topic Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers in Plusnet Feedback

Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

Dev — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 13:42:33 GMT

Will the automatic annual renewal be in effect or do we have to call up ( or be called) to renew?

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

James — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:47:44 GMT

Hi there,
The Ofcom ruling relates to contracts which automatically renew every 12 months.
Our Phone and Broadband services come with a 10 day notice period (there are also deferred setup and hardware contracts depending on what options you chose when you signed up). As such, this ruling would not apply to us. This is more to protect customers from having large exit charges when wanting to leave a supplier, when they were not aware that they had automatically been contracted in for a further 12 months.

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

coolbr33ze — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:50:47 GMT

That ruling was brought in for companies like TalkTalk who like to take as much money as possible without you knowing. At least with +net you do get advanced warnings.

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

Simon_M — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:54:20 GMT

Quote from: coolbr33ze
That ruling was brought in for companies like TalkTalk

.... and, it has to be said, like BT. My main motivation for moving to Plusnet Home Phone was that I wouldn't accept the 'one day a year' opportunity to escape from a BT contract.

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

itsme — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:45:40 GMT

Why do you believe it was one day a year opportunity with BT? If I remember correctly I cancelled a couple of weeks before the contact automatically renewed.

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

gswindale — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:12:30 GMT

because you only have the one opportunity to cancel & move elsewhere before renewing automatically for another 12/18 months?

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

itsme — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:31:57 GMT

yes one opportunity but it's not limited to one day a year when it automatically renew.

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

jelv — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:48:34 GMT

So you have to arrange for your new provider to take over the service on the exactly the right day? What happens if they are a day or so late and you continue to use the phone via BT for a couple of days after the renewal date?

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

itsme — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:54:46 GMT

No you just cancel the 12 month contract and revert to a standard contact then you free to do what you want.

Re: Will OFCOM ruling affect PN Customers

Simon_M — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:58:38 GMT

Strictly speaking, 'once a year' is more accurate than 'one day a year'. If you don't notify them by renewal date that you wish to terminate the contract, then you are locked in for another year (or longer, depending on the contract). Exactly how it works in terms of moving before or after the renewal date I don't know, because I moved rather than get into a contract of that type.
On a related (but not identical) note, I'm disappointed that PN business customers can't move product without being locked into a new 12 month contract. It's just about understandable that a company might want to recoup the initial cost of winning a new customer over a 12 month period, but that hardly applies to an existing customer wanting to change product.