Feeling conned? PlusNet standard service is lesser than BTs!

[#1]

Why do you think I didn`t go this year !!! .... seriously though I live too far away to go on joyrides,    due to the rising cost of diesel.....      The price has just about doubled since I bought my car.  But at least I`m glad it was diesel and not petrol.....(whoops... sorry gone off topic again....) 

[#2]

I originally had BT, then changed to OneTel and the price kept going up and up[last bill with them early last year was about £22 which more than I pay 12 mths on including broadband at present]So I went with Plusnet anytime because -
a. makes sense to have one bill payable
b. good support
c. happy to pay for caller display - having a hearing problem means I know is calling me [eg if it says "International" I do not answer it as it is marketing!]
d. the credit bit is fine - I just put £5.00 in occasionally to cover 08/07 numbers that need to use [if cannot find them on sayno]
Actually I probably do not spend the full Anytime tarriff each month but I find it easier to have a set amount to budget for each month with being on pension - it means I can reckon on outgoings easily without any surprises.
Would be useful to know cost of calls if you were not on anytime[to compare] but nthat is a minor niggle.

[#3]

Shutter,
I thought I had replied to your earlier PM, but apologies if this was not the case.
If you can let me know which BT product you're on and your average monthly spend on calls I'd be happy to advise you.
As I have said previously for light users of landline services there is never going to be a large saving to make by switching, but you can save a bit sometimes. It's the people with the high monthly spend who can often find a good deal.

[#4]

jmd makes a good point - I too appreciate just having the one bill and knowing the exact amount that is due. I also add on £5 of credit every now and then to cover the cost of calls that are chargeable (when I can't find an alternative). The Homephone package does give a sense of control in billing. 
Also, I would rather deal with PN than BT - as I said in a previous post the fault system is good - no waiting in long call queues to speak to someone who you cannot fully understand. As referred to earlier, although cost is important, it is not always the most important thing, especially when it is really only a very small amount .
One other advantage is that BT have a habit of making you pay upfront for line rental (or at least it was when I used to get paper bills) and PN don't.  I seem to remember that we had to pay 3 months in advance and when I went on to DD I had to pay more than I was using so I was always in credit to them (I used to use an override service for calls).
I haven't checked, but I suspect that PN might be a tad better on the 0845/0870 cost but not really sure.
Personally, it is still a good deal for me for the above reasons - also I don't use calling features as I hate answerphones and don't get that many calls anyway to worry about caller display.  On the rare occasion that I take a call that I don't want, I can soon extricate myself from it.
Not sure where the count is on the PUG forum but I feel sure that Maurice is using the information from this thread in support of it.

[#5]

@Mand,      PM in progress.  Thanks for showing up ! ! 

[#6]

Quote from: jmdlp

d. the credit bit is fine - I just put £5.00 in occasionally to cover 08/07 numbers that need to use [if cannot find them on sayno]

Ok, I am bit confused here. Does this mean if I signed up to anytime+ I would need to add in a credit to phone 07/08 numbers? Don't you just add the call charges to the bill every month?
Jeff

[#7]

In a word - no. PN will just bill you for these calls at the end of the month as usual. The only reason that I add credit is so that the bill remains the same.
Nothing to be concerned about.

[#8]

OK cheers! 
All clear now

[#9]

Quote from: poppy

Not sure where the count is on the PUG forum but I feel sure that Maurice is using the information from this thread in support of it.

There isn't a PUGIT item on this specific topic yet, but the debate is opening up a number of questions / options that need to be addressed.
The price comparison is such a topic.  IIRC there was a table available shortly after Home Phone was announced - but I can't find it
Be assured - PUG does keep an open watch on these forums as a rich source of PUGIT items.
Maurice

[#10]

So far we seem to be doing well from our switch to PN Home Phone Evening and Weekends from BT for line rental and Tesco for calls (basic PAYG package which comes with free weekend calls) at the end of March. We're on the Evening and Weekend option, so the majority of our calls are now free and even 0845 calls seem reasonable, evenings especially. As has been pointed out, PN are much more personal to deal with than BT and there are these forums to come to for help and advice - one of the things that attracted me to PlusNet before we joined in 2003 for Broadband.
Regarding the extra cost for extra options, we took up 1571 and Caller Display, but I think shortly before next the billing I might cancel 1571 and replace it asap with Caller Waiting, so we know when someone is ringing us when we're already on a call rather than finding out afterwards. If someone rings when we're out, the answerphone switches on after so many rings if we've forgotten to switch it on and in any case we can see missed calls through caller display.
I do like the way you can easily view calls made and their cost. This gets fed back to my husband and he knows now just how much his calls to 'voting' numbers on certain TV shows are!!!

[#11]

BT changed most of their charges wef 1st April 2008.  Line rental went up by 75p to £11.75 but if you opt for paper-free billing and pay by either direct debit or monthly payment plan this is discounted by £1.25 to £10.50.  I am on what used to be called 'BT Together Option 2' now called 'Unlimited Evening & Weekend Plan'.  This normally costs £2.70 per month (reduced from £3.45) but if you agree to stay with BT for 12 months it is free.  I am also signed up for BT's privacy at home which gives me free caller ID.  So all I pay is £10.50 per month plus any (very few) daytime calls.

pd

[#12]

Quote from: Mad

I do like the way you can easily view calls made and their cost. This gets fed back to my husband and he knows now just how much his calls to 'voting' numbers on certain TV shows are!!!

You can do that with BT as well - split by Local, National and 0845 on my account.
Have just signed up to the 12 month contract with BT for the weekend&evening calls deal.  Wasn't too sure if it was worth it as our last bill on the old "option 1" came in at £10.87!
I'm now in the same position as pd where £10.50 gets me my calls and called ID.  Phone automatically dials 1571 and flashes a light at me after each call if I've missed a call - can also see who's called and not left messages while we've been out, so not sure what anybody else can offer me at a better rate.

[#13]

Just had a look through BT's latest price list.
BT's current call set-up cost is 6p whereas PN's is 4.5p (which is effectively 5p with call charges rounded up to the nearest penny) and their standard daytime call charges are higher than PlusNet's - 4p a min as opposed to 3p, so the cheapest daytime call on BT is 10p (or 9p if with F&F discount) and with PlusNet 8p. 0845 and 0870 are the same cost per minute for BT and PN, at least on some of the BT calling plans (basic BT cost is higher) but you still have the higher set-up cost. Calls to mobiles are considerably cheaper on PlusNet too, especially evening calls at just 5p per minute (except to 3 Mobile), which works out cheaper for me than ringing mobile to mobile to a half price 'favourite number' at 10p a minute on Tesco Mobile.
We were with Tesco Home Phone for call charges previously and they were similar to PlusNet's charges, which is why we didn't change sooner, and cheaper than BT (their set up fee is now 6p too). Tesco's international prices are excellent but as we only make one or two international calls a year that wasn't so important to us. PlusNet's International charges appear considerably cheaper than BT even if they're not quite as good as Tesco.
All in all, it depends on individual user's usage. PlusNet is suiting us just nicely!

[#14]

Quote from: Mad

Tesco's international prices are excellent but as we only make one or two international calls a year that wasn't so important to us. PlusNet's International charges appear considerably cheaper than BT even if they're not quite as good as Tesco.

There are plenty of cheaper options than using suppliers international standard rates without the need to set up accounts, my OH called her mum in the canaries yesterday morning and it cost 18p for half an hour.

[#15]

TBH we usually use Skype for the very few international calls we make, but while we were with Tesco we sometimes used them at 4p a minute (for 'popular destinations') just for convenience.