The switch over to a different wholesale provider at the Post Office for its telephone and broadband products has
been underway for a few weeks, but there has been ongoing worries about what
the changes will actually entail. To try and quell peoples worries we put a few
questions to the Post Office.
- Will voice only customers remain on a WLR (not unbundled)
product?
Those currently just paying telephone line rental to the Post Office will
remain on a WLR product. The result of this is that if you have broadband also
on the line it will be unaffected by the changes at the Post Office. - Will those who currently have a Home Phone + Broadband bundle be
given an option to remain on the non-LLU platform, or will a move to a full LLU
(fully unbundled) product be mandatory?
The answer is that the majority of people will be moved to a full LLU platform,
the benefit being ADSL2+ will then be available boosting speeds. Only those who
are in an on-net (i.e. where TalkTalk LLU services are available, ~95% of UK)
will move to the fully unbundled network, those outside this footprint will
remain on a WLR + SMPF service. - Will broadband only customers be forced to move their telephone
line rental to the Post Office?
For those customers who signed up to a broadband only deal, they will change
wholesale provider, but remain on a shared LLU service. This means that there
will be zero impact on the telephone line rental.
The office Post Office guide for what is happening is online but it
is aimed at the customers who do not care what the difference between full LLU
and shared LLU is. For those not aware, on a shared LLU (Local Loop Unbundled)
connection, your broadband is unbundled, but you retain the freedom to move
your telephone line rental between providers. With full LLU both the broadband
and telephone are on an a different wholesale providers hardware, so you cannot
move either of the products independently of each other.
The new Post Office basic line rental follows the current trend of only
including weekend telephone calls in the basic bundle, but at £12/month is
cheaper than many competitors, for the more traditional Evening and Weekend you
need to add £1.25 to the monthly bill. The Post Office is not the only operator
in the budget end of the telephone line rental arena, there is also Primus at £11.38 for line rental and evening/weekend calls, though
with an 18 month contract.
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Why cant I get a Mac code from the Post Office I have been on the phone for hours since Monday and every time I have got through I have been fobbed off with ‘some one will ring me tomorrow and give it to me’ but as we all know tomorrow never comes. Apparently there is only 1 man in the back room of the post office ( Colin) who can generate these codes and so far this week he’s been on holiday, sacked and has walked out on them. I hope I dont have a massive phone bill from the Post Office for the time I have been on the phone and held in the queue.
There is now no reply to anything on the 0845 Customer number- you can’t report a fault. All you hear is endless repetitions of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and announcements saying they’ll be with you as soon as possible.
The best work around is to go to Post Office’s general complaints number and ask them. They have tried and told me they can’t get through either, but after an hour or so, they managed to find someone for me to discuss my faulty line with. Line is still faulty, though.
Would not recommend Post Office any more.