Combining phone and broadband

[#1]

Hi.  I currently have fibre only without phone in my name through Plusnet.  Our landline is through BT, but that account is in my mother's name, not mine.  Could we transfer the landline to Plusnet, combine it with broadband in a single account in my mother's name, and then close the account currently in my name?  Could we take advantage of your deals for new customers that way?

If it is possible,  could we keep our BT number?

Thank you.

[#2]

Hi Steven.

Answering the easy one first...

If it is possible,  could we keep our BT number?

This should be OK.

Our landline is through BT, but that account is in my mother's name, not mine.  Could we transfer the landline to Plusnet, combine it with broadband in a single account in my mother's name, and then close the account currently in my name?

Unfortunately we can't change the account holder of an account, so you'd need to close your broadband account and re-open a new one for both home phone and broadband which would mean we'd transfer the phone line to us and provide broadband again. This way the answer to the below question would be yes.

Could we take advantage of your deals for new customers that way?

That said there'd inevitably be some downtime between your broadband account closing with us, and broadband being provisioned on the new account.

The alternative would be to keep your broadband account in your name with us, and calling our Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632 to transfer your phone line over signing up to a new contract and retention deal.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any further queries.

[#3]

Thanks Gandalf, that sounds good.

If I have to close my existing broadband account before signing up my mum as a new customer for broadband and phone, will this mean a potential delay and therefore missing out on current deals for new customers? Your deals don’t last very long.

Cheers

[#4]

No problems. We can close an account either instantly/within 1 working day if you're happy to pay off the 14 day notice period, or we'd need at least 14 days to schedule a closure. Our deals usually have a timer by them so you should be able to time it from that.

That said, we generally have a promotional offer on most of the time, or at least whenever I've had a look.

[#5]

I see, thanks.  So if we gave you 14 days notice of cancellation, would we have to wait until the notice period was up before setting up the new account?  Or could we set it up at the same time, to start when the 14 days were up?

Otherwise,  can I ask how much it would cost to pay off the 14 day period?  It's out of any minimum contract now.

Cheers.

[#6 · Accepted solution]

As there’d already be broadband on the line, you’ll need to wait until the broadband service is ceased I’m afraid before we can provide broadband on the new account.

The 14 day notice period would essentially be a pro-rata amount of your monthly cost. If for example you request cancellation just after your billing date then we’d likely take the full amount then refund it minus the 14 days.

Other than that there won’t be any other charges to close your account unless you’re within contract.

It may be worth calling our customer options team tomorrow on 0800 013 2632 to work out how much the 14 days would amount to based on what you’re paying.

Hope this helps.

[#7]

Well we've just taken the plunge and spoken to [CSA Removed] in customer options to put an order in as a new customer for fibre and phone, and have already had confirmation of a switch date in 2 weeks time.  No charge for closing the existing account, and no interruption in service to broadband or phone while the transfer from BT goes through.

Very impressed with things so far, especially as it's a bank holiday today.

Thanks all.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): CSA name(s) removed (to an area staff can see) as per Forum rules.

[#8]

Glad to hear that! Let us know if you need any further assistance.