topic Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity! in Plusnet Feedback

This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

Loombucket — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:43:01 GMT

I visited one of my Plusnet customers this morning who has Internet problems - everything appeared to be working but neither browsing nor any other service functioned. Having checked the router logs and found nothing amiss I swapped out the router, microfilters & leads, connected direct to the BT master socket, hooked up my laptop instead of the customer's PC and tried accessing the 'net via both Windows and Linux - all to no avail.
I phoned PN & reported the problem, detailing precisely the nature of it and the troubleshooting procedures tried, and went on my way rejoicing (like a fool) in the belief that the worthy and efficient chaps at PN Towers would soon have it sorted.
Later in the day I logged in and checked the ticket status. Below the usual gumph that follows the testing procedure (results were "inconclusive") some Mensa graduate has added the following:-
"When we have tested your line it has shown that due to a disconnection(s) on the 23/07/09 the MaxDSL equipment in your local exchange dropped the line rate as it believed there was a fault with the connection.
All you need to do now to boost the speed of the connection back up is remain connected to the internet for 3 days.
Once the equipment at the exchange sees an ongoing connection for a minimum of 3 days it will then increase the speed automatically as it can see that the connection has stabilised.
If you could please remain connected for 3 days, and then test the speed of the connection and let us know if there is any improvement to the speed.
If there is no improvement, or your connection keeps dropping and stopping you from remaining connected for the 3 days, then please let us know so we can get this further investigated.
Kind regards,
Mensa graduate.

No sh*t, Sherlock! I've already told you clearly and in detail that the router and microfilters had been swapped out and back and the router restarted this very morning. Now, if this technical marvel had used his other braincell he would have realised that of course they were the causes of the disconnections!
He has also completely ignored the fact (and the reason for reporting the fault in the first place) that the customer HAS NO USABLE INTERNET CONNECTION AT ALL!
This fault is still ongoing after CSC having lost the best part of a day mucking me about with this monumental piece of stupidity and neither I nor the customer are any nearer having the problem resolved. I only migrated them in from Tiscali three months ago, because of dreadful customer service from them, reassuring said customer that with PN they would get a much better quality service. Foot, meet Colt .45......
I have read in other threads lately several tales of dreadful service from CSC - all accompanied by the usual PN comments reassuring us poor benighted souls that all will be wonderful in the future, but I cannot believe that it has got this bad.
PLEASE Plusnet, tell me that this incident is either....
(a) a momentary mental aberration on the part of an otherwise wonderful CSC staff member,
(b) someone at PN having a laugh, or
(c) a figment of my overheated imagination and didn't really happen at all.
PLEASE DON'T tell me this is acceptable, that's all.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

ByteIT — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:26:33 GMT

I can believe that.
On Wednesday at around 4:30pm I logged a call on behalf of a customer because incoming email was bouncing back to the sender. Last night the ticket STILL had not been replied to so I updated the ticket with something along the lines of "If you're not going to fix it just give me a MAC key" at 3:30am this morning the ticket was replied to telling me to phone up and request a MAC key. The issue STILL hasn't been looked at. PN appear to be actively trying to get rid of customers. This is on top of the issues I've been having with my own account.
I've been looking around and Zen internet look quite appealing. I'm going to move all of my customers onto there.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

James — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:47:04 GMT

@Loombucket - Thanks for you time on the phone just now. As you mentioned, you're off to the customer site to run some ping tests and I'll certainly be keen to hear how you got on.
I'll certainly raise your concern regarding our staff reading the tickets and well as the call stat graphs not updating.
@ByteIT - If you would like to let me know a ticket number, I'll certainly get someone to look into it for you.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

ByteIT — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:08:38 GMT

Well, having phoned up this morning and asking for a MAC key, they have now rectfied the problem, it must have taken all of 5 minutes, so why a day and a half wait, plus threats of cancelling before somebody does their job?
Still nobody has got back to me about my own account though, so I reckon Plusnets days are numbered on that one.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

James — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:20:22 GMT

Who have you been contacting about your own account? Have you been contacting the Business Support team? They handle all initial partner queries and then escalate as and when it's required.
Glad the email issue is sorted.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

Loombucket — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:54:50 GMT

James, thanks very much for your intervention and help sorting this problem out. The customer's service is now OK and if it recurs I'll contact you if necessary as discussed.
Thankyou also for your comments re. current service levels and the other problems with CSC that were encountered whilst trying to sort this one out. Let's see if things improve.
I very much appreciate the intervention of James and others who monitor this forum and step in to resolve issues - what other ISP includes this facility and services it so well? - but my reservations regarding the current quality of customer service remain. There has been a steep rise in the number of serious problems reported on this forum in recent months, for whatever reason, and I hope that Plusnet/BT does not lose sight of the fact that its success depends far more than that of other ISPs on the quality of its customer service due to its business model. In order to keep referrals coming the primary selling point - exceptionally good customer service - has to be maintained and I look forward to seeing significant improvements in this area soon.
We shouldn't need to depend on the goodwill of James and his colleagues to backstop what should be a level of service good enough to render their interventions largely unnecessary.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

Be3G — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:11:47 GMT

Quote from: Loombucket
We shouldn't need to depend on the goodwill of James and his colleagues to backstop what should be a level of service good enough to render their interventions largely unnecessary.

Couldn't agree more. PN's forum support is probably some of the best customer support in the ISP business - but it shouldn't have to make up for a shortfall in the actual main support channels.

Re: This must be the ultimate in crass stupidity!

ByteIT — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:18:40 GMT

Quote from: Jameseh
Who have you been contacting about your own account? Have you been contacting the Business Support team? They handle all initial partner queries and then escalate as and when it's required.
Glad the email issue is sorted.

I've spoken to a number of people. I spoke to Chris yesterday when I requested my MAC key, he was very helpful and asked me if I would give him a couple of hours so that he could get a member of the business support team to speak to me. He phoned me 2 hours later (clearly annoyed) to say that he had asked everyone and none of the team had time to speak to me (he mentioned he had asked link:csa removed and another name I cannot remember) but none of them would take my call. So he processed the request for a MAC key. Make of that what you will, but they can rest assure I will be speaking loudly and oftern regarding this incident. It's just not good enough.