MSE News: Primus blunder sees customers not told about price hike

StevieJ

My increase is 19%, up from £6.28 (since last June) to £7.48, compared to the competition I can't really complain and I am out of contract in June. I may then have to switch back to BT for fibre

carpy

kas647 wrote: »

I was also notified late of the charges and not given a month's notice, as your previous forumites have noted.
I have been trying to get Primus to respond to emails and recorded delivery letters since last November. They never, ever respond. Does anyone else have this problem? I called them this week about yet another problem, and they said they would call back. Needless to say, yet again, they haven't. I have all the evidence. Should I go to Ofcom, or does anyone have a better solution. I have threatened to leave them due to their breach of contract - but still no responses. Help!

agree...........shocking customer service. i think they've only replied about 10% of the times i've emailed

Primus_Saver_representative

Good morning StevieJ and kas647,


Could you please send me an email with both your MSE username and your account number and I will have a look into your account to see what we can do for you.
If you could also provide a contact number with a time you are available and I will give you a call to discuss your issues.


Hi JenniWR,
I can see that you have put up a few posts up about our services as well as a few other providers, I would just like to check if you’re an unhappy customer with us and if there is anything we can do to help.


Kind Regards,
Jo

arcadianone

I have been with Primus for about 18 months or so now and I have been very happy with their service to be fair.

However trying to manage on benefits I have to watch every penny, and I am not very happy that there have been TWO price rises of £1.20 in less than a year in the cost of just a phone line alone (the previous one to this was in August 2012).

I noticed in the original article it stated:

"Primus has not responded to questions about how many customers have been affected. One user in our forum said she had been told by Primus that 1% of its customers had not been told about the rise. Ofcom says communications providers must give customers at least a month's notice of contract changes which are likely to be of "material detriment" to them, and customers must be able to exit their contract following the notice."

I actually received the price rise notification with what PRIMUS call my FEBRUARY bill (which actually includes advance line rental for March) via scheduled email as is usual, on 11/03/13, which according to the original article should give sufficient notice of the price increase.

But the price increase was made effective from 1st April (I can confirm this as I have today just received what PRIMUS call my MARCH bill, which actually includes the increased advance line rental figure for April), so the elapsed time period between me ACTUALLY receiving notification of the increase and the increase being implemented effectively is only three weeks and not the full month at all.

Given my circumstances (I am on benefits and disabled) and the details of the ruling from OFCOM quoted above, can I please ask one of the official representatives of PRIMUS that are monitoring the matter here in this thread to contact me to discuss delaying my own price increase until the next bill (as is being done for other customers), as clearly the time period of notification is insufficient in my own case also.

Indeed, this may be the case for many of the other 99% of customers, should they actually check the dates of receipt of their own notifications during March.

Many thanks.

carpy

what a joke.....had email today saying latest bill available.

on checking bill it's gone up £1.20 despite not being told!!!! :mad:

that's the 2nd £1.20 increase in about 7 months!!!!!!:mad:

it's gone up from an original £6.49 to £8.89......almost 37%.

primus really should wear a mask like !!!!!! turpin.......daylight robbery!!:mad:

arcadianone

Just a quick follow-up regarding my own issue, as detailed above.

I contacted Jo at PRIMUS (see thread entries above for email details) very late last night, and she has been very prompt in getting back to me at lunchtime today with the following very positive response:

"Dear arcadianone,

I sincerely apologise that you feel you weren't given enough notice from the notification of the price increase to when the price was actually increased.

We have decided to credit your account one months worth of the price increase for any inconvenience you may have experienced.

Kind Regards,
Jo"

I'm still not happy about a second line rental price rise so soon after the previous one of course, but at least now I don't have to pay it until May. Can't say fairer than that I suppose, and thank you once again Jo for dealing with it for me so quickly.

Primus_Saver_representative

Hi carpy,

If you could please send us an email with your MSE username and account details I will look into your account to check you are on the correct package and if there is anything we can do for you.

Kind Regards,
Jo

clivep

I am also one of those who still have not received any notification of the price increase.

The first I knew of it was when my bill arrived on 15th April and then found this thread on the forum.

I emailed Primus straight away and said I'd like to terminate my contract eary without exit penalties as the rise was of "material detriment" to me. I do not need a phone line any more as I am now permanently in a care home and the house is unoccupied.

They have responded and credited the £1.20 for April due to insufficient notice but stated that "without sufficient evidence to claim your placed at a significant disadvantage by the £1.20 increase, the cancellation charges would be applicable".

According to the Ofcom website, Ofcom has not issued any guidance on what is likely to constitute ‘material detriment’ but is proposing that consumers would be free to leave the contract if they did not wish to accept the rise.

On a thread about Orange's price rise, Orange has apparently stated "Ofcom's guidelines allow an increase below RPI, as this is considered not to be to my 'material detriment'".

The £1.20 rise in cost is 16% so surely would be classed as 'material detriment' under this definition.

Has anyone managed a penalty free exit due to the price rise?

Primus_Saver_representative

Hi clivep,

We are dealing with these issues on a case by case basis so could you please send me an email with your details and I can have a look to see what I can do.

Kind Regards,
Jo

StevieJ

Primus_Saver_representative wrote: »

Good morning StevieJ and kas647,


Could you please send me an email with both your MSE username and your account number and I will have a look into your account to see what we can do for you.
If you could also provide a contact number with a time you are available and I will give you a call to discuss your issues.



Kind Regards,
Jo

I have no problem with Primus, even after the increase I will only be paying £7.48, with regards to fibre only BT seem to supply to my house (fttp) so if I want fibre it seems I will have to transfer line and broadband.