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Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

idlewis
Grafter
Posts: 245
Registered: ‎20-01-2010

Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Will plusnet think about ways to mitigate the financial problems that we are going though in the current economic climate? i.e. Freezing membership for a short period of time.
15 REPLIES 15
ChrisL
Rising Star
Posts: 760
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Registered: ‎13-12-2007

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

One might be able to switch to a free dial-up Pay As You Go account, with a view to switching back later?
Best wishes
Chris
TicnTac
Grafter
Posts: 426
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Registered: ‎03-08-2010

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

I think there are now a few options for cash strapped customers now, especially with the rolling contract option.
However, maybe a company like Plusnet could be the first to split itself into a non-for-profit section that could be there to see those homes and families that require / have a need for broadband / and help set them up not only with a phone (restricted use to bills do not spiral out of control) / a value broadband package and a computer & printer.
This would help many families, especially those with children at school gain what is quickly becoming an essential piece of kit for homes, not only could it provide browsing for children for homework needs, shopping for better and cheaper bargains, but also online learning courses even OU courses for parents who are wanting to better themselves and further their education.
Wouldn't really need to be non for profit, it could be sponsorships for those families who qualify, the same goes for individuals, there would have to be strict criteria on usage, a proof of need, and for the process to be fair. Those well off Plusnet users could even do a £1/month to help sponsor such a person / family on such a scheme? I'm sure there would be plenty who would!
I'm also quite sure that Plusnet has the ability to set such a scheme in motion, and I'm sure there would be tax breaks and incentives for doing such deeds. Maybe they could start in their local area, Sheffield, as I'm sure there are many families that would qualify for such a sponsorship.
However, for the normal cash strapped customer, I'm quite sure that Plusnet wouldn't want to lose or penalise customers who were struggling, and I'm sure a PN staff member would back that up!
Would like to see the sponsorship taken forward, it would be a positive and beneficial move that would make people take notice of Plusnet as a good, ethical and responsible company and inturn that would attract new customers, also taking us one step closer to getting the whole country on a basic broadband package, which I would hope in turn would improve people’s IT skills, and provide opportunity to better their education, and that of their children. Once that has worked, you then have a family who could then return their sponsorship by means of an 18month contract, therefore making a few pennies back? It would also make Plusnet as an ISP and a company stand up above the rest of ISP's!
If there are the right people at Plusnet, such schemes could happen, let us hope that this thread seeds the ideas to the right people, and that those customers who may get plunged into financial crisis due to these cuts are supported.
TicnTac
Grafter
Posts: 426
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Registered: ‎03-08-2010

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Just to throw a bit of encouragment towards Plusnet, not only does Adam agree than Finnish Heavy metal is brilliant, but also Finland has got something right!
Quote
Finland on Thursday became the first country in the world to make access to a broadband service a basic right, ensuring that a high-speed Internet connection is available to all Finns, a government official said.
"Today the universal service obligation concerning Internet access of one Megabit per second (Mbit/s) has entered into force," Olli-Pekka Rantala of the communications networks unit at the ministry of transport and communications said.
"It is our understanding that we have become the first in the world to have made broadband a basic right," he added.
The tech-savvy Nordic country amended its communications market act last year to make sufficient Internet access a universal service, such as the telephone and postal services.
It was later determined by the ministry of communications "that what is meant by sufficient Internet access ... is one Megabit per second." Rantala said.
Finnish Communications Minister Suvi Linden called the new mandatory broadband regulation "one of the government's most significant achievements in regional policy."
"I'm proud of it," she said in a statement. "I hope that people will make use of the opportunity and turn to telecom operators in the area they live."
From July 1, service providers in Finland are thus obligated to provide a one Mbit/s connection to all Finnish households, regardless of their location.
The Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) was in charge of designating universal service providers for areas where a high speed connection was not previously available.
The service obligation does not apply to summer residences, FICORA said on its website.
It added the price of an Internet connection provided by a universal service provider "must be reasonable," but that the provider could take into consideration "the costs incurred from the production of the service."
The Finnish government has also launched a project to connect all Finns to the Internet with fast fibre-optic or cable networks by 2015.
"The objective of the project is that nearly all (more than 99 percent of the) permanent places of residence and places of business and public administration are no further than two kilometres from a 100 Mbit/s fibre-optic cable network," FICORA said.

This is where Plusnet can rise above goverment cuts, and gradually take over the whole country and solve all it's problems by just doing what it does! - pssst. you might need a little BT mixed in for that to happen Wink
Well done Finland!
Lynda
Grafter
Posts: 74
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

I was out of work last year for 6 months thanks to redundancy and didn't expect a free ride from anybody.....and nor would I expect to ever subsidise anybody else's.Why is it people with kids assume they're a priority when it comes to anything possibly being offered for nothing ?
In my opinion it should be the elderly or incapacitated. As far as I'm concerned home broadband is still a luxury we can do without if we have to. We don't choose to nor wish to be without but we won't die, nor will peoples' kids, if they don't have one.
Cheers, Lynda~
Roll_eyes
idlewis
Grafter
Posts: 245
Registered: ‎20-01-2010

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Lynda
How people get access to email or facebook because some people I know will only communicate with me with them as they don't post or phone me.
Unfortunateley times moved on and if we want to maintain friends nowadays people prefer to computer based communication than tradational methods.
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
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Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

sick friends, I dont use facebook, or twitter, and only email people a longway away
idlewis
Grafter
Posts: 245
Registered: ‎20-01-2010

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Pierre Pierre
People cannot phone or write as it is too much money and that is why people use emal or facebook.
Steve
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 6,853
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Registered: ‎13-07-2009

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Quote from: Lynda
As far as I'm concerned home broadband is still a luxury we can do without if we have to.
Let me tell you this, As far as I am concerned some peoples home broadband Is their livelihood and without It would not be able to work, Also a lot of old age pensioners may enjoy paying bills via broadband rather than going out due to ill Health, Perhaps If we ALL got the market three Luxury that other people get ( Depending on stupid location ) We could all afford It.
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
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Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

I have an O2 PAYG phone, for £10 top up, I get 500 mis call to landlines a month from my home location, about 4 miiles radius, I then have the £10 to spend on other calls, that cheaper than BT line rental alone
Steve
Seasoned Pro
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Registered: ‎13-07-2009

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Quote from: pierre_pierre
I get 500 mis call to landlines a month from my home location
Ah but If all your mates done that what use would the Landline calls be?
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
pierre_pierre
Grafter
Posts: 19,757
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Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

use the £10 for some mobile calls
seem to have missed a letter out on the last it was mins not mis
Steve
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 6,853
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Registered: ‎13-07-2009

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

Yes you could do that providing they are on the same network or It would work out expensive, The price of a stamps not much though or have people forgot how to write letters? I have 02 and get unlimited calls,texts, and picture messages to people In my family group for £7.50 a month.Plus 300 free texts for others. Oh and £2.50 spare Grin
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
TicnTac
Grafter
Posts: 426
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Registered: ‎03-08-2010

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

T'was only an example, the family thing, but the same could go with anyone, we seem to spend billions abroad without so much of a hesitation, but if we concentrated on those families, who wish to better themselves and their children through education and to expand their knowledge of IT through a computer and broadband then why not? Yes help the elderly keep in touch with their grandkids via skype, and those too incapciated can use it as a social centre, as well as provide them access to informaiton they otherwise wouldn't have.
We all don't seen to want handouts or charity, but unless a effort is made to help those less fortunate then ourselves then we're not going to get anywhere are we?
It made me wonder the other day when folk being interviewed about what cuts they would like to see, and most said they would like to see job seekers cut, so, in turn, what happens when they lose their job, despite paying the national insurance and their tax, they suddenly find themselves unable to survive on a cut job seekers allowance?  Roll_eyes
The more lives that can be improved the better it is for everyone, and if one way is through a sponsored broadband and computer package then why not?  Undecided
Quote
Why is it people with kids assume they're a priority when it comes to anything possibly being offered for nothing ?

People shouldn't, but children are our future, and even their homework is now Internet orientated, things shouldn't have to be handed out for free, but if there is an opportunity to help, then why not? This country has gone into self preservation mode, which is natural under the circumstances, but I think we’ve also turned very selfish, everything is too “I” “Me” “Self” orientated. I’ve always believed in helping those who help themselves first, but we need to learn to share, and look after our neighbours and those on our own doorstep less fortunate than ourselves, this isn’t about throwing away free stuff for those who may qualify, this is about providing betterment, support, and opportunity that otherwise may not exist.
Steve
Seasoned Pro
Posts: 6,853
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Registered: ‎13-07-2009

Re: Help for customers who faces financial difficulties

We need broadband more than some people think, I could live with just having a phone line for broadband only rather than having to pay for a house phone package aswell, I hardly use the house phone and that takes around £12.00-£14.00 ( Or more ) Alone before you add broadband to the price.
If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.