Very poor customer service

[#1]

I am an IT professional and until recently I have always been impressed with the teams who answer support queries. But I'm starting to realise that more and more often recently they simply say "no we regret that can't be done". It is infuriating.

Let me give you an example which is having me pull my hair out:

Due to PlusNet's ongoing email issues they have suggested I move my client's 12 mailboxes to a proper email supplier. So we going to move the emails to Microsoft 365.

To do so we need to verify their domain (currently with PlusNet) with Microsoft. We do this by adding a TXT record.
However the PlusNet control panel does not allow addition of TXT records so I ask the network team to add the TXT record. Their response is we can't, find another way to verify the domain!

Really PlusNet you can't? Adding TXT records is not rocket science it is something that every other ISP and domain provider I have EVER come across can do. And even if you don't allow it from the control panel, your DNS team can certainly do this as you have your domains with ENOM and ENOM allow this.

The alternative option is obviously to transfer the domain out. But this is not currently possible because we would lose access to our emails before we had time to migrate them to Microsoft.

So this client who PlusNet want to have their email moved out is not being allowed to move their email out due to someone at PlusNet not wanting to add a simple DNS record. They are stuck!

I will not be recommending PlusNet further.

A similar thing happened a few days back when I asked for a PTR record. I got a customer support team memeber that said it simply could not be done only to find a knowledge base article saying it could and I had to point her to it to convince her.

So PlusNet why are you starting to fail so badly?

[#2]

Hi JJO

I'm sure there are other ways that you can verify the domain for Office 365.  Possibly with an MX record.  There was a thread about it quite some time ago if I remember correctly.

Adding a TXT record isn't something Plusnet have ever been able to do.  If I remember correctly the zone files are generated from within their systems, which would then overwrite anything that was manually done.

Why would you lose access to your email if you transferred the domain away?  If the nameservers are set up correctly that you are transferring the domain to then it would all continue to work without issue.

[#3]

Hi pjmarsh

> I'm sure there are other ways that you can verify the domain for Office 365.  Possibly with an MX record

Yes that is the only other method MS allow BUT PlusNet do not allow that either unless you mark your Email Settings as OTHER rather than POP3. Then you can add the dummy MX records. However marking your account as OTHER looses you access to your mailboxes and incoming email which would be fine if the migration to 365 had taken place but not fine beforehand.

> Adding a TXT record isn't something Plusnet have ever been able to do

Then the fact is that 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 as the domains are with ENOM who allow TXT record changes. They just can't be bothered to change their systems.

> Why would you lose access to your email if you transferred the domain away?

Because PlusNet alias the domain they hold for you onto the mailboxes and if they no longer hold the domain they no longer accept the email.

[#4]

Hi @JJO

I'm afraid there's not much I can add that @pjmarsh hasn't mentioned. Our domain control system doesn't have the ability to utilise TXT records and to update this to do so would be no small task.

I'm sorry if this is not the answer you wanted, however the information pjmarsh has given is correct.

> Why would you lose access to your email if you transferred the domain away?

Because PlusNet alias the domain they hold for you onto the mailboxes and if they no longer hold the domain they no longer accept the email.

The emails already sent would stay in your mailboxes with us, however if you update the nameservers any new mail should be delivered there, there should be none lost. You could then transfer any mail still in your Plusnet mailboxes to the new mail server using a local email client.

[#5]

Chris I'm sorry you don't get it.

Transferring the domain would stop emails coming to the PlusNet boxes which would be semi-fine (see below) if there were new boxes in place set up to transfer emails to. BUT these new boxes CANNOT be set up until we confirm the domain with Microsoft , which we can't do until we add a TXT record.

In addition 365 have the ability to allow migration from IMAP boxes so we can set up a wizard to pull the mails in before the MX records are moved. This can't happen if we can't confirm the domain using TXT records.

[#6]

some honesty 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!

[#7]

You couldn't make it up!!!!

Following the above I asked PlusNet support if they were able to add the dummy Microsoft MX record to the domain for verification whilst still GUARANTEEING that the existing PlusNet MX record remained so that my client would not lose email delivery.

The engineer went ahead, without thought, and removed the PlusNet record completely so that all email for this business domain is now being delivered nowhere. So he did exactly what I asked him not to.

Another engineer is now trying to fix this but the client will be without business emails for a minimum of 6 hours.

In the meantime the client will hold PlusNet liable for loss of business as they have stopped him getting business emails to all 12 mailboxes.

I'd like to know who we complain to about this really poor state of affairs?