activation fees

[#1]

why do Plusnet want to charge me a £25 "activation" free for changing from DSL to FTTC?
what does this £25 actually pay for?
and, of course, if line rental is with Plusnet then it is graciously waived.

[#2]

it pays for BT Openreach to go to the cab and switch you over - But of course you knew that didn't you

[#3]

The "upfront" fees for broadband only range from £31.99 DSL - £56.99 FTTC. I see your fee is the difference between the two. "Activation" is a bit vague. What if you are on moving from another company but on the same service. What exactly would need to be "activated".

As they now have to show clear monthly charges with no hidden line rental small print etc why aren't these small print "fees" also included clearly in the monthly charges?

[#4]

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@Oldjim wrote:

it pays for BT Openreach to go to the cab and switch you over - But of course you knew that didn't you

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no i didn't already know that.
I'm skeptical to be honest that the fee is for this. they might say it's for this, but i'm skeptical that it is actually for this.
you would already be paying more per month anyway due to no line rental, so it seems like just another cash grab as punishment for not taking line rental.

[#5]

It's to cover the one-off costs we're charged as part of the order. FYI this is waived if phone and broadband are taken together.

[#6]

what are the one-off costs?
and why does the cost vary depending on the product?
and why would you waive it for some and not others?

[#7]

what are the one-off costs?

I'm not sure of the amount these are, they are in the Openreach pricing information available publicly though I believe.

and why does the cost vary depending on the product?

Different work required at exchange/cab, different technologies if you're asking why Openreach charge different amounts.

and why would you waive it for some and not others?

If a customer has broadband and phone, we're more likely to be able to recover the costs over the course of a contract.

[#8]

how would you be more likely to recover the costs over the course of the contract if they also had phone?
the length of the contract is the same, and you are charging more per month for broadband for someone who doesn't have phone.

are you implying that you would be recovering the costs from the charges for telephone calls made by the customer?
in my situation i can guarantee that no telephone calls would ever be made.

[#9]

Why £25 though? If something has to be "switched over" then why is the fee the difference between the two? It suggests that something is already half "switched over" which makes no sense.

What makes more sense is that there is just a piece of paper with an arbitrary scale of surcharges for broadband only customers.

[#10]

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@billnotben wrote:

Why £25 though? If something has to be "switched over" then why is the fee the difference between the two? It suggests that something is already half "switched over" which makes no sense.

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That's like asking why we only charge £65 for chargeable engineer visits, despite being charged more for them by our suppliers. Or why we charge £49.99 for a new line install despite being charged more for this by our suppliers. 

[#11]

OK that's clear enough. It's a business secret which will not ever be divulged even under pain of death.

The audacity of a customer actually daring to question charges.

[#12]

We charge *less* than we're charged for these things, I'm not sure how this is being taken as a negative.

[#13]

Well most honest businesses, Yorkshire or otherwise, are quite happy and upfront when asked to explain charges.

Those that don't or prevaricate do so because their figures are illusory, plucked out of thin air.

[#14]

why don't you actually check the actual Openreach charges which is where it starts https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/pricing/loadProductPrices.do?data=63iUyYbpRV%2Fdw36mt...

[#15]

My contract is with plusnet not openreach.

When I get someone to do a job they don't hand me a list of part manufacturers and tell me to look up their prices.

They hand me a quote with their costs and part prices on it.