MSE News: TalkTalk and Plusnet customers to be hit by price hikes

bendaw

Quote:
Originally Posted by bendaw
Just asked customer services rep (not Retentions) to confirm that I had a two year fixed price contract. She went to her manager then gave me that response and confirmed it in email as below.
"Your line rental has been paid 12 months in advance at a cost of £125.88. You will get this price again next year if you renew. However, if you were to opt for monthly payment instead you would pay the new price."
Perhaps Bob has had a word?[/I][/I]


I didn't and I'm a tad concerned by what you've been told. You are given three months prior to the end of a Line Rental Saver contract to renew. If you're currently paying £13.99/mnth for your line rental then any renewal/new contract taken out before October 1st will be at £125.88. Subsequent renewal would be at £137.88 though (unless the person you've spoken to has arranged for part of this to be refunded once it's taken?). If you've a recent support ticket reference you can provide me with then I can double check the situation for you if you like?


It doesn't need checking.

It's plain and simple as I've said in my cut and paste statement

Surely Plusnet will honour it?

Well yes, we'd have to. I'm just trying to avoid the inevitable furore if next year comes round and you find that you've been charged £137.88

If Plusnet will have to honour our fixed price two year contract as you say (as confirmed by their email) to renew next years line rental for £125.88, why do you apparently contradict yourself by saying they will charge £137.88?

bendaw

When i renewed my upfront line rental in May i asked about any discounts on the broadband package and was told that if i signed up to stay with plusnet for a further 2 years that they would be willing to look at that favourably.At no point was i told it was a fixed price contract and did not necessarily expect it to stay the same for 2 years.That is why i was surprised to read of someone getting what they believed was a fixed price for 2 years.

I have been with Plusnet for some time and when I gave notice I was leaving for Sky, Plusnet offered the fixed price two year contract to persuade me to stay with them.

You apparently accepted what they offered which is quite different

Froglet

bendaw wrote: »

I have been with Plusnet for some time and when I gave notice I was leaving for Sky, Plusnet offered the fixed price two year contract to persuade me to stay with them.

You apparently accepted what they offered which is quite different

Ok i understand now.Happens a lot when people threaten to leave Sky.Some get offered all the discounts going,others are left just to get on with it.

There ought to be a uniform policy so that everyone is treated the same.If you were offered a fixed price then i can quite understand you arguing the point.

Plusnet_company_representative

Hi,

NittyGritty wrote: »

whats your response to this Bob pullen? as it certainly contradicts your previous comment and blows it out of the water. I guess without this poster we would be non the wiser, can see why you kept this quiet about getting a refund

I stand by my earlier comments. Our Line Rental Saver product is non-refundable as stated in the terms you've quoted.

The agreement robot1000 came to was an exception that was arranged through contact with our support centre.

I don't want to get into a legal wrangling. As I think I've mentioned in earlier posts, everything concerning the price changes has been though the relevant legal channels.

Froglet wrote: »

Sorry Bob i didn't really explain myself very well.

When i renewed my upfront line rental in May i asked about any discounts on the broadband package and was told that if i signed up to stay with plusnet for a further 2 years that they would be willing to look at that favourably.At no point was i told it was a fixed price contract and did not necessarily expect it to stay the same for 2 years.That is why i was surprised to read of someone getting what they believed was a fixed price for 2 years.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the clarification

bendaw wrote: »

If Plusnet will have to honour our fixed price two year contract as you say (as confirmed by their email) to renew next years line rental for £125.88, why do you apparently contradict yourself by saying they will charge £137.88?

I'm not sure how better I can explain the situation. Renewal of Line Rental Saver is largely automated. There is no way to override how much it charges. Next year the renewal cost for customers in your position will be £137.88. I know you've been told otherwise by a member of support however I'm not convinced they've understood the situation correctly so I'm offering to double check for you to make sure you don't get charged more than you're expecting next year.

Best regards,

Bob Pullen

NittyGritty

Plusnet_company_representative wrote: »

Hi,





The agreement robot1000 came to was an exception that was arranged through contact with our support centre.




Best regards,

Bob Pullen

so basically you have CONFIRMED that it is true, they were refunded, it doesn't matter if he used a ticket system to raise the complaint,
the Fact remains they got the refund and as such as it is now confirmed it should be refunded to Anyone who wishes to request this.
you cannot make one rule for one person regardless of exceptions etc, you either refund or you don't, theres no inbetween factors.

Plusnet_company_representative wrote: »

I stand by my earlier comments. Our Line Rental Saver product is non-refundable as stated in the terms you've quoted

makes that statement even more worthless if plusnet allowed the refund, theres abviously a right for someone to reclaim the remining months otherwise NO refund would be given.

oldagetraveller

I wonder if the "non-refundable" could be deemed as an unfair condition?
If a customer does not agree with PN's breach of that customer's contract and decides to leave without penalty or loss then the enforcement of the no refund term surely is a penalty and loss?
robot1000's LRS refund must have set a quotable precedent too. What "exception" could there be when PN's no refund term is so explicit and allegedly inflexible?

Plusnet_company_representative

Hi,

NittyGritty wrote: »

so basically you have CONFIRMED that it is true, they were refunded, it doesn't matter if he used a ticket system to raise the complaint,
s they got the refund and as such as it is now confirmed it should be refunded to Anyone who wishes to request this.

Not at all. That's like saying all customers, regardless of their circumstances should be offered the same retention offers. This doesn't happen with other companies and neither does it happen with us.

It's also worth pointing out that many customers with Line Rental Saver (although admittedly not all) aren't seeing any increase in their monthly subscription costs.

When leaving, customers will need to give us a call. If people have concerns about what they should/shouldn't be paying then this is a good opportunity to discuss your circumstances with us.

The official/agreed/legally vetted line however dictates that any money you've paid in advance for Line Rental Saver is not refundable.

Best regards,

Bob Pullen

DevonMarc

I have just had a read, and thought I would add my 2 pennies.

Firstly, I would like to thank Plusnet for taking the time to contribute to this thread, with TalkTalk just showing utter contempt as per usual, and ignoring their customer complaints.

I have been with PlusNet for a few years, all bar 6 weeks last November, when I was wooed to the evil talktalk for the tv package.

The long and short of it, talktalk messed up my account, over charged me by £320, then refused to even discuss it or produce a bill.
They even tried to stop me returning to PlusNet.

The situation was eventually resolved by PlusNet installing a new line (free of charge under a defered fee contract) and Ofcom dealing with the billing side of things.
(Note I still haven't received the compo from talktalk as ordered and I am preparing a summons for the small claims court)


Now, when I received my price increase email, I was quite annoyed as I am under contract still, and phoned to cancel.
However I remember the disgusting treatment I had from TalkTalk, the slower broadband, the foreign call centre, the rude forum staff, the utter incompetent billing staff, and the 2 hour calls on hold to India, so when I spoke to the PlusNet customer options rep, and he offered me a deal to stay, I was more than happy to agree to a new contract.

That phone call has meant that yes, I am under a new 12 month contract, however I am paying £5 a month LESS when the prices go up, than I am even now.

So all this slagging off PlusNet, is it really necessary?
If you don't like it, phone up, complain, I'm sure a deal can be worked out, and like me you will end up better off, and don't forget instead of getting MORE revenue from me, they are actually getting LESS now, and that wouldn't of even happened had the prices not been put up.


On top of that, my line has an incredibly difficult fault to resolve at the moment.
Something completely out of PlusNets control, yet the faults staff contact me daily via email/sms/phone/forum updating me, and pushing BT Open Reach to fix the issue.

PlusNet have been simply brilliant looking after me, so with exception to the billing issue, I struggle to think of any large firm that looks after their customers better.

Perhaps you poor talktalk customers should think about that.

And by the way, you may say talktalk is cheaper.. well not for me, I am saving £2.50 a month.
On top of that, PlusNet actually offer customer service, unlike the slap in the face talktalk give you.

Teldar

So angry with Plusnet!

I have just come back from a holiday overseas to find an email from Plusnet that states the line rental is going up. I called in to cancel today and they are stating this is over the 10 day period (by 3 days) they have stated on the email - how on earth is this fair. Talk Talk customers were allowed a decent length of time (30 days) for this cancellation to happen without hefty charges.

I never normally post on such forums but felt the need as I am livid. Disgusting customer service by Plusnet.

Does the company have a response to this - How am i supposed to comply with a 10 day period (that is far too short) if I didn't read my email in time due to being overseas or anywhere its not a fair amount of time? Why have Talk Talk stated a fair amount of time when Plusnet have stated 2/3 less time to cancel without a massive charge??

bendaw

Originally Posted by bendaw View Post
If Plusnet will have to honour our fixed price two year contract as you say (as confirmed by their email) to renew next years line rental for £125.88, why do you apparently contradict yourself by saying they will charge £137.88?

I'm not sure how better I can explain the situation.

Yes, it must be difficult for you so I'll try to summarise the situation.

1) My initial complaint was that Plusnet increased my charges even though I had recently taken out a two year fixed price deal and I maintained Plusnet was in breach of contract.
2) Your response was that your terms and conditions allowed Plusnet to increase charges no matter what was agreed in any subsequent new fixed price contract.
3) You suggested I telephoned Plusnet as they may then give me a deal akin to my fixed price contract
4) I did as you suggested, asking how the price increases affected my fixed price contract
5) Plusnet confirmed that my contract was indeed fixed for the two years.
6) You were "a tad concerned" about what I'd been told and that the advance charge for the year's line renewal next year will cost £137.88 and not £125.88 as just confirmed by Plusnet
7) You then confirmed that the line rental charge of £125.88 will be honoured but I will be charged £137.88
8) You don't see that as confusing and would like to double check so that I won't be disappointed ( and over-ride the computer so I won't be charged the increased price presumably - otherwise I certainly would be disappointed if you changed it to £137.88!)
9) You infer that your customer representative and the line manager are incompetent as they didn't understand the situation when I asked how my fixed price contract would be affected (and presumably had never been asked this question before?)

Don't bother replying, Bob, I'll just take comfort from your earlier confirmation that the £125.88 charge will be honoured