Switching from BT to Primus - will I lose my free orange broadband?

EHL123

**Posted in broadband section too - wasn't sure of best place!***

I have a free 'home starter' broadband package from Orange which I signed up to a few years ago along with my mobile phone. It's a great deal - up to 20MB speeds, a 10GB download limit and a livebox. They don't offer the package anymore and now charge £7 a month for their basic package, so getting it for free suits me fine

I've been paying BT £11.54 a month for my line rental but considering they're hiking their prices up again I'd like to go elsewhere. I don't use the phone for calls at all, it's literally just for broadband (don't even have a phone plugged in), so the cost of the line rental is all that matters. I also want to be able to pay monthly instead of quarterly, but BT's minimum monthly payment is £12 (rising to £13 once the increases come in - they only take whole pounds) and this is more than my line rental so I'd constantly be building up credit which I'd never get back.

I can get Orange line rental for £10.50 a month but I'd need to sign up to one of their new broadband packages as they come as a bundle, so this would cost me more each month instead of less. I can get Primus for £8.99 a month so I'm leaning towards them instead, but I've checked the terms for Orange's new version of the 'home starter' package and it says "only available on telephone lines provided by BT", so I'm guessing this will apply to my existing plan as well. But as I already get my broadband from Orange, will they even be aware of the change? I know BT Openreach will still own the line regardless of who I pay my line rental to, so will switching to Primus make any difference from Orange's point of view (i.e. will someone write to them to tell them)? I don't want them to use the change as an excuse to 'review' my account and move me onto one of the new packages because this one is obselete (it's no longer under contract so they can withdraw it whenever they like). Especially as I'd then be tied into Primus for 18 months and would have to pay someone else for broadband anyway. If it's going to happen I'd be better sticking with BT and just accepting the price rise and quarterly payments.

The other option is to switch to Sky and pay £11 a month including their basic broadband, but that has a £60 set-up fee which I want to avoid - has anyone had any success in getting this waived?

Heinz

The BT line rental is going up 50p/month (which is what the previous government was going to raise it by - but which the coalition has cancelled).

BTW, instead of lending BT £36 for 3 months every 3 months, why not switch to Monthly Whole Bill Direct Debit and only lend them £12.

EHL123

That's what I wanted, but they said they don't offer a monthly 'variable direct debit' (i.e. for the exact bill), but rather a 'monthly payment plan' which has to be rounded up to the nearest whole pound. It wouldn't be a problem if I had call charges on each bill, but my bill will never be more than £11.54 so I'll always be adding credit to the account. When the line rental goes up to £12.04 the payments will be rounded up to £13, and it'll carry on until I eventually cancel the account (or go back to quarterly payments). I know the extra 96p a month isn't a huge amount, but I don't see why I should pay more than I owe them every month. Of couse I could cancel the DD and pay the exact amount I owe by card every month, but then they'll charge me for the privilege

Heinz

EHL123 wrote: »

That's what I wanted, but they said they don't offer a monthly 'variable direct debit' (i.e. for the exact bill), but rather a 'monthly payment plan' which has to be rounded up to the nearest whole pound.

You were lied to.

I changed (after lending them money for more than 40 years) by just filling in this form and saying I wanted to change from Quarterly Whole Bill Direct Debit to Monthly Whole Bill Direct Debit and it was done and dusted within 2 days.

EHL123

What con artists! I used the contact form to ask them about it in the first place, and the email I've got back says they don't offer the whole bill DD monthly, I'd have to set up the £12 payment plan. I believed them because the option wasn't available on my online account either, but obviously they just hide it away so people will save at the 'bank of BT' by overpaying each month instead :mad:

Off to email them again, thanks! :T

Darkspoon

This thread seems to have gone somewhat astray.
Like the first poster, I would also like to know if changing from BT to Primus would adversely affect my Orange Broadband (which is £5 per month).
Can anyone help us, please?
Regards, Darkspoon

macman

Primus lines are not LLU, so it should not affect your ability to receive Orange broadband.

albo2002

I've called Orange twice and have been told both times that they can not run broadband on a Primus landline.. however, as Primus told me they are the same as BT, I cant see why there should be a difference.

Are Orange telling me the truth?

albo2002

Edit: I called a third time and was told 'I cant see why not' re the Primus landline :rotfl:

I'm also amazed that all three of them said they had never heard of Primus - one of their main competitors!

macman

Because their 1st tier call centre staff wouldn't know LLU from a hole in the head. Their script reads 'BT line required for Orange broadband, so if you say 'Primus line', they say 'no'.
You don't have to pay your line rental to BT to have a 'BT line'.

baldelectrician

Orange are increasingly incompotent.

They fail on almost 80% of the time I call them now (unless you get someone in the UK)

As far as the BT bill goes I have a possible suggestion

• set up for BT whole bill direct debit
• set up a standing order to pay BT the correct amount each month
• make sure you are 1-2 weeks ahead with the payments

Problem solved- the bill will come in (for payment by direct debit) and there will be no outstanding balance.
You 'save' money by conforming to their petty direct debit muppetry, but you keep the money going out of your account as you want it