Is Plusnet reluctant to compete for supply of ADSL in rural areas?

[#1]

After much correspondence with Plusnet COT over contract renewal costs I am beginning to think that they no longer wish to compete with other providers for ADSL Broadband supply to rural (Norfolk) areas without FTTC access. Sadly they tell me they can no longer defend against competitors offers which are better unless it's for fibre. Seems the only option to gain the best price for what is at best, a very slow connection, is to leave Plusnet. Any one else experienced the same?

[#2]

I assume that you are on a high cost exchange

Have you considered John Lewis

[#3]

Well, yes. JL is some £8 month cheaper than Plusnet and yet the service is provided by Plusnet? Didn't really want the hassle of switching and in the past, Plusnet have always been happy to compete, no more seemingly.

[#4]

I am with John Lewis and the changeover from Plusnet was painless.

Give them a ring and have chat about it. 

[#5]

It's not just ADSL in rural areas - they don't seem to want to compete at all in Market 1 areas. 

I was with PlusNet on FTTC in a Market 1 area, and left ( for BT)  because of their attitude to customers on Market 1 exchanges. No other BB supplier that I can find charges an uplift in Market 1 exchanges except PlusNet. Some LLU operators will not offer service if they don't have kit in the exchange, but no other operator who uses the Openreach platform has price discrimination.

I suggest moving - my move to BT was painless.

[#6]

The premium they charge Market A/1 customers for FTTC is, as far as I have been able to determine, totally unjustified. It has been raised previously and on one occasion a superuser promised to pick it up, all to no avail. Short of getting as many people as possible complaining to Ofcom/MPs etc about this blatent discrimination against people who live in villages with no LLU operators in the local exchange I don't suppose anything will be done about it.

https://community.plus.net/t5/Plusnet-Feedback/Fibre-Broadband-and-Market-A-1-Exchanges/m-p/1404954#...

[#7]

Complaining to Ofcom/MP's will get you nowhere. The only solution is to move to a BB supplier that doesn't do this.

[#8]

Is Plusnet reluctant to compete for supply of ADSL in rural areas?

Yes. They demonstrate this by charging those higher prices.

20CN IPstream Connect ADSL1 probably does have higher costs than 21CN WBC ADSL2+, but Plusnet's pricing doesn't really reflect that.

If enough people complain to Ofcom, then Ofcom might do something about it. They do the market review every three years, the latest one with all its new regulations should be coming into force early this year, and Ofcom might have dropped the Market A/B thing entirely by then, and will be moving on to regulating the wholesale prices of FTTC.