Beware of Line Rental Saver

[#1]

I am currently on a legacy package called Plusnet Anytime which costs £6.50 a month and gives unlimited calls to landlines.

I recently tried to upgrade to Unlimited UK & Mobile calls which also gives you 2000 minutes of calls to UK Mobiles for £8 a month.

The online "Product Change" facility wouldn't let me change my package so I phoned Plusnet.

The man that I spoke to said that their system wouldn't allow me to get that product because I currently had Line Rental Saver.

He suggested that this was probably because "I was saving enough money with Line Rental Saver, so Plusnet did not want me to save any more money". He then tried to sell me a more expensive legacy product for £9.99 a month that only offered me half the number of minutes to mobiles (1000).

I declined his offer.

He then suggested that once Line Rental Saver had expired I could pay a month's normal line rental and then the system would let me upgrade to Unlimited UK & Mobile Calls.

I could then get Line Rental Saver again the following month.

This sounds crazy.

Does anyone here have Line Rental Saver and Unlimited UK & Mobile Calls?

[#2]

How you pay for your line and how you pay for your calls are not interrelated.  I suspect the agent might have been mistaken.  Think this needs some wisdom from @Gandalf

[#3]

@ToeKnee60

I am in a similar position, as I have both LRS and Plusnet Anytime. I was led to believe that I can continue to keep both features as I have had them for a number of years before the introduction of revised terms and pricing (May 2013), but that if I wanted to change the call package then this would be incompatible with having LRS. As mobile to mobile phone calls are cheaper on my mobile network than via Plusnet landline to mobile I decided to stick with the Anytime call package and use my mobile for all calls to mobile numbers 

[#4]

---

@Townman wrote:

How you pay for your line and how you pay for your calls are not interrelated.  I suspect the agent might have been mistaken.  Think this needs some wisdom from @Gandalf

---

Gandalf at your service.

@ToeKnee60

I am sorry to hear you are having problems with changing your call plan. We're unable to add any of the new call packages that were released 1st September 2016 to an account whilst line rental saver remains active I'm afraid.

You'll need to allow LRS to expire, action the product change and then renew LRS if required afterwards.

I apologise for any disappointment caused.

[#5]

@Gandalf,

Thanks - that is a shock.  Is this (comparatively) new?  I had understood that call plans could be changed at anytime ... even on a monthly basis?

[#6]

A call package can usually be changed with 30 days notice, but in this instance if the customer is on a legacy call plan they cannot change to a new call plan whilst line rental saver is active.

[#7]

@Gandalf I see I was correct - this did need careful reading of the magical runes - just needed your wizardry!

[#8]

Afraid even wizardry doesn't help here.

[#9]

This is an entirely artificial situation that could be easily solved by a small change to either your front end systems or the database behind.

This is something that you keep very quiet about when extending a customers contract or taking payment for line rental saver. Even your staff don't all seem to be aware of it.

When I was persuaded to renew my contract with Plusnet rather than move to Sky Broadband and Phone I asked about changing my call package at the same time. The lady that I spoke to told me that it should be possible and seemed surprised that your computer system would not allow her to change my package.

I could find no mention of this restriction on your web site. It should be documented so that customers are aware of it. Better still, fix the bug with your IT systems.

[#10]

My experience contradicts this:

1) On my line I have Anytime and Line Rental Saver, and yet I can change my call package on line with no problem.

2) On my mother's line she has Anytime, she allowed her Line Rental Saver to lapse for a few months and pay rental monthly, but despite this she still can't change her call package!

.... shouldn't the opposite be true in both cases?!

[#11]

Yes, I was able to change from the older Anytime (the one with a discount on some international calls) to Unlimited UK & Mobile Calls a couple of months ago even though I'm on LRS. I couldn't do it online but had to call for it to be set up for me.

There's a workaround apparently but not everyone in Customer Services knows about it and how it's done. From what appeared on my bill at the time, I think they may temporarily remove LRS, change the product and then add LRS back for the remaining months left.

[#12]

Maybe I just need to speak to the correct person in Customer Services who has some technical knowledge of their systems rather than someone just reading from a script. I guess that it is pot luck whether I find such a person.

Really they need to fix their IT systems rather than relying on little known workarounds.

To rub salt into the wounds I see that they are raising the monthly cost of the legacy package ( Plusnet Anytime) that I'm on to £7 so there is only £1 difference with the new package that also includes 2000 minutes to mobiles.

[#13]

Sorry to hear you feel we read from a script. Moving your call package to a new call plan released 1st September is something that we're not able to achieve without adverse side affects so it's something I'm not able to do for you.

I apologise for any disappointment caused.

[#14]

@Gandalf i assume this is down to PN shocking back end not fit for purpose systems, that will not allow the change ? 

It really is a joke, one of the biggest ISPs is unable to carry out basic tasks, because of their systems.

 This is from your legal page :https://www.plus.net/help/legal/product-change-policy/

 "Any change to your call plan will be scheduled to take place on your next billing date.
There is no charge to change between call plans.
If you're under contract you are able to switch between call plans without affecting the length of your contract. If you want to remove a call plan this can only take place on your next billing date after your request for call plan is received."

Does this does not apply to certain customer who may wish to move to a better package that suits there needs and saves them money.?

The reason for not allowing customers to move to the package they want to, could be considered an unfair term in the contract.  

Regards

Mike

[#15]

Seems strange that I and a few other customers have been able to have this done for them and others haven't. I was told it was a bit complicated but could be done and it was.

The first bill afterwards showed a line rental charge, the amount of which was also shown as a discount. The next (latest) bill is normal.