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

bendaw

Ok Mr Plusnet, did you not persuade me to enter into a two year fixed contract in April 2013 to stop me from going to Sky and have now reneged on that contract just 4 months later?

Plusnet_company_representative

Hi,

bendaw wrote: »

Ok Mr Plusnet, did you not persuade me to enter into a two year fixed contract in April 2013 to stop me from going to Sky and have now reneged on that contract just 4 months later?

I've no idea whether or not we persuaded you to stay. I've no reason to doubt you though so I'm assuming we did.

Yes, we're making a change that alters the terms of your contract and as per my previous response you're free to exercise your right to decline these proposed changes and leave without penalty.

I'm not entirely sure therefore why you would want/need to instigate a group legal challenge for breach of contract?

Best regards,

Bob Pullen

bendaw

Because we agreed a two year fixed price contract where the only increase would be for the prepayment of the line rental in year two.
If you have a contract and then renege on it, it's called breach of contract.
Walking away from it would suit Plusnet and the like but consumers should not have to put up with this kind of shoddy trading.
If people stood up for their rights and took appropriate legal action then this shameful way of doing business would be less appealing to companies like you. Bad publicity will mean less customers, and your "Good honest broadband from Yorkshire" company will suffer as it should.
Disgraceful, how can you defend your action?

NittyGritty

i can see your point bendaw, i took t-mobile on with help of CISAS and won my case, i,m now free of contract plus compensation from them, (altho still waiting for the refund) but yes if you feel you have a good chance then i would complain and put in a compensation claim also, as you say a contract is a contract, wonder what plusnet would say if we turned around and made our own rules, by saying sorry i,m going to have to pay you 10% less from october, sorry but thats the way it is, how would they react? end of the day a contract works both ways.

Doc_N

Absolutely right, bendaw - they've effectively torn up the contract you had with them. Because they're big, you're not, and because they can.

Also, perhaps, because it's a BT subsidiary, and that's the way large companies behave. Might is right.

Morally, it's indefensible, and I shall cross Plusnet off my list of what I thought were reputable companies. Legally, however, you're unlikely to have a leg to stand on because hidden away in all the small print there will almost cetainly be a clause entitling them to raise the price of what you thought was a fixed price contract.

Stinks to high heaven, though, doesn't it - Plusnet the rip-off merchants. Great reputation to have gained for yourselves, isn't it, Plusnet Company representative?

Kite2010

Quite a few people phoning up Plusnet today, I gave up after 40 minutes on hold.

leew

I was looking at signing up with Plusnet but after reading this thread i'll have to look elsewhere.

Thanks for the heads up bendaw seems like you have been treated like poop!

MillicentBystander

Agreed, this thread is not exactly the best advert for plusnet, is it? :eek:


PS Is it just me or is the plusnet rep a little more, ahem, 'forthright' than other company reps witnessed on these forums?? Not projecting the best company image imo.

Terry98

thommy wrote: »

Yes, all prices hikes will affect anyone, in contract, or not. That is why you have the option of calling them and saying you want to leave as the hikes are to your detriment. You have 30 days from the announcement to do this.

So EVERYONE on the Essentials Package is going to pay an extra £1 per month from October no matter what price they are on at the moment?

My 12 months Essentials Package is up in the next few weeks. Perhaps now is the time to sort out a new price with them seeing as no one pays the full price

Plusnet_company_representative

bendaw wrote: »

Because we agreed a two year fixed price contract where the only increase would be for the prepayment of the line rental in year two.
If you have a contract and then renege on it, it's called breach of contract.

Doc_N wrote: »

Legally, however, you're unlikely to have a leg to stand on because hidden away in all the small print there will almost cetainly be a clause entitling them to raise the price of what you thought was a fixed price contract.

This is correct, it's a clause in the original T's & C's you'll have agreed to when the account was originally created.

From here:

Changing these Terms (notification)

44. Sometimes, we will need to change the charges and the Terms and Conditions of the service. We will publish details of all changes online at http://www.plus.net.

45. We will also let you know about a price increase or a change to the Terms and Conditions that we believe is likely to cause you material disadvantage at least one month before it happens. We will let you know about other price changes and changes to the Terms and Conditions via email to the contact email address on the account and by adding a service note to your account. Account Service Notes can be viewed at http://contactus.plus.net/

46. For changes we need to make to meet legal and regulatory requirements, we may not be able to meet the timescale detailed in paragraph 44. We will let you know about these changes as soon as we can.

47. If we have made a change which is to your material disadvantage, you will not have to pay a charge (excludes any charges or payments we have deferred) if you decide to end your agreement early, unless the price guide says otherwise. However, once we have told you about such a change, you must let us know that you want to end the agreement within 10 days.

Doc_N wrote: »

Stinks to high heaven, though, doesn't it - Plusnet the rip-off merchants. Great reputation to have gained for yourselves, isn't it, Plusnet Company representative?

Nobody likes a price increase, that much is pretty obvious. I'll be brutally honest though, it's not the first time prices have increased and we're certainly not the only company to have done so.

There's plenty of discussion over on our own forums about the whys and wherefores so I'd encourage people to get involved over there if they want to discuss the reasoning behind the decision.

October's changes affect different customers in different ways and I'd urge anybody that's with us to await their email before deciding on a course of action.

MillicentBystander wrote: »

PS Is it just me or is the plusnet rep a little more, ahem, 'forthright' than other company reps witnessed on these forums?? Not projecting the best company image imo.

Apologies if I come across that way, certainly not my intention
I'm just trying to be straight with the facts. The changes we're making aren't the easiest to understand if I'm honest so I'm just trying to nip any disinformation in the bud.

Terry98 wrote: »

So EVERYONE on the Essentials Package is going to pay an extra £1 per month from October no matter what price they are on at the moment?

There's no change to Essentials broadband subscription however there may be a £1 increase in the cost of your line rental /if/ you're currently paying £13.99/mnth.

Some detail on our website here but as mentioned earlier, it's best to wait for your email as that will be specifically tailored to your circumstances.

Best regards,

Bob Pullen