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Is PlusNets business broadband fit for purpose. I still don't think so! Discuss........

silentmonkey
Rising Star
Posts: 89
Thanks: 7
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎15-09-2007

Is PlusNets business broadband fit for purpose. I still don't think so! Discuss........

I asked this question over a year ago when I had a specific issue but I'll ask it again in a wider sense and I'll list below some of the reasons why I think it was and why now I think it's not and hopefully someone can persuade me otherwise.

 

I have been a PlusNet business customer for over 15 years and manage several other businesses broadband for which I get referral discount. However, I'm beginning to wonder if the premium we are paying is worth it. The offering from PlusNet has changed very little in this time while technology in the business landscape is unrecognizable to that of 15 years ago. All I see from PlusNet are removal of services and blocks to do business in the Cloud centric world. The business offerings seem now to be an inflated version of the consumer offering.

 

Advantages when I took out the package.

  1. Fixed IP Addresses
  2. Fax to Email service (now gone had to source elsewhere at additional cost)
  3. Store and forward ETRN server (Now gone. Had to source elsewhere at additional cost)
  4. Website builder (Now gone)
  5. Dedicated Helpdesk (Not as responsive as it use to be)
  6. Cost and reliability.

 

Things that are sadly lacking.

  1. The ability to provide additional telephone lines unless provisioned with broadband and then not as a group.
  2. VIOP SIP services for small business.
  3. A decent DNS service. (I cannot believe in this day and age you cannot offer business customers the ability to add TXT or SRV records that are needed for cloud services such as Office 365!)

I'm sure there are many more and I invite other business users to add to both lists.

3 REPLIES 3
AlaricAdair
Champion
Posts: 5,658
Thanks: 647
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-03-2011

Re: Is PlusNets business broadband fit for purpose. I still don't think so! Discuss........

I have to confess we've relegated our PlusNet business service to secondary backup status. Our primary link is through Zen Internet who offer a better business service level.

Our VOIP goes through Sipgate. We've found this to be well featured, inexpensive and reliable. Their support is responsive.

Sadly PN just don't seem to be serious about business customers.

Now Zen, but a +Net residue.
MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,586
Thanks: 5,415
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Is PlusNets business broadband fit for purpose. I still don't think so! Discuss........

I have to say I agree with @AlaricAdair . We added an FTTC connection to our existing ADSL connection and converted from ISDN to Voip for our office last year. Given the deterioration in the PlusNet support there was no way we could consider them and instead, as alaric, we went to Zen for the FTTC. Our voip is with AAISP for incoming and additionally Localphone for outgoing due to their very competitive rates. We were originally going to use Zen (to keep everything with one supplier) for voip as well but their lack of understanding of our requirement put me off a little, whereas AAISP were great and, surprisingly much cheaper for our multiple incoming numbers!.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

JJO
Dabbler
Posts: 15
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎20-04-2017

Re: Is PlusNets business broadband fit for purpose. I still don't think so! Discuss........

Correct PlusNet is not a proper business provider. If they are unable to provide TXT and SRV DNS records then a business simply can't use them. TXT records are essential. They are used for the SPF mechanism and for many other authentication purposes.

Not having SPF records on your business domain is tantamount to saying we are likely to be spammers. You can't run your business that way if email is important to you.

The truth is that PlusNet could provide these services they just can't be bothered:

This from support:

At this stage I need to inform you our domain control system was built over 15 years ago at a time when TXT records were not used for anything functional and has had no upgrades to allow this since then since we moved away from including hosting with accounts

Translation - do not use PlusNet for your business domains nor email and if you have domains with them still - tough!