plusnet broadband - dont signup!!

[jetblack]

I am writing this to inform those who are interested about plus.net.

I signed up for unlimited download broadband with plusnet in setember 2005.

But over the months I have found the following.

P2P is capped. Meaning you dont get a full speed broadband service for P2P.

Also general downloading is capped to 5GB. When you go beyond this limit your service is throttled to the same speed as P2P downloading - which is incredibly slow. And there is an ultimate download limit of 6GB.

Having repeatedly contacted them via their web interface to ask to leave, I can report the following.

You are locked into a very restrictive and costly contract. First, it was claimed when I signed-up that connection was a free setup. It's not. The connection cost is as they euthamisticaly term "defered". This means that even if you stay a full year with plusnet, then cancel the contract, you are then charged the setup cost.

In addition, if you want to leave before the year is over, you are charged for the remaining year plus the setup cost.

They will not in any way do the decent thing and allow someone who is unhappy with their service to leave without making them pay.

They swear that black is white, and whatever you signed up for - you had not.

My advice is not to have anything to do with www.plus.net.

[badass]

EDIT:
The advice in this post is null and void. There was no mention that the changes to the terms and conditions were made SEVERAL MONTHS AGO!

I am writing this to inform those who are interested about plus.net.

I signed up for unlimited download broadband with plusnet in setember 2005.

But over the months I have found the following.

P2P is capped. Meaning you dont get a full speed broadband service for P2P.

Also general downloading is capped to 5GB. When you go beyond this limit your service is throttled to the same speed as P2P downloading - which is incredibly slow. And there is an ultimate download limit of 6GB.

Having repeatedly contacted them via their web interface to ask to leave, I can report the following.

You are locked into a very restrictive and costly contract. First, it was claimed when I signed-up that connection was a free setup. It's not. The connection cost is as they euthamisticaly term "defered". This means that even if you stay a full year with plusnet, then cancel the contract, you are then charged the setup cost.

In addition, if you want to leave before the year is over, you are charged for the remaining year plus the setup cost.

They will not in any way do the decent thing and allow someone who is unhappy with their service to leave without making them pay.

They swear that black is white, and whatever you signed up for - you had not.

My advice is not to have anything to do with www.plus.net.

How do you pay?
IMHO you should block the payment and let them chase you for it. If/when they try to take you to court for it, you have the chance to make a counter claim at no cost to yourself. Claim breach of contract under the Trade descriptions act 1968.
If you need more detailed advice, let me know.

[neonplanet40]

Read my msot dude on plusnet i leave them this week and mvoe to Zen. Plusnet are not the future and its about time they realised this.

Neo

[Taz]

One of my ADSL lines is with Plusnet (the other is with Nildram who are very good). Plusnet just sent me an e-mail about faster speeds (up to 8Mbps). Within the same e-mail they also talked about 'traffic shaping' and 'network management' - euphemisms for stopping you using the service for downloads.

In the first part of the e-mail they talk about how exciting new developments like video on demand and other multimedia content will benefit from upgraded line speeds as these services use a lot fo bandwidth.

In the second part of the e-mail they told me that if I used a lot of bandwidth, my connection would be throttled!

Plusnet giveth with one hand and taketh with the other me thinks!

[s29feb]

How do you pay?
IMHO you should block the payment and let them chase you for it. If/when they try to take you to court for it, you have the chance to make a counter claim at no cost to yourself. Claim breach of contract under the Trade descriptions act 1968.
If you need more detailed advice, let me know.

Can you post on here the best way to go about getting them to release us free of charge, I'm not chuffed with what they are doing at all

Here is what I have just sent them:

Hi,

I signed up to Plusnet in July of last year to a premium 'uncapped' account. I'm now sorry to read that you have since changed the terms and conditions of this account and there is restrictions and "traffic management". Now I really don't care what your small print says on the matter as I did indeed sign up for what was advertised as an uncapped account at that time, you have since changed this and I view this as a breach of contract under the Trade descriptions act 1968.

Now I will possibly never reach my 100GB a month limit but I resent the fact that my usage is now monitored, again I would like to point out that this was not what I initially signed for. I feel very disappointed with this as I have made several referrals to your service and I feel if one of these was to be restricted then I'm in some way responsible, as one of the selling points I used was that it was an "uncapped" service.

I would now possibly like to cancel my account, however I also know from several other forum posts to the detriment of Plusnet (I would not expect many serious computer users to join anytime soon, but I suppose you will make up for that with the naive masses out there) that you will be looking to charge me a cancellation fee and a "deferred" connection fee, however I'm currently seeking advice regarding the aforementioned breach of contract under the Trade descriptions act 1968.

Therefore can you please inform me:

1. If I were to cancel how much you intend to wrongly charge me due to you changing my contract?

2. What date you think I would have to suffer your "traffic management" to before being released from the breeched contract I entered into?

Now excuse me while I go and try to remove the spikey end of the pineapple that you have tried to insert in my rectum whilst I was not looking.

Healthy regards

John

[neonplanet40]

I like it Mine had alot more swear words and i am not paying them a thing to leave they know that now. Just waiting on them sending me my MAC code. If they choose to take their time i will ring them and get it there and then.

BUt that ^^^ is funny Tell us what they write back.

Neo

[TheAnimus]

When i used plus a little over a year back now (they have good free binary usenet.... or had rather) migrating was easy, when siging up it explained the duration of the contract.

Don't start breaking contracts left right and center because you didn't read the fine print!

On the other hand there are some companies like Caudwell communications (HomeCall) that aren't very good at excepting you want to leave, they just played dumb, pretending to ignore all my requests to leave. I just canceled the direct debate. After giving notice via recorded delivery.

That way your on the moral high ground, you've made sure they know, you've not done anything against the rules, and you've made a real effort to let them know you want to leave.

[bez]

Yep. I'm another disgruntled capped plusnet customer who's migrating.

You can't do anything about trade descriptions etc. etc. cus the contract you signed up to basically said (in the small print) "we have the power to change anything at any time, tough".

I'm happy to pay 15quid to migrate before my 12months is up tbh - as long as I get a decent ISP

The only ISP that's any good anymore is the first DSL provider I went with 6 years ago - Zen. Guess you get what you pay for...

[Atomic]

As soon as my year is up im outta there.

Service was great until they started their 'traffic shaping' im lucky to get anything above 20kb/sec on any p2p now.

They are just cheapskates who wont pay for the extra capicity for their network so they screw anyone over who isnt a 'one computer household'

[aphex]

I think I still owe PlusNet one month payment...they won't ever get that back though

[hoodmeister]

Another disgruntled PlusNet user here...

I'm not going to do anything about it though. It would cost me about £90 to migrate :/

[eddietop]

Gald i got out when i did. I moved to Zen as soon as my years contract was up.

[darrensen]

And another unhappy Plusnet customer here.......I've not been caped yet but that's only becuase i've been too busy to use my pc.

I was hitting 80gb a few months back.....good thing i've kept it below 10gb over recent months!

I'm off to either Nildram or Zen.

[neonplanet40]

Gald i got out when i did. I moved to Zen as soon as my years contract was up.

Can you tell us what you think of Zen? How are the speeds and games pings etc?

Im moving to them later this week from plusnet.

Neo

[badass]

You can't do anything about trade descriptions etc. etc. cus the contract you signed up to basically said (in the small print) "we have the power to change anything at any time, tough".

Please dont advise on something you clearly know absolutely nothing about.
If they put "we can send a hitman to kill you if you use too much bandwidth" in the contract does that make it legal

[badass]

EDIT:
The advice in this post is null and void. There was no mention that the changes to the terms and conditions were made SEVERAL MONTHS AGO!

Now I will possibly never reach my 100GB a month limit

Big mistake.
They have not breached the contract untill they cap you.
Wehn writing letters that may be later used in court, stick to the facts and dont fill the rest up with waffle.
IMHO the best thing to do would be to hit the limit, then complain about the service you then recieve. After they tell you its because you hit your limit, send a letter, recorded delivery stating that the service was advertised as uncapped, when it is indeed capped, making it a breach of contract under the trade descriptions act 1968.
In that letter I would demand a refund of the last month and say that I am cancelling the service. Then immediately block all payment to them. Forget about the money you've paid, only take further action if they open a court case against you or threaten it. If they threaten it, respond, recorded delivery referring to your reasons again and refer to your original letter. Then I would put in the letter that I refuse to enter into further correspondance with them unless it is to discuss refunding me for the month where my service was capped. After that I would ignore everything they threaten me with completely and then contact http://www.equifax.com/ to get my credit rating checked. If it had a black mark I would get it corrected by pointing out the details of the dispute. (costs about £2.50)
This is what I would do in your situation. I am not legally qualified but I have been to court on more than one occasion and as a result have recovered a lot of my money that I was ripped off for.
Secondly, as with any case in law, nothing is guarenteed, full stop. If this does go to court it depends on the judge on the day. However plusnet are very unlikely to take you to court in the first place. They stand to gain a few pounds, and will have to pay for legal representation for a day or supply a member of legal staff. In the small claims track (the only one they can take) they cannot claim legal fees off you.