Moving line rental from BT to Plusnet - future repercussions?

FrugalTopCat

Hello all,

Apologies if this has been covered many times before but a search for "BT line" brings up so many hundreds of threads, I thought I had better set up a new one to ask my question.

I'm looking for a new broadband deal as my last deal (excellent MSE bargain of £7.50 a month with BE) is being withdrawn by them at the end of March. After having a quick look at the latest advice on here, I have decided to go for Plusnet Extra broadband - £11.49 a month - bundled with their Talk Anytime phone deal for £3.50 a month (12 month contract). I also got a promo from them which gives us the first three months of both elements free.

This necessitates taking line rental from them for £11.99 a month. This is where my question comes in. We've been with BT for donkey's years and never moved the line from them before. My OH is concerned that if we move it, and then in the future we want to move our phone line back to BT, we'll be hit with some swingeing charges. Can anybody advise? As I say we've always been too apathetic to move it before. We had broadband with Tiscali for years and then moved that to BE last year, but never bundled the home phone with it.

Any advice gratefully received!

macman

Plusnet is not an LLU service, so your line will remain on the BT network. There is no charge anyway for moving an LLU line back to BT, it's a free 'return to donor'. However it does require you to take a 12m line rental contract.
You're aware that Plusnet is owned by BT (though still independently run)?

Ypaymore

Go via http://www.incahoot.com/home-phone-bundles/ and your get a better deal if you live in a low cost area.

Or if you want to leave your line rental and calls with BT have a word with the BT Customer Options Team,and there possibly give you a £24/36 credit off your bill to keep your line and calls with them ,and you could still get the £2 a month off the Plusnet Broadband.

thepurplegoldfish

I did what you're thinking of doing.

I joined Plusnet for landline, calls and broadband in Jan and left BT.

DO IT.

Plusnet are so helpful when you call compared to BT's "don't care we have more" attitude, which is pretty much what I got when I called to disconnect.

I joined Plusnet Via TopCashBack (which I LOVE), I got cheaper and IMO Better everything by changing to Plusnet. I also got the 3 months free and £38.38 from Topcashback for going via there site.


YOU'RE ON TO A WINNER.

FrugalTopCat

macman wrote: »

Plusnet is not an LLU service, so your line will remain on the BT network. There is no charge anyway for moving an LLU line back to BT, it's a free 'return to donor'. However it does require you to take a 12m line rental contract.
You're aware that Plusnet is owned by BT (though still independently run)?

Thanks macman. This is the answer that I was hoping for (my emphasis in bold), so it's great if this is the case. Not that I doubt you, but can anyone else confirm just to give me confidence on this issue?

I didn't know that Plusnet was owned by BT but that's not something that bothers me. I wasn't set on leaving BT or anything but this is just the deal that best suits us and it brings in the question of moving landline.

FrugalTopCat

thepurplegoldfish wrote: »

I did what you're thinking of doing.

I joined Plusnet for landline, calls and broadband in Jan and left BT.

DO IT.

Plusnet are so helpful when you call compared to BT's "don't care we have more" attitude, which is pretty much what I got when I called to disconnect.

I joined Plusnet Via TopCashBack (which I LOVE), I got cheaper and IMO Better everything by changing to Plusnet. I also got the 3 months free and £38.38 from Topcashback for going via there site.


YOU'RE ON TO A WINNER.

Thanks for this feedback TPG, which confirms my thoughts, and yes I had seen that there is a Topcashback route so I will definitely go that way.

macman

FrugalTopCat wrote: »

Thanks macman. This is the answer that I was hoping for (my emphasis in bold), so it's great if this is the case. Not that I doubt you, but can anyone else confirm just to give me confidence on this issue?

I didn't know that Plusnet was owned by BT but that's not something that bothers me. I wasn't set on leaving BT or anything but this is just the deal that best suits us and it brings in the question of moving landline.

By all means sound out other opinions, but if you go to Plusnet, it's not relevant, as you won't be on an LLU service anyway.

joolsybools

What is LLU please?

BargainGalore

Local Loop Unbundling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local-loop_unbundling

joolsybools wrote: »

What is LLU please?

joolsybools

Sorry to slightly hi-jack, but I am considering doing this too, does anyone know if it means you can keep the same phone number? OP?

macman

Yes, no change of number required in either case.