Plusnet cancellation fee rip off

tkwhitehouse

Hi,

There are plenty of threads already about Plusnet cancellations but I didn't see any that are quite as ridiculous as my situation.

I've been happily using them for 11 months. I knew I might not need them for long so signed up to the £6.49pm package with "No Annual Contract".

I paid a sign up fee of about £30 when setting up, which I assumed covered the router cost.

So 11 months down the line and I have left my flat. The new guys have ordered a new internet connection to happen on 16 August on 30 August I will/would have been with Plusnet for 12 months.

When I phoned up to cancel they told me there would be a £40 cancellation charge to cover the cost of the router as I haven't been a customer for 12 months. I said fine I will continue to pay my subscription to the end of the month. They said no. We can't take your money for that.

Okay I can sort of understand that there is a cost to these things (though I really doubt £40) but the thing that made me really angry is they won't let me just carry on my subscription to the end of the 12 month period. I have no control over what the new guys in the flat are doing so now seem forced into this £40 thing.

Is this sort of thing allowed? They seem to be advertising something with no annual contract which you would think 95% of people read as 'no cancellation fees' and then refuse to let me pay the £3.50 to see me honestly through to the end of 12 months. Of course returning the router doesn't seem to be an option either.

Straightforward Yorkshiremen?!

ktothema

It's probably buried in the t&cs you signed up for, so there's probably not a lot you cn do. This is on their website now:
If you leave Plusnet in your first 12 months after receiving a free set-up, router or house move, we'll charge you for these.
If you remain with Plusnet for 12 months after receiving a free set-up, router or house move these charges will be waived. You can also choose to pay for any of these up front if you want more flexibility.

However,I do have to say I agree with your point about paying up to 12 months. To me that doesn't sound like you have to receive services, but be a customer. Have you tried putting in a complaint. They may give you a good will gesture.

tkwhitehouse

Thanks for the response.

I put in a complaint yesterday morning and still haven't heard back from them ....

If those are the T&Cs then I didn't receive a free set up.

I expect I am still under the T&Cs but isn't there a point about the advertising for something implying something very different to the actual terms.

Though anyway, yes, my real complaint is they are being total [work of your choice] about not letting me pay to the end of the 12 months. The reason I was given is that I would not be receiving anything. Not getting a bill for £40 sounds like receiving something to me (and of course that router I don't want).

penrhyn

Is this charge not in reality the one leveled by BT OpenReach on your ISP for disconnecting the service. All ISPs charge a similar amount on termination, if you are transferring to another ISP then the charge is usually picked up by them.

It would appear to be £30 from table 5, dunno what the extra £10 is for.

http://www.plus.net/info2/legal/price_guide.html#broadband_family

tkwhitehouse

Hi penrhyn,

No it is not that charge. As the new tenants are doing a straight switch from one BT line ISP to another there's no disconnection.

cajef

How is it a rip off, you had the option of a free router if you stayed with them for twelve months or pay for it in advance, you have cancelled before the twelve months is up so the fee is due.

If the new tenants take over the line then Plusnet cannot continue billing you for a broadband connection that does not exist.

tkwhitehouse

Why can't Plusnet continue billing me for a connection that does not exist?

Mobile phone companies do it all the time.

fwor

I wouldn't be surprised if it would completely screw up their customer accounts and billing systems if they tried to enter two different paying customers on the same physical line.

And then there are the legal implications - you would be paying them for a service that they are not providing, so in legal terms they would probably in breach of contract!

I've no way of knowing what was stated in their t&cs 11 months ago, but I would very surprised if the £40 charge (which would cover not just the router but also the admin costs involved) was not clearly stated.

If it was, this is clearly not a ripoff - just something that you signed up to and either didn't notice or have perhaps forgotten about.

cajef

tkwhitehouse wrote: »

(and of course that router I don't want).

Cannot quite see the logic of that statement, if you did not want it there was no need to have it, you could have provided your own router.

Assuming you have used it then you did want and need it, do you think you can use it for eleven months then just because it is no longer required you do not need to pay for it, the terms and conditions state that it is only free if you stay with them for twelve months.

bod1467

fwor wrote: »

and either didn't notice or have perhaps forgotten about.

... or didn't read in the first place.

tkwhitehouse

The point that I didn't read the T&Cs is certainly true it puts me at blame but at the same time who does and who can? I think I'm going to start reading them soon though if I can find them from 11 months ago.

My next direct debit is due to go out next week. I suspect they are going to end up taking a months worth and putting me past the end of August and 12 months.

Cajef - I didn't need the router because I have loads of them lying around.

Fwor - I don't believe there are any legal implications in paying them for a service they are not providing. Even if there was the fact that I am receiving some service during the month should count and I expect if I did cancel normally they wouldn't refund the remaining days of the month.