topic Re: Home Phone Service in Plusnet Feedback

Home Phone Service

Enkel — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:41:10 GMT

I have a strange problem (well it is to me). My telephone does not work - ie I can neither make nor receive calls. But my Broadband is working, partially at any rate. The download speed has reduced to about 130kbps from the normal 1500kbps, but the upload speed remains unchanged at about 384kbps. So what is wrong with my line? However the main reason I've posted this on this thread rather than another is that I've asked PlusNet to investigate and have heard nothing, BUT NOTHING! from them in 12 hours. Look, chaps. I have no phone, so can't call you about this fault. You seem to take no notice of tickets raised. What do I have to do to get through to you and receive a service again? Could try the good old Post Office, I suppose but there seems to be no system in place for questions by letter. Please someone prove to me that I'm not on my own in the world and answer me.

Re: Home Phone Service

jelv — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:41:14 GMT

For broadband to work you need a working phone line, whatever the problem is with your phone will have caused so much noise on the line that your router is struggling to sync with the exchange and has only done so at a very low speed, sort out the phone at the broadband should follow.
Whoever you pay for your telephone needs to be contacted to get the voice service sorted out - don't confuse matters by talking about the broadband until that is working properly.

Re: Home Phone Service

James — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:45:31 GMT

Hi Enkel,
I'm sorry for the delay in getting to you.
I've asked our faults team to get this raised to OpenReach for you.

Re: Home Phone Service

jelv — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:49:02 GMT

James, why the delay? If he has HomePhone (as I guess he has from your post) an immediate voice fault should have been raised when he first rang in.

Re: Home Phone Service

Enkel — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 10:23:14 GMT

jelv, you've hit the nail on the head. Whatever PN's customers think about a blip in broadband service, anyone not on a premium bb service (like me) can stand a minor delay before the problem is rectified. However, when your phone line goes dead, action by the provider is needed IMMEDIATELY! In the past few days I have been getting tremendous flak from friends and colleagues for not answering my phone when they ring me. And in this day and age, you are virtually incommunicado without a phone. So yes, PlusNet, there should be NO DELAY WHATEVER when a fault on the voice line is reported. At least in the old days, if BT were going to be long in repairing my line, they seemed to be able to redirect incoming calls to my mobile without problem. Can't PlusNet?
Just one minor point, jelv. Since the problem is with the voice part of my line, I couldn't ring in to PN to tell them. I had to raise a ticket by the web site. I did try on my mobile, but when informed that I would have to wait 30 minutes before anyone could answer I saw the £££ ticking up on my Vodafone account and demurred! But thanks for your support.

Re: Home Phone Service

jelv — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:00:26 GMT

And Plusnet wonder why some of us haven't taken up Home Phone and have stayed with BT. At least with BT phone faults are handled quickly and efficiently!

Re: Home Phone Service

James — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:02:43 GMT

Hi,
If you had called (fully understand the reasons for not doing so), this fault would probably have been raised there and then.
The longest wait for a call to be answered yesterday was 12:31. Please bear in mind that our Home Phone calls are prioritised and would be answered more quickly than other calls.

Re: Home Phone Service

mal0z — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:11:06 GMT

Could PN provide a facility to text fault reports in - ?
You put your user name, description of fault.
PN then acknowledge with a reply text ?

Re: Home Phone Service

James — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:55:20 GMT

If you raise a ticket and you have opted in to SMS notification, then we can (and do) absolutely reply to you via SMS.

Re: Home Phone Service

itsme — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:04:42 GMT

Main reason that I have not moved my phone to another supplier is the potential cost of phone calls to report a fault. Up to 2 months ago it was just a walk across the road to use a public phone to call BT using a 0800 number. Public phone now has been removed so now have to find another. Believe there use to be one in the pub about 150 yards up the road. Have to go for a pint and see if they still there.

Re: Home Phone Service

mal0z — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:08:50 GMT

Yes I know James - I've received text messages from PN at 7am - as there is no option to adjust the times you want !.
I meant a facility for us to text in a fault report, surely that would help PN by relieving the phone lines ?

Re: Home Phone Service

Enkel — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:57:42 GMT

Re James' 12.02 reply: Unfortunately, this being the first time I have had to contact PlusNet about a phone fault I didn't know about prioritization. I agree your stats may tell you I wouldn't have had to wait more than 12 minutes, but I didn't know that at the time - your message clearly overestimated the time to reply. And, being a pensioner who's about to get his free television licence in a few months, I had to watch the pennies of my mobile phone bill (I'm on pay as you go so I pay for all calls, some at an extortionate rate!) So please don't patronise me by saying " ... you should have done ....".
It's now 4pm and I'm pleased to report that BT Open Reach have discovered the problem and their man is working on it.

Re: Home Phone Service

mal0z — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:05:14 GMT

it's also worth bearing in mind - that if you even have only limited broadband access you can see how busy the CSC is
here
http://www.plus.net/supportpages.html?a=212
mind you - I had to search for it
from home page - look at bottom:
Help and support | service status
scroll done
click on Customer support statistics

Re: Home Phone Service

James — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:06:11 GMT

Hi Enkel,
Sorry, I had no intention of coming across as being patronising. I fully appreciate that you weren't aware of the prioritisation we have on phone calls and was merely giving you some information more than anything else.
Glad BT have identified a fault.
@Mal - http://csc.plus.net is the easier-to-remember version

Re: Home Phone Service

mal0z — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:12:44 GMT

OK ta James - look at my sig !

Re: Home Phone Service

Enkel — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:11:09 GMT

First, thank you, James for the reply. No offence taken.
Second, after my telephone service was restored I enjoyed a day or so of full service, then yesterday my Broadband service disappeared! I phoned PlusNet and was given a few simple tasks to do, and then went out for the day. When I returned, an hour or so ago all was well, the BB was working. I've no idea what you did, but congrats for restoring service so quickly. When I looked at the fault tickets I saw no evidence of my report, so perhaps James or someone might tell support they've mended it and I'm closing the ticket! And maybe even tell me what was wrong. Or was it another "BT fault" - they tell you that nothing is wrong with your line and miraculously nothing IS wrong with it from that moment on! BTW, my BB speeds have dropped from 17-1800 a few months ago to a fairly regular 11-1300 now. Is the wiring deteriorating or what?
Still, thanks, PlusNet, when you got round to doing something about it, you did it quickly!