Plusnet £30 cease charge

inglorius

Have recently contacted Talk Talk to take up their Broadband service and switch from Plusnet, I noticed that on my Plusnet account they have charged me a £30 cease charge stating that a LLU PSTN cease has been placed on my account.

Not wanting to spend half of my life waiting to get my calls answered to Plusnet can anyone advise what a LLU PSTN cease is and why I have been charged £30 for this? Is it because I'm trying to move mid-contract therefore the they can apply this charge? TIA

LazyTyper

Did you use a MAC code to migrate to TalkTalk?

inglorius

LazyTyper wrote: »

Did you use a MAC code to migrate to TalkTalk?

I went through Talk Talks online switching service via a price comparison website which said that Talk Talk would contact my current broadband supplier and arrange the transfer? By the way I instructed Talk Talk that I was keeping my existing telephone line if this has any bearing on the outcome

spyhunter

An LLU PSTN Cease is

Local Loop Unbundling Public Switched Telephone Network Cease.

This has happened because Talk Talk are transfering your line and broadband from a BT Wholesale network to Talk Talks own kit in the BT exchange.

A MAC is not needed in this case but you shouldn't be charged anything from Plusnet as BT Wholesale/Openreach see this as a recognised transfer method.

However if you are changing your telephone number the charge is correct as this is seen as a new cease/reprovide

LazyTyper

inglorius wrote: »

I went through Talk Talks online switching service via a price comparison website which said that Talk Talk would contact my current broadband supplier and arrange the transfer? By the way I instructed Talk Talk that I was keeping my existing telephone line if this has any bearing on the outcome

Sounds like they effectively ceased your existing service and provisioned supply as new (as opposed to a migration).

So your old provider then charged you the cease supply charge, as per their T&Cs.

This seems to be a recurring theme on the forums.

Did you successfully port your number across also?

I would raise a formal (written) complaint with TalkTalk as they may not have followed the correct take-over procedure for your supply.

LazyTyper

Actually what spyhunter wrote is correct.

It look as if the "Notification of Transfer" migration method was used by TalkTalk instead of the MAC process, which is a recognised industry procedure for switching supplier.

The MAC process has it's days numbered anyway.

Try raising this with Plusnet, it could be a genuine error.

brewerdave

This has been discussed to "death" on the Plusnet forums - PN decided to pass on the charge some time ago as no MAC used -don't think that anyone has been successful in getting the charge removed.....but worth a phone call!
@Lazytyper - If TT are moving the OP onto their LLU network then they wouldn't use the MAC even if it was supplied to them.

macman

inglorius wrote: »

I went through Talk Talks online switching service via a price comparison website which said that Talk Talk would contact my current broadband supplier and arrange the transfer? By the way I instructed Talk Talk that I was keeping my existing telephone line if this has any bearing on the outcome

So you didn't request a MAC from PN prior to signing up with TT?
In which case, the cease charge will apply regardless of whether you are moving to an LLU service or not.

LazyTyper

The Plusnet Terms and Conditions state:

19. If you choose to end your agreement for the service and you do not request and use a migration access code (MAC), or do not use another recognised migration process you will be subject to the broadband cease charge as shown in the price guide. You will not have to pay this charge if you are moving home and we are unable to provide the service at the new UK address.

The migration method used by TalkTalk is "another recognised migration process", therefore I would say this charge is invalid.

JohnDinton

As LazyTyper says, this is a recurring theme. It needs to be resolved. It is OFCOM's job to resolve it. OFCOM will only resolve it if it is told there is a problem. To tell OFCOM anyone affected should go to this page
http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/complain/phone-and-broadband-complaints/changing-provider/
and click the button opposite the heading, "Problem changing broadband provider". As it says on the page, it is also necessary to follow the provider's complaints procedure as explained in the box on the page.

Maybe anyone who tells OFCOM can report back here. If OFCOM does nothing after ten reports, it may be time to invoke the procedure for complaints about OFCOM.

JohnDinton

LazyTyper wrote: »

The migration method used by TalkTalk is "another recognised migration process", therefore I would say this charge is invalid.

But be careful if you are moving the other way (from TalkTalk).
TalkTalk's contract says

12.7.1 Broadband Services: If you are moving to another Service Provider, you must request a migration authorisation code (a "MAC"). Upon such request, we will issue you with a MAC wherever possible. Your account will not be cancelled until you use your MAC and migrate to another service provider and you must pay all charges for the Broadband Services until the date on which your contract actually ends. If you do not use your MAC once received, your contract for Broadband Services will continue until your contract with us is ended in accordance with condition 12.7. Where a MAC can not be provided we will use all reasonable endeavours to facilitate your migration to another Service Provider.

and

Cessation Charge

12.14 If you end your contract for Broadband Services with us and do not request and use a MAC, you agree to pay us a cessation fee of £40. This fee is to cover the cancellation charge that we must pay BT and associated administration costs. The cessation charge will not be payable where you are moving home and either you have subscribed to our Broadband Services at your new address or we are unable to provide the Broadband Services at your new address.