Broadband cancelled after transferring landline to Andrews and Arnold

[#1]

Hi to everyone,
I suspect this will not be the first or last time this will happen and I'm sure I've made mistakes.
I had a landline and unlimited fibre to the cabinet package, with plusnet. Because I needed the landline and knew that in two or so years time this will stop, I decided, rightly or wrongly to sort this out.
So I changed my package to unlimited fibre without landline and received the hub 2 modem. full fibre wasn't available in my area. I waited for about a few days with the broadband working, before getting Andrews and Arnold to get my landline number which was now in quarantine via the one touch service. I decided to use Voip for this landline number.
Come the date, about 10 days later, when the number was transferred, my broadband was cancelled.
I got told AA had requested the broadband and AA have said that was not the case. I received an email from Plusnet saying the broadband had changed to AA. I called and was told it was just the phone line. Then that changed so again.
I suspect I have done something very wrong.
I've now been told to pay for a connection and wait for 10 days. I was told previously that my account was still live and openreach would be asked for a connection code. This didnt happen but deep down I'd prefer to find a new ISP and hope I don't have more trouble.
So the question I want to ask is what has really gone on and should I have done things differently?


On the date the

[#2]

I waited for about a few days with the broadband working, before getting Andrews and Arnold to get my landline number which was now in quarantine via the one touch service

@Sethf that's the first number port I've heard of that used the OTS service. I wonder if there's a bug in the service which caused the broadband to be ported as well, although

I got told AA had requested the broadband and AA have said that was not the case. I received an email from Plusnet saying the broadband had changed to AA. I called and was told it was just the phone line.

I'd be tempted to believe A & A, especially since Plusnet seem to be confused as to whether its just the phone line or not ...

I'm going to try escalating this to establish exactly what's happened

[#3]

I'm going to watch this thread with interest!

I had, and I suppose probably still do have at this moment in time, Plusnet FTTC broadband and home phone. A couple of weeks ago I received the email stating that I was never sent the contract details when I renewed last year, so took the opportunity of doing what I intended to do anyway when it expired next April, and have Zen installed via CityFibre and leaving PN without ETCs.

The FTTP Zen Internet went live last Monday, (18th), and after confirming that all was well with it, I signed up with A&A to take over the phone line - with the expectation and desire that would also terminate the PN service completely.

The number port happened earlier today over a period of about 1.5 hours, and although we still have dial tone on the master socket, 17070, as expected, gives a new number.

I'm now expecting to receive a final bill from PN in the next few weeks - I hope that I don't also end up with A&A FTTC broadband as well!

Once my PN account has been fully closed, what should be on my copper line? Should there still be dial tone or will it be "dead"? Will there be broadband signals, but no internet service?

***EDIT***

Whilst typing this, I have just receved an email from PN titled "Your Plusnet Protect service has been cancelled". Is that connected with this, and therefore an indication that my account is being closed - or is it something that all customers are getting?

.

[#4]

@Sethf  From the evidence you have supplied it looks like Plusnet have messed up.  If you had a working Plusnet broadband service with no phone line (An SOGEA service) by implication that has no phone number associated with it so it is very hard to understand how porting your old phone number caused your new account to be cancelled. 

As they have cancelled your Broadband in error you should be allowed to leave and go to another supplier if that's what you want to do.

[#5]

Thanks RealAleMadrid,
This is what I'm thinking of doing. I'll do my research.

[#6]

Thank you MisterW,
I've received conflicting information and wonder too, if there is a bug with the OTS.

[#7]

Mr_Paul,
I believe its connected to it. I got a similar message. The day my fibre without landline went live, the landline had the dead tone.

[#8]

@Sethf 

"The day my fibre without landline went live, the landline had the dead tone."

Can you clarify what you mean by "dead tone" please?

Do you mean silence where there used to be dial tone, a continuous tone like the old Number Unobtainable - or something else?

.

[#9]

The tone was continuous sound during the period i was using fibre-without-landline product.
On being cancelled I now get a dial tone via the hub2 router(switched off) and Grandstream ATA(switched on) but of course I can't use the Voip service.

[#10]

I'm really sorry to hear this has happened @Sethf 

We've raised this to the right team to look into and find out how this has happened.

If you do still want to stay with us we'd need to get a new account created over the phone first as we can't place orders without an open account.

Let me know if you go down this route as I'm more than happy to take ownership of this for you 

[#11]

@Sethf 

I've received conflicting information and wonder too, if there is a bug with the OTS. 

The problem does seem to be related to using the OTS system to effect the number port.

If you wish to stay with Plusnet, then get back to Matthew and I'm sure he'll work to get you reconnected as soon as possible.

[#12]

@MisterW
Thank you so much for the reply. So for future reference, as I wasnt aware, and for others on the forum it would be advisable not to use OTS and to do things manually. Let's see what comes back

[#13]

@Sethf I'm not sure there is an option to do transfers any other way than using OTS ?

OTS is now the Ofcom mandated way of migrating services between ISPs. In the past , one would have ported a number to voip using the gaining suppliers number porting forms, I suspect that is no longer an option!. The OTS was supposed to make things simpler and allow for transfers of any service between any ISP.

[#14]

Thank you MathewWheeler,
The opening of a new account has already been suggested. For me I'd like to know what were the reasons for this happening before I even consider that plus I'd be expecting some dispensation on connection charges, considering the circumstances.
I don't want a scenario where this problem isn't resolved.

Part of the explanation has to be the issues with landline numbers attached to broadband which i know one will lose their broadband service if they port their number but what should have happened if one ports their number during a new fibre only contract in the following few days? As previously mentioned, this should have not happened.
Are the timings critical e.g. the system takes a few days to accept changed contracts? Or was it done? I don't know.

I've again called Andrews and Arnold and they have reconfirmed that NO broadband request was made.

Sorry if I sound a bit cross. I just don't want a scenario where there are further complications down the line. Sorry about the pun...lol! See I'm laughing!

[#15]

@Sethf 

Answers to your reasonable questions might not come quickly if the issue is were "the money" is suspecting.  OTS is external to either of Plusnet or A&A.  There are some key questions which will need to be answered and considered...

1. Why after moving to SOGEA was there a residual association of your phone number to your line / broadband service within BT OPENREACH's systems - the number should have been class as UNASSIGNED and QUARINTINED, it looks as though BT OPENREACH did not do that
2. How could a line with an associated telephone number be configured as SOGEA - withing BTW / BTOR systems that ought not to be a permitted combination
3. What asset ID did A&A use for the switch - the phone number or the line ID associated with the phone number
4. Having sought to move the number (apparently still listed as being Plusnet owned) why did the 10 day cooling off Ofcom anti-slamming protection processes not alert you to something odd happening ... was that communication received and was its content adequate to ring alarm bells

Whilst frustrating for you as an individual, you have done other users a great service by raising this in the community.  It offers a stark waring to customers - if something happens different to what is anticipated, act quickly, seek clarification, if in doubt out the breaks on the process.  Things can go wrong and as often as not those issues are NOT down to what the CP/ISP did or did not do, but rather to "oddities" in the pan industry systems and database (that is those owned by BTW / BTOR).

Will be very interesting to hear what has failed here.