Oh yuk!

Either it has changed, (possible), or they have got in a complete tangle in explaining things. Viz:-
"3. Broadband Specific Cancellation Policies
1.It is important that customers understand the difference between 'cancelling' (ceasing) their Broadband line and 'migrating' to a new provider. This avoids confusion and will prevent the customer having their broadband ceased unnecessarily (in which case, any new ISP would have to re-activate the line, and broadband downtime would be unavoidable)."

From there to the quote you give, including the quote you give, the main topic is "Cancellations". There is an implicit difference for migrations, but "This avoids confusion" looks to have disappeared.

Specifically
"4.To ensure no loss of service for the customer, when we issue a MAC Key, we do not schedule the account for cancellation. Any due subscription payments will continue to be taken. The account will only be closed (or downgraded) when we receive confirmation from either the customer (or from our network supplier) that the service has moved to the new provider."

No mention of cancellation there. I'll see what I can find out.

Bob,

I believe cancellation with or without MAC key simply means ending the PN broadband account. Obviously ceasing broadband on a line is a completely different kettle of fish...

I was asked to give 10 days notice when a MAC key was issued recently - however I'm out of contract so I can not be 100% certain about what happens if one cancels during a 12 month contract...

It certainly used to be as I described initially. It may have changed, but as well as the document containing that "Contracts" link, there are at least two other sources on the site that do not mention having to pay the balance, in a context where it could reasonably be expected.

It seems extremely unlikely that paying for the router upfront rather than after 3 months can give rise to a liability for 9 months subscription, cancellation or no cancellation. There doesn't appear to be any other factor involved.

A mess!

(Not for the first time, and not just Plusnet).

I can call up PN customer accounts and find out if you like - but I�ll probably not get a definitive answer and that will only add to the confusion

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Could be llu ,but at upto 8mbits to me is suspect, i think it's BTW resold shaped/throttled rubbish ,just like the rest of AO hell

It's Partial LLU ADSL2+, in the areas where they have LLU kit, capped to 8 Meg.

Found this about cessation also when I checked my account details:

4. When do Cessation Charges apply?
They apply to any customer who has a broadband cease placed on their line.

Generally, the main reasons for broadband ceases are:

�A broadband account is cancelled (without switching providers)
�Switching providers without a MAC Key - (LLU migrations excluded)
�The telephone line used to provide broadband is cut off
Cessation Charges don't apply when using a MAC Key to switch providers (this is called a migration), as a broadband cease is not required

and this regarding cancellation:

1. Residential Accounts
Our residential products are available with either:

�A 12 month contract (with free connection/hardware)
�A Monthly contract (No Contract)
What happens if I want to cancel?
�Our residential accounts require 10 days notice for cancellation.
�If cancelling within 12 months of receiving a free connection or router you'll be charged for them.
�If cancelling within 12 months of taking a free house move, you'll be charged for this
You would also need to pay for costs that fall within this notice period - usually your next month's subscription.

2. Business Accounts
Our business products can be purchased with either:

�A 12 month contract
�A 24 month contract
All business contracts automatically become monthly contracts once the initial term is up.

What happens if I want to cancel?
�Our business accounts require 30 days notice for cancellation
�To cancel before a 12 or 24 month contract ends, you'd need to pay up to the end of your contracted period
You would also need to pay for costs that fall within this notice period - usually your next month's subscription.

The confusion may be due to the differences between residential and business accounts

Edit: certainly looks as if you were correct and only a 10 day notice period is required to cancel a 12 month residential contract with no penalties other than a charge for free connection/router.

Edited by 4M2 (Sun 06-Nov-11 20:53:59)

In reply to a post by XRaySpeX:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

Sky now uses a service that needs your line to be fully unbundled, the same as Talk Talk, it is fine as long as you don't want to move services as it can be pricey and a pain.
you don't have a lot of choice on your exchange as Tiscali and AOL is Talk Talk anyway.

AOL still do BB Only: http://www.aolbroadband.co.uk/products/broadband-onl... , i.e Partial LLU.

18 month contract and be careful if yo just want a look as they will phone you up if you enter your details on their site.


If they use the AOL LLU service and it is only partial then that may be the way to go.

In reply to a post by Corbula:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

a shame you can't get cable and wireless network

Tell me about it. I don't suppose it's going to get installed at my exchange any time soon either.

about as much chance as we have of getting Fibre in the next 5 years

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

be careful if yo just want a look as they will phone you up if you enter your details on their site.

I did and got this quote:

The AOL Broadband package you've chosen includes the following:
Broadband Only
1 Month Free Broadband & £10 Credit for 2 Months

Broadband £15.31
SMPF: ADSL 24Mbps £0.00
10GB download allowance £0.00

Total £15.31
(18 month minimum contract)

That should settle the Partial LLU ADSL2+ argument . However the speed estimates I was given were under the 8 Meg, when my line is capable of 18 Meg. .

EDIT: But when I put my #s into their headline 24 Meg Broadband, Calls and Line Rental package I did get speed estimates of over 8 Meg, but nowhere near my real speeds, but that's probably down to BT's fallible database.

Edited by XRaySpeX (Sun 06-Nov-11 20:45:51)

That's another one, which I hadn't seen, as well as the two I mentioned.

Surely if the balance of the 12 months would be payable, then it really has to be mentioned there . The fact that it isn't, as you say in your edit, implies the "Contract" statement could be, should we say, imprecise.

However, O2 do have a clear statement in their terms that a £30 up-front payment secures a monthly contract rather than a 12-month minimum period.

Edited by RobertoS (Sun 06-Nov-11 22:45:44)