Contract due for renewal, but what if I want FTTP?

[#1]

My fibre unlimited contract is due up for renewal towards the end of Jan.  I'm happy to renew but from what I hear and read FTTP is imminent.  If I renew my contract and then FTTP is announced a few months later will I be able to upgrade to FTTP and not have to cancel/pay cancellation charges?

[#2]

@djsayles  Welcome to the forum.

If FTTP becomes available before Plusnet have a product then if you contact Plusnet they will transfer you to BT or EE without applying cancellation charges.

[#3]

Sorry, maybe I didn't explain correctly but thanks for the other info.

FTTP is available in my postcode and has been for about 6 months now with BT/Zen etc.  What I meant to ask is that if I renew my Plusnet contract and then a few months later Plusnet come up with a FTTP product, can I flick to that product without cancellation charges?  

Rumours are that PLusnet FTTP is coming so I am holding out for that as I'd rather stick with Plusnet then go elsewhere.

[#4]

@djsayles 

I would be amazed if Plusnet do not follow the standard practice of allowing you to upgrade in exchange for you taking out a new contract as part of the upgrade.

[#5]

As far as i know the upgrade connection process at the moment within plusnet ( ie ADSL to VDSL or VDSL 40/10 to 80/20)  would mean that you pay a much higher price than you would if you started a new contract / minimum term .

 So if plusnet do offer FTTP and you are already in a minimum term on FTTC/VDSL then i would expect that you will end up paying a hefty premium to move to whatever FTTP product thay may offer ( if they do)

Its also worth noting that plusnet have been making various noises about FTTP, even running a trial which has been running for a few years but  not acccepting new signups since  July 2018 , over two years ago but despite the launch being "imminent" and due "soon" nothing has happened.

 I suspect that plusnet launching FTTP has been stopped by BT group, and as a brand within the BT group plusnet will focus solely on "budget" FTTC and legacy ADSL with a slow wind down of the brand - removing and closing "features" such as e-mail, legacy webspace reduced customer support, staff redundancies, site closures and eventual closure of the pluset brand as openreaches swtich off of the PTSN network approcahes in a few years time.

So if you want FTTP start looking elsewhere instead of waiting for the sometime, maybe, perhaps, never launch of plusnet FTTP.

Of course that could be wrorng and plusnt will offer FTTP but the signs point more towards BT group streamlining its brands to cut costs

[#6]

Thanks Pint.  Appreciate your thoughts. 

For some reason I am loyal to Plusnet and like to think that the FTTP is coming, but you're right, they won't confirm it and I've just been reading rumours on news articles that said towards the end of this year and now early next year.

I don't really need the speed, it's the idea of binning the land line rental that appeals to me.I do also require a static IP which limits my moving as ZEN are pretty expensive.  I quite like the £23 I'm paying at the moment and for an extra £10/£15 per month it's simply not worth it.

[#7]

Ive always seen the "line rental" part to be the cost of the physical connection , the wire that runs from the property to the echange and all the bits in between be that fibre, copper , or even aluminium.

 as oppsoed to the dont use the phone so wy should i pay line rental train of thought.

Im also at the end of a minimum term, been with plusnet for quite a few years ( ie before the BT takeover) and my loyalty is only as good as my last deal.

 I would have gone for plusnet fttp if the price is/was right as FTTP is the future and eventually we will all be on FTTP , digital voice (VOIP for landline calls) and all that, but at the moment i dont need fttp, fttp is a nice to have as oppsoed to a nessecity.

 So what next?

Plusnet sent me a contract ending soon click here for offes email, howver this offers page ended with nothing but an error message.

 I still use the landline/people in the property still use it, so  a call package is still benefical .

 Plusnets offers and upgrades pae gives me a not very tempting contract price of £33.87 a month only a few quid below the out of contract price

So at the moment, with call aded in

 Plusnet £33.87 a month  ( first 12 months of 18 month "deal" £406.44)

Now TV Boradband £20 a month ( 12 months contract total cost £240)

[#8]

@pint 

Let's get this on context. Yes, Plusnet have been talking about FTTP for too long but earlier this year they said that they would be releasing a new hub and FTTP around the end of the year/beginning of next.

The Hub Two has now been released. This is a revamped Smarthub 2 in a different case and with bespoke Plusnet firmware. It is both FTTP and digital phone ready. This indicates to me that the BT plan is not to allow Plusnet to wither on the vine as you suggest. I confess that at one time I tended to agree but things appear to be moving on now.

Quoting their first 'try on' renewal price (are they really still doing that?) is also misleading. Yes you may need to either wait until nearer the contract end date or ring the Customer Options Team to get the best deal, which might or might not match a budget competitors price, but it will not be that different.

I'm all for bashing Plusnet when they deserve it, but you have to be fair in your criticism.

[#9]

Well just to hopefully close this off.

I called up this morning and took out a new contract for 18 months for my fibre unlimited extra + phone (FTTC obviously).  The lady confirmed that if FTTP comes then I can upgrade to it and simply take out a new contract at that time and they'd cancel the remaining term on my existing contract.

Can't argue with that and hopefully FTTP comes in the next few months.

[#10]

Hi @djsayles were you get offered a renewal price similar to what you were paying previously?

[#11]

Similarly my contract ends in early January. I received an email with a link to renew or upgrade and it went to an error page.
The email said I could:
* Remain on current contract Unlimited Fibre broadband and line rental for just £21.95 a month
or

* Upgrade to Unlimited Fibre Extra broadband and line rental for just £24.95 a month

So I called Plusnet to discuss and was informed I couldn't renew my current contract. But I could remain on the out of contract price of £38.20 or leave to go over EE or BT. They transferred me and I was offered the same price I could have signed up as any new customer would have received.
FTTP is available in my area but I would like to stay with Plusnet on FTTC and move over to FTTP when it becomes available.

If there is a Plusnet rep on here that can help... I've replied to the ticket 220348386 on my account saying this but I've not had a reply. Can someone please look at this for me.

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Post released from Spam Filter and duplicate removed.

[#12]

Hi, I see you've answered now, but to answer your question for anyone else.  I received an email asking me to review my contract (About 6 weeks before it expires on 20th Jan)

I clicked the email, it took me to "My Account" and at the bottom was a banner for renewing at pretty much the same price as I was paying (50p less actually).  (About £24 IITR)  I clicked the banner and it brought up an error saying to call them, so I called and the lady asked me what the banner said so I told her and she said she would renew for that price for 18 months, or for £1.50 a month cheaper I could renew for 2 years.  I checked the time on my call and it was just over 5 mins, 4 mins of that was the poor lady reading out the T&C's, so was quick and easy.  One nice thing was that the contract started that day, so while I only have 6 weeks to go, they cancel my existing contract and I save about £1. Enough for a 99 flake, better than nothing!  Apparently you can renew up to 3 months in advance and they cancel your old contract when renewing.

That was about 2 weeks ago and I have not received a new hub.  I messaged the Plusnet support on twitter asking them if I'd get one and they replied saying they could post me one as the last one they sent me was 6 years ago.   I use my own router so I asked them not to bother (Save the environment and all that) but when FTTP comes (Hopefully) I may have to ask for a new router then and I'm sure they would send me one.

Sure, plusnet aren't the fastest anymore, but their support is good, I get my static IP which I need for work and the pricing is competitive.  I'm not bothered about TV/Calls or any addons so don't buy any of those services.

[#13]

Thanks for your post @djsayles

I'm glad to see you're sticking with us! Let us know if you need any support at all.

Thanks for staying with us @colbrad

I've emailed a request to our Customer Options Team for an adviser to call you back as soon as possible.

This should be within 24-48 hours, but if it's any longer I'll let you know. 

[#14]

I use my own router so I asked them not to bother (Save the environment and all that) but when FTTP comes (Hopefully) I may have to ask for a new router then and I'm sure they would send me one.

@djsayles as long as your existing router has an ethernet WAN port then it will work with FTTP

[#15]

TBH the plusnet rtr I was given 6 years ago wasn't much good and failed.  So I replaced it with an BT/Openreach fibre/dsl modem which has ethernet to my router.  So yes, my rtr has ethernet but not sure it'll cope with 900Mb when it comes