Author Topic: Consumer news and scams  (Read 228026 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #510 on: July 13, 2019, 04:56:29 pm »
I'm now going to change my broadband and phone supplier from BT   as I feel that I'm getting mugged every month and have been looking around for something better and have come across a firm called Now Broadband
It is offering Broadband with a speed of 11mb and unlimited downloads and costs £18.00 per month.   with a set up of £24.99
It also offers free anytime phone calls included

Does anyone know anything about this company as the price seems too good to be true ( it's nearly a quarter of what I'm paying to Bt )
Any information would be appreciated

The old saying " if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is"   and I found that out today when I tried to change my Broadband and phone package.           I tried Now Broadband and they have three offers so I went for the lowest as it suited what I needed , then they did the check your broadband speed etc and only the middle and top offer came up so I just came out of the application

I've heard good reports about Plus Net so again I tried to sign up with them and again went for the lowest offer and went  through the same checks again to find out that the lowest offer was not available for me.   I then went on line and asked for the lowest offer but was told that if I went for that they would have to change my existing landline number which I don't want to do so I closed down on the dearer options

Feeling rather disgruntled I'm still looking for a new internet and phone provider     >?>??

Offline OrmeMac

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #511 on: July 13, 2019, 05:17:50 pm »
Now Broadband is from Sky: PlusNet Broadband is from BT.


Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #512 on: July 13, 2019, 05:58:18 pm »
Thanks for that info OrmeMac,     I am with BT at the moment but feel like I'm getting mugged each month by them so I'll change provider asap

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #513 on: July 14, 2019, 11:30:33 am »
This morning I bit the bullet and went with Plus net on an 18 month contract with unlimited broadband at a good speed and unlimited phone calls too.   The package is £31.99 per month and I'll be saving at least £40.00 per month on my current package with BT,  just wish that I'd have done it a lot sooner

Offline Bri Roberts

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #514 on: July 14, 2019, 12:03:39 pm »
I am curious, Hugo, did you also telephone BT this morning to inform them what you intended to do?

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #515 on: July 14, 2019, 01:12:43 pm »
No Bri,  I didn't bother to phone BT.            As part of their customer service I feel that they should be contacting me to offer me the best deal, after all I have been with them for a while now and why should new customers get a better deal that existing customers.
In any event BT couldn't match the package I've got with Plus Net.     
My last bill with BT was about £78.00 for the month whereas with Plus net it'll be just £31.99 each and every month so it's a no contest

On a different topic but the same type of thread, I've been with RAC recovery since 1971 and have the full package there but I can't remember the last time I have had to use them, it's many years ago
So as a loyal customer of nearly 50 years, I was more than a bit miffed when I had my last renewal notice and found out that a new customer would get a better deal than I was offered.
Loyalty counts for nothing with these big firms,  so it's best to shop around for the best deal you can get.   With my phone call to the RAC    I made it quite clear how I felt and gave them the option to match the new customers deal or I would be off elsewhere.     They did match the offer so I am still with the RAC for now anyway.

Offline Fester

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #516 on: July 14, 2019, 03:35:17 pm »
Interesting Hugo.
I’m paying Sky about £65 a month, and that includes the sports channels.
But I’m also paying about £40 a month to Talk Talk for phone and WiFi too.

It’s about time I got a better deal for the whole lot.
The service from both companies is pretty terrible.
Sky are simply evil when you try to deal with them for any reason.
Talk Talk broadband speed is simply rubbish.
Fester...
- Semper in Excretum, Sole Profundum Variat -

Offline OrmeMac

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #517 on: July 14, 2019, 03:41:33 pm »
Interesting Hugo.
I’m paying Sky about £65 a month, and that includes the sports channels.
But I’m also paying about £40 a month to Talk Talk for phone and WiFi too.

It’s about time I got a better deal for the whole lot.
The service from both companies is pretty terrible.
Sky are simply evil when you try to deal with them for any reason.
Talk Talk broadband speed is simply rubbish.

We are with Sky and need to phone them every year to try and get discounts and deals. You usually have to threaten to leave and/or quote prices available from other companies but you can usually get them down to around half the full price.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #518 on: July 14, 2019, 11:10:08 pm »
It's the same with energy costs and when people start complaining about the cost of energy the Government simply says "you should switch your energy supplier."
That's not the answer people are looking for, why should loyal customers have to switch.   It's up to the energy supplier to reduce their rates and if they can do it for the new customers then they should also do it for existing customers.
I've stayed with the same firms for years but am no better thought of so I'm switching them all now.         The RAC will be my next change  if that situation I had happens again and there are a number of recovery services I can go to that are cheaper.


Just an add on since the above posting,  I've just opened an e-mail from BT  and the bill  for  broadband and unlimited phone usage this month is  £75.29.     Plus Net are giving me the same package for 18 months at a cost of £31,99  so that represents a savings of £43.30 on average each month
I could kick myself for wasting my time and money with BT for so long   

Offline Dave

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #519 on: July 15, 2019, 05:19:44 pm »
Interesting Hugo.
I dislike BT with a passion at times, the way they do business is irritating. They offer you something free as a sweetener to keep you then charge you the following year!
The one big drawback to leaving is that you lose your email addresses unless you pay them £5 per month to retain them but perhaps you can tell me if that's the case with PlusNet if they are part of the same group? In many ways I wish I'd just used a g.mail address from the beginning and that you can continue with no matter where you go.Mind you they may well start charging too in due course.
The other drawback/advantage to BT is their sport coverage which in my case is largely limited to watching Liverpool FC so I get pretty good value the longer they stay in the Champions League as well as some other matches televised too. Mind you as a ticket holder it's also annoying when matches get switched for TV, particularly on a Friday or Monday night.
Anyway, back to my contract which currently costs me £53.50 per month for which I get BT Sport HD (£13.50 per month), unlimited mobile calls and texts to normal priced mobiles and landlines plus 500mb of data per month(£7.50),Infinity Broadband and free weekend land line calls (£32.50).
I also pay my landline upfront in one go to get a 10% discount. That's another £19.99 per month usually but saves £2.
The total still comes to a rather staggering £71.50 per month which is well over double what I was paying just a couple of years ago.

I think I'm right in saying that no matter who you choose as your supplier and the deal you take the line rental charge is still applicable.

The one thing that is a benefit to me though is that as we can't have a satellite dish, the phone line is used and a BT thingamy ( I'm very high tech) receives the signal that runs through the electricity cables to the plug by the TV which presumably allows me to watch NOW TV and YouTube.
The other good thing about BT is that every scammer in the world seems to have turned their attention to it so it's easy just too delete all those emails as fakes!

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #520 on: July 15, 2019, 05:46:57 pm »
On the email address side of things, I (and I think Dave R, too) buy my own domains, so the email costs are small and just the annual renewal cost.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #521 on: July 15, 2019, 05:49:32 pm »
Hi Dave,

This is the package I get with Plus Net:-         Unlimited broadband     £5.00
                                                                   Anytime calls in UK
                                                                   LANDLINE & MOBILE     £8.00
                                                                   Line rental                   £18.99
                                                                   Total per month            £31,99

I still keep my e-mail address  ( G MAIL ) & now have a Plus Net e-mail address too.       No TV package at this price 
I admire your taste in Football teams     $good$

Offline Bri Roberts

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #522 on: August 01, 2019, 09:40:18 am »
Yesterday morning and again this morning, I received a recorded telephone call from an individual claiming to be from BT informing me that my broadband was about to be switched off unless I spoke to their technician by pressing button number 1.

Fortunately, my internet stayed on yesterday so I am hoping for the same today.

Initially, the telephone call appeared to be a local call except for one additional digit.

It was 01497259302.

By coincidence, I have also received an email this morning purporting to be from BT informing me:

Dear User,

Our security team received your request to delete your account, we will process your request within 24hours.

Security code: 1842

If you didn't request this code, you can safely cancel request Someone else might have typed your email address by mistake, kindly cancel request to continue using our service.log in email and password to cancel Powered by Microsoft Excel

Cancel Request


Thanks for using BT!
Nick Lane
Managing Director, Customer Care

Offline Ian

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #523 on: August 01, 2019, 10:07:25 am »
This is a popular and frequent scam, Bri.  Don't follow the links in the email, but go directly to your BT account on the internet and check there.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Meleri

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Re: Consumer news and scams
« Reply #524 on: August 01, 2019, 12:30:44 pm »
I have received the same calls as well Bri. I answered the 01492106723 thinking it was local, plus 12 International calls yesterday & 2 so far today. I'm really getting fed up with this  :(