PlusNet and OpenReach colaborate in a joint Farce

[#1]

I have recently moved to PlusNet. I have had one week where I had to complain in order to get the correct speed, then a week of good service. At that point OpenReach engineers came along and changed a card  in the local cabinet, and I lost the Internet. Now it is 12 days later and despite my daily calls to PlusNet I still no Internet. Today I am informed that I will get a status update in the next two days. I am now at a point where I cannot accept this anymore, I am spending a fortune on a 4G connection I have had to purchase, my elastic has reached its limit, even Talktalk didn't manage to interrupt my Internet connection for more than a few hours.

I am new to this service so I don't know if PlusNet read these posts, but somebody needs to sort out the relationship with OpenReach such that they quickly correct their errors.

The time-line is as follows

12/9/2016 transferred to PlusNet - seems to be well organised. Then we lose bandwidth. PlusNet say there is an error in the account, fix the error, and we seem to recover.

On 24/9/2016 Saturday - at 10:00 pm we lose the internet - two Open Reach guys at the cabinet - they say some BT customer(s) have a problem with their TV and they are changing a card. Then they say it is now synchronised and internet is back up working. I check at home, no internet. Go back to the cabinet, the engineers have gone

On 25/9/2016 I report the fault to PlusNet at 07:30 am

26/9/2016 called PlusNet - no progress

28/9/2016  PlusNet call me, we discuss fault, and then PlusNet confirm a visit of a BT/OpenReach engineer is booked for 4 October. Later PlusNet confirm the fault is at the exchange and an actual visit to our house is not be needed but the visit will be left so the fault doesn't get cancelled.

Message from PlusNet reads

Engineer will go to exchange and complete the task. You do not need an appointment XXXXX ­ IP (16:28:25): - I request you to please review it on 1/10/2016 after 1000 hours .

and later after my call to PlusNet

Further to our call today. You are correct Wholesale have now advised that an appointment is in fact not required and to check for updates on the 1st of October after 1pm. If you keep your equipment fired up you should just see it come back on line, and sooner rather than later. 

1/10/2016 Saturday - it is after 1:00 pm - still no Internet. Another 60 minutes holding and PlusNet say that BT cannot do a lift and shift as no spare ports - they need a private network engineer to resolve the fault

2/10/2016 still no internet - no news -

3/10/2016 Monday - I invest another 50 minutes and call PlusNet - PlusNet support  confirm categorically that an OpenReach engineer will visit me on 4/10/2016 - even though last week it was confirmed we don't need an engineer to visit us.

4/10/2016 wait in, and also keep the cabinet in sight. No OpenReach engineer

Invest another 40 minutes in holding for PlusNet . find out the visit of the engineer was not confirmed by BT/OR and no engineer was assigned. PlusNet advise that this fault goes no further until an engineer visits. I ask why ? when fault is known to exist at exchange/cabinet - I am told it is the procedure

5/10/2016 Wednesday

The OpenReach engineer appears at the cabinet - I went over to talk to him as he didn't come to our house. He cut off our phone line, reconnected it, and informed me there are no spare working ports, which we already knew - just wasted another day
He says a replacement card is required, maybe it could happen today, and maybe tomorrow an OpenReach engineer will turn up ? maybe

When called (investing just 20 minutes of waiting) PlusNet support confirm the OpenReach engineer has raised a request for a replacement card to be fitted

6/10/2016

Again invested 15 minutes of waiting and spoke to PlusNet support. Some confusion, tried to tell me the OpenReach engineer had not logged a report. Then confirmed a job has been raised and someone will update me in the next two days.

At this point my elastic limit is reached, I need somebody in PlusNet to take ownership of this problem and get it fixed. OpenReach caused the issue, PlusNet need to get them to fix it. I have invested many hours, wasted days, and no spent a lot of money money on 4G data.

[#2]

Well there is an update. The OpenReach engineer has replaced a card in the cabinet. We hope it was the right card. We still don't have Internet. I spoke to PlusNet and asked what is the plan, the guy said it would be unfair on other customers to follow up on this specific fault and I need to wait up to 5 days for the fault reporting system to get updated. Now we are currently 13 days into complete loss of Internet, the concept of waiting up to another 5 days to get an update is crazy. I think it shows that customers are just a number in the machinery.

[#3]

Well the saga may have a happy ending. The OpenReach guy came back to the cabinet. I guess that his colleague in the exchange was reporting no sync. Seems our 'cables' in the cabinet were not connected, just hanging in space. This was probably the previous OpenReach guy two days earlier who did cut us off and try moving our connection in the cabinet.

So we are currently at around 72 down and 18 up. which is a bit below where we were before, but may it will take a bit of time to sort itself out.

I do have to say that todays OpenReach guy was very helpful, and did check all was OK before he left the cabinet. Although I must admit to stalking any OpenReach van that worked at the cabinet for the last week.

[#4]

what about cancelling your contract with theses incompetent ? and seek decent service somewhere else, there is a point of no return , and 13 days out of service + another 5 days of wait , i think you reach that point

[#5]

I had been with TalkTalk for many years, started well and then went downhill. My download speed was rubbish, I asked them to move me to fibre to cabinet, they replied that there is no capacity. So I then had to look around to find who has capacity, and PlusNet was possibly one of the only options. I have been tempted to cancel PlusNet and move, but that would just extend the period of 'no internet' into the unknown. I fear we may be somewhat stuck with PlusNet until they put another cabinet in over the road.

[#6]

Sorry this wasn't picked up Mike. Just looking at your account now, I'll update the thread shortly.

Well I feel that now that the physical work has been done to ensure that your speed is back up to scratch, there should be no further issues.

However, there have been multiple fundamental errors on our part here which I'll be feeding back on. In particular, the missed appointment could have been avoided, so apologies that this came to pass.

Feel free to PM me if there's any further issue and I'll take ownership of your account, all is looking smooth for now though.

Matty

[#7]

---

@mikejohnsmith wrote:

So I then had to look around to find who has capacity, and PlusNet was possibly one of the only options. 

---

Firstly great news you are back up and running, when Plusnet is working (which for me has been most of the time!) its a great services. 

Plusnet doesn't have capacity at cabs, that is all Openreach capacity, so any service provider that users OR cabs for FTTC would be the same. As talktalk run their own network they may have limitations there however.

Hopefully now though you can enjoy Plusnet!

[#8]

Thanks

I don't know how BT Wholesale present available capacity to ISPs, whether it is a real time live inventory system, or some form of system updated on a periodic basis. Appreciate your statement that PlusNet does not have an inventory of capacity at cabs, but the order entry systems will (presumably) check capacity and use an algorithm to determine if the order for FTC is to be allowed. I believe that there may now be just two spare ports in the local cabinet, which may be at a level where the TalkTalk system determines that it will not allow orders to be placed for this cab. Whereas the PlusNet order system has allowed an order to be placed.

I guess time will tell if the reliability and performance is satisfactory. I have to say I think that in the 'technical support' at PlusNet there are opportunities for improvement.

Regards

Mike

[#9]

I think you think the UK broadband ordering system is far more realtime and dynamic than it is in reality 🙂

Any CP places an order against a phone line, BTW accept or reject the order, or accept the order and put it on a waiting list if there is no capacity. There is no dynamic algorithm or real time capacity information CPs get.

If there was and it said 2 free ports, great, but in the time from checking the speed to you placing the order who knows what other CPs have done in terms of sending orders in. Just because an order is in doesnt mean it will complete and use the capacity so they cant jsut show spaced against placed orders.

Talktalk have their own network though, and may have decided they were would of capacity in their own network and chose not to sell, although even for FTTC they use the openreach network so they don't have to invest in rolling out copper to the house.

Any other CP that takes service like AA, Zen, BT, EE home etc would all see the same as each other as described above.

Looks like MattyC has also acknowledged their performance this time was not up to the standards expected, so hopefully the right person/people/teams have the feedback and learn from it to make sure the next person doesn't get the same confusing messages you got etc.

[#10]

Thanks for the information. I  guess TalkTalk had taken a position based on knowledge of limited ports in the cab and therefor would not accept a request for a FTC delivery