Ending Plusnet Advice Sought

Anthonyuk_2

I have been with plusnet for nearly 3 years now. My second 18 month contract ends in January.

I seen a load of Black Friday deals posted by them, and I had been told by them I could renew with one month left so phoned yesterday to negotiate a new contract.

To have the most, aggressive, condescending call handler ever. I was told I cannot have any Black Friday deal. And I can sign up for a new deal for slightly more than what I am paying now (which wasn't that good of a deal anyway when I signed for it 17 months ago) and what is close to double their black friday deal they are offering new customers (after 3 years of loyal service I get this).

I refuse and the call handler hangs up me.

I phoned back now today saying I will take the new deal but not at 18 months as I want only 12 at the most as I wish to leave when my years pre-paid line rental is up.

I am told you can only sign for deals for 18 months. I was given three options

1. Cancel Plusnet in January and go elsehwere. The problem is I had paid in August for a years line rental upfront and I will lose this entirely.

2. Not enter a new contract, and if so the price I am paying now will instantly doubles. (and be treble their black friday deal).

3. Sign up to a new contract that has to be 18 months.

I refused to accept any of those and asked to speak to a manager. This was refused and I was hung up on again. After this I really do not want to give plusnet my custom. In January at the end of my contract I wish to leave due to the abusive way their call staff have acted towards me.

What I wish is to leave plusnet and get a refund of the remaining months line rental I have paid in advance so I can go elsewhere. How would I do this?

Or I want at the absolute least to continue until the end of my line rental at the same rate I am paying now.

They literally are tying me into remaining with them when I wish to leave. Any advice. I am not prepared to lose money due to the abusive way they have handled me as a loyal customer. I would have to be stupid to accept that from a company.

Any advice.

powerful_Rogue

Not what you want to hear, but what they have suggested are your only options.

One more I can think of it renew at 18 months and once your pre paid line rental expires, just pay monthly until the full 18 months are up.

You won't get a refund on the unused line rental if you leave.

The price of your package will go up as they want people to renew so you are tied in for 18 months. If you're out of contract and they have said what your monthly bill will be, then nothing else can be done.

In fairness, you tied yourself in, not plusnet as you took out a 12 month prepaid line rental plan when you only had a few months left on the contract.

Anthonyuk_2

powerful_Rogue wrote: »

In fairness, you tied yourself in, not plusnet as you took out a 12 month prepaid line rental plan when you only had a few months left on the contract.

I tied myself in because I did not know how appealing I would be treat by them. A customer should not envisage a company suddenly treating you like dirt and abusively and then having an attitude of "so what" when you try to complain about it.

Who in their right mind would want to continue with a company who treats them like that. And why should the customer lose money due to them treating them like that.

If I phoned up Plusnet and started being highly abusive to them on the phone. They'd terminate my contract and keep the money claiming unacceptable conduct even if there was no mention of "I must be nice to staff on the phone" was mentioned in the contract. They'd still do it and feel justified in doing it.

And yet it seems, the reverse does not apply and I need to just take it. Not really acceptable. So I am seeking advice on what to to do about this. A customer shouldn't have to endure constant abuse from the staff.

powerful_Rogue

Anthonyuk wrote: »

I tied myself in because I did not know how appealing I would be treat by them. A customer should not envisage a company suddenly treating you like dirt and abusively and then having an attitude of "so what" when you try to complain about it.

Who in their right mind would want to continue with a company who treats them like that. And why should the customer lose money due to them treating them like that.

If I phoned up Plusnet and started being highly abusive to them on the phone. They'd terminate my contract and keep the money claiming unacceptable conduct even if there was no mention of "I must be nice to staff on the phone" was mentioned in the contract. They'd still do it and feel justified in doing it.

And yet it seems, the reverse does not apply and I need to just take it. Not really acceptable. So I am seeking advice on what to to do about this.

Regarding the abuse and conduct of the plusnet employee, then by all means put in a complaint. There's always two sides to every story and im sure the complaints department can listen to the call to see what happened.

The thing with customers is that they sometimes believe they have been calm/polite when in fact they have been the total opposite.

That does not however change the current situation and the few options you have available to you.

Anthonyuk_2

powerful_Rogue wrote: »

Regarding the abuse and conduct of the plusnet employee, then by all means put in a complaint. There's always two sides to every story and im sure the complaints department can listen to the call to see what happened.

I have already asked for the call to be listened to. And it conveniently was not recorded. They never are when you get treat poorly by Plusnet. - this is not the first time this has happened, and the call was not recorded then either.

This time it was the worst though. And like I say, no call recorded when all calls are is very clear on the matter.

It seems quite clear either the agents have a way of ensuring calls they mess up are not recorded. Or the managers have listened to them, agreed the agent was a disgrace so are just lying to the customer claiming it wasn't recorded so couldn't hear it as opposed to admitting how bad the customer was treat.

JJ_Egan

Complain about the abuse but you are still in the same position as you have misaligned contracts .
You are not entitled to a refund of your ALR that's why its discounted to tie you in for a year .
Your choice is pay BB monthly once contract ends until your ALR ends .Or take out a new contract and when ALR finishes pay line rental monthly .
Or write of your remaining line rental and move ISP once your BB contract ends taking advantage of any new customer deals .When you do move your current ISP may come back with a deal or not .

Anthonyuk_2

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Your choice is pay BB monthly once contract ends until your ALR ends

This is what I am seeking help on, I am prepared to do this. But I am not prepared to have the price double. Nowhere in any terms and conditions that I agreed to did I agree to this.

It says, on looking now, once the 18 month contract ends it changes to a one month rolling contract. But nowhere did it say that I can see, or that I can remember agreeing to, that the rolling contract is double the price.

If I joined now, today, as a new customer, the price is one third of the rolling contract. And being a member for three years, the rolling contract is double the price I have been paying.

[Deleted User]

Plusnet used to be really good, brilliant customer services (no long call waits, would resolve problems quickly) and cheaper than BT fibre. Then last year I had a similiar situation to the OP.., moved, tied into a contract - much much better deals around but I was told my only way to get out of the contract that was still in place was to sign up for another TWO YEAR contract, that was quite a bit more than offered by another provider. I had about six months left on the previous contract.

I had no choice, I had to.., but once this contract period is over, I will never ever use Plusnet again. As the OP has said, the person I spoke to was quite arrogant and unpleasant. Quite a change to how Plusnet used to be.

And to add insult to injury, I am losing connection many times a day.., plusnet seem incapable of resolving it, in spite of long waits to get through to technical support. I can't wait for my contract period to end.

If their prices go up.., I'll be cancelling my contract immediately.

JJ_Egan

Yes since the advent of sites and Money Saving Ethos new customers get the deals .

Anthonyuk_2

I will just say. As a heads up for anyone else on dealing with Plusnet. I had a telephone call with a Plusnet manager just now who I quoted the TOS to her and she disputed it all (she clearly didn't understand the TOS but she was trying to be clever).

What she said was the contract I agreed to in 2015 was entirely verbal on the telephone and none of it was in writing or provided to me confirming what it was or existing in writing whatsoever. She said the agent will have told me everything correctly at the time during the call. I tried to tell her the complaint I had just made now, that you have accepted was is that agents have made a whole series of mistakes now so why would the one in 2015 be infallible on how he handled things. She said calls get deleted after a year so the call is now gone but he would have handled everything right she is certain of it.

I told her I was emailed simply this as my new contract, and nothing else

"We're sending this email to confirm the details of your new contract.
Your new contract;
Your package will be subject to a new 18 month contract. This will take effect from 27/07/2015."

So the above is the entirety of my new contract I have in writing from plusnet. She said she will get a tier 2 manager to phone me up next on this.

I have just now spoken to Consumer Direct on the phone and they have confirmed. For any contract with phone providers.

Under the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013, Pre-contract information needs to be sent in writing including the name, address and conditions of the contract I was agreeing to.

If they do not do this then they are not only breaking the law but in breach of contract immediately of the consumer credit regulations 2013.

So the Consumer Direct advisor has advised me to put my complaint in writing to plusnet highlighting this. And seek either continuation of the service that I agreed to as the outcome of that complaint. Or immediate non penality cancellation with damages due to breach of contract by them (i.e the refund of my remaining Line rental would be the damages I receive for them breaching the contract).

She said she is going to report Plusnet to Trading standards for this as they should not have handled this like this.

So I am going to relay this on the phone to the level 2 manager. I suspect it will get nowhere. So I will then put it in writing. But if anyone else gets shafted by Plusnet I am hoping the above is of any use to them.

molerat

I am certain Plusnet will be able to prove they sent you contract terms in the post.

I have just renewed with them, 12 month contract, one year line rental up front, 12 months free broadband and a £50 Amazon voucher. All I did was push nicely for a good deal ...... but I never allow my line rental and broadband get out of sync, it gives them a way to not give you a decent deal.