Some advice please? Contract renewal (2 years), FTTP almost ready & fixed price no longer available

[#1]

Hi there,
             I just wanted to kindly get some advice from you guys if that's ok as I'm not sure what to do here, I don't want to leave Plusnet as they've been fantastic but a few disappointments during contract renewal have come around.

The first being fixed price contract no longer a thing, the only reason this concerns me is because I had trouble with a previous ISP constantly putting up bills (at one point an extra tenner a month) where I had to go through CISAS to get it sorted and eventually get myself to Plusnet. The fixed price broadband was great for me due to above yet it's no longer a thing for some reason, it really made me feel happy knowing they wouldn't slyly put up bills (I don't expect Plusnet to do this but my previous ISP were a nightmare). I won the CISAS of course and got an apology but this really was one of the things with Plusnet I felt really good about.

Secondly, I can only renew a 24 month contract but the reason this has made me unsure is because as many of us are aware we are on the old FTTC infrastructure (Fibre optic wires from the exchange to the cabinet then old copper wiring to our homes) where we probably should have had FTTP (fibre optic wires direct from the exchange to our homes) a long time ago. We are currently playing catch up in the UK as of last year we were 81st behind due to not upgrading the infrastructure however a couple of weeks ago they started working on this in my area where our broadband went off for a couple of hours while they did the upgrade and the FTTP checker now says "We're starting to build our ultra fast, ultra reliable broadband in your area" (a street a few minutes away is completed) though I've been told if I renew my contract I can't upgrade to the new infrastructure until my contract is finished.

Plusnet are eventually having FTTP available but I find this a little unfair when this is a progression of broadband which is needed as we advance to be stuck on this until my contract expires, it reminds me of being on dial up when broadband was being upgraded to a degree.

So I was wondering what you guys thought? I've been with Plusnet a while and even got a lot of people with them due to how great they are and I'm also on Plusnet mobile which I got a few people on too, however it seems we're going to be lagging behind and stuck in long term contracts soon which has kinda made me wonder what to do now as I'm a little unsure. 

Thank you so much to all who have kindly read through this and took it on board, I really do appreciate it so any kind replies please know I am sincerely grateful for and thank you so much!!

I'd just really like some advice on this that's all as I don't want to be stuck in a contract and not be able to upgrade to a better more reliable infrastructure once it's fully available, the fixed price broadband just made me feel a lot better due to my previous ISP.

I hope all is well and sending much love to all who are reading this right now 😊

[#2]

You should contact the Customer Options Team to find out what is available to you ... and do not be afraid to negotiate...

Contact Customer Options

Direct dial numbers

• 0800 013 2632(from within the UK)
• +44 330 123 9197 (from abroad)

Available 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday
9am - 7pm Saturday
9am - 6pm Sunday

 In answer to your specific questions...

1. Annual price increases are the norm now - someone has to pay for the unnecessary replacement of the perfectly adequate FTTC with FTTP which you are so happy about, whist many areas have no fibre offer whatso ever ... which is a lot unfair - those increases have been notified as CPI +3.9%
2. Why 24 month contract?  Plusnet's published offers are 12 and 18 month contracts, though some keen price deals might be available in application on 2 years deals - the bottom line here is you do not have to take two years if you want less, it is simply what price you put on flexibility
3. Generally if you want to upgrade from one service offer to another provided by Plusnet on the basis that you take a new contract, early termination charges (ETCs) on the existing contract are waived, however if you want to change to a service not offered by Plusnet by changing providers in most cases you will need to pay the ETCs.  At the moment Plusnet does not offer FTTP - though there has been suggestions that it will, until it makes a formal announcement it does not and you ought not to put any store against it happening ... similarly you should put no store against BTOR delivering it ... until it happens.  There are people around here who have no fibre whatsoever who have the BTOR stats of "coming soon" for two or more years

You can only make sensible informed decisions on what is known today - the annual price increase formula is known - contract fixed term end is known - the date when BTOR (let alone Plusnet) will be able to provide FTTP in your location is at present not confirmed.

[#3]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Plusnet Feedback to My Account/ Billing

[#4]

Thank you so much for the kind reply @Townman, I really appreciate this so thank you!!

I did call the customer services team but they said there was nothing they could do, only thing I was able to get was to continue my contract for two years, no discounts (although my bill isn't overly high anyway) and no give and take about the contract thing or the fixed price thing either, which I understand if that's not a thing anymore it's just one of the best things Plusnet had which made us feel better as a customer, mainly due to a previous ISP as mentioned above.

I agree with you about the fibre thing being unfair, specially in the area's where it's still not available. This is no fault of Plusnet (or any of the ISP's) but we are now in a time where these things are becoming a necessity to be able to support the things we need the internet for; I mean imagine if they still didn't upgrade from dial up there is no way you'd be able to run anything now and with things advancing so fast, it's not going to be long until this is a necessity to be able to function and this is what I mean about being tied into a two year contract without being able to move to the better infrastructure which I think is a bit unfair.

Plusnet have been absolutely fantastic for me, they have given constant wonderful support and even moved a master socket for me when I was having a lot of problems which is also a reason why I don't want to leave them but I don't want to be tied into a two year contract and not be able to upgrade or move to a more stable infrastructure when they have pretty much started the work in my area (and a street near by is complete), I'm going to potentially end up stuck on an old setup while everyone else is on the better, more reliable internet service.

I did ask about this and I was told I wouldn't be able to do it, eventually this should be standard for everyone to be on this new setup as this is how the service is growing to support what we have today but we have been lagging behind on the internet for a long time now which is why they're finally rolling out this fibre network, those copper wires are over 100 years old believe it or not and we are currently playing catch up in the UK.

Of course that's a completely different conversation and no fault of Plusnet (or any ISP) as they can only give the service through the infrastructure they have available to them but as this is moving across and finally upgrading now, I don't want to be stuck on a two year contract and not able to do this which is what will be the case if I renew my contract now.

It's all confusing to be honest, I just wish there was more leeway about this because I do eventually want to be on the full fibre as opposed to the FTTC setup.

Thank you so much @Townman for you kind reply and for taking the time out also to do this, I really appreciate it dearly 😊

[#5]

To some extent, you are trying to square unknown what ifs...

• What if BTOR makes FTTP available to your premises?  BTOR's priority is placing FTTP where there is no fibre at all and FTTC is either not appropriate (too far from the cabinet) or otherwise not cost effective
• What if Plusnet offers FTTP?  At present it does not and has offered no commitment to do so
• What happens if I want to upgrade to FTTP if BTOR make it available as an alternative?  Given that TODAY there is no commitment to offer FTTP, the only context in which such a question can be considered is that you switch to another provider, which would be a user driven choice to terminate the contract early and thus attract early termination charges

You asked for advice ... so here goes!

You might be stressing over things which are not really going to make anything of much difference to you, beyond headaches and increased costs.  We live in a world where there is a yearning for "I want more faster" where we already have all that we NEED.

It would be interesting to know what is driving your considerations here - are you on a long d-side (cabinet to home) circuit where FTTC performance might be little better than ADSL?

Do you have a large household doing a lot of concurrent streaming with difficulty?  If yes, can you be sure that the problem is not the router / Wi-Fi set up, for which FTTP would make little difference?  Might performance be being predicated by your computer device?  I upgraded from 8mbps ADSL to 54mbps FTTC and perceived little difference to my real time experience ... until I built some brand new (SSD) laptops for friends ... suggesting that faster broadband is not actually the problem, but PC performance is.

Contract duration is negotiable.  COTS will try to not give away more than they have to.  I have found that not accepting the first offer leaves the door open to seeking a better deal.  Do not be afraid of calling again and asking "is that the best deal you can find for me ... I note these prices on the website ... and these interesting deals from elsewhere".  Plusnet does not price match, but you can have a discussion on options.  I have never been disappointed out of that process and I have a few referrals for whom such a discussion has been had.

As for upgrading to FTTP there have been cases noted around the forum that where a user has moved from a FTTC service area to one only serviced by FTTP that on a case by case basis arrangements have been made to transfer to BT or EE FTTP provided service without incurring ETCs.  That suggests that negotiation is possible.

I cannot answer your questions for you, but I hope that the above helps you reflect on what is real and drives your concerns.  If it were a matter of BTOR ripping out FTTC in your area entirely and instating only FTTP or your FTTC is abysmally slow / unreliable and FTTP became available then there might be a different discussion to be had.  But if the FTTC is reliable and performs well, then may be your concern here is worrying unduly?

[#6]

Hi, probably my fault due to not explaining but BT Openreach have already done the work in my area for FTTP availability. Around a month ago the guys were at the cable box across the street doing the work, we found out it was due to this FTTP thing and from that day the BT Openreach FTTP checker when entering our postcode changed to "We're starting to build our ultra fast full fibre in your area " (I'll attach some screen grabs to kindly show you), a street 2 mins away now have it available when you check with providers, so it's being done in my area right now  😊

When I was speaking to the adviser he told me Plusnet are offering FTTP at some point but if I accept this contract I won't be able to for two years and where as it's no doubt alright for a while, I'd prefer to have the option to be able to do this.

Contract duration is negotiable.  COTS will try to not give away more than they have to.  I have found that not accepting the first offer leaves the door open to seeking a better deal.  Do not be afraid of calling again and asking "is that the best deal you can find for me ... I note these prices on the website ... and these interesting deals from elsewhere".  Plusnet does not price match, but you can have a discussion on options.  I have never been disappointed out of that process and I have a few referrals for whom such a discussion has been had.

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Thank you so much for this!!! I had no idea so I appreciate it dearly, I will absolutely take your advice as the adviser did tell me there was nothing more Plusnet could offer and I had no choice but to do the two year thing. 

As for upgrading to FTTP there have been cases noted around the forum that where a user has moved from a FTTC service area to one only serviced by FTTP that on a case by case basis arrangements have been made to transfer to BT or EE FTTP provided service without incurring ETCs.  That suggests that negotiation is possible.

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Again, thank you so much!! You are an absolute gem!! Something else I had no idea about.

It really is more about the two year contract that concerns me cause things do advance fast and I don't want to be later not being able to run certain things because they won't allow me to upgrade to a better more reliable structure where as from the conversation I had that would be the case. If the contract was less OR I was able to have the choice to upgrade or change my service I would be really happy.

I cannot answer your questions for you, but I hope that the above helps you reflect on what is real and drives your concerns.  If it were a matter of BTOR ripping out FTTC in your area entirely and instating only FTTP or your FTTC is abysmally slow / unreliable and FTTP became available then there might be a different discussion to be had.  But if the FTTC is reliable and performs well, then may be your concern here is worrying unduly?

---

Yes, you have helped me a lot and you're probably right.

Honesty, I know it's probably going to be ok and not a necessity within the next two years however two BT Openreach engineers that came out both said to me we're getting to a point already where FTTP is going to need to be standard and I would like to be able to once available and then it's done.

I think the best thing for me would be for them to reduce the time with my contract and allow me the option to upgrade during my contract if I would like but I was told, no.

But yes you have helped so much and thank you, I really do appreciate it dearly!! 😊

You are an absolute diamond so thank you!!! 

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Here are the images I mentioned about FTTP currently being built right now in my area 😊

This is what it said before they started the work when entering my postcode in BT Openreach FTTP checker.

BT Openreach before

And this is what it says now after they were doing the work a month or so ago on this opposite our house.

BT Openreach after

I hope this helps and thank you so much for your time and help also, truly 😊

[#7]

Remember that these messages have the objective of attracting users to BT Retail ... with their higher service charges.

[#8]

Thank you @Townman , you've genuinely been great so thank you 😊

[#9]

A couple of things. You should be able to upgrade to FTTP within your contract term at no penalty if it becomes available to both Openreach and Plusnet, just like if you were upgrading from ADSL to FTTC.  

From reading other posts around here, termination fees have been known to be waived if you move to BT or EE for FTTP but call customer options first to discuss.

Also Plusnet have been known to price match occasionally. Looking at competitor offers and calling customer options on 0800 013 2632 is a good idea. 

[#10]

Ah right, thank you so much @Thrall , I did ask about this but was told no in regards to if I wanted to upgrade once available and I also didn't know about the fees being potentially waived too if moving to BT or EE for FTTP either.

This is the thing, we get so mislead sometimes and it was basically the two year contract that is all they could offer which I would be stuck in when the FTTP comes around with Plusnet.

I mean Plusnet are going to be offering this (which I was also told) and Plusnet have been fantastic with me so ideally I would like to stay with Plusnet and upgrade to FTTP with Plusnet once they have it available but it is this whole two year contract and being told no that's threw me. 

Thank you so much, I really do appreciate the kind replies here dearly!! 😊

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

[#11]

Just a quick update as thanks to you guys and your kind advice I've spoke to Plusnet and managed to renew my contract which I'm really happy with.

As you guys advised when the FTTP is available (which again is coming soon) I will be able to upgrade to the FTTP setup which previously I was told no and that I would be stuck in a two year contract which isn't the case.

The guy on the phone I spoke to also kindly sent me an email confirming when FTTP does become available I will be able to upgrade to it at any point in my contract without any charge, which I'm really happy about.

I have settled with a two year contract as my bills aren't actually that high so I'm really happy with this, I can move to FTTP when available which is the main thing and I really didn't want to leave Plusnet as they have been absolutely fantastic to me throughout and I really do appreciate Plusnet for the fantastic customer service they have given, which is important to me. 

So thank you to @Townman and @Thrall for their kind advice here, I wouldn't have been able to do this without you guys.

I appreciate you both dearly, so thank you!!