broadband usage gone sky high

[#1]

---

@JonoH wrote:

---

@jelv wrote:

---

---

In the past Plusnet have refunded excess usage charges where this has happened and the user has complained.

Perhaps someone from Plusnet would confirm this would be done if this were to happen now?

To be clear, if you're on a metered product any emails you get about approaching your usage cap are correct so please use these to manage your usage accordingly, remember we also offer a smart cap so you can cap usage at what level you're comfortable with. If however you do happen to go over by a small amount and get charged we're happy to look at this on a case by case basis.

---

We're also happy to look at options towards moving to an unlimited product for customers who are interested in it.

---

What is so difficult here?

If the usage shown by VMBU is less than a users actual usage will you refund excess usage charges resulting from the difference, yes or no?

[#2]

---

@jelv wrote:

---

---

What is so difficult here?

If the usage shown by VMBU is less than a users actual usage will you refund excess usage charges resulting from the difference, yes or no?

So far everyone I've seen is reporting higher usage to the customer than we're seeing internally, hence the name of this thread. 

That being said, if someone does (and they shouldn't) find themselves paying for extra usage when to them they look like they should be under their usage limit we will happily refund the data transfer charges. Just drop me a PM letting me know.

---

[#3]

---

@kjpetrie wrote:

It is worrying for those of us on limited (in my case 10GB/month) packages. How are we supposed to check our usage and take meaningful decisions to stay within the limit if we can't trust the data? What if we are billed when the data we can access shows we haven't gone over the limit? It would reduce customer confidence badly.

---

@kjpetrie See the above post from JonoH - in the unlikely event that you are billed (VMBU is over reading not under reading) you will be refunded so you have nothing to worry about.

@JonoH Thanks

[#4]

@kjpetrie

I'd also be happy to look into unlimited options with you if you're interested? drop me a PM if you'd like to explore your options.

[#5]

---

@JonoH wrote: 
I've sent you what we have

---

Thanks @JonoH, those figures match my own monitoring results.

[#6]

My final post in this topic which shows a remarkable change in usage around 13th February where coincidentally a reysnch occurred.

 

Spot the difference on 13/2!

[#7]

Hi Ian,

Do you know the before and after gateways?

@JonoH,

having eaten your hat ... are there any updates here please? 

[#8]

Unfortunately not mate.

I'm currently on PCN-BNG02 and showing a totally unbelievable figure of 0KB for one period 

 0KB usage?

[#9]

---

@Townman wrote:

... are there any updates here please? 

Unfortunately not, as I've said previously it's low priority and so other things are being worked on.

---

[#10]

They'll get right on with this immediately after they roll out the new accounts system which means it might be done by 2025!

[#11]

@JonoH,

Has this issue been profiled yet?  @Browni's comments hint at the possibility of this being gateway related - is there anything users can do to help confirm this?

[#12]

Hi - I just found this thread after spotting my own broadband usage is showing as ludicrously high.  For example, for the month from May 16th, it shows I used 140GB, even though I was on holiday for three weeks of that period, with the only things connected to my home network being a few IoT things (Hive, Philips Hue, etc..) whose usage must surely be minimal.

More specifically it's showing nearly 1GB on Saturday 30th June, when we weren't at home and had both our computers with us.

I called Support who told me to change my wifi password but with so many connected devices this is a non-trivial exercise, but I have identified all the devices connected to my router as correct, so I'm pretty confident none of our (elderly) neighbours have hacked into our network.

So, as the thread has been quiet for a few months, I wonder have Plusnet come up with a better answer yet?

[#13]

This is a low priority issue as far as Plusnet is concerned.

[#14]

It could be those IoT devices are using more than you think. You really need to check that. It could indicate that they've been hacked, and one doesn't have to be a neighbour to do that. IoT devices are often recruited into botnets because they are rarely upgraded and often contain extremely poor firmware with little inbuilt security, and have ports open to receive instructions from their manufacturers as well as their users. As such they are a hacker's dream target - easy to break into and rarely monitored or checked.