Plusnet contract renewal in January 2024

[Deleted User]

I read a previous post similar to this but did not want to interrupt that Thread. I received good information here previously but it was some time ago.

My contract with Plusnet has to be renewed in January - so I have to make a decision soon.  I have been a longstanding Plusnet customer for over 10 years and would prefer to stay with Plusnet.

Plusnet are offering me their cheapest option and, from January, it will be £3.91 more every month until March when it will go up by inflation plus ? 5% and, with a 24 month contract, the same again the following March. - not insignificant increases.   

Like many folks just now finance is tight and I have to consider cheaper options.  I doubt very much if I will ever find a provider with customer support/service as good as Plusnet.

When I asked Plusnet I was told that it would be a 24 month contract from January and, again when I asked, I was told that I would be able to keep my landline for the duration of this 24 month contract. 

From what I have read on MSE Forums, I am concerned that it may not be that straightforward.  If I am going to have to face upheaval I may have to "face it" now.  Although I would like to keep my landline for the next 24 months, decide to move Provider and give up my landline.  My mobile 'phone contract (1GB which I don't use) is with EE.

Does anyone here (someone not good with technology and reliant on good Customer Support) know of a cheaper option than what is available to me from Plusnet?

I have to make a decision soon and will be really appreciative of any up to date information or suggestions, thank you.

 

iniltous

What is your main requirement, a landline phone or a landline phone that doesn’t use the broadband service ( even though you want a broadband service ) ?
If you want a landline, as it is now , so using the copper pair all the way to the telephone exchange, that is resilient to power cuts etc , then you are out of luck , if a phone service via the router is acceptable, but price with  no inflation + 3.9% increases is the most important factor, then comparison sites are you best bet , but they will almost certainly require IP telephony , that’s if they even offer it .

If by some quirk , PN will renew for 24 months your existing arrangement, ( so keeping PSTN telephone) then at some point , probably before the 24 months are up , you will be offered either a migration to BT or EE and conversation to their IP telephone service, probably without increasing the term , or offered the option to drop telephony from your package , or the option to leave for a different provider, but PN shouldn’t be giving you a new deal ( renewal ) that allows you to keep your traditional telephone service.

[Deleted User]

Thanks very much,  iniltous.  Ideally my requirements are broadband and landline, keeping my present telephone number.

Plusnet, I have to decide in January, have already offered me a renewal for 24 months for £22.99 per month (I pay £18 per month on my soon to expire 24 month contract). and Plusnet say I will be able to keep my landline for the duration of the new 24 months contract.

 I'm concerned about, in March 2024 then March 2025 an increase of another 5% plus inflation,  on top.

Thanks very much for replying.

iniltous

TBH , you  haven’t really answered the question regarding PSTN or IP telephony .

With most migrations to IP telephony, so for example BT moving their customers from PSTN to DV ,  they keep the existing landline number , migration to IP shouldn’t require a number change .

On the Plusnet website , and anecdotally,  it seems PN , with new business or re contracting customers , don’t provide telephony at all , for those that require a phone service they can arrange a penalty free move to their ‘sister’ company BT ( and use BTDV for telephony ) so your Plusnet offer seems at odds with that .

I woukd ask PN , why , given that other PN customers cannot remain with PN if they want an included telephone service ( especially given the fact it was removed from sale in September and no PSTN will remain after December 2025 ) how they can offer 24 month telephone deals , I suspect you have either misunderstood or the sales rep was misinformed.

As far as the annual increase based on CPI inflation, the vast majority of providers build this into the T&C’s , so your choice is limited if you want a guarantee that the price struck today won’t change for the duration but there are some that offer that ( although potentially charge more in the first place ) 

400ixl

You can stay with Plusnet and as long as you stay on an FTTC service (not upgrade to FTTP) then you can kick the can down the road until the end of 2025 when the PSTN service will be switched off. You will then be offered an opportunity to move to EE or BT without an exit fee. If your exchange gets the PSTN service switched off earlier for whatever reason this offer will apply then.

It could also be that Plusnet offer a Digital Voice service by then, or it could be that all customers are migrated to EE and Plusnet shut down by then. That all needs a crystal ball though.

The CPI will apply to all of the main providers, some of the more bespoke ones don't apply this but their prices tend to be a little higher in the first place.

The main 3 providers you couldn't pay me to consider are Shell, Vodafone and TalkTalk. The likes of BT, EE, Sky provide similar levels of customer service to Plusnet and the likes of Zen Internet score better, have no CPI increase but cost more.

[Deleted User]

Thank you both for replying.  Sorry I am out of my depth and don't know what all the abbreviations are -  FTTC, FTTP, PSTN and IP Telephony.  It is geting me down.

I am certain Plusnet have offered me  a 24 month contract for broadband and landline telephone.  I heard previously that Plusnet were stopping landlines but the recent telephone call contradicted this - it sounds as if the person I spoke to misinformed me  right enough.  I believe what you are telling me.  Mistakes happen.

I'm running out of time but it is my fault for not attending to this sooner.  There must be other people on their own, like me, who are struggling with this, a bit older (76) and not in great health.

 If I accept the Plusnet offer will I still have to pay more with another provider when, as I believe you, my landline is switched off?

 I am probably unwise to lock in to a 24 month Plusnet contract.  My decision.

Thank you for your help - only myself to blame for leaving this so late.

iniltous

No one is arbitrarily switching off landlines, but the method is changing , although you say you struggle to understand this but it’s not that complicated.
Traditional landlines are ending , replaced by broadband telephony  ( IP , internet protocol ) , so the ‘landline’  phone plugs into the back of the broadband router ( so it’s dependent on the mains supply like broadband is ) 
Telephone calls are a dwindling market , effectively no one makes phone calls anymore , so many ISP’s  ( like Plusnet  ) are getting out of telephony and only offering broadband, those that are remaining in the ‘phone’ business are moving to broadband phones ( like BT with ‘digital voice’ ) .

As stated , if you are so concerned about keeping  a traditional phone line for as long as possible, then continuing out of contract with Plusnet would be the obvious advice , the odd thing is them offering a 24 month deal including telephone, this seems to be counterintuitive, for 2 reasons , Plusnet  are getting out of the telephone business , and 24 months is past the absolute end of traditional telephone service, thats December 2025 , but perhaps they are manipulating the system to offer this to you ( after all December 2025 is roughly 2 years away ) .

In your situation, I would have to decide what’s more important, cost or keeping the existing phone service ( that’s works in a power cut ) for as long as possible, personally I woukd ignore the new Plusnet offer , unless they  commit in writing that renewal of your contract keeps the traditional phone service , because even the Plusnet website states that’s not possible.

J_B

iniltous said:

Traditional landlines are ending , replaced by broadband telephony  ( IP , internet protocol ) , so the ‘landline’  phone plugs into the back of the broadband router ( so it’s dependent on the mains supply like broadband is ) 
Telephone calls are a dwindling market , effectively no one makes phone calls anymore ...........

Just curious as a 'country bumpkin' we are unable to receive (acceptable speed) broadband over the copper wires as we are 2 miles from the exchange.

We therefore use a WISP service which works reasonably well.

Have you any ideas how our 'landline' phone will continue work? (we still use it most days, sorry!)

littleboo

The bandwidth requirements for voice are very low, even the better quality codecs are <100 kbits/sec, so achievable over  long lines. 

iniltous

BT also now have another solution for phone only customers that doesn’t require the customer to be connected to a low bandwidth broadband circuit ( like  SoTAP ) , this new solution allows a copper pair to be maintained into the customer property but without the need for the PSTN equipment at the exchange or a ‘router’ or power at the customer premises, details are sketchy, and it’s a stopgap not a permanent fixture, but in essence the ATA ( analogue telephone adapter ) is housed at the exchange building ( instead of more commonly at the customer end with traditional VoIP service ) so the customer has VoIP but the equipment is at the exchange , so from the provider equipment into and out of the ATA , along the copper pair , into the existing copper pair socket , so from the customer perspective nothing changes.

matelodave

I'm guessing that will be what BT/OR will be working towards as they'll never be able to change everyone over to FTTP and many people will have sufficient bandwidth over their copper pairs for phone and or broadband from the cabinet is the same way as they do now. 

Its the PSTN that's being switched off not that all the copper cabling is going to be heaved out of the ground. TBH the scaremongers of the DM and others have a lot to answer for in terms of misinformation.