Like others in this forum, I have been receiving marketing emails from Zen encouraging me to switch to Digital Voice for just £6 per month.
I currently have an FTTC unlimited fibre 1/telephone bundle with zen for which I pay £36.50 per month. I have a "Lifetime Price Guarantee" for the broadband component. When I enquired about taking up their offer I was informed that I would have to change to SoGEA and the price of my broadband service would double.
I am having trouble reconciling this with the "Lifetime Guarantee" and the fact that, as I am reliably informed that the wholesale price of SoGEA is less that FTTC.
As a Zen customer for 20 years, I am more than disappointed in this matter.

In reply to a post by gee_dee_ell:

I am reliably informed that the wholesale price of SoGEA is less that FTTC.

A little. Start here:
https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/products/pricing

WLR: £104.40 pa (until 31st March, then rises to £116.04)
https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/prici...

FTTC 80/20: £125.52 pa (until 31st March, then rises to £139.44 pa)
https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/prici...

=> TOTAL: £229.92 pa (rising to £255.48 pa)

SoGEA 80/20: £215.04 (until 31st March, then rising to £238.80 pa)
https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/prici...

Therefore, SoGEA is cheaper by £1.24 per month (rising to £1.39 per month). Assuming I've not missed something. All prices exclude VAT.

In reply to a post by gee_dee_ell:

I currently have an FTTC unlimited fibre 1/telephone bundle with zen for which I pay £36.50 per month. I have a "Lifetime Price Guarantee" for the broadband component. When I enquired about taking up their offer I was informed that I would have to change to SoGEA and the price of my broadband service would double.

I don't see how it would double. The current pricing for Unlimited Fibre 1 is £30/mo plus £6/mo for DV is £36, even going to Unlimited Fibre 2 the price would be £40/mo in total.

I am having trouble reconciling this with the "Lifetime Guarantee" and the fact that, as I am reliably informed that the wholesale price of SoGEA is less that FTTC.
As a Zen customer for 20 years, I am more than disappointed in this matter.

As others have found it does seem that they have been pushing marketing emails to persuade people to voluntarily change to a new package, rather than initiating a dialogue and migration which would not change the existing contract and costs.

Edited by tdw42 (Sat 18-Mar-23 19:45:44)

In reply to post by candlerb

Therefore, SoGEA is cheaper by £1.24 per month (rising to £1.39 per month). Assuming I've not missed something. All prices exclude VAT.

Thank you for confirming my assertion.

In reply to post by tdw42

In reply to a post by gee_dee_ell:
I currently have an FTTC unlimited fibre 1/telephone bundle with zen for which I pay £36.50 per month. I have a "Lifetime Price Guarantee" for the broadband component. When I enquired about taking up their offer I was informed that I would have to change to SoGEA and the price of my broadband service would double.

I don't see how it would double. The current pricing for Unlimited Fibre 1 is £30/mo plus £6/mo for DV is £36, even going to Unlimited Fibre 2 the price would be £40/mo in total.

My current package cost is:- (VAT inc.)
Unlimited Fibre 1 (lifetime price guarantee) - £13.00 pm
Line Rental Plus -calls inclusive ---------------£23.50 pm

So, by honouring their life time price guarantee my new deal should be £13 + £6 for digital voice, which yields £19 per month.

Looking at it the other way, if Zen were now to charge me £36/mo for data and voice, and DV is £6/mo then it means I am going to be charged £30 pm for broadband service.

Which as you will now see is well over double what I am currently paying.

Your voice service is subsidising your broadband service. While they are itemised separately you are paying for the package. I don’t think there is a situation where you would have been able to pay £13/month for UF1 alone.

Today you are paying £36.50 total.

You move to SoGEA + DV you pay £36 total.

This is basically the same deal. (Minus lifetime guarantee…)

In reply to a post by gee_dee_ell:

In reply to post by tdw42

In reply to a post by gee_dee_ell:
I currently have an FTTC unlimited fibre 1/telephone bundle with zen for which I pay £36.50 per month. I have a "Lifetime Price Guarantee" for the broadband component. When I enquired about taking up their offer I was informed that I would have to change to SoGEA and the price of my broadband service would double.

I don't see how it would double. The current pricing for Unlimited Fibre 1 is £30/mo plus £6/mo for DV is £36, even going to Unlimited Fibre 2 the price would be £40/mo in total.

My current package cost is:- (VAT inc.)
Unlimited Fibre 1 (lifetime price guarantee) - £13.00 pm
Line Rental Plus -calls inclusive ---------------£23.50 pm

So, by honouring their life time price guarantee my new deal should be £13 + £6 for digital voice, which yields £19 per month.

Looking at it the other way, if Zen were now to charge me £36/mo for data and voice, and DV is £6/mo then it means I am going to be charged £30 pm for broadband service.

Which as you will now see is well over double what I am currently paying.

How do you come up with that?
If your line rental plus calls is presently £23-50, then line rental plus DV won't be £6.

The reason the broadband will double is the line rental will be incorporated into the broadband price, when you are forced to switch.
So, when you change over to SoGEA, on your bill there will be no mention of a Line Rental charge, but really it is still there, there will only be a broadband charge, which will be around the same price as you are paying now, £30.50, but if you go with DV then you will have to pay another £6.

From what I have read, the Lifetime Price Guarantee still carries over if you are changed to SoGEA and still on the same Broadband Package. The call package is an added extra for £6.

Personally, I am waiting till nearer the official switch off date, as by then I may not require the need to change to DV and will use the mobiles to make and receive calls.

In reply to a post by Geordish:

Your voice service is subsidising your broadband service. While they are itemised separately you are paying for the package. I don’t think there is a situation where you would have been able to pay £13/month for UF1 alone.

Today you are paying £36.50 total.

You move to SoGEA + DV you pay £36 total.

This is basically the same deal. (Minus lifetime guarantee…)

+1

SoGEA is basically a bundle of copper line rental + VDSL, without voice service.

Previously you were paying in two parts:

1. copper line rental + voice service
2. VDSL

But the "VDSL" part can't be bought without the "copper line rental" part, and never could. That is: it used to be considered as an add-on service, which could only be applied to a copper line which was already being paid for.

(Aside: in both cases your ISP adds Internet access on top of the VDSL part, as well as billing, support etc)

In reply to a post by Geordish:

Your voice service is subsidising your broadband service. While they are itemised separately you are paying for the package. I don’t think there is a situation where you would have been able to pay £13/month for UF1 alone.

Today you are paying £36.50 total.

You move to SoGEA + DV you pay £36 total.

This is basically the same deal. (Minus lifetime guarantee…)

Thank you for this explanation. I was not taking into account that there would still be a line provision charge.

I am less cross with Zen now, but think I will take the advice of jelv in a different forum, and that is "do nothing and wait for the email from Zen and you'll continue paying the same and keep the price for life. All the emails you've had so far are marketing emails trying to make you change to a new contract and lose the price for life."

Thanks also to Scottish_Pete and Canndlerb for their comments