Help and Support

John Lewis Broadband - Code of Practice - August 2014

As a company who provide electronic communications, we're required by Ofcom (the industry regulator) to produce various codes of practice.

Our Code of Practice is set out below. We pride ourselves on meeting all the standards set for us and complying with Ofcom's General Conditions. We regularly review our processes, systems and people to ensure our standards are as high possible, and that we're doing the things we say we will.

Table of contents

  1. John Lewis Broadband
  2. How to contact John Lewis Broadband
  3. How to make a complaint
  4. Products and services
  5. Our obligations
    1. Repair & Maintenance
    2. Billing & Payment
    3. Leaving us
    4. Customer Confidentiality
    5. European Electronic Communications Code (EECC)
  6. Nuisance and Malicious Calls
  7. Premium Rate Numbers
  8. Services for disabled and elderly customers

1. John Lewis Broadband

John Lewis Broadband offers broadband, phone and fibre services to residential customers throughout the UK. Our services are managed by Plusnet plc which is a company registered in England and Wales (Company No. 03279013).

We are committed to offering the highest levels of service within our industry; therefore you can be assured that we take all customer issues seriously.

Nothing within this Code of Practice forms or is intended to form any contract between you and John Lewis Broadband. The products and services described within this document may not always be available, and may change from time to time. Our standard Terms and Conditions apply to the product or services available. Nothing in this Code of Practice affects your statutory or common law rights.

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2. How to contact John Lewis Broadband

Should you have any queries regarding our range of services, or are experiencing difficulties with the service you can contact us:

Online

Via our web-based Contact Us page†.

† We cannot reply to cancellation requests raised through our Contact Us page. Customers with cancellation requests should contact our Customer Options Team* on 0800 022 3300.

By Phone

We offer our customers a 24 hour helpline. To speak directly to our Support Team you can contact:

  • Technical Support*: 0800 022 3300 all day, every day
  • Customer Services*: 0800 022 3300 9am-6pm, 7 days a week
  • Sales*: 0800 022 3300 9am-6pm, 7 days a week

* We may monitor or record calls to and from our Support Team. We 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.

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3. How to make a complaint

Whilst we aim to deliver a high level of customer satisfaction we acknowledge that from time-to-time problems do occur. If you are not satisfied with the service you are receiving, please see our Customer Complaints Code of Practice.

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4. Products and services

John Lewis Broadband offers a wide range of great value internet and phone packages for residential customers. For our latest offers please visit our website.

Broadband

To find out more information about our residential broadband packages, click here

Fibre broadband

To find out more information about our residential fibre broadband, click here

Phone

To find out more information about our phone packages, see the relevant section of our Buying Guide

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5. Our obligations

John Lewis Broadband has a number of obligations that it is required to comply with under UK legislation. These obligations ensure our customers are provided with choice and consumer protection. John Lewis Broadband takes these obligations very seriously, as they ensure that the needs and demands of our customers are met and that we continue to deliver great service. The formal details of the Terms and Conditions relating to our contractual relationship with you can be found in our legal section.

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5.1 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 our service to you or parts of that service temporarily. Before we do this, we will give you as much notice as we can and we will do our best to restore the service as soon as possible. Although we attempt to provide you with the best possible service, we cannot guarantee that the service will always be fault free. However, we aim to correct all reported faults as soon as is reasonably possible.

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

  • Help & Support, here you can find articles and FAQs as well as links which allow you to get in touch with our Support Team
  • Service Status, provides details of any known service-affecting issues

Please note if an engineer is required to visit your premises and the fault is found to be caused by your equipment, internal wiring or as a result of damage to our or BT equipment, a call out charge may be payable by you.

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5.2 Billing & Payment

Billing

As our customer you have agreed to pay for your selected service(s) as outlined within our Terms and Conditions including all charges for the equipment and services we supply you (including any additional charges detailed within those Terms and Conditions or within our Price Guide). If you or we find a mistake on your bill, you will be credited accordingly. However if we have no reasonable grounds to believe a call did not originate from your home phone or the price of that call is incorrect you will be liable for the call(s) at the applicable rate at that time.

It is important you check our Price Guide and Non-Geographic Call Charges before making any calls using our home phone service as you are liable for the cost of any calls originating from your phone line.

When you register for a service with us you are able to view any charges for which you are liable to pay by logging into the My Account section of the website and clicking 'View your itemised bills'. You will be notified via email prior to your scheduled billing date of any charges to be applied.

Please note that some services provided maybe subject to John Lewis Broadband's Acceptable Use Policy.

Payment

We expect all our customers to adhere to the payment terms within our Terms and Conditions and pay their bills promptly. If you fail to make payment of the charges you owe to us when they are due, exceed any agreed credit threshold with us or fail to make payment by the due date we may at our discretion restrict or cancel your service, in part or in full until payment has been received. More information can be found in our Billing FAQs.

If we cancel the services provided to you because you have not made payment within the Terms and Conditions and you later decide to resume the service you will be liable to pay a re-activation and administration charge, where applicable.

If you're going away for a long time, and you might miss a payment, please tell us. This is so we can avoid restricting your service and save you a reconnection fee.

For further information please refer to our Billing FAQs.

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5.3 Leaving us

If you are not satisfied with our service and wish to leave us, you can so long as it is in accordance with the Terms and Conditions between us.

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5.4 Customer Confidentiality

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

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5.5 European Electronic Communications Code (EECC)

New Ofcom regulations designed to protect you. These changes, implemented because of the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), improve the rights you have when we make changes to your plan or services. Where we do make changes, you will be able to cancel the service that's changing. We will make sure we tell you what services you can cancel when we tell you about a change. For more information see our EECC FAQs.

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6. Nuisance and Malicious Calls

We understand that nuisance or malicious calls can be annoying and worrying. We have produced a guide to assist in dealing with or tackling such calls should they occur.

Telephone Preference Scheme (TPS)

The Telephone Preference Service is a central register which your name can be placed on, for free, if you do not want to receive sales and marketing phone calls. We have outlined details of this in our telephone nuisance call guide. Business customers may be interested in a similar service called CTPS (Corporate Telephone Preference Service). You can get more information on both of these at www.tpsonline.org.uk.

Fax Preference Scheme (FPS)

A similar service to the TPS is available for businesses and customers who do not wish to receive unsolicited sales and marketing faxes. Details on the Fax Preference Scheme (FPS) and how to register can be found at www.fpsonline.org.uk/fps/

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7. Premium Rate Numbers

As mentioned elsewhere in this Code of Practice it is your responsibility to make sure you understand the charges associated with each call you make. This especially applies to Premium Rate Numbers (numbers starting with 09xx) and Number Translation Services (numbers starting with 08xx) which are outlined within our Price Guide and Non-Geographic Call Charges.

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

We are bound by the Phone-paid Services Authority's code of practice.

The Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA) is the new name for PhonepayPlus. They are the industry-funded body for all premium rate charged telecommunication services. The PSA protect customers through their code of practice, which regulates all aspects of premium rate number services, while also encouraging competition, growth and innovation in the market. They deal specifically with:

  • Numbers beginning with 090 and 091
  • Some 08 numbers
  • Directory enquiry services operating on numbers beginning with 118

If you think a particular service falls within the PSA's remit, you can submit a complaint to them or call their free helpline on 0300 30 300 20. However, first we'd recommend using their online number checker. This will give you instant information about the provider of the premium services number such as their name and contact details. They also offer advice on how to get a refund for a service you don't believe you should be charged for.

We are also a member of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. While we always do our best to make our customers happy, we understand that sometimes things go wrong. We encourage you to get in touch in these situations. However, if that conversation doesn't lead to a solution you're happy with, ADR schemes act as a middleman to bring the complaint to a satisfactory resolution. For more information about how we deal with complaints, take a look at our complaints code of practice.

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8. Services for disabled and elderly customers

If you are elderly or have a disability, we offer the services outlined below to help you keep in touch more easily. If you wish to discuss any special requirements please contact our Support Team and we will try to help you.

Free Directory Enquiries Service

If you find the BT phone book difficult to hold, handle or read you can apply for a free directory enquiry service. If a call is connected via this service, the call will be charged as per our standard call tariff. To request an application form call 0800 587 0195 and ask for the registration team. Their hours of opening are Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm.

Text Relay

We also provide a Text Relay service that allows those with text phones to make calls to people using a standard voice phone. By using the appropriate Text Relay access code (as shown below) an Operator will help translate the call between the text and voice users. Text Relay calls will appear on your bill as an Operator Call. Calls made using this service are charged at the standard rate. To use Text Relay simply dial the following codes:

  • 18001 before the full national number if you are a textphone user
  • 18002 before the full national number if you are using a standard phone to call a textphone
  • 18000 to dial the emergency services from a text phone - there is no need to dial 999

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Having problems with your broadband connection?

Report a problem with your service. It's faster by text.

Service Status

For full details of our current issues or any maintenance work that could be affecting your service please visit our Service Status site.

Can't find what you're looking for?

If we've not been able to address your query through a support article please contact Customer support for further assistance.

For your information

John Lewis Broadband is provided by Plusnet plc.

John Lewis Broadband is a trading name of John Lewis plc, but the services are provided by Plusnet and the contract for these services is between you and Plusnet plc.

Broadband and Fibre Broadband

To sign up to one of John Lewis Broadband's services, you will also have to sign up to John Lewis Broadband Phone, both on a 12-month contract. John Lewis Broadband Phone includes the Evening and Weekend† call plan as standard. You can choose to take one of our other call plans at an additional monthly charge.

*Broadband speed is described as 'average download speed of 10Mb' and 'average upload speed of 1Mb' as it is based on speed available to at least 50% of customers at peak time (8-10pm). Your actual speed will be dependent on your location, phone line, home wiring, wifi connection and time of day. Find out why speeds vary. Check your speed and products available at your location at www.johnlewisbroadband.com.

*Fibre broadband speed is described as'average download speed of 36Mb' and 'average upload speed of 9Mb' on Fibre and 'average download speed of 66Mb' and 'average upload speed of 18Mb' on Fibre Extra as it is based on speed available to at least 50% of customers at peak time (8-10pm). Your actual speed will be dependent on your location, phone line, home wiring, wifi connection and time of day. Find out why speeds vary. Check your speed and products available at your location at www.johnlewisbroadband.com.

Our broadband contracts: You must sign-up to a 12-month contract for one of the broadband services (John Lewis Broadband Unlimited, Fibre or Fibre Extra) and John Lewis Broadband Phone. If you choose to end either or both services within the minimum period, you will have to pay an early termination charge by way of compensation for ending your service(s) early. This charge depends on your monthly price and the length of time remaining in your minimum term. How we calculate these charges is set out in the Price Guide.

Phone

To sign up to the John Lewis Broadband Phone service, you will also have to sign up to one of the broadband services (John Lewis Broadband Unlimited, Fibre or Fibre Extra), both on a 12-month contract. If you choose to end either or both services within the minimum period, you will have to pay an early termination charge by way of compensation for ending your service(s) early. This charge depends on your monthly price and the length of time remaining in your minimum term. How we calculate these charges is set out in the Price Guide.

John Lewis Broadband Phone includes the Evening and Weekend† call plan as standard. You can choose to take one of the other call plans at an additional monthly charge. If you need a new phone line installing at your property, there is a £49.99 installation charge (excluding external construction charges). Details on the available call plans are set out below:-

†Call Plans

Evening and Weekend calls: Means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 made Monday-Friday 19:00-07:00 and anytime Saturday or Sunday (except calls to indirect access numbers (which include calling cards), dial-up Internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes). Calls must be started and finished within these times to be inclusive (non-chargeable) and any call that lasts more than 60 minutes will be chargeable. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes a month (whichever is reached first) applies to calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. (if you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions). Our Evening and Weekend call plan is included as standard when you take John Lewis Broadband Phone.

Anytime calls: Means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 at anytime (except calls to indirect access numbers (which include calling cards), dial-up Internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes). Anytime also includes a 25% discount on calls to the top 35 international destinations. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes a month (whichever is reached first) applies to calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. (if you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions). Our Anytime call plan costs £6.86 a month.

Anytime and International: Means calls to UK landlines beginning with 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 at anytime (except calls to indirect access numbers (which includes calling cards), dial-up Internet access and calls longer than 60 minutes). Hang up and re-dial before 60 minutes (local) and you won't be charged. Anytime and International also provides 300 inclusive minutes per month to the top 35 international destinations and a 25% discount on any further calls made to those 35 destinations over this amount within the month. Hang up and re-dial before 30 minutes on international calls, whilst in your inclusive minutes, and you won't be charged. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes a month (whichever is reached first) applies to calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers. (if you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions). Our Anytime and International call plan costs £9.15 a month.

Mobile Bolt-on: Unlimited calls to UK mobile and 070 personal numbering services, hang up and re-dial before 60 minutes and you won't be charged. Mobile Bolt-on is available only to Anytime and Anytime and International call plan customers. A fair usage limit of 150 calls or 1000 minutes (whichever is reached first) a month applies to calls to 070 personal numbering services. If you exceed this limit, we have the right to charge you for further calls made, suspend and/or terminate your service in accordance with our terms and conditions. A Mobile Bolt-on costs £5.00 a month.

Service calls outside of your inclusive minutes: The charge for calls to service numbers beginning 084, 087, 09 and 118 consists of a 9.58p per minute access charge from John Lewis Broadband, plus a service charge set by the company you called. For all John Lewis Broadband Phone pricing, please see our Price Guide.