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

Terry98

Plusnet_company_representative wrote: »

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.

[/B]

This is getting confusing.

I was referring to the TalkTalk price increase also mentioned in this thread.

You have both got Essentials packages and have both put your prices up at the same time.

bendaw

Nicely done, Doc N, you've got Mr Plusnet flustered into attempting to excuse their breach of contract by referring to the small print weasel words in a contract made some years ago, but was superseded by the new contract made in April this year.

My contract expired in April and the present contract was made specifically to include two years at a fixed price after being caught in a previous price increase early in a Plusnet contract.

So no, Mr Plusnet, your statement is not correct as I was out of contract.

And tell me, Mr Plusnet, what reason other than a fixed price would there possibly be that would induce anyone into a two year contract instead of the normal one year?

(Note the mantra "Nobody likes a price increase" - this is the standard platitude spouted by Plusnet).

And no, this is the place to discuss shoddy practice, not on your own website which is not readily seen by anyone contemplating buying your type of product - though we all know why you would prefer this.

Don't be misled by their statement "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."

Their changes are shown in my earlier message and have been confirmed by Plusnet stating "Unfortunately we do not have any facility to stop the changes from going through on each account."

Mr Plusnet appears to be floundering by his "Apologies" and I hope I speak for all of us when I say I find his patronising put-down that suggests the changes are too difficult for us to understand are an insult to our intelligence.

These are the facts, Mr Plusnet, what "disinformation" are you trying to "Nip in the bud".

And I note you haven't responded to my question "How can you defend your action"?

I'll answer for you - You can't. You evaluate the estimated profits of an increase against the loss of anticipated disgruntled customers and are prepared to face any criticism knowing it will be short term.
Loyalty and fair play are not considerations and as with all arrogant bullies you effectively say "I don't care what was agreed, I'll do anything I want and if you don't like it - shove off."

p.s. Pleased for you, NittyGritty, perhaps you would share your experience for our benefit

DirectDebacle

bendaw wrote: »

Nicely done, Doc N, you've got Mr Plusnet flustered into attempting to excuse their breach of contract by referring to the small print weasel words in a contract made some years ago, but was superseded by the new contract made in April this year......(rest of your excellent post)

If a customer calls a supplier and is verbally offered a contract then the terms of the contract are those that are explained to the customer at the time. If the contract is for example a 2 year contract at a fixed price, and simply explained as such then that is the contract the customer agrees to.

Case study here.

To sell someone a contract on the basis that it is a fixed price and later to tell them that it isn't is in my opinion mis-selling at least.

To then claim that a T&C buried in small print entitles them to increase prices is probably an unfair term and condition.

Offering to allow the customer to exit from the contract and not applying cancellation charges is adding insult to injury.

Bendaw I do not know the precise details of how your contract was sold to you but if what you say is correct then you probably have a good case of breach of contract. Plusnet should not only be waiving cancellation charges but be compensating you by at least as much for breaking their contract. Alternatively they could offer to continue the contract you believe you agreed to.

MillicentBystander

bendaw wrote: »

Nicely done, Doc N, you've got Mr Plusnet flustered into attempting to excuse their breach of contract by referring to the small print weasel words in a contract made some years ago, but was superseded by the new contract made in April this year.

My contract expired in April and the present contract was made specifically to include two years at a fixed price after being caught in a previous price increase early in a Plusnet contract.

So no, Mr Plusnet, your statement is not correct as I was out of contract.

And tell me, Mr Plusnet, what reason other than a fixed price would there possibly be that would induce anyone into a two year contract instead of the normal one year?

(Note the mantra "Nobody likes a price increase" - this is the standard platitude spouted by Plusnet).

And no, this is the place to discuss shoddy practice, not on your own website which is not readily seen by anyone contemplating buying your type of product - though we all know why you would prefer this.

Don't be misled by their statement "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."

Their changes are shown in my earlier message and have been confirmed by Plusnet stating "Unfortunately we do not have any facility to stop the changes from going through on each account."

Mr Plusnet appears to be floundering by his "Apologies" and I hope I speak for all of us when I say I find his patronising put-down that suggests the changes are too difficult for us to understand are an insult to our intelligence.

These are the facts, Mr Plusnet, what "disinformation" are you trying to "Nip in the bud".

And I note you haven't responded to my question "How can you defend your action"?

I'll answer for you - You can't. You evaluate the estimated profits of an increase against the loss of anticipated disgruntled customers and are prepared to face any criticism knowing it will be short term.
Loyalty and fair play are not considerations and as with all arrogant bullies you effectively say "I don't care what was agreed, I'll do anything I want and if you don't like it - shove off."

p.s. Pleased for you, NittyGritty, perhaps you would share your experience for our benefit

I completely agree; a not too subtle attempt to get this embarrassing situation discussed where only Plusnet customers and not prospective customers will be viewing.

PS Bob Pullen, I really think you should check out what other company reps on these forums are doing (I would recommend checking out Eon's particularly excellent reps and their standard of dealing with sometimes heated discussion) and maybe take some of it on board?

Herbalus

I signed up with Talktalk on the phone last week, and the man actually made me repeat what it was I had ordered at the end of the conversation, and the prices. Quite funny really, and I assumed it was to ensure there was no mis-selling, as there is a recording of me saying what I expect to get for what price.

Interesting to hear if I will be subject to a price increase. I haven't actually signed any T+Cs yet, or had an email for increases.

I feel slightly sorry for the plusnet rep though. Even if he did make an attempt to get people to the plusnet website for marketing/to avoid bad publicity (I'm not convinced though), it is far easier for people to read the reasons/discussions of the price increases there than copy and paste them here.

Also, the mantra "nobody likes a price increase" is not specific to plusnet. Loads of companies do it, mainly because it's true (though sympathy may or may not be genuine). I've heard the same rhetoric from BT, British Gas, all energy companies to be honest.

bendaw

I feel slightly sorry for the plusnet rep though. Even if he did make an attempt to get people to the plusnet website for marketing/to avoid bad publicity (I'm not convinced though), it is far easier for people to read the reasons/discussions of the price increases there than copy and paste them here.

Really? Suggest you try it.

It's not easy for potential customers to trawl through the Plusnet site to find this kind of discussion

KxMx

We have an older package with TT and even with the increases can't get better elsewhere. I had a very in depth look and couldn't find anyone to match what we get: free global evening/weekend calls, unlimited downloads, free caller ID, free 1571 and so on for what we will pay upon price increase. If we wanted a cheaper package something we get now would have to go.

Plusnet_company_representative

Terry98 wrote: »

This is getting confusing.

I was referring to the TalkTalk price increase also mentioned in this thread.

You have both got Essentials packages and have both put your prices up at the same time.

Ah, sorry. Yes, it is confusing.

bendaw wrote: »

My contract expired in April and the present contract was made specifically to include two years at a fixed price after being caught in a previous price increase early in a Plusnet contract.

So no, Mr Plusnet, your statement is not correct as I was out of contract.

AFAIK, you are bound to the terms I linked to as long as you're a customer of ours.

bendaw wrote: »

And tell me, Mr Plusnet, what reason other than a fixed price would there possibly be that would induce anyone into a two year contract instead of the normal one year?

I'm not denying we offered you a particular price over a two year term.

bendaw wrote: »

And no, this is the place to discuss shoddy practice, not on your own website which is not readily seen by anyone contemplating buying your type of product - though we all know why you would prefer this.

Our forums are visible to anybody and fully indexable by search engine spiders.

bendaw wrote: »

Mr Plusnet appears to be floundering by his "Apologies" and I hope I speak for all of us when I say I find his patronising put-down that suggests the changes are too difficult for us to understand are an insult to our intelligence.

That's not what I'm suggesting at all. It just saves everybody a lot of confusion (and duplication of questions) if they wait for the email we're sending them. It's been written to address each customer's circumstances without confusing people with the bits that don't apply to them.

bendaw wrote: »

These are the facts, Mr Plusnet, what "disinformation" are you trying to "Nip in the bud".

Anything that's factually incorrect, like alanq's post I originally responded to. I'm certainly not trying to hide anything. We're trying to be as up front with these changes as possible.

bendaw wrote: »

And I note you haven't responded to my question "How can you defend your action"?

Because I'm not here to argue. I'm here to help those that might have questions and relay the facts as they stand.

The decision to increase prices is a commercial one and is based on a myriad of things.

We won't hold anybody to contract/early termination fees should they disagree or choose not to accept the new terms.

Needless to say, the changes we've announced have already been via our legal teams etc. so I'm of the personal opinion that they're sound. Should you not feel that to be the case then I'd suggest getting in touch via the official channels.

MillicentBystander wrote: »

I completely agree; a not too subtle attempt to get this embarrassing situation discussed where only Plusnet customers and not prospective customers will be viewing.

As above, our forums are completely open to public viewing although admittedly you do need to be a customer in order to post.

bendaw wrote: »

It's not easy for potential customers to trawl through the Plusnet site to find this kind of discussion

The thread in question can be found here.

There's a similar one over on the Think Broadband forums here.

Best regards,

Bob Pullen

2010

Email received from TT today:

Dear XXXXXXXXX

These days most homes are doing more online – working, streaming, Skyping, downloading and staying in touch. So this summer, we’re upgrading to stay ahead of the game. And we’re making some commitments - better broadband at low prices.

Faster, better broadband

Behind the scenes we're working to make your broadband faster, safer and more reliable. With us, you get:

• Totally Unlimited Broadband. Be online as much as you like. We're the only provider to deliver
totally unlimited broadband on all our packages, no caps, no extra charges.
• Britain’s safest connection. Our HomeSafe® protection comes as part of the package. We help stop
viruses before they get anywhere near your home, and protect your children from inappropriate
content.

An increase to some of our prices

To bring you improvements and new services we occasionally need to put up our prices. You’ll have no surprises when you get your bill and you’ll still be saving £153 vs BT^. Please note, If you have a special offer at the moment, it’s still valid*

We’re changing our prices from October 2013:

• Your TalkTalk Essentials package will be £7.50 a month from your October bill.
• Any calls you make outside your bundle will be slightly higher from 1st October 2013. Find all
the details at talktalk.co.uk/callprices

We have to increase our prices to be able to upgrade our services. But you can cancel your contract without charge within 30 days of getting this email.

Thanks for being a TalkTalk customer.

Yours sincerely,


Nigel Pearson
Senior Director, Customer Services







*Promotions and discounts: Any percentage discounts will be honoured at the new rates communicated in this email until the offer expires. Any specific amount discounts (e.g. £1.00 off a month) will be honoured until the offer expires. HomeSafe®: Applies security features to your broadband at the point of entry to your home to protect every internet-enabled device without additional software downloads. ^£153 BT Saving Figure: Is based on TalkTalk Essentials phone and broadband package non promo £7.50/month + line rental £15.40 compared to BT Totally unlimited broadband & Weekend calls £31.45/month package price non promo over 18 months.

Please do not reply to this email as replies are not monitored.

snowcat53

Am with Plusnet on a 12 m contract.
I have just today received my price increase email. Nowhere in it that i can see does it tell me I have a right to leave without penalty. Indeed it implies just the opposite - that they will levy an increased cessation charge if I do decide to leave! (see below). I am grateful to MSE for telling me this is misleading. I have always been a cheerleader for Plusnet but I feel very shoddily treated here.

Comments Plusnet?

Terms and conditions

We hope you're happy with the service you've been receiving from us, but if you do decide to leave, please be aware of the following changes being made:
• We'll be increasing the notice period you need to give before leaving us from 10 days to 14 days. This means that if you are thinking of leaving, you'll need to let us know 14 days in advance of doing so. If you choose not to give this notice, please be aware that you might be subject to additional charges on your final bill.
• We'll also be changing the cessation fee we charge if you decide to disconnect your contracted Plusnet broadband service without moving to another provider. This charge will increase from £25 to £30 - if you leave under these circumstances, you will see this charge as a one off cost of your final Plusnet bill.