Home Phone Providers

The Phone Co-op

Friday 2 July, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

If you’re looking for a new phone supplier that offers value for money, as well as having strong ethics, consider switching your line rental and calls to The Phone Co-op.

The Phone Co-op is the only co-operative home phone provider in the UK, meaning it is owned by its customers and is accountable to them. It even shares its profits with them in the form of a dividend. It currently has 20,000 customers.

The Phone Co-op believes that unlike other providers, who “focus on the pursuit of profits at all costs”, it provides its customers with the best possible service at the lowest price, while always maintaining its ethical and environmental commitments.

The Phone Co-op supports a range of community projects and invests in programmes such as the Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative which provides green electricity to 2,500 homes in Oxfordshire. It also gets all of its electricity from renewable sources, and encourages both company execs and employees to use public transport or cycle to work - reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

The Phone Co-op packages

The Phone Co-op currently offers three home phone packages which include both line rental and calls. You can choose from:

• Evening and Weekend - Get free evening and weekend calls to UK landline numbers starting 01, 02, 03, 0870 and 0845 numbers for £3.95 a month, plus line rental at £12.50 a month.
• Anytime - Get free daytime, evening and weekend calls to UK landlines numbers starting 01, 02, 03, 0845 and 0870 for £4.95 a month, plus line rental at £12.50 a month.

With any of these home phone deals, you will receive one monthly bill from The Phone Co-op which you can opt to receive online or by post (which will cost £1.50 a month). The package prices are £1 extra a month if you don’t pay by direct debit.

The Phone Co-op will deal with all aspects of your service, including any faults on the line, and all packages come with a minimum 12-month contract.

Why should I switch to The Phone Co-op?

Though its call plans and line rental are not as cheap as others on the market, for example Primus and YourCalls.net, The Phone Co-op does offer the perfect call plan and line rental package for anyone looking for a provider with a difference, who takes their ethical and environmental commitments seriously.

The Phone Co-op says: “Whilst we might not always have the best headline prices, we are confident that in the long run you will pay less by using our services. More importantly you will always know exactly what you are paying for, as we pride ourselves on our transparent pricing.”

There are several reasons why switching to The Phone Co-op may be the best landline option for you. For example:

• All customers will be able to make free calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers depending on their call plan.
• The provider’s customer services are UK-based in Chipping Norton and Manchester.
• Unlike other providers, the Phone Co-op charges calls by the second, rather than by the minute - so if you make a call that is only 30 seconds, you will not be charged for the whole minute.

As a co-operative, The Phone Co-op put every penny you spend on your phone bill back into the organisation (meaning a better service for you), or back to customers in the form of a dividend, or to worthwhile causes, such as community-owned renewable energy projects.

How do I switch to The Phone Co-op?

Switching your line rental and calls to The Phone Co-op is really simple, and can be done in minutes online using our home phone comparison service. If you already have an active BT phone line, there will be no interruption to your service, and you will keep your existing phone number. The extra calling features you already have, such as caller ID, will stay the same, and you’ll still be able to access the operator and emergency services numbers.

Because the switch will be carried out at your local telephone exchange, an engineer won’t need to visit your house, and The Phone Co-op will tell your existing home phone provider that it will be billing you for your line rental, line services and calls in future.

If you need a new phone line installed, or if you are currently a cable customer (ie Virgin Media), The Phone Co-op can also arrange and manage the installation of a new line for you - This will cost £60.

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