topic Re: Been a member for 5 mins in Plusnet Feedback

Been a member for 5 mins

barkinglama — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 16:56:02 GMT

and I already have an email telling me that my line installation will be delayed - can't tell me by how long and can't tell me when they will know by how long
This is very poor service

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

barkinglama — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:12:58 GMT

Well I replied to the email support@plus.net
Here's the response
"Hi,
Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we don't pick up any emails sent to this address. That's because emails can easily be lost, misdirected or even deleted and we think it's better if this doesn't happen.
Depending on your enquiry you may find your answer conveniently online - either from My Account (http://my.plus.net) or from our support pages. These have lots of easy to follow guides to help you with all your broadband and Internet questions (http://support.plus.net).
If you're a Plusnet customer you can contact us online through the Help Assistant (http://help.plus.net). We prefer electronic 'tickets' to emails, this means that you can always see what updates have been made and check back over previous tickets too.
If you do prefer to contact us by phone you can call our support line on 0800 432 0200. We're open 24 hours a day, every day.
If you're a new customer, and want to know more about Plusnet, you can send us a message from our website (use the sales link at the foot of the page) or call our Sales Team on 0800 432 0080

Kind regards,
Nick Dodds
Head of Customer Support
"
That IMO, is laughable

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Oldjim — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:17:27 GMT

There should be a ticket on your account - try here https://www.plus.net/wizard/?p=search

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

barkinglama — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:39:10 GMT

Thanks for the link
I have raised a question
If I don't get an answer today I'm stopping the payment and cancelling the DD and going to look for another provider
Very poor
"doing you proud" Laughable
Makes you appreciate virgin media ...
dick:quote

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

jelv — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 21:49:25 GMT

It's not Plusnet that's the problem it's OpenReach and no matter which ISP you choose you'll still be dependent on them. In fact things have got so bad that they've had to introduce a special scheme to give faster installations for business. Have a read of http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5481-business-customers-may-be-able-to-jump-openreach-queue.html for an independent report.

Quote
This situation arises from the delays Openreach has suffered due to weather over the summer and possible we suspect due to lots of staff working to try and keep the superfast broadband roll-out programme moving. The situation is such that many new telephone lines and broadband services are taking five weeks or more to install.

PS If you re-read the original email you replied to you'll see at the bottom it says you can't reply by email!

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Anotherone — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 22:13:39 GMT

As has been said all these issues stem from this (in the main) http://usertools.plus.net/status/archive/1350031854.htm BT Wholesale and OpenReach's poor management doesn't help matters though. And if you think Virgin Media are good, you want to read some of the appalling stories around the Internet forums when things aren't working as they should!

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

barkinglama — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 06:54:14 GMT

Quote

PS If you re-read the original email you replied to you'll see at the bottom it says you can't reply by email!

The very fact that you can't reply to an email is bad customer service IMO

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

barkinglama — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:02:16 GMT

Quote from: Anotherone
As has been said all these issues stem from this (in the main) http://usertools.plus.net/status/archive/1350031854.htm BT Wholesale and OpenReach's poor management doesn't help matters though. And if you think Virgin Media are good, you want to read some of the appalling stories around the Internet forums when things aren't working as they should!

I am well aware of the problems that can be had with VM and I think it is terrible that they will not extend their network - full broadband on the other side of the A8 but they didn't cable the newbuild estate will be moving to - that is pathetic
But for a company to tell you in the ordering process that they are coming out on 14/11 to install the line (there already is an openreach socket it being a newbuild and all) then once they have your cash send you an email that you can't reply to telling you not only are they aware of the delays but they can't quantify how long the delay will be. If I had been made aware of this at the time of ordering I would not have bothered.
If I don't get a satisfactory response by noon today I will be putting a stop on the payment and cancelling my direct debit
Think I will just stick to using my giff gaff phone as a modem

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Petard — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:19:47 GMT

barkinglama, quoting PlusNet's automated reply:
"[...] emails can easily be lost, misdirected or even deleted and we think it's better if this doesn't happen. [...]"
That's very good! I love the irony! Would those be the same sort of e-mails that PlusNet thinks are reliable enough to notify us of contractual changes and price rises?
I too think it's poor that one cannot add to a ticket by e-mail instead of having to go to the trouble of logging in to the members' centre. If one includes the message from PlusNet in one's reply, and it contains the appropriate identifying code, it should be trivial to filter out spam and route such a message to the right account.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

jelv — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:15:16 GMT

1. Plusnet have absolutely no control whatsoever of the spam detection or anti virus you run on your PC so they cannot rely on the emails being delivered.
2. People often set their senders email address to something other than their Plusnet email address. How are Plusnet supposed to associate an email with an account if that happens?
3. You just cannot rely on all 500,000 users putting the necessary quote or account reference - I'd bet at least a third would be problematic. The overheads of trying to track the correct account (or even just replying to ask for the information) would both put up costs and slow response times for everyone.
4. They have a perfectly good ticket system which provides full tracking of issues. In over 10 years I can't think of a single report where tickets got 'lost'. They may get overlooked or left untouched for a long time (but that could equally happen with an email) and with a ticket the proof is there that it was submitted.
5. People don't log in to the members centre every day which is why they send out emails. But to back that up in case it gets lost they also place copies of the emails in closed tickets.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

itsme — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:26:40 GMT

Quote from: barkinglama

But for a company to tell you in the ordering process that they are coming out on 14/11 to install the line (there already is an openreach socket it being a newbuild and all) then once they have your cash send you an email that you can't reply to telling you not only are they aware of the delays but they can't quantify how long the delay will be. If I had been made aware of this at the time of ordering I would not have bothered.

Completely irrelevant it's a new build with a telephone socket as highly likely that the connection does not go back to the exchange without the need for Openreach doing work in the street cabinets.

Quote from: barkinglama
Think I will just stick to using my giff gaff phone as a modem

Hope you will not be doing this using a Goodybag.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Petard — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:31:50 GMT

Quote from: jelv
1. Plusnet have absolutely no control whatsoever of the spam detection or anti virus you run on your PC so they cannot rely on the emails being delivered.

"Any notice given by [...] email shall be deemed to be served on the day of transmission." - PN's Terms & Conditions.
"[...] emails can easily be lost, misdirected or even deleted [...]" - PN's automated message.

EDIT: As to support via e-mail, although I don't agree with all you say, which I think as overstated as my 'trivial', I think you may be right that there could be problems.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Anotherone — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 13:53:53 GMT

The point about the Ts&Cs and emails had been raised in this thread http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,107655.msg925057.html#msg925057

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

chrispurvey — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:29:17 GMT

Hi barkinglama,
Sorry to hear of your delay to your install, when we went to place your order there was an issue that flagged up on our suppliers systems. I understand your frustration that this has caused but unfortunately the date cannot be brought forward as the necessary physical work needs to be completed first.
I can see you have managed to raise a ticket to us, which along with the forums and twitter is the best method to contact us.
Chris

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Anotherone — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:39:30 GMT

Hi barkinglama,
when you login to "My Account" going directly to "My Questions" with the link that Oldjim provided, it should give you a list of currently open questions/tickets which you can view, giving you a picture of what is currently happening on your account. You can also look at closed tickets which will give a history of things that have happened.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

barkinglama — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:54:58 GMT

Yeah I did that, after a protracted convo on the tickets I was told that I had to phone a cancellation line.
They have now promised to refund my money and cancel my account
Just have to make sure I cancel any Direct Debit that may appear
Plusnet customer for 2.75 days
Regretted every second of it
Glad to no longer be
adie:quote

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

Anotherone — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:21:28 GMT

Sorry you feel like that, I'd be surprised if you get any better anywhere else. Of course, by the time you place an order elsewhere and get connected, the MBORC may have been lifted. Don't forget even if you go/are LLU that still depends on OpenRetch.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

chrispurvey — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:26:37 GMT

Sorry to hear that you're leaving before you've even had our services, if there's is anything I can help with or if you have any further questions then please let me know.
Chris

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

emteec — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 21:28:25 GMT

It would be interesting to see the stats for how many installs are delayed & the reason for the delay.

Re: Been a member for 5 mins

shuffy1989 — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 23:37:10 GMT

Thats the best thing you could do is leave,I had nothing but problems when i first signed up, Delayed Delayed, Delayed
And you get soooo many different stories off plusnet, i did eventually manage to find one advisor who told me the truth and in the end it was the truth,
But just AVOID AT ALL COSTS