topic Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for in Plusnet Feedback

Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:59:35 GMT

So myself and my partner signed up for Plusnet and got it connected last May. Here is the timeline:
- Awful speeds from day 1 after a Plusnet engineer came and tested the line and installed everything
- Our first bill was overcharged and took ages to sort out
- Whilst attempting to sort out the bill issues I asked someone on the phone why our service was so slow and why we had noise on our phoneline - he said it would settle down and was because we had a new service. HOWEVER THIS WAS A MONTH AFTER IT WAS INSTALLED!!
So our line was slow and the phoneline was noisy. We waited for it to speed up, I even got a new phone and broadband filter to eliminate these problems.
The line in early October deteriorated even further. Which led me to call again and ask what we could do. THEN we waited until the end of October until we had a usable phone line and faster internet when an engineer called and fixed a fault that should have been detected when our line was originally installed (he said the line was in a terrible condition which had happened over several years). Our speed was 308 kpbs before it was fixed!
To add to this PLusnet kept telling us we had reached our 10g allowance when we use the internet over a secure network for normal browsing and never ever went over our previous 2gb allowance with our other provider. On our breakdown it had 'gaming' which we never do. My router is secure, no one knows the password and we are not even in most of the day.
EVen though Plusnet told us on the phone we had an extraordinary amount of dropped connections before the fault was fixed they refused to acknowledge that perhaps having to upload the same video 5 times because it kept failing at 80% done would contribute to this additional usage.
So even though this poor line was reported in early June because the support assistant had failed to mention our brief chat whilst we discussed the earlier billing issue Plusnet refused to acknowledge that the problem had been going on for some time.
They offered a one month refund for a service which has been crippled for months. The CSC said he would process it that moment yet he has failed to do so and also indirectly accused me of lying because there was no 'phone log' of our original problem. I doubt he had any intention of processing the token gesture of a refund and I doubt we will actually get it. I would like to know if that phone conversation was recorded but conveniently I am sure it wasn't.
I have also found that you speak to so many people at PLusnet that they all give differing opinions and some totally contradict each other. One chap told me that uploads don't count towards usage and one told me that they do. Some are extremely passive aggressive and some are plain rude.
I have requested a MAC key and will be moving back to my previous provider who was very good. I should never have been tempted by the cheap price of Plusnet,

'

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

TicnTac — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 22:04:09 GMT

It is sometimes true that you do get what you pay for, but having a problem for 8 months now, some issues similar to yourself, I've come to realise that it would be pointless moving elsewhere until this fault is fixed For the vast majority of the issues, it's come down to BT, not Plusnet. Yes there are some customer service staff who really ought to think about getting a job else where, however, it is the same everywhere, unless you find a small ISP which is all in house, but will cost 5 times as much!
Given half a chance, and with the right member of staff, faults can get sorted, so I'm led to believe - still waiting on BT, and again, we're waiting to BT, 98% of issues have all been BT, and as much as I'd like to, I can't blame Plusnet for that!
You will also find that most calls are recorded, how long they are on record for I'm not sure, but worth asking.
It's a shame you didn't arrive at this forum earlier, you might have had a member of staff who could have helped you out and sorted the problems once and for all.
All the best moving back.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

BrianE — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:42:14 GMT

The line problems weren't PlusNet's fault, by the way, so if you're switching to another provider make sure they're not using BT's network. Otherwise, you may well have the exact same problems, but this time with a huge callcentre in Zambodia that won't be able to understand you, let alone directly help
Good luck with whatever happens, though most of your problems aren't PlusNet-specific. PlusNet support is actually pretty decent from my dealings with them, so I'd maybe phone again trying to get it sorted before switching. You have problems with your line, and other providers could be harder to tease a solution out of

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

adamwalker — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:00:09 GMT

endlessnameless,
I'm disappointed to hear about the problems you've experienced with us. Please accept our apologies for this.
I can fully appreciate that you feel like there is no option but to move on now, before you do please let me know if there is anything that you feel is left unresolved here and I will deal with it personally.
If there is any chance remaining of you changing your mind I'm also willing to investigate the issues you've had and give you a very honest opinion of if there is any way we can ensure that we can avoid these things happening again in the future.
If your mind is made up I will still be taking a look at your account to see in more detail how and why we've failed you here.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:18:44 GMT

Adam - I am waiting on a months credit of £17 something for the month when the line deteriorated even further. I would appreciate it if you could sort this out as it was promised by CSC and it has not been credited.
I would also be interested if you have logs of our speed or dropped connections sincee we started with you as this would prove that I am not making up the problems we have had since the line was installed.
I understand that BT runs the network of course!, but Plusnet should have flagged the issue when I reported it in June. Yes I understand my billing issue was the pressing matter but the agent dismissed the line problem and led me to believe it would be sorted in time.
Secondly, BT are agents for Plusnet and whatever the contractual relationship between them is my contract is with Plusnet who should accept responsibility for:
- Not having the engineer properly test the line when it was installed to detect the awful deterioration of the phone line (the previous owners had cable so this was never flagged by them).
- Not logging and dealing with the issue when I mentioned it in June.
- Taking almost a month to sort out the fault when I reported it again in early October.
- The billing issue we had early on.
- Staff who contradict each other constantly.
They also fail to acknowledge that despite the agent recognising an extraodinary amount of dropped connections on our line, the issue of our high usage could be due to having to repeat upload/download tasks because the kept failing halfway in, or 80% in etc. We were using a 1gb Three mobile dongle as a go between before we got our line up with Plusnet and we never went over the limit!
Previously we were with the Post Office and were delighted with them. The call agents were fine and problems were sorted very quickly. I was tempted by the cheap Plusnet deals sadly. Thank goodness we paid extra for the no contract option! Our line fault now appears to have been fixed but Plusnet are throttling our speed for usage that I don't believe reflects our browsing.
Adam if you can investigate our problems and consider having some sort of decent reimbursement arranged I will consider you to have at least partially redemeemed Plusnet.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

adamwalker — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 14:42:13 GMT

Quote
Adam if you can investigate our problems and consider having some sort of decent reimbursement arranged I will consider you to have at least partially redemeemed Plusnet.

Does this mean you would consider changing your mind about leaving? I'm being blunt here but I feel that little would be gained if I investigate this at length if you were leaving. Either way I will at least action the refund and see what lessons can be learned from how this issue was handled.
Adam

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 20:34:21 GMT

Adam,
Thank you for having the refund actioned. However we have had a 'cancellation fee' added to our account which was not mentioned on the phone when I discussed migrating over. We paid an additional £25 when we signed up for the 'no contract' option, so why there is a cancellation charge is unexplainable to me.
Sadly we are moving over to our old provider as I feel it shouldn't have got this far in the first place. Other members of my family were once with Plusnet (years ago before you expanded massively) and noticed the service going downhill rapidly and they moved over to 02 and have had nothing but good things with them. I can't say I have had any problems with my old provider either. Price as always is tempting, but with that comes downsides.
I would say a lot can be learned from this experience for sure.
Regards,
Mark

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

Wheel_nut — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 22:06:31 GMT

Adam probably won't reply until Monday morning.
The £25 Cancellation charge should only apply if you are CANCELLING the service rather than migrating to another ISP using a MAC.
I hope this helps until Adam picks up the issue on Monday.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

mondyman — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 14:26:40 GMT

i can totally understand where your coming from , i moved 3 weeks ago from a 1.5 mbps connection and i've ended up with 250 k bps ( yes that is kilobytes !!!! ) Well i am getting the run around from customer relations as you'd expect..
i basically want out of plusnet asap , a mac code , even if it means i have to pay for my router and a cancellation fee , ....Totally unusable for work , and surfing ,,,,try running more then 3 pages and downloading a you tuve video...you#ll be sitting there for 2 hrs....
I#ve been advised that because im switching off my router thats why my line speed is dropping...what a load of old cobblers it never went this low before and my router was switched off every night...
Absolutley sucked off customer who wants out

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

pierre_pierre — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:29:33 GMT

not a load of old cobblers at all, you went onto a new connection and BT put you into a ten day training period, if you in your wisdom switch on after about 2 pm you will get a rubbish speed and BT will say OK then we will give them a high setting to keep them connected.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

adamwalker — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:45:45 GMT

Morning all,
I'm sorry that it seems to be that we may not be the ISP for you and that you feel support may have let you down. If you were willing to change your mind I'm, happy to investigate your issues and resolve them as quickly as I can.
Otherwise if you are firm on your decision there we will not charge you £25, I have checked your account and I can't even find a mention of such a charge, either way no payments are due.
Adam.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:26:32 GMT

OK an update for you :
We left Plusnet on 17th November 2010 when our service moved to The Post Office yet
YOU ARE STILL TAKING PAYMENTS FROM US MONTHLY!!!
We just noticed that you took payment for December and there is a pending payment for Jan. Utter thievery.
Adam could you please sort out the refund for me. This is another thing in a long line of cock ups by Plusnet.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

zubel — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:29:00 GMT

Did you specifically let Plusnet know you were cancelling?
Did you obtain a MAC code?
Did you use the MAC code to transfer to the Post Office, and at the same time raise a ticket cancelling your account
Guess not.
B.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 00:59:33 GMT

guess not? whats that meant to mean? You don't know what went on so don't judge. and Plusnet make people like you moderators...?
Firstly YES to all your questions.
Secondly,even if there was no ticket correspondence, the phone cancellation (or any action to clearly indicate cancellation) is enough to cancel the contract in itself. This isn't Plusnet law, this is contract law. So none of that special bold type on a totally mute point.
Thirdly I got an apology from Plusnet for THEIR mistake.
Fourth, i'm a lawyer and I cover all bases.
guess not eh?
p.s.- This response has been screengrabbed before you go 'moderating me' for exposing your insulting way of putting things.I am sure even Plusnet wouldn't be happy with you throwing your weight around like this. Generally I find moderators to be power hungry people who love to use passive aggressive tactics on forums and threats of banning to get what they want. They also feel they can get away with being rude here and there. Of course thats my personal opinion and is a general one.

adie:quote

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

jelv — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 09:34:14 GMT

Can you confirm that you contacted Plusnet at least TWICE; the first to request your MAC, the second to confirm the date that your migration completed.
There are a number of reasons why the second call is advisable:

A lot of people request MACs and never use them. Plusnet can not assume that a request for a MAC is a definite order to close the account. There would be a lot of very upset people is they terminated accounts at the end of the 30 days a MAC is valid

Requesting a MAC does not set a date for the termination of an account even when it is used. The code has to be used within 30 days but the migration could complete with a few days of the MAC being requested or much later than 30 days; it depends upon how quickly the user gives the code to the new ISP, how quickly it is used and then how quickly BT do the work to do the transfer

BT are supposed to inform the losing ISP when the migration has completed. We've seen many, many cases where that has not happened, both for users joining Plusnet and leaving.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:57:48 GMT

When I spoke to Plusnet initially they told me that they would know the MAC had been used and when the service switches and I would then be issued with a final bill when my service migrated. They made it clear that I did not have to do anything more to cancel. Maybe I shouldn't have trusted what I was told on the phone.
I received a ticket to state that the service had been cancelled.
However I was still being billed and am still awaiting a refund for the overbilling.
It appears that Plusnet are incompetent. You can try and blame BT for not letting Plusnet know what is going on. But they appeared to clearly know. For goodness sakes, you think and ISP doesn't know when traffic ceases from the end user?
This is a billing issue. Same as the issue was us being overbilled from the start of our time with Plusnet.
More saliently maybe Plusnet should look at the hostility of their moderators.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

jelv — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:16:56 GMT

Quote from: endlessnameless
For goodness sakes, you think and ISP doesn't know when traffic ceases from the end user?

I get annoyed with Plusnet and apply for my MAC, but after reflecting decide not to use it.
A week later I go away on a fortnights holiday and (as I always do) power everything including the router off.
When I return from holiday I have no internet and when I ring up I find that because I'd applied for a MAC and shortly afterwards all traffic ceased they'd assumed I left and cancelled my account. BT will have charged Plusnet £25 to cancel the broadband (because it was actually a migration) and Plusnet will have passed the change on to me.
Then, to really cheer me up, I'm told it will take up to 10 days to reactivate the broadband and will cost me another £25.
You really do have some stupid ideas!

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

jelv — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:39:30 GMT

I've just been doing some research on this and had a look at the Cancellation policy. If you look at the Moving to a New provider section, paragraph 4 says

Quote
4. To ensure no loss of service for the customer, when we issue a MAC Key, we do not schedule the account for cancellation. Any due subscription payments will continue to be taken. The account will only be closed (or downgraded) when we receive confirmation from either the customer (or from our network supplier) that the service has moved to the new provider.

and paragraph 8 says

Quote
8. Our suppliers do normally inform us when a customer uses a MAC Key, but this doesn't always happen. If a customer does not receive confirmation of the account closure, once their migration has completed, they are advised to call our Customer Options Team on 0845 140 6002 to inform us that the migration has completed.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

endlessnameless — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:06:52 GMT

Ok. I have stupid ideas do I. Well you are just getting insulting now. isn't that in breach of forum conduct my friend?
Firstly you quoting me the policy is irrelevant because I did receive confirmation the account was closed. I stated this in my post. I got a ticket to state it. Furthermore, a Plusnet agent told me that they would be informed that the account had migrated and there was no need for me to do anything more.
One absolyute doozer you are missing is that I had told Plusnet I wanted to cancel my account on the phone. There was no maybe. I was cancelling. Because I was not tied into a contract the MAC key is irrelevant whether I used it or not. I was told that if I wanted to use it and transfer over before my notice period expired then I could, otherwise the account would just stop. MAC this and MAC that. Not relevant. I told them it was to cancel on the phone in absolute terms. So all your hoo ha about telling them about my MAC going over is nonsense.
Secondly, stupid ideas? I don't think so. Plusnet know every detail of web traffic. So why is it stupid to assume that when the line is changed to a different provider they can't know this?
Stop ignoring all the mess ups by Plusnet and try to make me look silly, because you just look like a baby.

Re: Awful Plusnet Experience - You get what you pay for

jelv — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:47:37 GMT

Oh dear, oh dear, you really need to understand the difference between cancellation and migration out.
If you cancel, Plusnet will cancel the broadband on the line and as BT charge them for doing so they will pass the £25 cancellation charge on to you. Cancelling is an order on the BT systems and while that is in progress no new orders can be placed on the line by your new ISP. In fact it can be a day or so worse than that because it sometimes takes BT that long for all their systems to update. Once that has happened your new ISP can place an order and around 7 working days later (if you are lucky) your broadband will be up again. Your new ISP may charge you for the activation.
Migration using a MAC is seamless, you are switched directly from one ISP to another, you do not incur the cancellation charge, you do not have around two weeks without any broadband.
Now, did you migrate using a MAC or did you cancel?