder of the contract.

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You may be right but that is not what plus.net told me on the telephone when I enquired as directed by the price rise email.

I have put in a support question to ask when the 30 day period runs so hopefully they will reply and I will have confirmation in writing.

While I can see the argument that I can opt out of a call package given their monopoly position on providing me the call package  while I am under contract I think its reasonable for me to feel somewhat materially disadvantaged by the price rise. Certainly to have changed the prices within 40 days of signing me to a long contract is rather vexing. Legally and practically I have no idea but I think it worth pushing a little. 

[#8]

If you calls outside of a call plan, then carrier select dialling could be an answer to Plusnet phone call price increases - for example see https://www.call18866.co.uk/#u - there are others, but some appear to be linked - I saw another with the exact same website content / layout as 18866.

Land line 1.7p per minute

Mobile 12p per minute (cheaper than PN land line calls)

Call set up 5p

HOWEVER note that unanswered and engaged calls are charged for from the point of the tariff announcement.

[#9]

Thank you for the though Townman. We actually already use 18185 for international calls but no one can ever remember to dial it reliably for regular ones. Even a big sign is not help... Its a shame you used to be able to get prefix dialling boxes and stuff but the market has disappeared. 

Equally I could try and get a voip box and route all our calls that way but again the market for boxes that work transparently with pots lines is fading away rather fast.

For old fashioned households like ours I'm afraid we still consider a call package as an essential part of our package... Pick up the phone, dial and it just works. People know were they are with that.

[#10]

Well after two hours of refreshing I managed to get an online chat who forwarded me to the contracts team who I pointed to my two day old unanswered support question. 

They denied what I had been told on the phone and said I could not leave I could only pay the extra or stop having the call package, which we consider integral but they clearly dispute. 

Bleah. He was oddly reluctant to answer my support ticket but in the end appended the chat transcript to it which achieved the same effect. The then chat closed/crashed? unexpectedly. Don't know if that was their end or mine but anyway.

I guess I will see if I can figure out how to make a complaint and maybe the ombudsman will give an opinion in eight weeks.

Consumer stuff is meant to be fair and reasonable. I don't think this is fair and reasonable. 40 days into an eighteen month contract to move the goal posts. Of course I'm not always right. Still onwards.

[#11]

"The call plan isn't part of a price increase so this is going to increase by £1.00"

This strikes me as strained logic.

[#12]

Hello @zxcvbnm,

I am deeply sorry for the experience you have had and for the confusion over the price increase.

If your broadband and line rental package increases, we will allow you to leave without penalty.

As a call plan is not a a contract and can be added and remove at anytime then a termination fee would apply for any remaining contract upon cancellation. 

I have listen to the call and can clearly here where you have been misinformed on this and I really would like to get this resolved for you. Can I give you a call to discuss it further?

[#13]

This is the package I've just moved to. Nothing wrong with PlusNet. Rock solid reliability and speed, but I'm a bit tired of yearly increases now. It's been fun

[#14]

When are personalised notifications of the price increase being issued?

Obviously I'd like to know ASAP, so I can consider what necessary modifications need to be made.

[#15]

Thanks for your post @VileReynard.

We don't have an exact date that we can give at the moment but rest assured you will be given 30 days notice of any change before it's made.