PlusNet UK Prep Product Refresh and Half Price Fibre

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/05/plusnet...

Internet provider PlusNet has cut the cost of its superfast �Unlimited Fibre Broadband and Calls� (FTTC) package in half from £19.99 to just £9.99 a month for the first 6 months of service. Meanwhile there are also plans for another rise in the cost of line rental and a product refresh to simplify their packages.

Firstly, effective from later today, PlusNet�s Unlimited Fibre Broadband and Calls bundle, which also requires customers to take the ISPs Phone Line Rental from the equivalent of £10.99 per month (when pre-paid 12 months in advance) or £14.50 as a standard monthly charge, will see its price cut in half.

Take note that an Anytime UK Calls option can also be added for an extra +£5 a month (includes 25% off top international call destinations) or +£7 per month if you want to add 300 anytime minutes to the top 35 international destinations.

Going forward PlusNet also plans to simplify their existing product line-up, from 10th June 2014, by removing the old usage-capped packages and replacing them with three unlimited options. The new line-up will include the existing unlimited options at the current price but also add a new unlimited service for their 38Mbps FTTC service at the slightly cheaper (-£1) cost of £14.99 (currently this is only offered alongside a usage cap of 40GB). Similarly the 10GB standard broadband package will also be removed. On top of that both of the fibre services will include free Evening as well as Weekend calls again.

Unfortunately there will be a few negative changes coming next month too and one of them is predictably routine, with Line Rental set to rise from £14.50 to £15.95. Similarly the pre-paid Line Rental Saver discount will rise at an even sharper rate from the monthly equivalent of £10.99 to £12.99 (£155.88 total for 12 months). Furthermore call setup fees will be 15.5p and calls to 01,02,03 and non-geo numbers (0845/0870) will rise to 9p per minute.

In fairness this will merely bring PlusNet into line with the rest of the mainstream market, which was an inevitable change. One other change of note is with the +£5 Anytime calls add-on, which will no longer include the 25% discount off top international call destinations.

Edited by deleted (Fri 30-May-14 02:15:10)

Didn't think to post the whole thing here, but saw it a few hours ago and went off to check. At least reading it a second time, I spotted why the price had not yet changed

PlusNet also plans to simplify their existing product line-up, from 10th June 2014, by removing the old usage-capped packages and replacing them with three unlimited options.

Good to see, and not too long to wait!

Unlimited on up to 38 Mbps is something which will be of interest to me.

Edited by deleted (Fri 30-May-14 08:54:14)

Edited by deleted (Fri 30-May-14 09:26:19)

Well that's me moving on to another phone provider then

My line rental remain the same price cos I signed 24 months contract back in April at £14.50 - so if they push the price up in June and I had the RIGHTS to move line rental to other provider under OFCOM ruling (any prices increase in the middle of agreement contract is allow to leave without any penalty charge) but the real problem is broadband price will increasing without phone line at the same isp is really annoying.

Edited by adslmax (Fri 30-May-14 12:02:55)

existing phone customers aren't affected
http://www.plus.net/home-broadband/tariffs/#june14Ta...

From 10th June 2014, the following changes will apply to new customers and existing 'Broadband only' customers who add phone on or after that date.

Edited by deleted (Fri 30-May-14 12:08:18)

@ adslmax

I signed up for line rental about the same time. Hadn't thought about the OFCOM ruling so fingers crossed, I should be fine too Really couldn't be bothered with the hassle of moving again anyhow!!

Plusnet had confirmed me: The price increases will come into effect for new customers signing up from 10th June. Customers signing-up before this date will get the current pricing advertised. This will be part of a wider product refresh of which further information will be available in June.

So, I won't be affecting. Well done Plusnet

I totally agree - nice to see a company looking after it's existing, loyal customers for once

Yes! I am relief and happy. Thanks you Plusnet!

If I can get a fresh line on Primus at 5.99/month, then the lower price offer (when it comes) for "up to 38 Mbps", will be ideal.

Only advantage of PN (with current line rental, paid in advance, keeping it somewhat lower than the rest) was that Caller Display was charged at a lower level than most (if not all) other firms.

I don't suppose anyone can say whether indirect access services work on a PN line ?
(eg dialling 1899 to use 1899.com / Finarea, for their 6p connect + 0p/min UK calls to 01+02 numbers... some telco firms block access to such services.)

In reply to a post by ultra:

I don't suppose anyone can say whether indirect access services work on a PN line ?
(eg dialling 1899 to use 1899.com / Finarea, for their 6p connect + 0p/min UK calls to 01+02 numbers... some telco firms block access to such services.)

Yes, they do work.

Edited by kasg (Fri 30-May-14 18:25:47)

You do realise that if the phone isn't with Plusnet there is a £2.50 per month surcharge (I assume that won't be changing with the new packages and also from previous experience taking broadband only won't be on special offer)

these media sites need to start catching on for what is the real change.,

The real change is a rise in line rental, and line feature costs.

But is masked by a temporary offer. The line rental annual increases are out of control but I have yet to see a single news story focus on that. This is especially when wholesale line rental has dropped.

Plusnet now is basically a seller of line rental and calls, with the broadband service just been used to drag those customers in. 9p a min to 01/02/03 thats just bonkers, its more than it costs on my mobile phone. Plus inflation busting rise on line rental.

Edited by Chrysalis (Fri 30-May-14 22:53:33)

Good and bad I guess, but I think the real reason they not pushing it on existing customers is churn, especially as this inflation busting rise would give everyone an opt-out.

In reply to a post by Oldjim:

You do realise that if the phone isn't with Plusnet there is a £2.50 per month surcharge...

Thanks OJ, quite understand about the extra fee when not taking a PN line, though the cost of a PN line (compared with £5.99 + £2.50) would still be higher than I'd be paying. The limited "pluses" would be some 0845+0870 calls which aren't included on my mobile or via 1899, and low cost Caller Display (unless it ever rises from £0.99)

In reply to a post by Oldjim:

from previous experience taking broadband only won't be on special offer

unless the £14.99 (June 10) price is only for new customers, I'd be able to get that. No point me wanting the higher speed with speed estimate of 33.5 Mbps, the thing stopping me considering PN before is/was the 40 GB allowance, but anyway, as an existing customer, what are the odds of me getting the £9.99 rate.

Of course, being ineligible for discounts, as an existing customer,(for free setup if I took phone line), then whether or not I went for the higher cost FTTC service, ineligibility would also mean that I'd have to pay the setup fee, and a line installation fee, too...

My options seem to vary considerably every quarter. I want to retain my fixed IP on PN, but know that another connection of similar speed with a dynamic IP would be handy (as I do websites and network testing so pros and cons of both static and dynamic, and am considering a third line for IPv6, from yet another ISP )

Edited by deleted (Sat 31-May-14 23:44:25)

In reply to a post by pcoventry76:

In reply to a post by Oldjim:

You do realise that if the phone isn't with Plusnet there is a £2.50 per month surcharge

Is this with the new changes? my folks have had PN on it's own for years and never been charged this

As of the previous set of changes, but only apply to new signups from that point.

Plusnet are as far as I can tell are and have always been very scrupulous with broadband charges for existing customers. They can stay on their product and price almost as long as they wish, for years. Including those with "taken-over by Plusnet" ISPs.

This is good in a way, but also bad in another, as people can be on old, expensive or facility-lacking products and don't get notified that they could advantageously change product.

This one of the reasons I upgraded to the Unlimited FTTC without phone at £19.99 when I could. A while after that the £2.50 premium for non-PN line rental was introduced. I just saw something like that coming.

Line rentals seem to go up regularly as part of the contract, as with all ISPs.

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 01-Jun-14 00:37:23)

In reply to a post by pcoventry76:

After all - whichever way you look at it - It's still out of order for people who signed up just before the goal posts changed. OR have I got it 100% wrong?

Surely that is the way all offers/contract work everywhere
The offer is valid on the day at the time you sign on the dotted line so to speak.
Any firm is entitled to change it's terms for new contracts at any time and if they indeed change even between when you sign and when you get delivery of the goods, get activated or whatever then you may get a better or worse deal than those signing at that point.

No different to say me buying something online and the firm reduces the price the day after by having a special offer - that's my bad luck.

Actually this is simple case.
Take airlines and hotel rooms where the price is always changing up/down real time depending on how near the flight/room occupancy date you are and whether the flight/hotel is either becoming under booked or is filling up rapidly.

... because I signed up in May ...

Luck of the draw - can understand being unhappy whether you miss a deal by being a few days late, or a few days early... someone mentioned Quidco the other day, and around 18 months ago, instead of paying out ~£35, the offer was for £90. Someone, somewhere, would be unhappy to have missed out on the higher amount, but not everyone would even know.

It's not always possible to order something (because of penalty terms on an existing contract) so being able to get the best discount or whatever just isn't always possible. As an existing customer I'm ineligible for many of those deals anyway, .

Sure, you may remember it in 18 months, but you might switch to some other ISP and again "miss out" by just a few days, on some superb offer they make for new customers. Irritating, but most people just accept it, with the odd moan now and then.

For my part, I've missed out on plenty of past deals, but the new unlimited FTTC offering at £14.99 is one bit of sunshine on the horizon...

Plusnet can do what they want with their prices, if they change for existing customers and its above inflation then those customers can choose to opt-out.

My general observation now is that plusnet has fell in line with BT's generic business plan which is to have its primary profits derive from line rental and calls, the broadband is now an effective tack on to draw in customers for the line rental. Line rental across most providers (and calls, features) are rising at a rapid rate which should be getting ofcom's attention considering the wholesale costs are dropping, but ofcom will be very hesitant to regulate at the retail level.