I changed to Plusnet phones in 2010 or 11. It's really just the billing. No complaints, although I was once billed for a call due to it straddling midnight (two separate days). A quick PM to a rep and it was resolved.

Be sure to double check their plan tariffs, and especially mobile and 08xx numbers. I rarely call these. It would be never if I can get the landline equivalent.

The only other thing I would say is avoid the madasafish side. Someone I know is with Plusnet for BB and madasafish (within Plusnet for phones), so there's slight confusion over billing or support.

So why ask others. I just assumed you were someone that could not work out what they wanted to do under their own steam. As you say, users will have exact opposite experiences with all providers, which makes gleaning experiences of others a little pointless. Just go for the cheapest. Personally, I will no more enter a long tie-in than cough up over 20p per minute for calls with BT or PN, which is the bottom line via anytime package, or connection and high call fees if you make very few LL calls. It's called principle.
Edit: Crossed with RobertoS post, sorry.
Edit 2: Putting both with PN is not the cheapest option if like me you are on a Market 1 exchange.

Edited by professor973 (Tue 13-Nov-12 22:18:37)

I remember looking into the detail of the Zen phone service when I and prof were bad-mouthing each other.

From what I remember of it, it was very impressive.

If you check my original post, I didn't ask for any advice on what to do, nor did I seek other people's experience of various providers.

My enquiry was limited to whether BT "lock-ins" still apply - precisely as per the title of the thread, in fact.

As previously mentioned, I don't really mind if it's absolutely "the cheapest option" or not. Cheaper than what I'm doing now is fine. And I'm not particularly worried about tie-ins with any company of which I'm already a longstanding customer. If I were thinking of migrating to a completely new provider I'd no experience of, I'd be more wary, in case I'm horribly disappointed, and want out quickly. But it doesn't seem a huge risk with companies I've already dealt with for years anyway. If I haven't needed to switch in nearly a decade, it's unlikely I'll be so disgusted I won't be able to last 12 months.

Ta, I don't often call "special" Nos. or mobiles either. Probably even less likely now I'm no longer working for the same people. They gave me a mobile for work calls anyway, but I still occasionally ended up using the landline, and they had a few weird 08 numbers for conferences and the like. Could be quite confusing, as some of them were free from a landline, but others weren't.

I don't make many calls full stop, but it's useful to have it.

You were also doubtful whether you will still "in contract" and were given 2 conflicting views from BT. I and another gave you a way of finding out for definite, but you never confirmed whether you followed this up.

Well, sorry for not responding instantly to your post, or to all posts in the exact order posted. That would be because I haven't followed it up yet, no, so I didn't have anything to report on that.

S'OK! Wasn't expecting immediate response. Just interested whether you've resolved that point.

And a simple search here and elsewhere would reveal many instances of confirmation that rolling contracts have been outlawed. Sorry if I put you into 'Could not help himself category' :-}

I tried it, and reached what I believe is the equivalent page.

However, mine is described as a "12 month renewing contract", but says NOTHING about dates - either start or finish. I haven't been invited to renew in recent memory, but if it could have been back in February, I suppose it's possible I did, but forgot all about it. I probably wouldn't have thought it a very big deal at the time, to renew the plan I was already on.

I'm no further forward at all - the website info is as ambiguous as the two conflicting stories I've already been given, as it says I AM in a yearly contract, yet doesn't tell me the dates!