Jumping from Plusnet to NOW - best way to make the switch?

gypsymoth

Hello

My plusnet contract ends on 4th August and I'm joining the contract-free NOW service until ultrafast broadband is installed in our area (hopefully December).

Plusnet say the following in their recent email to me:

"Ofcom, the communications regulator, requires us to show you the current best prices available for you. You're eligible to move to these new prices now as your contract is coming to an end. Once you get to the end of your contract, you can leave free of charge and either switch to another provider or cancel your service by giving us 14 days' notice.'

I simply want to move from one provider to another on the same day (give or take a day).

Plusnet are being very vague with me. Can I give them notice - and not get hit with a charge - in mid July so the contract ends ON 4th August, so i can then switch to NOW? 

I'd rather not give plusnet another 14 days of my money!

Thanks

iniltous

The switching process hasn’t changed , you advise the provider you want to join, not the old provider, so in your case , you sign up with Now , they serve notice to PN on your behalf, if you are given a choice by Now for the date the change is required, you pick the  4th Aug , and hopefully that’s the date the work will be physically done , if it’s a day or two early or late it’s not going to make a huge difference, the date the changeover work is actually done ( by Openreach) becomes the last date on the PN bill , and the day after is the first day on the Now bill .
14 days notice if switching means that if your minimum term with PN ends 4th Aug , you need to have signed up with the new company 2 weeks before ,so no later than July 21st ,  the 30 day notice is if you were not going to switch to another ISP on Openreach network and just wanted PN to cease your service completely and your Openreach connection goes dead.

Its probable that even if the changes take place in the exact date you want , you will still get billed by PN for the next month and then be  refunded for any days paid for that you were not a PN customer ( but with Now supplying service ) that’s simply because bills are produced weeks in advance, switching doesn’t affect bill production, so don’t cancel your PN direct debit otherwise your refund will be delayed.

Paying PN for days after the switch and then getting it refunded is just the way it is and it would be the same regardless of provider , it’s a common complaint but it’s just the system, if you made a £20 phone call on the last day of your Plusnet service, you wouldn’t pay for that for weeks afterwards ( when a final invoice is raised) so it’s swings and roundabouts, rental payments in advance, call payments in arrears.

Neil_Jones

gypsymoth said:

Hello

My plusnet contract ends on 4th August and I'm joining the contract-free NOW service until ultrafast broadband is installed in our area (hopefully December).

Plusnet say the following in their recent email to me:

"Ofcom, the communications regulator, requires us to show you the current best prices available for you. You're eligible to move to these new prices now as your contract is coming to an end. Once you get to the end of your contract, you can leave free of charge and either switch to another provider or cancel your service by giving us 14 days' notice.'

I simply want to move from one provider to another on the same day (give or take a day).

Plusnet are being very vague with me. Can I give them notice - and not get hit with a charge - in mid July so the contract ends ON 4th August, so i can then switch to NOW? 

I'd rather not give plusnet another 14 days of my money!

Thanks

If you are still with Plusnet on August 4 You'll pay Plusnet a full month as normal, and get a pro-rata refund later if you do move.  That's how it works with all providers.

If you want to move provider to Now, hop on their website and sign up.  That's all you do.  The handover time will be on average 17 days.

Your exit fees are pro-rata to your contract end date and apply until then, though by this time it will only be one month - its normally the same amount (give or take) you'd have paid anyway if you stayed with them.

gypsymoth

iniltous said:

The switching process hasn’t changed , you advise the provider you want to join, not the old provider, so in your case , you sign up with Now , they serve notice to PN on your behalf, if you are given a choice by Now for the date the change is required, you pick the  4th Aug , and hopefully that’s the date the work will be physically done , if it’s a day or two early or late it’s not going to make a huge difference, the date the changeover work is actually done ( by Openreach) becomes the last date on the PN bill , and the day after is the first day on the Now bill .
14 days notice if switching means that if your minimum term with PN ends 4th Aug , you need to have signed up with the new company 2 weeks before ,so no later than July 21st ,  the 30 day notice is if you were not going to switch to another ISP on Openreach network and just wanted PN to cease your service completely and your Openreach connection goes dead.

Its probable that even if the changes take place in the exact date you want , you will still get billed by PN for the next month and then be  refunded for any days paid for that you were not a PN customer ( but with Now supplying service ) that’s simply because bills are produced weeks in advance, switching doesn’t affect bill production, so don’t cancel your PN direct debit otherwise your refund will be delayed.

Paying PN for days after the switch and then getting it refunded is just the way it is and it would be the same regardless of provider , it’s a common complaint but it’s just the system, if you made a £20 phone call on the last day of your Plusnet service, you wouldn’t pay for that for weeks afterwards ( when a final invoice is raised) so it’s swings and roundabouts, rental payments in advance, call payments in arrears.

Very helpful. Thank you - and you @neil

gypsymoth

Neil_Jones said:

gypsymoth said:

Hello

My plusnet contract ends on 4th August and I'm joining the contract-free NOW service until ultrafast broadband is installed in our area (hopefully December).

Plusnet say the following in their recent email to me:

"Ofcom, the communications regulator, requires us to show you the current best prices available for you. You're eligible to move to these new prices now as your contract is coming to an end. Once you get to the end of your contract, you can leave free of charge and either switch to another provider or cancel your service by giving us 14 days' notice.'

I simply want to move from one provider to another on the same day (give or take a day).

Plusnet are being very vague with me. Can I give them notice - and not get hit with a charge - in mid July so the contract ends ON 4th August, so i can then switch to NOW? 

I'd rather not give plusnet another 14 days of my money!

Thanks

If you are still with Plusnet on August 4 You'll pay Plusnet a full month as normal, and get a pro-rata refund later if you do move.  That's how it works with all providers.

If you want to move provider to Now, hop on their website and sign up.  That's all you do.  The handover time will be on average 17 days.

Your exit fees are pro-rata to your contract end date and apply until then, though by this time it will only be one month - its normally the same amount (give or take) you'd have paid anyway if you stayed with them.

Sorry, just to clarify (Im being a bit slow today)

If I contacted NOW today and chose a handover date of 5th July... I'm effectively giving notice to PN, correct?

If so, doing it today is more than 14 days.... so would they levy any additional charges or have I effectively paid for the final month already (at the start of July). 

Basically, the financial hit of giving notice today is zero, and if my handover occurs on 5th or 6th august, they'd refund me the full month of august less those days?

Thank you

iniltous

You cannot select a changeover date of 5th July as it’s the 7th July today , if you order NowTV today and ask for 5th Aug , then you have satisfied both the notice to PN and it’s after the minimum term has expired,( it’s a minimum 14 days notice  on switching) however ,it seems that often the new provider doesn’t put an actual date on the job for the changeover, they just raise the switching order as soon as you agree to join them ,  ( even if that is earlier than you want )  , and because the changeover will then  take place in 10-14 days from the order being issued, you potentially end up owing some PN ETC’s  because you didn’t stay with PN until 4th Aug , if Now enter the job today  the switch takes  place 17th July (or whatever) unless they can specify a particular date.

If Now can put a date on the job, or hold onto your order until 21 July before issuing it , then there is probably not going to be any issues , however a few days ETC or a few days paying PN the out of contract price will hardly amount to much, so I personally cannot see why some get hung up on trying to get it done a particular date , if it’s a few days either side there won’t be much ‘extra’ cost  , and there will be debits and credits afterwards anyway because the final invoice will won’t on the 4th August even if the switch over is.

Neil_Jones

gypsymoth said:

Neil_Jones said:

gypsymoth said:

Hello

My plusnet contract ends on 4th August and I'm joining the contract-free NOW service until ultrafast broadband is installed in our area (hopefully December).

Plusnet say the following in their recent email to me:

"Ofcom, the communications regulator, requires us to show you the current best prices available for you. You're eligible to move to these new prices now as your contract is coming to an end. Once you get to the end of your contract, you can leave free of charge and either switch to another provider or cancel your service by giving us 14 days' notice.'

I simply want to move from one provider to another on the same day (give or take a day).

Plusnet are being very vague with me. Can I give them notice - and not get hit with a charge - in mid July so the contract ends ON 4th August, so i can then switch to NOW? 

I'd rather not give plusnet another 14 days of my money!

Thanks

If you are still with Plusnet on August 4 You'll pay Plusnet a full month as normal, and get a pro-rata refund later if you do move.  That's how it works with all providers.

If you want to move provider to Now, hop on their website and sign up.  That's all you do.  The handover time will be on average 17 days.

Your exit fees are pro-rata to your contract end date and apply until then, though by this time it will only be one month - its normally the same amount (give or take) you'd have paid anyway if you stayed with them.

Sorry, just to clarify (Im being a bit slow today)

If I contacted NOW today and chose a handover date of 5th July... I'm effectively giving notice to PN, correct?

If so, doing it today is more than 14 days.... so would they levy any additional charges or have I effectively paid for the final month already (at the start of July). 

Basically, the financial hit of giving notice today is zero, and if my handover occurs on 5th or 6th august, they'd refund me the full month of august less those days?

Thank you

You don't specify a date.

You just sign up, have 14 days cooling off and then if you don't do that it will typically move ahead, so you'll move usually within 17-21 days.

As I said if you leave Plusnet now your exit fees are pro-rated.  By this point it is less than a month.

If you move away after August 5 you will get a pro-rata refund from Plusnet out of the full month you paid for.

So to take an example, if you pay £30 a month on the 1st of the month and you move away on the 3rd for example, you will get a pro-rata refund of £27.  You will not be paying for more time than you are actually with Plusnet.

gypsymoth

Thank you both - appreciated (btw there was a typo and I meant 5th August in my 2nd paragraph)!