Is this forum no longer handling support questions ?

[#1]

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@hitchhiker43 wrote:

Thank you everybody, at least it's good to know what's going on even if it's very very BAD.

Members may be interested in looking at Plusnet's TRUSTPILOT ratings, basically they are near rock bottom, I am surprised the regulator has not yet kicked ass, maybe something I should suggest.

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What regulator ?
If you mean the ombudsman, forget it, totally useless.

The only thing any company is afraid of is bad publicity, it’s a bit like a advert but with the opposite effect it puts people off dealing with that company.

[#2]

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@jab1 wrote:

Yep, online, @jgb - but not responding - probably too busy on Twitface.

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I'm not sure why this particular channel is the one you reference. Whilst you may not see the value in it a higher percentage of our customer base seek our support on Twitter and Facebook than do so on our Community.

The same team answer customer queries from Twitter, Facebook and these boards, none get a priority over the other, but if we were to prioritise one over the other would be tough not to argue in favour of prioritising resource to the channel more of our customers contact us through.

[#3]

Sorry, @JonoH - you obviously have been away for a while and haven't seen the number of topics where the ONLY support has come from Community members, and can you please point out where the Help Team has been active on this forum for about the past 8 months, apart from the occasional visit by Gandalf, Matthew Wheeler and Mads?

[#4]

@JonoH 

Taking your second paragraph, if the team are spending as little time on Twitter and Facebook as on these forums, then Twitter and Facebook must also be suffering. I strongly suspect that Twitter and facebook are getting more attention.

Returning to your first paragraph, the reason this "channel" is being referenced is due to the complaints seen on this thread and elsewhere about lack of response to cries for help on these forums after days have gone by since a customer has requested help from Plusnet. The phone lines are understaffed and customers want a Plusnet owned method of getting help that does not require them to waste time hangng on interminably waiting for an answer especially if the matter is not urgent. Whilst the use of Facebook etc. might suit a certain demographic of customers, many others do not want to have to subscribe to social media to do so.

There should be a non-public means to raise account related issues that does not rely on telephone support. I have yet to see a cogent argument from Plusnet as to why the ticket system was abandoned except for a very few particular topics. 

[#5]

@tjccjt  said.....

There is ZERO communication now from support. Even the Online Chat does not work any more. Although if it was something to do with Billing then there would be some form of communication then

Live Chat... has been closed down. it was done in a very sneaky and dishonest way... firstly they just shut it down,  when queried by me, and others,... they said it was to enable the staff involved to be more proactive on the phone lines. as they were busy.. in other words.... they  "PRIORITISED" the phone lines against the Live Chat, method... when this was pointed out to be discriminatory against those with hearing or speech difficulties, they re opened Live Chat for a short period of time during the day, for about a month to six weeks, then.. they just pulled the plug on it.  Leaving the standard "we are very busy, please try later".. message,... which eventually proved to be an out and out lie. So can you trust a company that uses those tactics, to reduce customer service for the disabled minority to absolute zero.

Not everyone is in love with TWITTER or FACEBOOK... and this is another source of contention. where a certain member of staff, who has been away for a while, states that Plusnet do not prioritise their response avenues... which again is not true, as shown by the above about prioritising the phone lines over the Live Chat.

Because Live Chat was so dishonourbly shut down, with no prior notice, it left many older people with no means of getting assistance, should they need it...except via the forum.... or trying to get someone else to explain to a third party on the phone, the problem and then get that third party to understand the reply and pass that back to the customer. .

This.. plusnet,.... is supposed to be a "communications company"... that somehow does not understand what the word "communication" or "customer service" means any more. 

After 12 years of loyal service to PlusNet... I jumped ship, to a similar priced ISP, ( annual cost ). who actually do have a communications line of customer service VIA EMAIL.. and they do respond the same day, even within an hour or two.

From....  "Award Winning Customer Service"

to ......                                        " We`ll do you proud"

to..

                                                                                    "That`ll do "....

In three years....  downhill all the way..... with no brakes.....

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Quote fixed.

[#6]

I've got meetings later on this week to discuss what the current state of play is here, obviously  although @shutter I recall quite clearly telling you we were turning off chat in some areas of customer support as it doesn't work for us as a business. We also don't offer customer support by WhatsApp, Snapshot or many other methods that are currently available, there's nothing dishonest about it, we have just chosen to deploy our resources where we think they'll be most efficient for our customers. I don't want to get drawn into this conversation again as we're not going to change our position and you're not going to change your opinion so tahts the last I'll say on the matter.

I'm sorry to hear you've left Plusnet but am pleased that you've found a level support you're happy with elsewhere, and hope that it continues do meet your expectations.

[#7]

I understand your reluctance to be 'drawn into conversation', @JonoH , but to be honest, you don't need 'meetings' to discover what the state of play is - just look at say the past couple of months activity on many boards on this forum - it will then be abundantly clear that decisions have been taken which are not to improve customer support, but to make it close to non-existent.

[#8]

Ohh I'm happy to be drawn into a conversation about current affairs, just historic decisions that the business has made, specifically around Chat aren't something we need to get into today. As of right now I'm not sure what's going on having returned very recently so I'm unaware of what's causing these resourcing challenges. 

You know me, I'll happily talk about our success and failures in as frank a manner as possible, and share any long term plans that I am able. 

[#9]

OK, @JonoH , I'll accept your comments - although some (many) of these historic decisions seem to have been made with little regard to their effect on customers, but as they have been made and implemented, I suppose we'll have to accept them - even though they do (did) seem to be sticking two fingers up at your customers.

As I said above - look at the last couple of months 'Help Team' replies - or rather lack of replies - on the forums and you may get an idea of what is (not) being done. I was told some time ago that someone at your parent company had been made well aware of the shambolic situation and had made remeasuring noises about 'improvements', but since that information was passed on, we appear to be going in reverse.

I would be interested - as no doubt other Community members would - to hear what results we get from your meetings.

[#10]

@JonoH   as you say....  there is nothing dishonest about shutting down a service....  so long as you do not lie to those trying to use it, when you close it..

The statement on the landing page of Live Chat was showing..> " we are busy ....please try later"... ( or similar wording. . I cannot remember the exact wording )...   Which was a blatant lie.

 In actual fact.. Live Chat had already been closed,  (as previously described) .with no prior announcement, warning, or suggestions regarding alternative means. Even after  plusnet had been "found out"... there was no official announcement... but a sneaky comment that it had been closed, in response to someone else`s comment about it not being available.

[#11]

So Live Chat has been closed.

Is it also the same for raising Questions/Tickets on your account? As there are no longer any proper replies to those

My account is in a mess with Errors showing up, no Safeguard and nothing is getting done

What an absolute shambles

[#12]

@tcj1971 Live Chat has been dead for some while, although references to it have not been removed from everywhere it was plastered as 'the New Jerusalem', even after a very long time.

Questions/Tickets are only possible in a very limited number of situations from a customer angle - again, an 'improvement' to the customer-facing facilities.

You are not alone.

[#13]

Really sorry you're having issues @tcj1971 chat is still available for some journeys but not all.  If you have specific issues I'd be pleased to take a look once all my access has been restored.

[#14]

If you could @JonoH as it is getting ridiculous now

If it is access to accounts you are waiting for then you will see the issues I have which is Broadband Safeguard not working (Ticket Raised on 1st April-nothing done), and Errors showing on my account Dashboard/Member Centre

[#15]

@JonoH 

And before you went away you will have been aware of the problems some customers were having in the billing department, as I understand it from some posts problems still exist, you might like that to raise that issue at your meeting.