£30 to leave plusnet...

leestafford

Enquired further... the Plusnet website states...

Cessation charges don't apply if:
You're a customer without a contract on any of the following products:
Plusnet Essentials
Unlimited

I'm not on a contract. They're either contradicting themselves or just... I dunnno!

I'll let you know what excuse they come up with. Fingers crossed I may save myself, and more importntly, lots of others money!

leestafford

Just an update....


Dear Mr Stafford, As per you forum post http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,138094.0.html. Due to the package which you are on no cessation fee is applicable. Therefore the only outstanding charge on the account will be £1.99. Sorry for any confusion caused. Kind regards, Kathryn Cashmore

The £1.99 was for the part of the month I hadn't paid for.

I wonder how many people have just paid this £30!

Expect a phonecall/answering machine message to be calling you soon...

"have you paid an unnecessary cessation fee? Press 5 to opt out!"

IanDerby

BT have tried the same thing. This £30 is never mentioned in any contract. We did not have a contract, just paid monthly. Got a MAC number to move to Virgin, suddenly BT ask for an extra £30 to disconnect the service, after supplying poor broadband service. I'm presently arguing the point. As usual they think if they ignore the complaint & harass us we will play up. They don't even respond to any questions I have asked, ie. who their ADR is. Typical big business, ignore the customer.

Buzby

BT most certainly DO mention the cessation charge and have done this from the start. The fact you were unaware is irrelevant as you agreed to the stated tems when the service was provided. Further, nobody is 'out of contract' if a service is running, then the terms of service apply until it ceases. The true expression you are looking for is being out of your minimum term, but the cessation fee applies then too.

leestafford

By 'out of contract' we mean - not in a contract - signing up to a non-contract (or 30 day rolling) service.

BT clearly state on their website that they will not charge if...
you :-

Switch to another Broadband provider without following the standard Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) process.

I'd quote that to them when you speak to them. Otherwise it just looks like you're not paying because you think it's wrong and you don't want to.

mije1983

leestafford wrote: »

BT clearly state on their website that they will not charge if...
you :-

Switch to another Broadband provider without following the standard Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) process.

I think you''ve mis-read that, so maybe not a good idea to quote it as they will not take any notice! It says it WILL be charged for the reason above. The times when they won't charge are listed further down the page.

When will the charge be raised?

This charge will be raised should you :-

1. Switch to another Broadband provider without following the standard Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) process.
2. Switch to another Broadband provider without following another recognised transfer process, when it applies.
3. Switch to a Cable provider.
4. Cease your Broadband completely.
5. Cease your Broadband and move outside of the UK.

My bolding of point 3 as well for the above poster as Virgin is a cable operator.

Also to add, it isn't a BT specific charge. It's an Openreach charge to the provider, who in turn passes it onto you.


http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/dynamicmodules/pagecontentfooter/pageContentFooterPopup.jsp?pagecontentfooter_popupid=26823&s_cid=con_FURL_ceasecharge

IanDerby

Once again businesses hide their charges in a mass of paperwork which most people don't read (or give up the will to live while trying). I had to go through several links to find the page listing reasons for charging and it appears that you're going to get charged whatever you do. It's about time the government forced these providers to show these charges upfront. They've done it with other businesses.

macman

On the contrary. This charge by OR has been in place for at least 5 years now and all the ISP's T&C's reflect that. You will only be charged if you cease entirely or migrate without a MAC-it couldn't be clearer.
And of course you are still 'in a contract' if you pay monthly. You are simply on a contract with only 30 days notice, rather than the usual 12m or 18m. No contract, no service.
Th reason you are being charged to go from BT to VM is that a MAC cannot be used for an ADSL to cable migration, as VM is a separate network entirely. The MAC process is for ADSL to ADSL only, so the charge is entirely valid, as you are leaving the BT network.

kwikbreaks

I really isn't difficult to find out about cancelling BT broadband - this search - https://www.google.co.uk/search?sclient=psy&hl=en&q=leaving+BT+broadband - showed the £30 charge in the description of the second hit when I tried it although just following first link will mean you need to dig a bit.

Contracts and Early Termination charges | Terms ... - BT.com
https://www.bt.com/termcharges
1 Dec 2014 - A cease charge of £30.00 (not subject to VAT) is payable if you cease your broadband service and do not request and use a migration access ...

Pincher

The fun and games continues.


The switch from PlusNet to EE happened end of January 2015, and I saw the final bill containing the £30 Cease Fee. I left the DD in place for a couple of weeks, and then cancelled it.


Got a Debt Collection letter from Moorcroft on the 20th April !:eek:


Rang up PlusNet and paid it straightaway. "Chris" sent a text, to my mobile, confirming payment. He also said they will notify Moorcroft to cancel the debt. Got a call from Moorcroft today, chasing the debt.


Apparently it takes them 14 days to notify Moorcroft, so just have to wait it out and see if it goes away.


There were no letters or e-mail.
They just pass it on to the debt collector straightaway.


The lesson: don't cancel the direct debit, unless you have confirmed they have taken the money.