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Introducing Broadband Your Way

Liam
Grafter
Posts: 2,083
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Introducing Broadband Your Way

We are pleased to announce that the future of Broadband arrived this morning in the form of ‘Broadband Your Way’.  Broadband Your Way replaces our existing product set for all new PlusNet, Force9 and Free-Online customers.  Existing customers will be able to remain on their current products, but as of this morning our previous products have all been withdrawn from sale.
Four Options
Our new offering, Broadband Your Way, is available in 4 base options with included allowances as follows :
Option 1 - £9.99 – 1GB included usage
Option 2 - £14.99 – 8GB included usage
Option 3 - £19.99 – 20GB included usage
Option 4 - £29.99 – 40GB included usage
You can choose to have your Broadband Your Way as a fixed price product, or you can opt to bolt on extra usage.  If you want extra usage, then you can opt to pre-pay for it at a cost of 75p per GB per month, or post-pay at £1.00 per GB – once you have hit your included allowance.  If you don’t wish to post-pay for usage, or don’t add any pre-paid extra usage, then your broadband speeds will be restricted to 128kbps once you hit your monthly usage allowance and have used any pre-paid extra usage.
If you’ve configured your Broadband Your Way to post-pay extra GB’s, then we have adapted the ‘Data Transfer Watch’ tool to enable you to set a maximum price that you would like to pay.  Once this is reached, we will stop adding extra usage blocks and your speeds will instead be reduced across the board to 128kbps.  This enables you to continue to use your Broadband connection, but at a reduced speed until a new billing month starts.
Usage is counted between the hours of 8:00am and Midnight every day and includes both Uploads and Downloads.  Outside of these hours usage is free of charge and not taken from your usage allowance.  All usage allowances and pre/post-pay extra usage is calculated by billing month and is reset on your billing date.
Product Features
Broadband Your Way is provided with speeds of ‘Up to 8Mb’ and is based on a Monthly Contract.
The new product includes all the popular product features as our Broadband Premier and Pay As You Go products used to.  The following are just some of the features included at no extra cost in your monthly subscription:-
- Broadband Firewall
- Unlimited Email addresses
- Anti-Virus and Spam Detection on Email
- Included Broadband Phone minutes
- 250MB Webspace with 250MB daily traffic allowance
- MySQL Database Hosting
- CGI Server Hosting
- FrontPage Extensions
- Ability to host up to 5 domains
- Text Usenet Access
- 0808 Free Dialup if you open a Broadband Fault
You can view the full list of features here:- http://www.plus.net/residential/broadband/broadband_home_features.shtml
Broadband Your Way comes with a Dynamic IP address by default, but with the ability to enable a Static IP at no extra cost.  If you do not know what a Static IP is, it is likely you do not need one.  A Static IP can be activated at any time, via the Member Centre.  Customers moving onto Broadband Your Way from a current product with a Static IP will retain it following the change of product.
Product Changes
Going forwards, all new signups will be onto a Broadband Your Way option.  We will make no charges for you to more to Broadband Your Way.  Once on Broadband Your Way, you can change your included allowances or switch options once a month without incurring any downgrade charges.
Broadband Your Way on our Broadband Network
We’ve updated our Help and Support pages with more information than ever before on how we manage these products on our network.  We prioritise traffic differently on the different options.
For information on how you can expect Broadband Your Way to perform, see the following information :
http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/products/broadband_your_way/experience/speed.shtml
http://www.plus.net/support/broadband/quality_broadband/traffic_prioritisation.shtml
Free Setup Offer Evolved
The hardware provided with our Free Setup option is changing.  Customers signing up to Options 1 or 2 can order a 1 Port router, whilst signups to Options 3 or 4 can get a Wireless Router.  There is no charge for this hardware or activation if the customer is with us for 12 months or more.  Broadband Your Way is a monthly contract product, so customers can choose to repay us for the hardware and activation and leave without any penalties.
Broadband Your Way – what’s next?
This is just the start of Broadband Your Way. Our intention is to constantly evolve Broadband Your Way with new features, management tools and additional services. The next features we'll launch include:
• A 'speed boost' facility to deliver a 5-star experience for downloads
• A BT Home Hub hardware option
• Bundled WiFi minutes with BT Openzone
• Improvements and enhancements to the 'Broadband Your Way Control Panel'
• Sliding-scale referral values based on the amount you spend
Geographical Support
In response to feedback from the PlusNet Usergroup and following discussions at our Customer Open Day, we are pleased to announce that we will be launching a geographical number to contact support in May.  This will allow many customers to benefit from using their inclusive minutes in their home or mobile phone packages if they need to contact us.
More information
We’ll be emailing all our customers over the next week informing them of these new products now available to them.  For more information about our Broadband Your Way products, see the product pages on our website, here:-
http://www.plus.net/residential/broadband/
FAQ
We will keep an updated FAQ with questions from the Community on our Community Site Blog at : http://community.plus.net/comms/2007/04/11/broadband-your-way-faq/
17 REPLIES 17
anahata
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎16-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

"Customers moving onto Broadband Your Way from a current product with a Static IP will retain it following the change of product."
That didn't work for me and I currently can't use static IP.
I've already raised it with customer services - and they're working on it - but how did Plus Net manage to roll out a product without testing this functionality?
I'm sure it's not just me - aren't any other customers having this problem, or doesn't anybody else use static IP?
Anahata
Liam
Grafter
Posts: 2,083
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Hi there,
I assure you that we did conduct extensive testing prior to the rollout, but with so many factors, account combinations and a large customer base - it's not possible to test every eventuality.  This problem should now be resolved.  If you could PM me with your account username or a ticket number I'd be happy to have a look for you.
anahata
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎16-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

It is indeed fixed. Customer support never contacted me to tell me this - I had to find out for myself. I've closed the ticket now....
So much for home ADSL - now, I run the IT for my employers too, another Plus Net customer, and I have a couple of questions:
(a) Is BBYW equally suitable for a business customer as for a home customer?
(b) How can I be sure that static IP or something else won't break if I switch? It's bad enough losing email for a few days at home, but at work this really isn't on.
BTW, for the amount of traffic we do, option 2 would be enough and would be far cheaper than the "small business" tariff we're on now. I'm necessarily suspicious: on the one hand you don't get owt for nowt, on the other, broadband is getting cheaper all the time so maybe BBYW would be good value.
We're on the end of a long wet string from the nearest exchange and can't go faster than 1Mb/s, so raw speed performance is not expected either way.
Anahata
Big_Jay
Dabbler
Posts: 20
Registered: ‎11-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Option 1 & 2 great for the old Broadband Plus, PAYG and Basic options. Option 4 good for the P2P hog. Still uyndecided on the option 3 though. Yeah cheaper but a wider peak time. Not sure if it's an improvemnt over premier more a step sideways that I don't think will suit everyone.
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
Community Gaffer
Posts: 16,869
Thanks: 4,950
Fixes: 315
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Quote from: anahata
It is indeed fixed. Customer support never contacted me to tell me this - I had to find out for myself. I've closed the ticket now....
So much for home ADSL - now, I run the IT for my employers too, another Plus Net customer, and I have a couple of questions:
(a) Is BBYW equally suitable for a business customer as for a home customer?

No. BBYW is a residential product aimed at residential customers. You would be contravening the acceptable use policies by operating a business from it.
Quote
(b) How can I be sure that static IP or something else won't break if I switch? It's bad enough losing email for a few days at home, but at work this really isn't on.

That should be fixed if you have an individual IP. For those with IP blocks we're still working on the fix.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

millimole
Dabbler
Posts: 20
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎20-06-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Will this product be available to Metronet customers without 'changing' ISP to Plusnet?
Mand
Grafter
Posts: 5,560
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Not at the moment, no.
We're looking at a straightforward price reduction for Metronet usage, more information on this will be available soon.
If the new PlusNet products appeal to you we can move you over fairly quickly if you wish?
pdavidson
Grafter
Posts: 147
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Quote from: millimole
Will this product be available to Metronet customers without 'changing' ISP to Plusnet?

As far as I know at this stage, I'm afraid it won't. I'll look to get you a better response to your question tomorrow (if you haven't already got one by then).
Out of interest, what are your concerns with switching to PlusNet to sign up to the BBYW products? Perhaps we can address those and take them on board.
pdavidson
Grafter
Posts: 147
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

well, that WAS a quick response. Hello Mand and good timing Smiley
Mand
Grafter
Posts: 5,560
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Hi Paula,
You need to type faster. Cheesy
pdavidson
Grafter
Posts: 147
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

I need to cut my nails you see, slows me down Sad
millimole
Dabbler
Posts: 20
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎20-06-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Quote from: Paula
Quote from: millimole
Will this product be available to Metronet customers without 'changing' ISP to Plusnet?

As far as I know at this stage, I'm afraid it won't. I'll look to get you a better response to your question tomorrow (if you haven't already got one by then).
Out of interest, what are your concerns with switching to PlusNet to sign up to the BBYW products? Perhaps we can address those and take them on board.

Blimey! Doesn't your boss let you go home! I wasn't expecting an answer that quick - or twice!
Call me nervous, but because I've got used to the 'Metronet way of doing things' I'm concerned about the actual process of changeover. (Which in reality is *probably* quite easy). It's knowing for certain if I'm going to have issues with payments, and how easy it will be to change my router settings. (<Devil's advocate> If its effectively the same company - why do I need to change anything?</Devil's advocate>)
What I think is needed is a 'menu' where users can see what is available from the Plusnet family, and make it clear that it's as easy to change as changing a mobile phone tarrif (for example). The danger of this approach is that it might encourage 'chopping & changing' - you might want to have a minimum period on a new tarrif?
Mand
Grafter
Posts: 5,560
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Hi there,
The changeover is fairly simple to be honest, it's just that it's a manual process so takes us a bit of time this side to do it.
We can leave both accounts running for a few days for you if you do want to change so that you can change everything you need to.
The reason we can't make lots of changes to Metronet is that when we bought the company we left the products alone pretty much, as that is what the customers wanted and made sense to us. The reason you need to change your router details is because you will need it for authentication (our systems and BT Wholesale's need this information in order to connect you).
We are working on making changing between all our brands a lot easier, so the menu items and information for customers are on their way. In the meantime if you have any questions just give us a shout. Smiley
The PlusNet 'menu' is here. Wink
There's a few customers on the Metronet forum who I've moved over in the last few weeks and will vouch for the relatively pain free changes! Cheesy
pdavidson
Grafter
Posts: 147
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Introducing Broadband Your Way

Quote from: millimole
Blimey! Doesn't your boss let you go home! I wasn't expecting an answer that quick - or twice!

They do.........but we really enjoy being on here. Most of us don't get to post in here during the day but we want to be (and are positively encouraged to be) involved with the forum.
This results in posts at 22:00 at night even when we've had the afternoon off on leave *cough*
I've never been as tragic an individual as this makes me sound, honestly Sad
What it boils down to is that this is a forum and therefore a community. Those of us that like to be involved in that don't see this as work. I'm not looking at the clock and feeling that I'm "still working", I'm here because I want to be and I'm posting because I have something to say. It's a nice feeling Smiley