topic Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem in Plusnet Feedback

Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:43:49 GMT

Plusnet Line Rental Saver renewal.... what is wrong with Plusnet account system?

it is still in the days before online banking in many respects...

. this is NOT customer service...

nor does it do anyone proud, as advertised so often on the telly.

My LRS is due for renewal, at 31/07/2019 and Plusnet very kindly sent me an email to remind me of the fact....

Which is what all the major companies do now... and all the major companies where the customer has an account, also has a facility, much maligned, regarding Home Insurance, and Motor insurance... that of hiking up the AUTOMATIC RENEWAL... and hoping it wont be noticed.

Not so with Plusnet... still in the dark ages... THERE IS NO AUTOMATIC RENEWAL.>.

great ? or not so great..

Well, in my case, and I am sure in many others with the same affliction as me.... deafness, and difficulty using a telephone... NOT SO GREAT....

Why? BECAUSE PLUSNET INSIST ON CUSTOMERS TELEPHONING THEM TO PAY FOR THE RENEWAL OVER THE PHONE...

How is that for "customer service" AND "doing you proud"

Plusnet accounts department already hold my account details, and eagerly take my phone bill payments every month by DIRECT DEBIT....

Yet... when I asked TWICE with TWO Separate "customer service agents"..on LIVE CHAT,... to ask the accounts department to take my LRS by Direct Debit... they said it "cannot be done"... it has to be taken over the telephone... then they pressed f1 or whatever the script told them to... and up pops the telephone number automatically, as if to say...

Get stuffed... I`m done with you,...there`s your answer... go away and pay over the phone....

This action REALLY ANNOYS ME.... they are supposed to be "customer service agents"... i.e an AGENT of the company that pays their wages. TO SERVICE... the CUSTOMERS NEEDS... in other words, they are supposed to HELP THE CUSTOMER WITH THEIR PROBLEMS..

I told both customer service agents that I was hard of hearing and that using a phone was very difficult , but they still insisted that I should phone up... (click f1 at this stage) (again)... how annoying is that?

So... will Plusnet Accounts Manager, please respond to me,

here, or, by email if needed, as to why they cannot issue a DIRECT DEBIT PAYMENT ORDER, for the LRS payment.... in the same manner as they issue one for my monthly phone bill... and why, that same Plusnet Accounts Manager, insists that I, (who is hard of hearing) must telephone the accounts department to pay over the telephone, when they already hold my account details.

Seriously, there is no excuse for this archaic state of affairs, in the modern world of electronic banking.

.. Other companies... larger and smaller than PlusNet seem to manage this quite effectively,

and keep their customers happy....

even to the extent of "doing them proud" by giving the option for Renewal by Direct Debit.

This could even be a case for disability discrimination.....

NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER...

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

Townman — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 16:54:06 GMT

I think you are already aware of the support services offered for the hard of hearing - see https://www.plus.net/help/legal/support-for-customers-with-disabilities

A text relay service is designed to help customers use a phone because they have difficulty hearing or speaking
Next Generation Text (NGT) is a new and improved version of the previous text relay service and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Authorised Users (Phone and Broadband)

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:00:05 GMT

@Townman Yes, I am aware... however, it seems that your response is the same as those on the Live Chat. customer service.... this does not address the problem of not being able to pay for LRS by DIRECT DEBIT... as other companies do..

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

Townman — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:02:16 GMT

On that point I do not disagree with you, but you sought to make this another disability discrimination discussion when you already know that there is specialist support for the hard of hearing.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

LaurenB — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:09:49 GMT

Hi @shutter

I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy we don't auto-renew your Line Rental Saver; I'm afraid this just isn't something that we offer.

I fully appreciate the inconvenience caused by having to call us however, we do have other means of being able to do this. You are also able to renew this online here and as @Townman has mentioned there are support services available to use if needed when contacting us.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:10:26 GMT

@Townman Your response is extremely annoying.

The disability disagreement part is covering the fact that i MUST use a telephone, which is very difficult for me...and others, who have hearing problems, to access the accounts system and pay my LRS. when the facility of DIRECT DEBIT, for

Once again... you are sticking to.... just because you can`t hear does not mean you are so disabled, that you cannot pay your LRS over the phone...

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

jab1 — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:17:16 GMT

Response deleted - OP unhappy.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:14:26 GMT

@LaurenB Thank you for your input.... however,... the link you provide for paying "online" requires me to set up a "Verified by visa" system..... I did this with another card,... and have had no-end of problems due to not remembering the password, and having to reset it every time I wanted to use it to pay for something.... this current account card has never had that... and I have never had any problems paying anybody else.... why is plusnet so unhelpful to its customers, by not generating a Direct Debit Payment order, in exactly the same way as they do for the phone bill ?

There really is no reasonable reason why you cannot do that.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

Townman — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:16:28 GMT

Well, in my case, and I am sure in many others with the same affliction as me.... deafness, and difficulty using a telephone... NOT SO GREAT....

Why? BECAUSE PLUSNET INSIST ON CUSTOMERS TELEPHONING THEM TO PAY FOR THE RENEWAL OVER THE PHONE...

That reads to me like a suggestion that the method is discriminatory set in a context devoid of the fact that you can pay on-line (I have done so) and that there are also support services especially to meet particular individual needs.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:17:09 GMT

@jab1 Yes, it does,.... same link as @LaurenB gave... see my previous post.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

jab1 — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:21:49 GMT

@shutter my response deleted - but that scenario is weird - I pay lots of things on line with my debit card, and rarely have that issue unless the payment is for a largish amount to someone I haven't used before.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:28:07 GMT

@Townman your input is insulting and not really helpful... unless you can get the payment by direct debit sorted, then I suggest you refrain from further input.

This thread is about a common sense approach to a problem, that customers cannot pay by Direct Debit. and when asking for that facility, ( which most other companies provide) . they are told the MUST pay by telephone.

The fact that I am hard of hearing, IS a disablement... I cannot enjoy a conversation with my next door neighbour over the fence, without asking him to repeat everything he says at least twice..

The options Plusnet provide are not suitable for my ( and probably many other customers too,) situation.

If I could use a telephone, confidently, the there would not be a problem....

the answer to the problem is to pay by direct debit...

which Plusnet say the cannot do... WHY NOT ? all they have to do is to issue/generate a DIrect Debit payment... they already have banking details, and do this every month... i.e. 12 times a year...

why cannot they do it for a single payment using the same system ?

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

Townman — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 17:33:53 GMT

@Townman wrote:

On that point I do not disagree with you ...

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

LaurenB — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 18:15:23 GMT

Thanks for getting back to me @shutter.

Paying it by Direct Debit is just not an option we have available... initially, LRS was an online only offer and so the only option to purchase/ renew was to pay online (we'd usually only take payment over the phone if there was an issue).

Though I appreciate the inconvenience of the 'verify by visa' step, this is something that is in place by your bank (likely due to the amount?) but the option to pay online is still there.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

dvorak — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 18:19:11 GMT

FWIW you can't pay with Direct Debit for Line Rental Saver with BT either, so scratch that off your list if you really are looking elsewhere.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 18:41:34 GMT

@LaurenB What I don`t understand is.....

Paying by Direct Debit..... is

"paying on line".. is 100% secure and does not need any further action from either party involved.

Paying via the link you provided..

does, indeed, inconvenience the customer (which,,, incredibly....... you appreciate.... But do nothing to alleviate that ) in time and effort,

and is only secure, IF the procedure is correctly completed, ( that is the inconvenience and effort part ).

Paying over the telephone,

is more inconvenient, having to try to use the telephone when hearing is impaired.

is more inconvenient due to the excessive waiting times before answer.

is not so secure as the telephone line is not encrypted, ( as with online payments ). and the information given/received during the conversation is wide open to abuse.

So, reviewing those comments,....

You appreciate the inconvenience...(Thank you for that ....) ..

but... I think you will agree, that paying by Direct Debit, is the most convenient, safe and secure method,

YET YOU CHOOSE TO INCONVENIENCE YOUR CUSTOMERS saying you don`t have the option....

This then, is your chance to "do me ( and thousands of others ) proud" .. by setting in motion the necessary actions to include the option,

By doing so, you will certainly be able to hold your head up high,

and not be ashamed to say " We`ll do you proud"...

And ... of course, you will have the honour, of bringing PlusNet, bang up to date, in the 21st century ...

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

LaurenB — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 19:30:55 GMT

Paying the LRS by direct debit has never been an option and to be honest we have no reason to implement it when we have other means of these being done. The options are to pay for it online as it was originally intended to be done, or to call.

The measures are there for you to make the payment and although inconvenient to yourself, security procedures by your bank aren't something we control.

I understand this isn't the response you were hoping for but there's nothing further I can advise.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 20:10:44 GMT

@LaurenB I appreciate that my posting has been an inconvenience to you and yours..

Hope that makes you feel better. Knowing how much I appreciate your inconvenience, the same as you did mine.

Paying the LRS by direct debit has never been an option and to be honest we have no reason to implement it

Just because it has never been an option, does not preclude the fact, that it SHOULD and CAN BE an option.

Erm.... I think I have given you at least THREE reasons, in my last post, to implement it.

Certainly, taking no further action, and doing nothing to alleviate inconvenience to customers, goes against the advertised "Award winning customer service "..... and certainly... you are not doing anyone proud, by your lack of action.

security procedures by your bank aren't something we control.

There is no "security procedure" involved, in the direct debit system, as it is already in use, for paying the phone bill every month... ( as already mentioned ) ....

The measures are there for you to make the payment

which are out of date... and insecure, to say the least......as already pointed out. ... apart from the inconvenience, which you have already appreciated.

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

shutter — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 20:14:27 GMT

@LaurenB

said......

Paying the LRS by direct debit has never been an option and to be honest we have no reason to implement it

Here is one.....by paying for LRS using Direct Debit, will lessen the load on the Telephone Customer Service department...

the time spent taking card numbers verifying they are correct, and verifying the user name and other question and answers for each renewal, will cut down the waiting time for more important calls to be dealt with in a more timely manner.. Totally inefficient way of doing things...

( i think it could be classed as more cost effective than the telephone system in use at present ? ? ? ? )

That in itself is a good enough reason to implement the Direct Debit....

Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem

smiffy1 — Mon, 17 Jun 2019 21:59:36 GMT

@shutter your reasoning is correct , it looks like PN are so intransigent they wont consider a change ,, Especially as what has happened with changing Billing