Moving house, want to switch to CityFibre from Openreach

I've been with Zen since April and have 1.6gb Openreach. I've bought a new place and will probably move in in the next 6-8 weeks. CityFibre (and Openreach) is available at the new address. I'd like to move to the 2.3/2.3gb CF option although I'm not sure if Zen will let me move from one product to another.

Are they likely to allow this? I'd have assumed the default option would be to continue with Openreach, although I'd really like the extra upload as I travel for a living and want better VPN connectivity to my NAS etc. I'd be happy to sign a new 18 month contract, I'd only be 4 months into my current one. I'm also still hoping Zen bring a 5gb product out by then as I'd absolutely go for that.

Any experience? I contacted their webchat (briefly) and they said it would have to be with BT. Seems rather intransigent to me given the excellent customer service I'd otherwise had from them.

@scotlandstreet

I have no experience with this, however these are my thoughts:

When you contracted with Zen in April, did Openreach install a brand new FTTP service - or did the FTTP already exist?

Zen would have had to pay Openreach for a newinstallation and Zen then spread the cost of that installation over the 18 months of your contract to get their money back.

If the new property requires another new FTTP installation, then that is two lots of installation fees that Zen need to recover.

There might be a requirement for you to pay for the new installation, (or possibly pay a charge for the old installation).

That said, assuming the 2.*Gb package from Zen costs more than your current package, then you do have some leverage in that you are wanting to pay them more each month.

Secondly, are you aware that CityFibre upload speeds are usually significantly higher than Openreach services? For example my Zen with CityFibre reliably gives 500/500 up and down, whereas Openreach based services max out at 220Mbps upload, (1000 down).

My FTTP install here was brand new in April, fibre from Openreach only became available here then.

Unknown if the house I've bought has Openreach of CityFibre already installed, but even if it didn't, they'd have to install the service anyway if I moved and Openreach wasn't already there. I wouldn't mind paying if that was the only option.

2.3gb from CityFibre is £54 a month vs the £56 a month I'm already paying Zen. Don't mind paying £56 for the contract duration.

I said the higher upload speed was precisely the reason I wanted to move to CityFibre.

It's not really the cost that's the issue, although I'd like to avoid paying for both lines. When I contacted their webchat, they said that was the only option if I wanted to change from Openreach to CF, which seemed strange to me.

In reply to a post by scotlandstreet:

I've been with Zen since April and have 1.6gb Openreach. I've bought a new place and will probably move in in the next 6-8 weeks. CityFibre (and Openreach) is available at the new address. I'd like to move to the 2.3/2.3gb CF option although I'm not sure if Zen will let me move from one product to another.

Are they likely to allow this?

Why not phone them and ask - or better, actually place the order if you've already exchanged contracts? I don't understand what you mean by "it would have to be with BT". Is that to say Zen can't offer you 1.6G in that location, in which case you'd have to "make do" with 900Mbps? Or they can't offer you service at all? (In which case they'd probably release you from the contract)

As far as I know, Zen allow house moves in-contract, and as part of the house move I expect they're going to require you to start a new contract from the move date. It's quite possible they'll offer you whatever service level you like for this new service, at least if it's higher (i.e. the same price or more expensive) than the old contract.

As far as I can tell, the worst case is that you will have to "make do" with the 1.6G or 900M on Openreach FTTP for 14 months, and upgrade at end of contract.

Officially Zen will do a home move for you if you've been in contract for six months, before that time they indicate that they want you to pay the full ETF

https://www.zen.co.uk/help-support/move-orders/

I'd try to negotiate this to maybe just paying the Openreach install charges that they incurred because you're committing to a new contract period with them on CityFibre at the new address, and Openreach don't hold Zen to any sort of term.