topic Re: Premium account? in Plusnet Feedback

Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:14:40 GMT

I wish Plusnet offered a premium account with all the features that are on the BT business broadband, 4g failover etc. I really want those features but I can't face the thought of dealing with their ignorant staff (ignorant in its original meaning of not knowledgeable). I've contacted them twice now, a long time apart and each time within 5 mins of beginning the interaction I've thought "argh no way".

Re: Premium account?

Baldrick1 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:58:11 GMT

@IngeJones

Plusnet are a bargain basement ISP offering a budget service. If you want an ISP offering premium services then the answer is pretty obvious.

Personally I save the monthly cost but keep a MiFi unit that I can flash up if I ever need a fall back service.

Re: Premium account?

jab1 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 09:59:09 GMT

You have no chance, @IngeJones - PN are now the 'bargain basement' brand of the BT group.

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 13:59:52 GMT

Baldrick, I wish the answer was that obvious. BT sales staff all seem to disagree on what they can offer and what they can't, and A&A can't give me anything over 11Mb down (ie full copper service) in spite of the fact I already have FTTC giving me just over 70. Also I find their website impossible to understand.

Re: Premium account?

Townman — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:42:26 GMT

You could look at the position differently - Plusnet are a well priced offering against the over priced offerings from elsewhere in the group - certainly BT is at the top end of the market and you do not get the bells and whistles so heavily advertised in the headline prices.

PN: Broadband (ADSL) £19 12 month

BT: Broadband (ADSL) £27 24 month (note the guaranteed at least 10 Mbps in every room of your home is somewhat misleading as that is only to the hub and is not something you'll experience unless the uplink is significantly faster) to get the 4/5G fall back you also need to subscribe to a Halo package (at extra cost)

Zen: Broadband (ADSL) £28 12 month (no end of contract price rises)

Sky: Broadband (ADSL) £27 18 month

TT: Broadband (ADSL) £24.5 18 month

Shell Energy (was GPO): Broadband (ADSL) £22 18 month (no end of contract price rises)

Save Direct: Broadband (ADSL) £19 12 month

JLP: Broadband (ADSL) £20 12 month (supplied by PN)

OneStream: Broadband (ADSL) £20 18 month

EE: Broadband (ADSL) £22.50 18 month

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 16:52:12 GMT

Townman, that's no help to me. You're giving me the opposite info to what I wanted. Not sure if you misunderstood my original post. I want to pay MORE in order to get the features that a BT business account would give me. I'd happily change to BT if I could get past their rather unhelpful and uninformed sales staff. The last one I spoke to said I couldn't have that account unless I was a registered company, which disagreed to what the previous one had told me, when I was asking about a different feature. If you want to make a list of companies that would give me what BT business fibre would give me, rather than budget packages, then that would be helpful.

Re: Premium account?

jab1 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 16:59:44 GMT

@IngeJones as I don't need what you are asking for, I don't know which of the BT advisers were correct, but from my experience, to get what you are asking for, you would need a business package - with BT or any other providers who offer the option - some don't, and some/all may require you to be a registered company to be able to get one.

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:17:54 GMT

Yes Jab1, thats what I was asking for. The business account. But I couldn't get past their salesperson. I didn't realise my post was so obscure to understand!! Maybe the BT persons are finding it as hard to understand me as the members here are. Better get my husband to contact them instead lol

Basically I said "I'd like to start a business broadband account, which packages (ie speeds) can you offer at my house. He wouldn't tell me because I wasn't a business. But when I spoke to his colleage asking about the 4g failover he said anyone can have a business account but sadly didn't know anything about the feature. The reason I started this thread was to say I wished I could get an account similar to BT business via Plusnet, because I find their staff more knowledgable and responsive.

Re: Premium account?

jab1 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:18:37 GMT

OK - but before you or your husband go on another fruitless exercise, note that most mainstream ISPs - and the few specialist business ones, will only supply a business account to registered businesses, as said before, and they are considerably more expensive than consumer-grade offerings.

Re: Premium account?

jab1 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:24:47 GMT

Edit (as a new post) to cover your edit - as I said, I doubt you can get a business account, with all the features you 'want' as a private individual, but I suppose it may be possible, at a cost of many times more than the consumer grade packages.

Re: Premium account?

Townman — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:40:43 GMT

@IngeJones

My pervious post was responding to @jab1 's positioning of PN's prices ... only a shade under those of a few other suppliers. What I also sought to indicate is that BT's headline advertising somewhat suggests that you get all of the extra reliability for their "headline" price. You do not.

If you want a business grade service (there is no reason why you cannot have one at an otherwise residential building) you might have more luck following links on BT's business portal - see Small & medium business hub I Connection solutions I BT Business

Re: Premium account?

jab1 — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:50:48 GMT

Thanks for the clarification, @Townman - I admit to not knowing the availability or otherwise of 'business' BB in a private setting, having never needed or wanted it, but I know from talking to business people with relevant packages that they come at a largish premium, not always delivering quite what the customer expected.😉

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 17:54:26 GMT

Yes that's where I was, the business portal. I was trying to see which of the Ultrafast Enhanced I could get at my address. But when I clicked on Check Availablity it just popped up a thing saying I had to ask a sales person. And they were unable to help. I was happy with the stated contract price of £64 approx + VAT. It was the quality of the staff that was the problem.

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 18:01:08 GMT

Ah! I finally got the website to check my address and just like Andrews and Arnold they're only offering up to 11Mb connection. Which is rather bizarre considering I am getting over 70 from Plusnet.

Re: Premium account?

Townman — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 19:05:20 GMT

That could mean that the FTTC cabinet is full. Even though on migration you will release a port and possibly reuse the same one, if there are no spares ones the systems will not show FTTC availability.

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 19:30:17 GMT

I feel as if attempting to migrate would be like swimming to an idyllic island but having to cross shark infested waters on the way. I'd hope that as PN is pretty much part of BT now, they'd just keep all the connections the same and change the billing and router... but what if they actually disconnect first then find they can't give me a fibre reconnection after all? Seems too risky. Why don't they get more green boxes in, we're 2km from ours!

Re: Premium account?

Townman — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 20:21:47 GMT

It does not work like that. The infrastructure is owned by BT Openreach / BT Wholesale.

BT Retail and Plusnet are two distinct CP/ISPs who need to be treated at the same arms length as all of the other ISPs. Being withi the same group should curry no favour.

It would be interesting to know if any ISP can supply you with FTTC. Such would confirm my suspicions.

Re: Premium account?

IngeJones — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 21:31:45 GMT

I believe that in the last couple of years it has become a brand of BT Consumer division, no longer a separate company.

Re: Premium account?

Townman — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 21:42:49 GMT

Still a separate independent company.

Re: Premium account?

Mustrum — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 22:24:51 GMT

@Townman not true, PN are very much a small part of BT Consumer (Retail as was) division, and have been for some time. It has been obvious for many years the bean counters have squeezed PN and have limited their capability. Whilst they may operate as an independent ISP, they are very much ruled by BT Consumer.