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This document should be used as a guide to Lixxus' policy with regard to fair and reasonable use of our Lixxus broadband, voice and related services (the service(s)). Our policy is to provide a quality service to our customers who, we trust, will use the service(s) provided to them in a fair, honest and reasonable manner. The policy is in place to help ensure Lixxus can keep providing the quality and speed of service our customers have come to expect.
The following information is a guide only and must be read in conjunction with our terms and conditions document and our AUP which can be found at www.lixxus.co.uk.
Lixxus endeavour to use plain English where possible within our Terms and Conditions. However, if you require clarification on any point please contact support@lixxus.co.uk.
General
1. The FUP may be changed from time to time.
2. If you have a question about our fair use policy, please email support@lixxus.co.uk
3. Some Lixxus services have inactivity policies attached to them. N.B. Inactivity limits only relate to services where there are NO Monthly subscription charges applied, referred to in this document as "Hybrid" "Hybrid Pay as you go" or "Flex" services. The 'Inactivity' clauses in this FUP our AUP and our Terms and Conditions only apply to connections where you pay for the service based purely on the amount of data you transfer, these services have no monthly subscription charges and are referred to in this document as "PAYGO" or "PURE PAYGO" services. Services where there is no charge for data transfer are referred to in this document as "Flat Rate" services.
4. If you purchase a telephone service, often referred to throughout our site as Voice over IP or VoIP, such as LixxTalk with a broadband connection (for instance: StartBasic with LixxTalk), you may be required to pay a monthly charge for a block of free calling minutes per month. This subscription does not necessarily relate to your broadband connection. It is therefore imperative that you read carefully the service details for the package you wish to purchase.
5. The Lixxus "PURE PAYGO" services are billed for in exactly the same way as you would be billed for Gas or Electricity. This means you only pay for the amount you use. The service is charged for in Megabytes of data transfer. If you imagine that the broadband connection is like a Gas pipe, we measure the amount of traffic-flow (Gas) through your broadband pipe and charge you accordingly. Downloading things like email, files, pictures, video and music increase the data throughput and although it's hard to calculate exactly, we do give you access to monitor use via an online graphical and numerical view of the amount of traffic you are using. This allows you to regulate your monthly bill. Refer to your "welcome emails" for your online username and password to access this information or email support@lixxus.co.uk for details of how to use this service.
6. Lixxus have pioneered a range of "Pay As You Go" and "Hybrid" Pay As You Go (Flex) services. The payment plans for these services ensure that we can provide you with what we feel is an exemplary service, while saving you, money.
Due to the technology used by all service providers in the UK and the system in place at your local exchange, you share your broadband connection with other Lixxus customers. This is normal for all UK ISPs and is called contention. Home services usually have a contention ratio of 50:1 and business connections have, in general, a 20:1 contention. Services are available on 1:1 contention, 1:1 services have no download limits and are priced accordingly.
In general contention is not an issue with broadband services in the UK. However, some customers, mainly those who use Peer2Peer or file sharing software, or who download large amounts of data, are deemed to be 'Heavy Downloaders' and have a detrimental effect on all users of the Lixxus broadband service and an impact on contention.
7. This FUP is in place to protect all customers who use the service from those who wish to abuse the service. We would like to stress that 99% of all Lixxus customers use the service fairly, and only a very small proportion of people use the service in a detrimental way.
Fair Use of the Service
1. Q: "Surely I should be able to use the service as much as I like?"
If you are considered by Lixxus to be a 'Heavy Downloader' we will still allow you to use the service, however we may limit your transfer rates at certain times of day or may ask you to move to another Lixxus service. In extreme circumstances, we reserve the right to ask you to migrate to another provider.
2. Q: "I don't know how much I transfer, so will you limit my service or ask me to change to another Lixxus service in the future?".
It is very unlikely that you will fall into this category unless you use file sharing, Peer2Peer software or download large amounts of data. Some broadband users leave this type of software running for up to 24 hours a day. If you do use Peer2Peer or file sharing software but you don't use it all day every day, then it's likely you are/will be one of the 99% of Lixxus customers who enjoy the speed and reliability of the service without abusing the service.
At present Lixxus allow users 30GB of data transfer per month on any service. If you go over this limit regularly we will send you an email alerting you, asking that you regulate your usage. We will also take into account when the maximum transfer occurs. If the times of maximum transfers take place between the hours of 2am and 6am we will monitor the transfer and inform you of our decision within 14 days. If the maximum transfers occur outside this window, we will ask you to regulate your use. If after a further 30 days of monitoring, there is no change, we reserve the right to limit your throughput at our network centre.
You have the option to transfer to another provider at this time. If you are inside your minimum contract term (see service details) you will however be asked to pay for any "Free" items given to you at the time of purchase, this includes but is not limited to "Free or reduced installs and set up fees", "Free or reduced modems and or routers". Items must be returned in good condition and in the packaging supplied at time of purchase.
To help you understand how much you are using, you can check your estimated average bill online at www.lixxus.co.uk. The service is free to all Lixxus customers and allows you to determine how much data you transfer. There you will find a graphical and numerical indication of your use over the day/week/month/year together with a total data transfer amount for the month and an indication of the amount spent to-date. You will be billed by email every month.
3. Q: "Should I buy a broadband service based around a 'Pure' Pay As You Go scheme with no monthly subscription, a 'Hybrid PAYGO' Service, where I get some data transfer for a low fixed monthly subscription then PAYGo on top, or a "Flat Rate" payment service?"
The Lixxus 'Pure' PAYGo service range is aimed at customers who have low to moderate throughput, but with regular use. This service allows you to use the broadband service and only pay for the amount of data you transfer. The service is not meant to be installed in Holiday or Second homes or at locations where you only use the connection occasionally. For peace of mind, Lixxus set caps on pricing for each service as a guide.
The 'Hybrid', or subscription based flexible payment services allow you to purchase a certain amount of data transfer for a fixed monthly fee. If you go over that pre-determined data transfer level then you will be required to pay for any amount of data you transfer thereafter. For peace of mind, Lixxus set caps on pricing for each service as a guide. The "Hybrid" services can be installed at any location including a holiday home or a location where you only use the connection occasionally.
The cap pricing means that you will never pay more than the cap for the service you purchase, we may however ask you to move to another service if you download more than 30Gb per month on a regular basis (see point 2 for details)
4. Q: "Will I always get the speed of service I have ordered?"
Because broadband uses a standard copper telephone line to carry the service, the quality of the line regulates the speed of service you will enjoy from your broadband connection. Lixxus will endeavour to supply the fastest speed possible but cannot guarantee that the service will run at 100% of the available bandwidth recommended by the upstream provider (such as BT). As faster services become available, Lixxus will endeavour to supply each customer with the fastest service possible. Other factors can limit the speed of your connection, such as distance from your exchange and noise on the Line, for a full list, check out the Lixxus support guides and FAQ's at www.lixxus.co.uk
5. The 'Pure' Pay As You Go service is meant to be used. We offer this service as an option for dial-up customers who would like a reasonably priced entry into the wonderful world of broadband, or for existing broadband users who have medium but regular transfer of data month on month and want to save money on their bills.
6. Q: "So if I go on holiday and turn it off, what will I pay?"
With a Pure PAYGo service, such as 'LixxStart' or 'StartBasic', you will pay nothing for the time your connection is switched off. If you have a Hybrid PAYGo service, such as 'StartFlex', you will only pay your monthly subscription while the connection is inactive.
7. Q: "Can I use it at my holiday home or second home?"
We do not suggest you use the Pure PAYGo service at your second home, holiday home or at a location where the service will be switched off or have very low usage over extended periods of time. We must pay for this service whether you use it or not. For this reason, we may limit the amount of time the service can be inactive or have minimal activity. If you use the service too little or we have reason to believe the service has been installed in a second home or holiday home, or other location where you are away from the connection for extended periods of time, we will ask you to transfer to a Hybrid PAYGo service such as StartFlex (see point 11 for details of the re-grade process). Hybrid services can be used at any residential location
8. Q."Why can't I just use it when I want to?"
The Pure PAYGo service was designed to allow you to join the broadband revolution and have regular access to the internet at super high speeds compared to Dial-up, and to do so at the most cost-effective rate possible. In addition, when you go on holiday you pay nothing. We think that's very fair. The reason we have to have a fair use policy is simple; because we have to pay for the connection whether you use it or not, we need to limit the inactive time of your connection. We want to be here to supply you with broadband for many years to come, if you only use the service for 2 weeks per year, we won't be.
9. Q: "What will happen, if the service is inactive for extended periods, will you turn me off?"
We will send you an email asking you to re-grade the service, you have the opportunity to move the service to another provider at this time at no extra charge. If you do not reply within 14 days we will send you another email informing you of the service you will be re-graded to. If within another 14 days you do not reply, we will automatically re-grade you to a subscription based product, at the lowest rate available.
If you decide to leave and you are within your contract period, then we will expect you to pay for or return any free items received at the time of order. This can include install, modems and or routers. This does not apply to broadband subscription based services.
If you pay a subscription for voice services and have broadband, you may still be required to abide by the FUP for your broadband service. It is therefore very important that you keep us informed of any changes to your email address, we will not attempt to contact you by any other method.
10. Q: "So how do I know if my use will fall into the 'Inactive' category?"
It's quite simple; if you use the service regularly, go on holiday and leave the connection off, you will not be charged. Alternatively, if you clock up a day here and a day there, this will be added to your total of inactive/low activity days throughout the year. If we decide that the connection is not being used over extended periods or extensive aggregated periods, then we may ask you to move to another Lixxus product with a monthly subscription. Less than 1% of all Lixxus customers fall into this category. Remember, this does not apply to subscription based services.
If you feel that you use, or may use, your connection very infrequently then we will be happy to discuss your options. Many customers use the Pure PAYGo services at first and, depending on usage, move to a flex service. Lixxus flex services are some of the most competitive in the market place, however if you feel that the service is not for you, you always have the option to migrate your service to another provider. We take pride in trying to find a service to suit all. Our low customer churn rates are proof of our success in keeping our customers happy.
The opposite can be the case. You may decide to purchase a 'Pure PAYGO' service and find your use is very high and you end up paying more than you would like for your service. Then moving to a 'Hybrid' package may save you money. The 'Hybrid' packages have varying amounts of data transfer included and often, have a lower capped payment limit, but not in all cases. Please read the detailed service offering information before deciding which service to purchase.
11. Q: "What if I forget and leave my connection on when I go away?"
We understand that this could happen and we constantly monitor your traffic to this end. If only limited traffic is logged on your line (i.e. general router traffic), it is likely that your bill would be minimal.
12. Q: "But if I just leave it on, surely it will be counted as usage and not added to the total amount of inactive days?"
To prevent wholesale abuse of this service we will monitor your traffic/data throughput and make a fair decision on whether the connection is actually being used or is simply showing minimum 'router chatter' traffic.
13. Q: "What is the total amount of time the Pure PAYGO services, such as LixxStart can be inactive for?"
(N.B. Inactivity limits only relate to services with NO monthly subscription charges, where you pay for the service based purely on the amount of data you transfer).
Lixxus suggest that the Pure PAYGO service is for regular use. Lixxus have in the past had a system in-place whereby customers would be asked to transfer to another Lixxus service after 60 days of inactivity or 60 days of aggregated inactivity. However, this was deemed to be a little harsh in many cases. We therefore now take a number of factors into account when identifying low usage, including the amount of data throughput per month. It is therefore now unlikely that you would be asked to move service for inactivity of less than 60 days aggregated per year. However, in certain circumstance where the service is totally inactive (for the first 45 days after activation for instance), we may decide to ask you to move to another service.
14. Q: "If I don't like these terms, when can I move?"
Unlike many of our competitors who tie you into a 12 month contract, the contract length for our standard products is generally only one month. With certain services you may be asked to sign up to a 12 month contract. This is generally the case if you received a free install or free hardware (Special Offer) with your order. Some products such as SDSL have an automatic 12 month contract. We strongly suggest you read the full details pages for each product, they give you in depth information on all aspects of the service.
15. Q: "Will the contract length change?"
We have no plans to change the standard contract length but we do reserve the right to change this from time to time. If you purchase a service with a 'FREE offer', such as install and/or modem, it is likely that we would ask you to take the service for an extended period in exchange for the offer. This can extend your contract for up to 12 months. If you decide to move prior to the termination of any extended contract, we will ask you to pay for any installations and equipment offered FREE with the service at the time of purchase. We strongly suggest you should read the service details carefully before making your decision to purchase.
16. Q: "How can I get technical support if my connection dies?"
We currently offer an 0845 local call rate support number. We also supply you with a dial-up account free of charge with all Lixxus services. You should contact support@lixxus.co.ukfor details of our dial-up service. We reserve the right to charge for technical support in future using a premium rate support number. If you still have working access to email, you can email the address given in your introduction pack. If you have access to a fax machine, you can also fax us on the published fax number. Lixxus will shortly be introducing a premium rate SMS service as another method of getting in touch.
17. Q: "Can I get a discount if I don't take the free items offered at time of sale?"
No you can't. If Lixxus offer, for instance, a free router or modem, the router is leased to you for as long as you have the service. If you leave we will ask you to pay for the equipment within 30 days of the termination of that service or return the equipment to us. You must return the equipment in the condition you received it and in its original packaging within 30 days or we reserve the right to make a charge, equivalent to the retail price of the equipment at the time you received it.
18. Q: "If I leave the service within 12 months, can I keep the free items delivered to me at the time of sale, such as modems or routers?"
Again, the answer is 'only if you pay for the goods'. The charge for this will be equivalent to the retail price of the item at the time it was delivered to you. If not you will be required to return the item in the condition you received it and in its original packaging.
Please also read our Terms and Conditions and Acceptable Use Policy
If you can't find what you are looking for or would like to speak to a Lixxus representative about your requirements please contact us:
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