Metronet Activation Fee

About a week ago I received a reply to my request whether Metronet were
planning to reduce their activation fee now that BT has done so.

This is their reply:-

At the moment there is no plan to change the activation fee as Metronet
still offer a very competitive package (PayGo500/PayGo1000) plus we are
only one of the very few that offer a 1 month contract when customers
join Metronet.

The activation fee is a topic that is always reviewed by the board and
is something that may change as Metronet are aware of the competitive
prices out.

--
Les Desser
(The Reply-to address IS valid)

In article <0501yMGc7$(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
says...
> About a week ago I received a reply to my request whether Metronet were
> planning to reduce their activation fee now that BT has done so.

I would expect Metronet to only pass on to the customer what they have
been billed by BTw. To add a surplus to this charge is not acceptable
and further hinders the take-up of broadband.

> This is their reply:-
>
> At the moment there is no plan to change the activation fee as Metronet
> still offer a very competitive package (PayGo500/PayGo1000) plus we are
> only one of the very few that offer a 1 month contract when customers
> join Metronet.

Might be worth posting about this on ADSLguide's forums. Metronet's
staff monitor those forums quite actively.

I must say, if this _is_ Metronet's official stance (and remember, it
might have been a relatively new member of their support staff who wrote
that, or someone without the full facts..) then it's very dissapointing.

I don't quite believe Metronet would ever pass onto the customer a
charge in excess of what they should do, so it's worth raising this
higher up in Metronet.

Cheers,
Chris

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Chris
<(E-Mail Removed)> Wed, 12 Oct 2005 11:16:21 writes

>In article <0501yMGc7$(E-Mail Removed)>, (E-Mail Removed)
>says...
>> About a week ago I received a reply to my request whether Metronet were
>> planning to reduce their activation fee now that BT has done so.
>
>I would expect Metronet to only pass on to the customer what they have
>been billed by BTw. To add a surplus to this charge is not acceptable
>and further hinders the take-up of broadband.
>
>> This is their reply:-
>>
>> At the moment there is no plan to change the activation fee as Metronet
>> still offer a very competitive package (PayGo500/PayGo1000) plus we are
>> only one of the very few that offer a 1 month contract when customers
>> join Metronet.
>
>Might be worth posting about this on ADSLguide's forums. Metronet's
>staff monitor those forums quite actively.

As I am not subscribed there I leave that to others
>
>I must say, if this _is_ Metronet's official stance (and remember, it
>might have been a relatively new member of their support staff who wrote
>that, or someone without the full facts..) then it's very dissapointing.
>
>I don't quite believe Metronet would ever pass onto the customer a
>charge in excess of what they should do, so it's worth raising this
>higher up in Metronet.
>
I have always found that very straight forward to heal with.

I will forward this post to them and see what happens.
--
Les Desser
(The Reply-to address IS valid)

On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 11:16:21 +0100, Chris <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I would expect Metronet to only pass on to the customer what they have
>been billed by BTw. To add a surplus to this charge is not acceptable
>and further hinders the take-up of broadband.

if it sends some of th epond life to other ISPs it would get my vote.
A light user paying the basic £11.75/month Metronet fee is a fairly
uneconomic proposition so having a £70 setup fee seems fair to me.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

Chris wrote:

> I would expect Metronet to only pass on to the customer what they
> have been billed by BTw. To add a surplus to this charge is not
> acceptable and further hinders the take-up of broadband.

Theirs was always a bit higher, but now that BT W has dropped 10.00
off the cost, they're just taking the mickey by adding ~ 50%


> I must say, if this is Metronet's official stance (and remember, it
> might have been a relatively new member of their support staff who
> wrote that, or someone without the full facts..) then it's very
> dissapointing.

They've only come down from a 3 month minimum recently, and it looks
as if they're using the 1 month minimum as a way to justify keeping
their activation fee high, sufficient to cover (any) admin time to
add a new customer, perhaps... Of course, it may be so automated
that any fees are simply put towards offsetting any losses which
might otherwise be made on their account users using the barest
minimum - I know at least 3 who are paying the basic 10.00 +VAT
each month.

> I don't quite believe Metronet would ever pass onto the customer a
> charge in excess of what they should do, so it's worth raising this
> higher up in Metronet.

They have had some 'special deals' from time to time, charging less
than normal (eg 9.99 for a speed regrade) but in general they add a
substantial amount - BT W charges 11.00 +VAT for a regrade but
Metronet (used to) charge the customer 19.99 (inc VAT)

--
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In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Les Desser
<(E-Mail Removed)> Wed, 12 Oct 2005 13:23:11 writes

>I will forward this post to them and see what happens.

Received the following dated 12 October 2005 17:21:18
------------

We are currently reviewing our activation fee, along with some other
product developments that we are working on.

Unfortunately I can't give you an exact timescale, so it's really a case
of more information as we have it.

--
Les Desser
(The Reply-to address IS valid)