Primus Saver rip-off

Sun-Is-Fun

Inactive wrote: »

Yes, read through the thread.;)

I did before I posted and all the companies mentioned in this thread are more than £10 a month for just line rental with called id !

billsavings

mjfp509 wrote: »

At the moment BT seem cheapest line rental with caller ID if you pay up front 12 months (£10 month) that also allow access to CPS, or is there anyone else?

To get the caller id at no cost and the line rental saver for £120 you need to make a certain number of calls. If you cps your calls to certain supplier,s eg Sky you will not be able to use 1280 to hop back to BT.

"You have to make a certain number of calls (these can be chargeable or inclusive calls) to meet the 'minimum call commitment'. If you're monthly billed you'll need to make at least two calls a month. If you're quarterly billed you need to make at least six calls in each quarter. Otherwise you'll be charged £1.50 a month (£4.50 a quarter).

also it appears that you cant get line rental saver if you just take line rental with weekend calls anyway. .




"You qualify for Line Rental Saver if you have paper-free billing and one of the following products:

• Unlimited Anytime Plan
• Unlimited Evening and Weekend Plan"

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13962/c/345

Sun-Is-Fun

You can pay upfront for a year (£120) for just the weekend plan - have just done it !

albo2002

Deleted_User wrote: »

Customer service is appalling.

you're being kind calling it a 'service'

I guess with Primus you just have to accept that it's very cheap, but some aspects of it are very bad

Sun-Is-Fun

Am now coming to the end of a 12 months line rental contract and will not be renewing. I switched over from BT and, to be fair, the switch went smoothly and had no problems with line or calling.
The only problem is they DO NOT inform you about changes to phone costs and add ons, such as caller display. They put up the caller display charge by 400%, now £2.50 (was 56p). I did not get any notification of any change in prices; only found out due to direct debit increasing. According to their terms and conditions, they should inform you !
Trying to contact them via email is terrible, you rarely get a reply. If you're lucky, they give standard answers and do not answer all the questions posed. If you phone them you are on hold for ages and are put through to the annoying hard to understand Indian Call Centre, who aren't much help either. For example, tried to call today to stop my contract being automatically renewed - ONLY FOUND THIS OUT FROM READING THIS FORUM - said their system was down and I should email. I said I have done that, but never get a reply !!!!!
If you never need to contact them or have any issues, they might be ok, but cutomer service, if you do need it, is very much lacking.

Sun-Is-Fun

Just a further and hopefully last update from me to this on this thread.

Low and behold, managed to get an email back from my request to cancel automatic 12 months renewal of contract......but somehow they had managed to take my automatic renewal removal request to mean cancel the phone line completely and disconnect it !!!!!!!!!!! :eek: I never even mentioned in the email about any disconnections, just that I didn't want to automatically renew into another 12 months' contract !

Had to email them back and say I didn't want the line cancelled, just the automatic renewal element of the contract !! Do hope my switch back to BT from Primus now goes smoothly !

If you do want to stop automatic renewal, please be aware their terms and conditions states you have to give at least 16 days notice before your contract ends. Quoting their Terms and Conditions:

2. Duration
This Agreement shall come into full force and effect from the date of acceptance by Primus, and will continue for a minimum initial term of 12 (twelve) consecutive months from the date the Customer switches to the Service (the “Initial Term”). After this Initial Term, this Agreement will be automatically renewed for further terms of 12 (twelve) consecutive months each, until such a time that the customer cancels the contract. Should the customer wish the cancel the Service they must contact Primus no later than 16 days prior to the end of their current contract. Primus will remind the customer in writing prior to this date. The Agreement may be terminated by either party on prior written notice only in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Did I get reminded about this in writing, as the T&C state? You guessed it, NO !

19.4 ...should an increase in the prices and/or change in the terms and conditions put the Customer at a significant disadvantage, then Primus will notify the Customer in writing and the Customer has a right to immediately terminate the Agreement, failing which the Customer shall be bound by the amended terms and conditions and/or prices. In the event of such termination under this clause 19.4., the Customer will not be liable to pay the termination payment under clause 12.5....

Did I get any notification in writing of the price increases ? No.

So if you are still in contract and feel 'significantly disadvanted' by the price increases you might be able to leave your contract early.

diamonds

I have been in touch with Ofcom's Secretary to the Corporation Graham Howell, he will take such widespread breaches of contract complaints of sudden "charges" being placed on customers bills since NewCall took Primus over, these include both D/D & paper billing fees suddenly appearing and caller display charges and anything else NewCAll have done to you since the takeover, the more people who write to him about breaches of contract, Primus existing ofcom licence conditions (transfered at sale to NewCall), code of conduct & complaints code of conduct the more power he has to investigate NewCall for ripping us consumers off.

His email is graham.howell@ofcom.org.uk

diamonds

mjfp509 wrote: »

Just a further and hopefully last update from me to this on this thread.

Low and behold, managed to get an email back from my request to cancel automatic 12 months renewal of contract......but somehow they had managed to take my automatic renewal removal request to mean cancel the phone line completely and disconnect it !!!!!!!!!!! :eek: I never even mentioned in the email about any disconnections, just that I didn't want to automatically renew into another 12 months' contract !

Had to email them back and say I didn't want the line cancelled, just the automatic renewal element of the contract !! Do hope my switch back to BT from Primus now goes smoothly !

If you do want to stop automatic renewal, please be aware their terms and conditions states you have to give at least 16 days notice before your contract ends. Quoting their Terms and Conditions:

2. Duration
This Agreement shall come into full force and effect from the date of acceptance by Primus, and will continue for a minimum initial term of 12 (twelve) consecutive months from the date the Customer switches to the Service (the “Initial Term”). After this Initial Term, this Agreement will be automatically renewed for further terms of 12 (twelve) consecutive months each, until such a time that the customer cancels the contract. Should the customer wish the cancel the Service they must contact Primus no later than 16 days prior to the end of their current contract. Primus will remind the customer in writing prior to this date. The Agreement may be terminated by either party on prior written notice only in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

Did I get reminded about this in writing, as the T&C state? You guessed it, NO !

19.4 ...should an increase in the prices and/or change in the terms and conditions put the Customer at a significant disadvantage, then Primus will notify the Customer in writing and the Customer has a right to immediately terminate the Agreement, failing which the Customer shall be bound by the amended terms and conditions and/or prices. In the event of such termination under this clause 19.4., the Customer will not be liable to pay the termination payment under clause 12.5....

Did I get any notification in writing of the price increases ? No.

So if you are still in contract and feel 'significantly disadvanted' by the price increases you might be able to leave your contract early.

Ofcom regulation has outlawed such, after your contract term ALL telecom providers with UK licences are obliged to do month to month rolling contracts.

perr0

I switched my line rental from Plusnet to Primus on the recommendation of MSE but I really regret it now (thanks Martin!)

I've only been with primus for 2 months but they are sooooooo bad I'm cosidering paying to get out of the con-tract

Really, really annoyed about this but - we live & learn.

albo2002

perr0 wrote: »

I switched my line rental from Plusnet to Primus on the recommendation of MSE but I really regret it now (thanks Martin!)

I've only been with primus for 2 months but they are sooooooo bad I'm cosidering paying to get out of the con-tract

Really, really annoyed about this but - we live & learn.

what were your problems?

I cant see the point of their customer service department - I've never once got the answer to what I'm looking for when I've managed to get through (and they've been some fairly basic questions that have sometimes been met with them putting the phone down on me), so why bother having one at all?