VoIP and Fax-2-Email Closure

[#1]

I wonder if Plusnet are not being penny wise and pound foolish. We who have these services are old subscribers who pay full rates. We are more valuable than new sign-ups. We do not receive introductory bribes, nor is it necessary to pay Bluff Yorkshire Bloke to go on the telly and recruit us.
It is unwise to alienate us. Time was when I recommended Plusnet to people. Since BT took over and made its bean-counting influence felt, I no longer do this. Personal recommendation is, of course, the cheapest way to find new customers, and each of them is worth some hundreds of pounds if they stay a few years before moving on.
In this light, it is debatable whether discontinuing these services is a clever idea.

[#2]

Quote from: PembsPanther

I am not mocking honestly and if I come across as doing so then please accept my apologies, I am just surprised that this service is so important to some people,

Its not the specifics ( or in my case even the few £/month), its the attitude of the  firm with which I choose to do business. I eat at slightly more expensive restaurants because of the service and attitude as much as the food. I look at suppliers of other services in the same way. I don't want to join the race to the cheapest - I want to be considered as a valued customer not a cash cow.
One reason I chose Plusnet back in 2004 was because as MauriceC said

Quote from: MauriceC

...it was a very 'go ahead' ISP with a steady stream of innovative add-ons supported by some excellent technical guys.

However I am increasingly feeling ripped off by Plusnet. They are the only ISP who charges extra to clients on Market 1.The "free" domain I was given after the mail problems (good service!) went long ago and I now pay 123-reg for it. They are now dropping VOIP.  I presume the next thing that will go from my existing package will be Website hosting.
Do I feel considered? Not any more. The unwritten part of the contract between Plusnet & me is increasingly weakening. ISP's are going the same way as car Insurance companies. Once we had a relationship - now their renewal premiums are always rip-off rates and I change each year because there are no differences between the  various firms and the "new customer" offers are way cheaper than staying.
I already have domain hosting & mail provision elsewhere - if I move VOIP (as I have to) and Web hosting to "professional" providers, then all Plusnet becomes is a bit shoveller - and I will get that service from the cheapest reliable provider I can - and in Market 1 exchange most of them will be equally dependent on  Openreach - so pick the cheapest.
The best and most profitable businesses differentiate themselves, and their USP's maintain the kind of customers provide them with their long term profits.
Sorry Plusnet your USP is rapidly eroding to be price - and in Market 1 exchanges you don't seem to want to compete. Why should I have to go through the hassle of contacting the retention team to get a decent deal - that process costs both you and I money, and you are using my inertia to use me as a cash cow.

[#3]

I have free minutes with a legacy account and think that as Plusnet are breaking the original contract they should compensate by lowering the monthly charge.
We use the voip phone in emergencies to keep the landline number clear and when our community network phone line fails but we still have adsl which happens  a few times per year.
I am not really that bothered about keeping the number so a free sipgate account will be fine, but do think that Plusnet are not being fair to loyal customers.
Any advice on best free but don't mind paying a fixed sum initially to cover payg calls

[#4]

I'm sure that PN will automatically knock off the monthly charge (£0) for VOIP when the services ceases

[#5]

We too, have had the inclusive minutes on our package. We're not too dismayed about this though. Our main concern is the fact that we're now going to have to start paying for a service with another provider which was free to us before.
I already have a sipgate account and originally ported a number to them on their residential package. My husband uses the Plusnet VOIP service and it's far more essential that he keeps his number than it was for me but, alas, as has been pointed out, this is no longer possible with the Sipgate basic package.
Does anyone know of a free VOIP service which allows you to port your number and only pay for calls when you use them?
My husband usually uses his mobile minutes to make calls and receive the majority of his calls. However, his VOIP number is on his cards and he needs to keep his number.

[#6]

The £4.99 per month I currently pay for Broadband Phone Anytime will rise to £12 for up to 1000 minutes (which will be adequate for most months) if I stay with Gradwell.

[#7]

or 5.99 with sipgate, though you'd lose your number

[#8]

Don't forget that VOIP gives you the flexibility to have different incoming and outgoing providers...  Port your number to a provider of your choice (AAISP £1.20/month [+VAT?] for instance, Localphone mention porting in their T&C's and their numbers are £0.90/month) and then you can use a Sipgate 1000 package for outgoing calls if you wish.

[#9]

I think this is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for my 10 year relationship with plusnet. I am confident when I do the research, I will be able to find better overall deals for a high speed fibre connection, anytime land line phone, hosting, Voip and fax service - all of which I use regularly. The hassle of porting my domains and voip / fax numbers coupled with the 240 mins of outgoing calls and fax to email included as a value add have outweighed the inconvenience and frustration of increasing support wait times and decreasing capabilities of the support desk in resolving issues.  While I have dealt with Gradwell directly in the past and their technical support service was excellent (when they finally accepted that their routing database was corrupted) the opportunity that Plusnet's decision to kill off these services affords is to overcome my own inertia, and weigh the options for the services across the wider provider market. 

[#10]

Quote from: jelv

The £4.99 per month I currently pay for Broadband Phone Anytime will rise to £12 for up to 1000 minutes (which will be adequate for most months) if I stay with Gradwell.

Or you could have unlimited landline calls with soho66 for £9.49 a month. Think there will be VAT on top of that but still cheaper and unlimited.

[#11]

Voipstudio is also only 9.99 a month for unlimited UK landline calls, again this this is +VAT
http://voipstudio.com/en/pricing

[#12]

Quote from: billedwardsuk

I think this is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for my 10 year relationship with plusnet. I am confident when I do the research, I will be able to find better overall deals for a high speed fibre connection, anytime land line phone, hosting, Voip and fax service - all of which I use regularly.

So let me get this straight - you are going to find multiple SINGLE providers who will supply you with as an 'overall deal' as you put it
1. FTTC broadband service - unlimited I suppose
2. Anytime landline voice phone package
3. Web hosting - and I'd guess email to go with it
4. VOIP
5. Virtual Fax service
6. A top notch support service
Well, I wish you good luck with that.....
Yes I suspect one of the specialist 'business only' companies can arrange that for you as a bespoke commercial package arrangement dealing with the various sub-suppliers on your behalf  - at a whopping price though that you will wilt at!

[#13]

AAISP would be the obvious choice with a usage limit but it is a bit expensive

[#14]

Quote from: x47c

Quote from: billedwardsuk I think this is likely to be the final nail in the coffin for my 10 year relationship with plusnet. I am confident when I do the research, I will be able to find better overall deals for a high speed fibre connection, anytime land line phone, hosting, Voip and fax service - all of which I use regularly. So let me get this straight - you are going to find multiple SINGLE providers who will supply you with as an 'overall deal' as you put it 1. FTTC broadband service - unlimited I suppose 2. Anytime landline voice phone package 3. Web hosting - and I'd guess email to go with it 4. VOIP 5. Virtual Fax service 6. A top notch support service Well, I wish you good luck with that..... Yes I suspect one of the specialist 'business only' companies can arrange that for you as a bespoke commercial package arrangement dealing with the various sub-suppliers on your behalf  - at a whopping price though that you will wilt at!

I completely agree

[#15]

Hi all,
I'll be going over this thread later on and seeing what questions I can respond to. Generally the answers will be in the FAQ and quite a few of the queries I've seen so far are related to alternatives to broadband phone.