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Call to support CHARGED!

HairyMcbiker
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Call to support CHARGED!

Why was I charged for my call to support yesterday?
Quote
28/07/2014 03301239197 12:17:49 00:15:00 no   £1.41

I thought all calls to PN were FREE!

Raised a ticket 89266516 but with 46 hours to wait ... but I ain't phoning you again if I am going to be charged for it!
37 REPLIES 37
Acassim
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
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Registered: ‎11-06-2007

Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Hi Hairy McBiker,
We do offer free calls into support from landlines however you seem to have called the mobile lo-call rate number to get through to our customer options team which outside of your inclusive minutes (evening and weekends) would be chargeable. The 03 numbers should make use of inclusive mobile minutes that normally come with pay monthly packages.
We have a listing on the portal which gives both versions of the numbers here which should explain details on pricing at the bottom.
jelv
Seasoned Hero
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

That page needs amending
Quote
0300, 0330 and 0345 numbers are charged at the same rate as a landline for mobile users and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes.

It doesn't actually say how calls are charged for landline users. As you advertise that PN home phone users get free calls to PN it should be free.
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
Oldjim
Resting Legend
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

That is completely wrong
See this http://www.plus.net/home-broadband/tariffs/
Quote
Calls to Plusnet support Free at all times

See the screen cap
That number must be free otherwise one or other of those pages is completely wrong
ITWorks
Superuser
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

So PN advertise the number (03301239197) under "support numbers"
State on the website
Quote from: http
24/7, 365 days a year award-winning help from our UK customer support centre. We're always happy to help and it's free to call from landlines and mobiles with inclusive minutes. Contact us.

Yet have the cheek to charge for it, when called from a PN landine. It's very misleading PN
Regards
Mike

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

PeeGee
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

It could be argued that landline "inclusive minutes" are those provided by the "anytime option" and possibly by the evening/weekend options; though neither anytime nor mobile inclusive minutes are, strictly, free Roll_eyes
However, that does not apply to "free at all times" Shocked  -  except there is a 0800 number provided (and I'm not sure that many people would expect a 03 number to be similarly free using a landline).
Personally, not having mobile "inclusive minutes" means I always use the landline for 0800 or during "free calls" time periods (in that order) where possible.
Plusnet FTTC (Sep 2014), Essentials (Feb 2013); ADSL (Apr 2009); Customer since Jan 2004 (on 28kb dial-up)
Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.
HairyMcbiker
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Since I am on evening & w/e calls it is not in my free time, but I was going with the
Quote from: http
24/7, 365 days a year award-winning help from our UK customer support centre. We're always happy to help and it's free to call from landlines and mobiles with inclusive minutes. Contact us.

It doesn't say it is ONLY free if you call the 0800 not the 0330 number.
Checking:
http://www.plus.net/support/pdf/Plusnet-Phone-Tariff-pre100614.pdf which is what I am on, says that CALLS FROM/TO PLUSNET ARE FREE AT ANY TIME.
I DEMAND A REFUND!
Since the whole **()R*R()*R(R* reason to phone was to cut my costs! This is going to be escalated to a complaint (again!) unless it is refunded.
PeeGee
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

I'm not disagreeing with you - it is badly worded and subject to the interpretation of the individual.
Quote from: Hairy
It doesn't say it is ONLY free if you call the 0800 not the 0330 number.

.. and conversely, it is not always "free" to ring  0800 from a mobile - with/without inclusive minutes.
Quote from: Hairy
CALLS FROM/TO PLUSNET SUPPORT ARE FREE AT ANY ALL TIMES

I suspect the tariff sheet you referenced was not updated when the 0330 number was introduced!
Plusnet FTTC (Sep 2014), Essentials (Feb 2013); ADSL (Apr 2009); Customer since Jan 2004 (on 28kb dial-up)
Using a TP-Link Archer VR600 modem-router.
bobpullen
Community Gaffer
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Pretty sure it should be free. If someone cares to bump this thread tomorrow during office hours then I'll do some digging...

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
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Oldjim
Resting Legend
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

I will indeed - assuming that you start work at a sensible time this should do it
Acassim
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
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Registered: ‎11-06-2007

Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Morning all,
Apologies for not getting back to this thread sooner, I had a meeting towards the end of the day and didn't get time to pick this back up. I've had a dig into this with our products team this morning and can confirm that we do charge for calls to the 03 support numbers from our landline products outside of inclusive minutes (Evenings or weekends).
From my understanding, this issue arose from the train of thought that Pee Gee provided in his last post. The documentation on the website have failed to move forward and evolve as we moved from the 0845 numbers which we suppressed billing for to make support free (where we first introduced the free calls to support). We then moved onto the 0800 number which still allowed free calls and didn't requite any documentation updates. Finally we had the addition of the 03 numbers to help customers with mobile calls however this then admittedly makes the wording on free support somewhat murky dependent on how you interpret it  Undecided
Quote from: Oldjim
Calls to Plusnet support Free at all times

So while this quote is true of calls to the 0800 numbers from our home phone products, it doesn't expressly state this. I'll be raising a request to see if we can add some clarification to this as soon as we can so to avoid further confusion.
At the foot of the contact numbers page we also have -

"0300, 0330 and 0345 numbers are charged at the same rate as a landline for mobile users and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes."

Again, this is another one that could be open to interpretation so I'll also be raising a request for this to be reinforced regarding costs of calling 03 numbers from a land line outside of designated call plan times.
@Hairy McBiker - I'll arrange a refund of the costs for you on this occasion but please ensure that the 0800 numbers are used when calling from a landline where possible and the 03 numbers will see you right when calling from a mobile.
ITWorks
Superuser
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Quote from: Adam
Morning all,
.... calls to the 03 support numbers from our landline products outside of inclusive minutes (Evenings or weekends).

Not according to what was posted here, over 3 months ago ( note the first number)
Quote from: Ben
All of our published numbers for Support are free to call from a Plusnet landline:
03451400200
08443950830
08450020170
08450020177
08451400030
08451400080
08451400104
08451400200
08451400250
08451406002
This is regardless of length, time of day, package, etc. etc. Any number which is not on this list will be charged as usual.

Regards
Mike

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

HairyMcbiker
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Thanks Adam, but really if a call to support FROM a PN landline is supposed to be FREE it shouldn't matter WHICH number you call should it?
Since I am on the t&c I quoted I should NOT have been charged.
Fine you can CHARGE from a NON PN landline or from a mobile, but my contract explicitly states that calls to other PN landline users & support is free, what if I had called an other 01/02/03 PN phone user would I have been charged then? This really needs fixed. This is the same example either it is free as my contract says or it isn't and you MUST USE the 0800 number.
I seem to remember phoning an 03/845 number last year and that WASN'T charged even though it isn't in my calling plan during the day.
@I.T.Works left hand/right hand eh?
ITWorks
Superuser
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Very much so Hairy McBiker , the department  in charge of keeping the website and documentation up to date , needs to do better.
Another fine example
Quote from: http
Plus lots more...
We don't think you should be charged for the little things once you've joined us. So, we've thrown in a few extras. If you ever need to ring our 24/7 award-winning customer support it won't cost you a penny, neither will calling any other Plusnet Home Phone customers.

Regards
Mike

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

HairyMcbiker
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Posts: 6,792
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Re: Call to support CHARGED!

Another thing just popped into my mind.
If I ring an 0800 number from my phone I expect it to be FREE anyway. Why would you need to advertise that :-
Quote
We don't think you should be charged for the little things once you've joined us. So, we've thrown in a few extras. If you ever need to ring our 24/7 award-winning customer support it won't cost you a penny, neither will calling any other Plusnet Home Phone customers.

If it was JUST the 0800 number that was FREE?
Something fishy in the state of Plus Net (to paraphrase Shakespeare)
I wonder how many people never check their phone bills? I don't normally and only when I get my DD statement do I look if it is over the default value, it was only that I was looking at the "state" of my account details that I happened to check my phone bill.