Do not fall for Primus internet offers

makeminechoc

Just a word of warning, I saw an offer on here for Primus internet, thought it would be a bargain switching to paying a supposed £12 a month instead of the £24 a month I was paying with sky. How wrong could I be...
1. First thing I missed was the fact that Primus were going to charge me £2 for every GB I went over the 20GB limit. Which didn't sound like a great deal. Until you later find out that they don't actually let you know when you have gone over the limit (as sky did) and you end up with a £140 monthly bill.

2. They did not issue me with a valid username and password to access my bill online, I only learnt of this when I rang up to complain about them cutting off my internet because I had 2 months of over £100 bills per month that I 'had not paid'.

3. The broadband itself, could not cope with 2 devices using the internet at once and the coverage received was patchy to say the least.

4. I ended up buying myself out of a 12 month contract, as the service was so ridiculous, they even offered to change me to the unlimited internet option... until they explained that it wasn't actually unlimited, due to their 'fair usage policy'!!

5. When I rang to buy myself out of the contract, I got 3 different prices from people in different departments and when I paid everything off, they said they would send me an email confirming the end of the contract and the payments I had made... to this day that email has never arrived.

5. In total, the 3 months I spent with Primus cost me over £400 and my internet service was shocking. Customer service also left a lot to be desired, waiting hours on the phone, getting different information depending on who I spoke to and different people telling me I owed them different amounts of money. At one point I had to actually read them their own terms and conditions!!!

So the moral of the story is I went straight back to sky after those 3 months of expense hell, Sky offered me a quick return of service, £14.50 a month for the first 6 months and a completely unlimited and seamless internet service, no hidden costs and the peace of mind that they always keep the customer informed. You cannot put a price on excellent customer service.

Today I received an email saying my bill from Primus is ready... they can go and jump if they think they are getting anymore of my hard earned money!!!:mad:

Primus_Saver_representative

Hi makeminechoc

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles with Primus Saver broadband and although you have moved your services away, if there is anything I can do, please email us your details to onlineteam@newcalltelecom.co.uk and I'll gladly assist in anyway I can.

For anyone reading this post makeminechoc has brought up some very good points about Primus Saver broadband.

As mentioned in previous posts, excess charges are applicable with some of our broadband packages. These charges (along with all package details) are not hidden and can all be found during the signup process. The 20Gb package is great for low users but if you are someone who requires unlimited data, this package is simply not suitable.

In addition like some of the larger providers such as Sky, we don't have the tools at this moment to notify customers if you are nearing your usage limit. This is something that we are looking to rectify however if you do have any queries regarding your usage, our online team is always here to help.

Regardless of which provider you chose, if you are unsure about broadband usage I would always advise giving the company a call.

Enjoy the weekend and kind regards
Oliver

ElkyElky

Take it you didn't bother to read the terms and conditions before signing up?

Words fail me.

bebewoo

We're not all as clever as you ElkyElky.
Thanks for warning us makeminechoc, I'll now know to avoid Primus, sounds like one of those companies with outrageous charges that hide behind the small print.
Their response made me laugh. We all know that the real reason they don't notify users is because their business model is based upon chiselling unfortunates like yourself, it would cost bobbins to notify you.

makeminechoc

ElkyElky, it was nothing to do with the small print, but thanks for the patronizing tone, it was because unlike experts like you, I had no idea how much internet usage 20gb was. I was fully aware of the £2 charge per extra gb, however as I have only ever had internet with sky, I assumed I would be warned when my usage was nearing the limit. It was also not my fault that when I signed up to Primus, I like many other people on here was not given a valid login to view my bill online.

Anyway, hope my post is helpful to some...

oldagetraveller

" it was because unlike self appointed, so called experts like you"
Fixed that for you!
Yes, most decent i.s.p.s should issue a warning e-mail when a customer's limit is looming, if they're on a usage limited service . Those I've used do.
I did use Primus for my 'phone line and calls and after not receiving any answers to my queries, when I was considering them, left them and went elsewhere for the lot, BB and 'phone.
To be fair, I didn't experience any problems with their service for the five years I was with them. Except that they were obviously not interested in me purchasing a further service from them?

mamagee

My son has a broadband "deal" with Primus. Way back in January the took almost £200 pounds from his bank account with his Knowledge.No email,letter or phone call,the first he knew was when he checked his online bank account.
When he rang Primus after much delay they said it was a "mistake" and would refund him but it could take 30 days.It is now mid April and still no money.If he phones them when he eventually gets through no one knows anything except what the computer tells them and have no authority.If he manages to find an email address to contact he receives various excuses but no date for his money being returned.
We are wondering if Primus do this with a lot of customers thereby building up interest from the money for as long as possible before returning it.Also how legal was it to take my sons money without notifying him.
If anyone has any advice it would be appreciated, he is on minimum wage and this money is badly needed.

Primus_Saver_representative

Hello mamagee,


If you could have your son send me an email with his account number and contact details, I will have a look into this and try and find some answers for him.


Kind Regards,
Jo

bod1467

Direct Debit Guarantee is your (his) friend.

makeminechoc

Just an update, I have now received a letter from Primus demanding £286:76!!!!
This is after paying off my whole contract with them in March and being told that my contract with them would be ended with no further payments needed. They are now claiming that as I had initially agreed to upgrade my account to unlimited BB, despite changing my mind a day later, that there was no 'cooling off period' for this upgrade due to me already being on an existing contract and that I now owe them for an 18 month contract!!!
All of this despite being told by Primus in March that I was within my rights to change my mind about the upgrade (and does state this in terms and conditions) and that by paying off another £116 I would be free from them...

Needless to say I will not be paying the above amount and my complaint will be made in writing, Im sick of rolling over for these money grabbers who have now cost me £400 for 2 months of intermittent internet usage and now demanding more of my hard earned cash :mad:

macman

Primus are correct, there is no cooling-off period on an upgrade. You can't change your mind after you agreed it, whether 24 hours or 24 minutes.
However if you had it in writing that your contract was ended early in March with no further payments required, then you should refer them to that.