Plusnet Code of Practice

1. Plusnet Products & Services

Plusnet offers a wide range of Internet solutions for both the home and business user. Whether you want a great value package for business, or a package catered to your home needs, Plusnet has the Internet solution for you.

You can just pay for the time you use, use dial-up access and pay a fixed monthly fee, or be permanently connected using broadband technology (subject to availability in your area and a successful test of your telephone line).

• Find out more information about our residential Internet services.
• Find out more information about our business Internet services.

Plusnet also provides a PSTN line rental with a range of calling packages catering for the home user. Both the line rental and calls packages are bought wholesale from BT.

• Find out more information about our line rental and calling packages.

2. Our Obligations

Plusnet has a number of obligations that are required by UK legislation. These obligations ensure our customers are provided with choice and consumer protection. Plusnet takes these obligations very seriously, as they ensure that the needs and demands of our customers are met and that we deliver a service which is second-to-none.

When we provide service to you, we promise to use all the reasonable skill and care of a competent Internet and Telecommunications Service Provider. The formal details of the general terms and conditions of our contractual relationship with you, our customer, can be found in our Legal section.

3. Repair & Maintenance

In order to carry out corrective maintenance of our network (e.g. for repairs, planned maintenance or upgrades), we may need to suspend service or parts of the service temporarily. Before we do this, we will give you as much notice as possible and promise to restore service as soon as possible after any suspension.

Although we attempt to provide you with the best possible service, we cannot guarantee that the service will never be faulty. However, we will correct all reported faults as soon as is reasonably possible.

We offer a number of customer self-serve options, and we recommend that prior to reporting a service fault to us, all customers initially check the following:

1. Help & Support - here you can find hundreds of articles, video tutorials and our Help Assistant tool, allowing you to get in touch with our Support Team.
2. Service Status - provides details of any known service-affecting issues.

4. Terminating Services

Your contract with Plusnet can be terminated by:

• Us giving one month's notice to you.
• You giving one month's notice to us.
• You giving us immediate notice within the 14-day notice period if we inform you that we are increasing our charges or changing the conditions of your Contract to your detriment.

If we give you notice, you must pay the charges applicable up to the end of that notice. If you give us notice, you must pay us the charges that would have been due within the notice period.

If you give us notice that ends, or we end this contract during the period of the contract, you must pay us the relevant cancellation charges set out in our Terms and Conditions.

If you give us notice that falls before the end of your current contract period because we have increased our charges, or materially changed the conditions of this contract to your detriment, you may cancel in the period of time between the notice of the changes and the time the changes take place.

If you have paid any charges for a period after the end of the Contract we will either repay it or put it towards any money you owe us.

Any party wishing to give notice to the other under this contract must use one of the following mechanisms. No other form of communication will be accepted, unless specifically stated otherwise:

• To us: by ringing our Customer Options Team on 0845 140 6002, in writing sent by recorded delivery, or at the appropriate website using the Help Assistant.
• To you: at the appropriate website using the Help Assistant or email to the address provided to you as part of the service.

You are responsible for checking for email sent to the email address provided to you as part of the service.

5. Billing & Payment

You must pay the charges for your selected service(s) that are set out in our Terms and Conditions. You will be responsible for the maintenance of your connection settings and to check our call tariff rates before making a call. Any charges incurred due to incorrect settings will be borne by you.

When you register for the service, we will ask you to select a payment method and we will begin charging you for the service on the date that the service is activated, or when your order has been accepted. You are able to view any charges for which you are liable by logging into the Member Centre and clicking 'Account details', then 'View Transactions'. You will be notified via email prior to your scheduled billing date of any charges to be applied.

If you fail to make payment of charges when they are due, we may suspend or cancel your service, in part or in full until payment is received. If we need to cease your broadband or line rental and calling service because you have not paid and you then later decide to resume the service, there will be a re-activation and administration charge where applicable, for which you will be liable.

You are liable for the costs of any calls that you make using your Home Phone service. If you query the charge for dialled calls, we will re-check the bill. If we find a mistake, you will be credited accordingly however if we have no reasonable grounds to believe you did not make the call or the price is incorrect you will be liable for the call at the applicable rate.

Certain products include the use of a domain name without charge. The provision of this domain is subject to the minimum contract period of the associated product. If the product is terminated prior the fulfilling of the minimum contract period for whatever reason, you will be liable for the cost of the domain name. Until we have received this payment, or you have completed the minimum contract period, whichever occurs earlier, we shall prohibit the release of the IP Service Tag (IPSTAG) associated with this domain.

Certain services that we provide automatically continue when the initial period terminates. In these circumstances, you should understand and agree that continuation of the service will incur the standard charges unless you notify us.

Where we arrange for an engineer to visit your Premises for activation of the service, or for resolution of a fault, you will be responsible for any costs incurred owing to any of the following:

• An engineer attends an incorrect address as provided by you.
• The site for installation does not meet the minimum requirements as agreed during the product registration.
• An engineer arrives to carry out the installation at the address provided by you, but you no longer want the installation completed.
• Entry is refused to the Premises, or access cannot be gained, at the appointed time, as agreed between you and us.
• You report a fault, an engineer attends your Premises, and discovers the fault is not the result of the broadband service.
• Your reported problem, following your request for an engineering visit, cannot be confirmed.
• When you cancel a request for an engineering visit later than 48 hours before the scheduled visit.

We reserve the right to engage a third party debt collection agency in order to obtain any outstanding debt. Any additional charges generated as a result of this process will be borne by you.

6. How do we communicate with you?

Plusnet is committed to providing our customers the best value for money Internet and Telecommunications services. We achieve this by providing you with the tools to manage and self service your account online and by replacing costly or manual processes with automation and electronic communication e.g. if we need to tell you something or have an update on your order we'll inform you through the portal or by email instead of sending you a letter. In the event that we need to contact you about some urgent matter we may call you, which is why we recommend that you provide us with both your home phone and mobile number.

7. Premium Rate Numbers

It is your responsibility to make sure you understand the charges associated with each number you call. This especially applies to Premium Rate Numbers (numbers starting with 09xx) and Number Translation Services (numbers starting with 08xx).

If you have any queries regarding either of these number types you may find the following information useful:

PhonepayPlus - the industry regulator for Premium Rate Numbers

PhonepayPlus is the industry funded body for all premium rate charged telecommunication services. PhonepayPlus' role is to protect consumers through its code of practice which regulate all aspects of Premium Rate Number Services. They deal specifically with:

• Numbers beginning with 090 or 091.
• Directory enquiry (DQ) services operating on numbers beginning with 118.
• Reverse-billed SMS (you are charged for the receipt of messages) containing content operating on shortcodes. Shortcodes have 4 or 5 digits and start with 8, 6 or 2. (SMS stands for short message service.)

If you think a particular service falls within PhonepayPlus' remit, you can submit a complaint to them. There are various ways of submitting your complaint but before you do, we recommend that you use their online number-checking facility for instant information about the number in question. After that, you can use one of the following methods:

• If you have a hard copy of the promotion in question (i.e. a page from a magazine), please supply your complaint in writing with a copy of the promotion to: PhonepayPlus, Clove Building, 4 Maguire Street, London, SE1 2NQ.
• Use their online complaint form
• Call their free helpline on 0800 500 212 from 8am–6pm, Monday–Friday.

8. Malicious calls

We take malicious calls very seriously as they can cause annoyance and distress. If you are receiving malicious calls we will help you in every way we can, including working with the police, BT and other network providers where appropriate. In the event that the caller is traced you may be required to give evidence should the matter be taken to court. We may also advise that you change your telephone number or become ex-directory if you continue to receive such calls.

If you believe you are experiencing malicious calls please contact us on the numbers given below or online using the Help Assistant.

Telephone Preference Service

If you do not wish to receive unsolicited telemarketing calls, register online at www.tpsonline.org.uk or call 020 7766 4420.

Fax Preference Service

If you do not wish to receive unsolicited telemarketing faxes, register online at www.fpsonline.org.uk or call 020 7766 4422.

9. Services for disabled and elderly customers

If you are elderly or have a disability and wish to discuss any of the special telecommunications requirements shown below, please contact our Support Team and we will try to help you:

• Providing a nominated contact to assist with billing.
• Service problems.
• General issues.
• If you require a copy of your bill in large print or Braille.

If you find the BT phone book difficult to hold, handle or read you can apply for our free directory enquiry service. To request an application form call 0800 597 0195 and ask for the registration team. Their hours of opening are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm.

When registered you will be given a PIN number. Once you have this you then call 195 and ask the Operator to look up a number - this will be free of charge. The Operator will then either tell you what the number is, or connect the call for you if you prefer. If you choose to be connected you will be charged at the standard rate for that call type.

We also provide the BT TextDirect service that allows people using text phones to make calls to people using a standard voice phone. By using the appropriate BT TextDirect access code (as shown below) an Operator will help translate the call between the text and voice users. TextDirect calls will appear on your bill as an Operator Call. To use TextDirect simply use the following codes:

• 18001 before the full national number for a text to text or text to voice call.
• 18002 before the full national number for a voice to text call.
• 18000 to dial the emergency services from a text phone. There is no need to dial 999.

10. Customer Confidentiality

We take the security of our websites and your data extremely seriously. As such, we have a Data Retention Policy in place that is designed to protect you as our customer.

11. How to contact Plusnet

Should you have any queries regarding our range of services, or are experiencing difficulties with your Plusnet Internet access, you can contact us via our web-based Help Assistant.

(Note: we can't reply to cancellation requests made by Ticket. Please contact our Customer Options team on 0845 140 6002 who will be able to deal with your query).

Alternatively you can speak directly to our Support Team through our 24 hour, customer help-lines.

• Technical Support: 0845 140 0200
• Residential Sales: 0845 140 0200 or Contact Sales
• Business Sales: 0845 002 0170 or Contact Sales

Please note: we may sometimes monitor or record calls to or from our Support Team. We may do this for training purposes, or to improve the quality of our customer support.

We are also able to provide support to our hearing and speech-impaired customers via TypeTalk's text relay service should this be required. Furthermore, our Terms and Conditions, or indeed this Code of Practice are available in alternate formats (Large Print and Braille) on request for disabled or elderly customers.

For your convenience, we provide real-time information about our Help Assistant and telephone response times on our Customer Support Statistics page.

12. Complaint Resolution

Whilst we aim to deliver a high level of customer satisfaction, we acknowledge that from time-to-time problems do occur. We are committed to ensuring that every effort is made to resolve any difficulties quickly and to your satisfaction. However, in the unlikely event that you feel your issue needs to be escalated, we ask you to provide our Customer Service Director with details of your issue in writing. This allows the opportunity to fully investigate your case, ensuring that an appropriate, informed decision is taken.

Our Head Office address is as follows:

Customer Services Director Plusnet plc Internet House 2 Tenter Street Sheffield S1 4BY

If after using the support methods detailed above, you remain dissatisfied, you then have the option of independent adjudication via referral to our Dispute Resolution Scheme.

As a member of the Internet Service Provider Association (ISPA), Plusnet utilises the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) provided by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators for ISPA members, which is supported by OFCOM.

CISAS contact information

Should you wish to refer your issue for the independent consideration of CISAS, then you do this:

1. Via the CISAS website

2. By Post:

CISAS, 24 Angel Gate, City Road, London, EC1V 2PT

3. By Telephone: 020 7520 3827

Please refer to us as 'Plusnet plc' in any correspondence with CISAS.

OFCOM contact information

Should you wish to contact OFCOM directly, then you can do this:

1. Via the OFCOM website

2. By Post:

OFCOM Contact Centre, Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HA

3. By Telephone: 0845 456 3000 or 020 7981 3040

4. By Fax: 0845 456 3333

Alternatively, you may wish to contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

13. Additional Information about this Code

OFCOM has approved this Code of Practice, in accordance with criteria agreed with the UK telecommunications industry.

All information provided is correct at the time of going to print, and will be reviewed and updated on a quarterly basis.

Page last updated 26th May 2009