Primus V Virgin + BT?

derrick

Re the Primus offer, http://www.homephonechoices.co.uk/article.asp?id=primus-exclusive-line-rental&partner=mse .

I am with Virgin on an ASDL legacy bundle, “Broadband Bundle Three (Promotional £9.99 package)”, don’t know what they mean by “Promotional £9.99 package”, but that is what I pay and have done for at least 2 years, for 3meg download, 7.7Mbps, (this is stated when I connect), and inclusive evening and weekend calls to 01/02/03 numbers. BT for line rental.

I rang Virgin and was told if I wanted to move phone line and calls to Primus, I would have to have a broadband only at £18. per month, (unless I move that as well).

This is what I have been offered; -
quick a confirmation of the offer I made you.
(M)BBI 10GB
(XL) TALK (anytime calls to local & national)
LINE RENTAL
With additional £2.50- credit
You will pay first 6months at £18.50 and remaining 6 months at £24.50.
Subject to new 12months Contract.
You can review your package at anytime to see if they are better offers available to you, once you accept a new offer it will be a new 12months contract.
When dialling override numbers you will be charged a connection fee from us of 7.2p

One thing I cannot understand is that I was told, and confirmed in above email confirmation, that if I dialled the likes of 1899,18866,18185, I would be charged a connection fee by Virgin, is this correct? Can they do that? It doesn’t happen when going via BT even if you have CPS with other.

The calculations, assuming everything remains same? Are; -
BT line rental and Virgin BB, ( with inclusive evening & weekend calls), for 12 months = £255.
Virgin, offer as above; -
1st 12 months £258.
2nd 12 months £294.

Looks like I might be better staying as is for the time being, the only difference with the Virgin offer is that I will get inclusive landline call during the day, but the second year will cost £39. more for this, and I don’t make many daytime calls.

Any comments?

Heinz

Only BT has to allow access to override (and CPS - and only BT allows that) calls providers so, if you hand your line rental to anyone else, you run the risk of override prefixes like 1899, 18185, 1301 and 18866 being barred completely.

At least Virgin have warned you of what they'll (allegedly) do. I say 'allegedly' because I suspect they do not have the technology to charge a connection fee and allow the call to pass to the override provider.

derrick

Heinz wrote: »

Only BT has to allow access to override (and CPS - and only BT allows that) calls providers so, if you hand your line rental to anyone else, you run the risk of override prefixes like 1899, 18185, 1301 and 18866 being barred completely.

At least Virgin have warned you of what they'll (allegedly) do. I say 'allegedly' because I suspect they do not have the technology to charge a connection fee and allow the call to pass to the override provider.

Ye, I knew that about BT and CPS, but they did say verbally that they would charge a connection fee,(I told him that I thought they did not have the ability to make that charge but he said they did), and as you can see backed it up in their email confirmation.
But from the calculations, I will probaly leave it alone for now, as I will be losing £3. in the first year, and £39. in the second year, (assuming everything stays equal, which it probaly won't, but you can only estimate these things), just to get inclusive calls during the day, wgich i hardly do anyway.