topic Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband in My Account/Billing

2 1/2 months without broadband

TimM1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:07:26 GMT

Have been a Plusnet customer for some time with no issues. This all changed on 13th November 2025. I really hope that someone senior from Plusnet monitors this forum as the company’s customer service has been diabolical.

Our broadband was supplied by what I think is called part fibre – telephone landline from the house connected to full fibre cable in the street. Contract up for renewal in late November 2025 and Plusnet were offering full fibre for initially £24.99 a month which was less than we were paying for part fibre, so we opted for that.

On the 13/11/2025 an engineer from M J Quinn for Openreach attempted to pull the new fibre cable through the underground duct using the existing landline cable. The cable snaped (underground) and he could do nothing. This left us with no telephone land line (which I know we would be losing anyway) and more importantly, no broadband. The engineer said was sure that Openreach would send someone out ‘almost straight away’.

2 ½ months on and no progress has been made. On the 13th of November Question 251438679 was created, this now has 51 entries on Help Assistant! I have had numerous emails and texts giving a new date for the installation; all have passed with nothing being done.

As I understand it, Openreach need to formally obtain ‘permission to work’ on the pavement from the landowner. The landowner in question is our Local Authority, Wigan Council, who I contacted on 19th December 2025. They advised me that they have not received any requests from Openreach to carry out work on the pavement outside our house. They went on to say that if they did receive a request, they would have no issues with giving permission to work. I immediately passed this on to Plusnet along with the email address at Wigan Council.

On the 14th of November an Openreach engineer had called and asked about attaching our broadband cable to our next door neighbours, to avoid digging up the pavement. We said no as the property is let, the landlord lives abroad so cannot be contacted. On the 29th of December we were accosted by the very irate neighbour from the other side, saying that Openreach had called at their house asking for permission to do the same thing. We had never been asked about this and if we had would have said no, as we know this neighbour can be ‘difficult’, to put it politely.

The only positive gesture from Plusnet was to supply us with a Mi Fi device on the 15th December. This does supply broadband via 5G some of the time, though it frequently drops out and must be re-booted. It is way too slow to stream movies and refuses to connect to our televisions.

Finally, to add insult to injury, in December Plusnet increase the amount they took via Direct Debit from around £30 to £61. When I queried this, I was told that we were now ‘out of contract’ and they couldn’t bill us under the new contact (£24.99) until the equipment was installed!

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

RealAleMadrid — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 13:17:34 GMT

@TimM1 I had a similar experience in March 2025 when I ordered full fibre, there was blocked duct in the pavement which Openreach or their contractors failed to repair. My existing part fibre service was unaffected so in a much better position than yourself. Plusnet appear to have no power to get Openreach to do anything and how can they be billing you for a non existent phone line and no broadband service? I would raise an official complaint about that.

complaints-code-of-practice/

See this thread for more detail of my experience ..... Full Fibre Upgrade

As explained in my thread the best thing to do is email the Openreach CEO with a brief description of what has happened. The email address can be found easily with a search on https://www.ceoemail.com/

I'm sure the high level complaints team will help you, best of luck

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

TimM1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 14:26:08 GMT

I should have said, a complaint was raised on the 17th of November - doesn't seem to have made much difference. Is the 'high level complaints team' a different process and if so, how do I contact them?

I will also try emailing the CEO's.

Cheers.

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

RealAleMadrid — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:13:32 GMT

@TimM1 Sending an email to the Openreach CEO will engage the High Level Complaints/Escalations team in the Director Services Office, That's all you need to do to start the process.

This is an extract from the initial reply I received after my email ...

Hello xxxx

Thanks for your email to xxxx. I’m sorry you’ve not yet been connected following your order for fibre broadband. I appreciate your frustrations.

As you’re aware, we’ve found blockages in or underground network that we need to clear before we can feed our cable through. A date for the blockage clearance is currently down for 27 June. I’ve reached out to the civils manager and have asked them if we can improve on this date. I’m just waiting on their response.

We’ll now manage your order here in our High Level Complaints team. One of my colleagues will be in touch soon and will keep you updated. Are we ok to contact your service provider so they’re aware we’re supporting with your order?

Kind regards

xxxxx xxxxx

Openreach

High level escalations

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

TimM1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:17:23 GMT

Many thanks again.

I have just emailed the CEOs of Openreach & BT (Plusnet being part of BT),. Cannot find an email address for the CEO of Plusnet unfortunately.

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

Baldrick1 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 16:32:12 GMT

@TimM1 wrote:

Cannot find an email address for the CEO of Plusnet unfortunately.

That's because there isn't one. BT, EE and Plusnet are now all part of BT Retail.

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

Townman — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:05:14 GMT

@Gandalf

Is the HLE in “control” of this one? Horrendous situation to be in - the QUINN engineer out never to have disconnected the existing service …

Was this a confirmed install date, consequent to which delayed installation automatic compensation should be clocking up days until 30 days after a compensation cease notice is issued. That compensation should cover the out of contract costs.

That said the compensation clock can get suspended whilst waiting for PTW … but I’d be wanting to see evidence that PTW (A55) has been requested. I’ve had personal experience of BTOR claiming that they were waiting in a third party … where no such request had been raised with the third party

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

dvorak — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:07:48 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Broadband to My Account / Billing

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 23:17:26 GMT

I'd be interested in how BT plan to approach similar (or even more complex issues). Where the ducting lies under a live railway line, and a failure to 'pull through' using exisiting copper cabling would result in multiple properties having no internet, no phone line, and mobile reception which exists but is so patchy it requires walking around (outside, sometimes in the rain) to get a phone connection of any quality.

(I think it is obvious that getting ducting freed up or installing new ducing under a railway line is rather more 'fraught' with complications.)

One of the affected properties is not internet-enabled to the best of my knowledge.

Re: 2 1/2 months without broadband

Baldrick1 — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:28:10 GMT

The need for all the digging fascinates me. We had gas retrospectively installed in our road. To bring the gas across the road to my property, a pit was dug on each side and the gas pipe 'moled' between the two pits.