topic Re: Moving on after 9 years in Plusnet Feedback

Moving on after 9 years

racquel — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 12:24:12 GMT

Well, after 9 years (joined plusnet in 2007) it's time to say farewell to Plusnet and hello Sky.

We've had mostly good times. It wasn't one thing in particular, but the bottom line is:

Unlimited broadband including line rental for £61 for the next year.

(Before anyone gets excited, it was a MoneysavingExpert trick which has now finished, included cashback, combining two offers, and snapping up one of a limited supply of codes),

Plusnet just feels like it's getting "tired", if you know what I mean?
While everyone else is rolling out IPv6 and so on, Plusnet just feels like an old man who's quite happy to sit in a recliner looking out of the window.

Other things were:

Massively reduced phone hours.
Ticketing system being removed.
Always have to enter my number when I ring in now.
Nagging me to add a payment card every time I visit the website.
Ridiculously long call queues - 30 minutes became the norm, despite the "higher than usual call volume" announcements.
The length of time to resolve tickets - for example:
I logged a ticket about the PTR for my static IP not working on the 6th June - it was only on the 19th June that anyone actually realised what the problem was and did anything about it.

And as for the hold music - I know exactly where one bit of distorted whiny 80's music just suddenly stops and the next song starts.

But however frustrated I might be when "Simply Irresistible" distorts round for the 37th time on hold, I always knew that, once through, it would be a friendly and helpful person that knew their stuff.

I've phoned BT support on behalf of others, got through in 30 seconds, and spent the next 30 minutes trying to communicate, which was ultimately far more frustrating.

That said, and taking it right back to the start of this post, I'm not leaving PN for any one reason, or even a combination of all of them.
Retentions did try, but the closest they could get was still £120 more, and money is money, and anything over £30 is the point at which it's worth taking the risk!

This isn't to make a point, or flounce out, more just to say thanks for everyone who has helped me in the forums and in tech support over the years.

So, in a few days I shall be gone. There are no hard feelings, you did nothing wrong.

So long old friend, and thanks for all the phish.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

St3 — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 13:07:01 GMT

good bye then

Re: Moving on after 9 years

rongtw — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 13:43:24 GMT

Lol st3 , but the post highlights several problems that P N need to address before more decide to leave for same reason, support is going downhill in favor free giveaways 😕

Re: Moving on after 9 years

jockwav — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 14:53:27 GMT

Exactly, i to am on the lookout for my next provider.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

Anoush — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 21:19:42 GMT

All the best with your new provider 😥

Re: Moving on after 9 years

rongtw — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 05:48:58 GMT

Anoush !! your Reply just goes to show PN are not worried about long term customers leaving because of Failings on PN support

Re: Moving on after 9 years

jockwav — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 07:21:28 GMT

EXACTLY.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 07:29:55 GMT

I see where you @rongtw and @jockwav are coming from but I'd tend to disagree. The decision has been made and there is no going back as is evident in the OPs post so @Anoush is just wishing them well. Granted the message could have started with "Sorry you're leaving ...". But I don't think this response reflects what is being implied.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

racquel — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 08:30:30 GMT

Just to echo what @Anonymous said, it wasn't any one particular thing which made me leave, it's purely a case of an offer I couldn't refuse.

My points were merely to say that, as a veteran of 9 years with Plusnet, I didn't notice anything particularly improve; call times got longer, support got harder to reach, IPv6 fell by the wayside and so on.

But, to be clear, once again, it was purely because I can't afford to turn down a year's service for about £60. If I hadn't got lucky snaffling up one of the codes, I'd still be here. In other words, it wasn't anything beyond pure economics that I'm off. Had it been £20-30 or so difference I probably wouldn't have bothered, but I can't afford not to save £120+

Re: Moving on after 9 years

billnotben — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 08:38:38 GMT

Yes it's a shame that plusnet is now just a member of the herd of providers.

With no longer nothing to differentiate them from the rest.

Unless you count silly ads and having a comic as a frontman.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

Anoush — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 09:37:15 GMT

I'm sorry if my response came across as uncaring. I felt that there wasn't really much to add given that the OP had already contacted retentions.
Having said that I hope that he/she chooses to return in the future and I really do wish the best moving forward.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

rongtw — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 10:06:25 GMT

Anoush , my post wasn't directed at you personally , BUT at PN if the OP only had been a single occurring post nothing would have been said .

But it has become regular on Here , ok yes people do switch providers but are PN doing anything to improve the failings highlighted in the OP

Re: Moving on after 9 years

sparkrace12 — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 10:53:58 GMT

Hope you have better luck with Sky!

I was with Sky, quite happy until I had a problem, they drove me to dispair!

At the end of each conversation, they said is there anything else we can help with? That drove me nuts,

I said sort my problem out each time, spent hours on the phones, all on premium numbers, mostly spoke in pigeon English! Stressed me out, was heading for a corany & divorce!

Moved on to PlusNet, they certainly are better- that's my opinion for what it's worth.

the community service seems much quicker than logging a ticket.

You should of rung PlusNet & asked to speak to somebody & told them you thinking of leaving for a better deal, & see what they have to offer, I am sure you would be pleasantly surprised! I was, I am now on fibre.

good luck with your decision.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

billnotben — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 11:36:31 GMT

sparkrace12 wrote:You should of rung PlusNet & asked to speak to somebody & told them you thinking of leaving for a better deal, & see what they have to offer,

racquel wrote:Retentions did try,

That's what more and more old customers are saying. They did try just not very hard if at all.

Re: Moving on after 9 years

racquel — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 12:29:47 GMT

billnotben wrote:

That's what more and more old customers are saying. They did try just not very hard if at all.

To be fair, there's no way Plusnet could have matched the offer I got and stayed in business and I wouldn't expect them to. There's "keen to retain customer" and there's "retaining customer by commercial suicide"!

Re: Moving on after 9 years

billnotben — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 14:05:47 GMT

@racquel wrote:
There's "keen to retain customer" and there's "retaining customer by commercial suicide"!

I'll pass on the keen but "retaining customer by commercial suicide" is fair enough.

But their alternative for retaining older customers is "death by a thousand cuts".

Re: Moving on after 9 years

rongtw — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 15:31:32 GMT

If all PN long time customers left , dont think it would be long before the FREE Broadband offers Stop

Re: Moving on after 9 years

racquel — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 13:04:16 GMT

Don't wanna be smug, but the switchover happened this morning, and I've not had to fiddle with anything and guess what?

Re: Moving on after 9 years

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 13:10:46 GMT

@racquel - As if...

Re: Moving on after 9 years

St3 — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 06:25:17 GMT

@rongty

If the old regs leave this forums will become pish