Having a lot of worry moving line to Plusnet and Fibre upgrade

[#1]

I've been with Plusnet ADSL broadband for years, and they used to be very good. I've seen grumbles on forums, but the experiences didn't (at that time) accord with my own. Plusnet had been OK for me, so perhaps I didn't do my "due diligence" as thoroughly as I should before contemplating the changes mentioned in the title, not yet effected.
After 42 years with BT for the line, and a recent battle with them (resulting in the Ombudsman finding in my favour) it seemed a good idea to consolidate with Plusnet.
However, without going into detail, there have been many problems and I've spent a huge amount of time on the phone. I'm not so sure any more that it was a good idea, - and it got me thinking today when BT phoned, trying to entice me back.
When the offer of £50 didn't work with me, the woman launched into a spiel about there being no certainty that if I left them there would be no no guarantee that I would be able to keep my number. (Plusnet did mention that risk to me but described it as minimal.)
Candidly, she's got me worried, and it has added to my concerns about the omens and delays that are coming back from Plusnet during the changeover. But does anyone else think that it's pretty low to play the "might lose your number" card? And how much of a risk is it?

[#2]

Hi percy

Welcome to the forum

The person at BT is talking utter rubbish and using scare tactics , you can certainly keep your number .
They know full well you can keep your number , i would ring back and make a formal complaint , it's very dirty tactics
From Ofcom website

Quote from: http

So if you’re staying at the same address and your number is active, your current provider must allow it to be transferred to a new phone company.

Kind regards
Mike

[#3]

A big THANK YOU to Mike.
I "ain't no spring chicken no more" and don't seem to be able to cope with hassle as well as I used to. It did feel like a bit of an unveiled threat, though.
Joining the forum has already proved to be a good move. Maybe someone from Plusnet will be along soon, too.

[#4]

Hi percy
You are very welcome
Joining the PN forum is always a good idea, there are lots of very knowledgeable and helpful people around. 
Kind regards
Mike

[#5]

As I.T.Works has stated you should be able to keep your number.

[#6]

Thank you Mr Wheeler.
Is there any chance that one of the Plusnet experts could help me with the other half of my problem, please?
Regards, Percy

[#7]

I'm running out of time to cancel, now, - and there is nothing coming from Plusnet to reassure me.
Lots of arranging and cancelling services from Openreach,  several open tickets,  no responses to my additional remarks added, conflicting indications of what will happen when, several letters of complaint to complaints dept. still pending. Latest advice from Plusnet addressed to me personally, but not emailed. I only saw it because I've found out how to find the ticket system thanks to other posters.
I'm trying to hold my nerve in the hope that all will somehow come right in the end. I had a bad time with BT, and the Ombudsman agreed with me, - so I arranged a move to Plusnet. They used to be great, and I was hoping that at least some of their great people are still around.
I'm new to this forum, but I've noticed that the Plusnet reps often "zoom in" with an offer to investigate. One did that this morning for another worried customer, within nine MINUTES of his posting. My last posting was about nine DAYS ago, specifically invited a rep to help me, - and I'm still floundering around in the dark.
I don't normally do "dirty washing in public" so I've not gone into the sorry details, but is this what is needed to provoke a response?
On the "better the devil you know" principle, I think that I'm going to have to go back to BT as the final date for reversal of the migration is nearly upon us.
However, I do take some comfort from the advice of the nice man on the TV adverts:
"Sometimes we don't get the service we deserve. Plusnet say it's time to make a stand !"
"Why is it that paying less for your broadband and phone sometimes means that you have to compromise on service? That's not the Plusnet way ! With them you get a great price and get a great service."
Well, that's fine, then !

[#8]

Quote from: percy

I don't normally do "dirty washing in public" so I've not gone into the sorry details, but is this what is needed to provoke a response?

Yes - that seems to be the case

[#9]

Apart from the threat from BT you haven't mentioned what the problem is so how is anyone supposed to help you?

[#10]

Yeah. Even our brand of wild speculation needs something to go on
[Moderator's note by Dick (Strat):  Full quote of preceding post removed, as per Forum Rule]

[#11]

I've been struggling to get my previous ADSL service with Plusnet upgraded to fibre, and my phone account moved to them since the 20th Aug.
I've indicated from my initial post that I didn't really intend to bore or embarrass anyone with all the detail, but expanded a little in the second paragraph of my post of 4th September.
Quote: "Lots of arranging and cancelling services from Openreach,  several open tickets,  no responses to my additional remarks added, conflicting indications of what will happen when, several letters of complaint to complaints dept. still pending. Latest advice from Plusnet addressed to me personally, but not emailed."
Two subsequent posters on the 5th Sept failed to understand that summary!
In contrast, and much more helpfully, I spoke to 'M', a Plusnet agent on the 4th. (We're not allowed to name them on here.) He understood completely and agreed to "take ownership and monitor" the required changes to my service.
He explained, as had already become apparent to me, that the many difficulties had been caused by some agents not understanding which orders could be placed with Openreach simultaneously, and which needed to be done sucessively. In consequence, the "go-live" date for the Fibre upgrade (contracted for on the 20th Aug.), originally promised for 28th Aug. is still, as I write on 11th Sept., still unknown to me.
The line takeover had to be done first. Indeed, another enlightened agent, "S", had taken control of the previous state of confusion (which she described as "agent error") on the 3rd Sept. and scheduled this for the 8th Sept. "M" proposed to diarise this to verify, and follow up with the Fibre order quickly thereafter. All good, I thought.
But nothing has happened on the fibre, and I do not know who my line provider is. BT sent me a message on the 8th which I interpret as saying that it isn't them any more, and the Plusnet line checker (thanks OldJim for the link) says that my line isn't with Plusnet. Also, the appropriate Plusnet page says that my order is still being processed, and that they will advise me when completed. So my current line provider is a mystery. I shall be very cross if the line takeover hasn't happened yet, because tomorrow will take me into another month's charges from BT, and Plusnet have been reminded of this.
On the broadband, the Plusnet page shows that I haven't used any since the 27th Aug. The Plusnet  "My account" page shows that I have been on "Unlimited Fibre" since June 2014. The only fibre I have here is in a packet marked "All Bran" ! It also worries me that my advance line rental paid to Plusnet on the 20th, might have started then and been ticking away ever since, even though the move hadn't or hasn't taken place.
I daren't think what sort of bill Plusnet will present me with shortly, or how much more time I'm going to have to spend hanging on the phone, waiting to get through to sort that out.
So in summary, - I don't know who my phone provider is, and 22 days after requesting a Fibre upgrade, I don't even have a date for it !!
Award winning customer service, indeed.

[#12]

Three days after my previous post, and no one appears bothered or interested.
The members' page still shows this against my phone. "Your Home Phone order is currently being processed. We will keep you updated by email and tell you once your service is ready to use." The phone is fortunately working, but no clue as to who's providing it, or what calls package applies.
Re. the fibre, no one told me, but I spotted this "Service Notification" ticket :
Service Notification
11:04pm, Friday 11 Sep 2015
An update report has been received for this account.
The broadband order is being processed by the supplier.
The activation will complete by midnight on 26/09/2015.
Hoping that this was possibly a "worst case" date,  I added to a ticket, "Is it really as bad as this, i.e. FIVE WEEKS lead time for the Fibre I signed up to on the 20th August?"
Today, back came "I have checked the status of the broadband order and I can see our supplier is showing an appointment slot for 25/09/2015 (ALL DAY). Unfortunately we are unable to make any changes to this in the provisions department. Placing ticket on hold and we can check the order progress next week. This Question is now on hold until Monday 21st September at 7:00am."
So, YES, a day over FIVE WEEKS from order date to (hopefully) get fibre upgrade. I don't even want an engineer, - it's self-install.
I detected that my order had hit the rocks at an early stage, and submitted written complaints by post on 25th, 26th, and 27th August. The Plusnet code of practice says that I will get a reply within ten days of receipt, so I must go and look for the postman ...............

[#13]

I recently had a self-install.  Even with that they still need to send an engineer out to the cabinet to physically switch your line over to fibre.  I may have missed it above but you do have a VDSL modem, right (not router)?

[#14]

Hello Shure, thanks for your interest.
Yes, I was aware that they need to switch my wires over at the cabinet (which I can see from here) but they're there very frequently, so it shouldn't be a problem. In all honesty, I suspect that the problems have been in the provisioning.

[#15]

And there's where the comedy element comes in.  I don't know how accurate this is but I've heard that OR don't simply pass an extra job onto an engineer if he happens to be in the neighbourhood.  That would be too easy.  These things are largely automated and they just book someone else out.  The money that's wasted must be phenomenal.
You may be right about provisioning but it's hard to pinpoint exactly which end.  I think one of the problems is so much is done via inadequate automated systems that common sense goes largely out of the window.  Partly it's OR, who don't seem all that communicative to PN, but partly it's PN, who don't seem to have any proper feedback system in place to get back to the customer if something goes wrong.  Take my issue when I upgraded: when I placed my fibre order unbeknownst to me there was already a modify order placed on my line by BT for a behind the scenes change.  This meant my fibre order couldn't go through.  But instead of the PN CSR getting some kind of warning and flagging it back to me it was just left there until the day of install, when the engineer didn't show because he hadn't actually been booked.  I only found this out because I chased it up myself.  They don't appear to have any system of ownership at PN so things just get dropped or otherwise are not followed up.  Bit of a shambles really but it's not really the people but the infrastructure and training they have to work with.  As a customer you have to just ring every day it seems or else you'll get put to the back of the queue