Plusnet billing query

[#1]

I'll take a proper look on Monday and do the calculations etc.
However, as I said, we only made the changes in call processing on Thursday, so there's no way our systems could have processed your calls at 17.5% VAT before then.

[#2]

Ok, I've had a look and there's a couple of issues here.
The content on the itemised bill page is wrong, call charges shown there are inclusive of VAT, and have been since we took over the call processing side of things. I'm getting that page changed.
The invoice we provide can only display one rate of VAT (which is reasonable given that the times when you'd need to be charged different rates are very very rare).
On your current invoice the call charges total is correct, as taken from the itemised bill, the invoice just subtracts 17.5% on the line item to show the pre-VAT rate (a crude way to do it, but it's correct except in cases such as this so has never caused problems before). That said, the rate of VAT applied at the point of call processing was 15%, so this is a display issue. As I said though, it's only valid for this month's invoice.
Regarding additional usage the rate of 17.5% is correct, as the VAT rate applies when services are charged for, which is not necessarily when they were consumed.

[#3]

I raised a ticket on Monday , due to the fact this month i have been charged for Talk Evenings & Weekends Line Rent charge for the period 11-12-2009 to 10-01-2010 even though i paid for this rental period last month , so two rental payments this month  . It said average response time to answer 13hrs , seeing how my direct debit is taken tomorrow looks like being overcharged this month , If anyone for plusnet is watching , please help 

[#4]

Have you voted in my poll? http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,82628.0.html
When you get an answer you will probably find that it's too late to stop the payment being taken.
They won't start the process to give you a credit until they have had confirmation that the payment has been taken.
It will then probably be a fortnight before you receive the money back.
If you reclaim the money from the bank under the DD guarantee PN will suspend your account for non-payment.

[#5]

Hi butler65,
Unfortunately as the payment is being taken we can't stop it at the moment, however we'll refund the overpaid amount in full as soon as it's gone through. I'm sorry about that.

[#6]

Hi Matt
Thanks for that ,  its a shame the ticket response was not as quick as the response on here , makes you wonder which way is the best to get an answer 
Glad its going to be sorted,
Butler65

[#7]

Quote from: butler65

I raised a ticket on Monday , due to the fact this month i have been charged for Talk Evenings & Weekends Line Rent charge for the period 11-12-2009 to 10-01-2010 even though i paid for this rental period last month , so two rental payments this month  . It said average response time to answer 13hrs , seeing how my direct debit is taken tomorrow looks like being overcharged this month , If anyone for plusnet is watching , please help

Hi Butler65.  We've got a problem raised with our support team for your recent duplicate billing.  The problem id is 57622

[#8]

Quote from: butler65

I raised a ticket on Monday , due to the fact this month i have been charged for Talk Evenings & Weekends Line Rent charge for the period 11-12-2009 to 10-01-2010 even though i paid for this rental period last month , so two rental payments this month  . It said average response time to answer 13hrs , seeing how my direct debit is taken tomorrow looks like being overcharged this month , If anyone for plusnet is watching , please help

Hello butler65, I have also been charged twice for exactly the same (line rental, same dates). And who knows how many more customers have!!! Moreover they refused to correct the bill before payment on the pretext of short time (Note: THEY set the time, as they advised me 3 days before payment, and I responded to them on time to stop the payment but they didn't). They say they'll refund after 14 days and they can't do earlier, this is ridiculous. Haha I should threaten them of interrupting something as they do with their unpolite messages that assume each customer is a thief and remind them that they are about to interrupt service on every e-mail.
As a general comment, this company is rude to customers and tries to cheat with wrong billing and delayed refunds. As far as I know they never make accounting mistakes at their disadvantage.
I have lived in many countries, including the UK, Italy, Belgium, Greece and The Netherlands. In 40 years I have never (I repeat NEVER) encountered a service provider (whether telephone, electricity, water, gas, etc.) that makes billing mistakes. Never before meeting Plusnet.
Direct debit is not a blank check to these guys. I consider that they breach not only the contract but any common sense rule of human behaviour and probably the law as well. This company is untrustable. My referrals will know.

[#9]

Hi there,
Firstly I'd like to apologise for the problems you've had here.
There is a problem open which our development team are working on. As standard we fix the problem first, and then do cleanup/refunds as appropriate. I can sort a manual refund for you now though if you'd rather?
As a further note we're looking into the DD notification period, with a view to making it longer.

[#10]

Thanks Mand for offering your help but personally I think that personal cases must be dealt by customer service.
Now that I pointed it out and have complained, I am confident than "one day" I'll get my money back (not sure if I had not noticed  :-[)
What I want, instead, is the following. Are you able to help?
a) hiring of qualified personnel for the billing
b) 15 working days minimum advance notice of payment
c) removal of the following sentence from Plusnet communications to customers: Please note - It is important that your payment details are valid and you have enough funds in your account on XX/XX/XXXX as failure to do so will result in your Plusnet Value account being disabled. This sentence is unpolite  (it treats honest customers as thieves), and legally unnecessary (it is already in the terms and conditions). Moreover, as wrong bills are frequent, Plusnet is not in a position to speak this sort of language to respectable customers.
d) the opportunity, for customers who do not trust Plusnet accounting, to pay the bills with a different method (e.g. credit transfer), at no overcharge.
e) customer service follow-up of a customer problem by e-mail (i.e. the customer might still have to file his request through "Help Assistant", but if more interactions are later necessary he can communicate normally by e-mail if so he wishes).
f) the following changes to terms and conditions: 1. in case of a billing mistake pointed out to customer service before the direct debit payment, Plusnet has to stop it even if this means delaying the final payment; 2. in case of a billing mistake overcharging the customer, the account will not be suspended in case the customer blocks the payment or asks for a refund to his bank; 3. in case of billing mistakes overcharging customers, in addition to the refund Plusnet will pay an automatic compensation based on a fixed amount + a percentage + an overcharge in case of late payment; 4. the time frame for refunds must be stated and never be longer than the advance notice time set in (b); 5. in case of an overcharging due to Plusnet's fault (e.g. wrong accounting), the refund is immediate and Plusnet will not wait that the money paid by the customer arrives.
Without guarantees that put customers on equal foot, and given that Plusnet's reputation is unfortunately that of poor accounting, frequent overcharging, and delayed refunding, the whole business resembles more a sort of unfair and illegal of cash advance.  It is likely that by the time a customer is refunded another one is overcharged, so that every customer, in turns, lends Plusnet money unknowingly. All the resistance that management opposes to such changes seems to confirm this picture. 
Thanks for your attention,
FrankTheRed

[#11]

I have been contacted by Plusnet management following my complaint on billing mistakes (in my case, as also with several other customers as documented in the usergroups, the Dec-Jan line rental had been billed twice). For them the question is simply and openly summarized with the following sentence: "it is true that biling mistakes can happen. Even major banking companies can have mistakes, and there is no billing system or banking company that has never had any problem". Incredible!!
So, they have no will to improve. 
The following links offer more info on Plusnet "accounting ability":
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,82488.16.html
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,82628.0.html
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,82473.0.html
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php?topic=83116.0.html
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,76767.0.html
http://usergroup.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,6596.0.html
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=29179493
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/c/broadband/suppliers/plusnet/reviews/13/1/
http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/3391468-overcharge-admit-mistake-promise-refud-then-deny.ht...
I want to be able to pay by credit transfer such as to be able to approve every single bill. No more DD!!!! Otherwise, if this time the error was around 10 pounds, I can expect (as this is random in their accounting system) that next time it shall be £100 or a £1000!

[#12]

@FrankTheRed - Duplicate post here and in the PUG forums do not enhance your case  
The billing problems are being addressed - OK so a bit slower than many would like - but they are being fixed.
Maurice

[#13]

FrankTheRed,
I can assure you we are working to resolve the billing problems, and we do want to improve in this area (we're currently earmarking lots of development time for this over the next few months, which signals our commitment to doing this).
We're looking at the DD notification period currently, following numerous discussions here and elsewhere.
I'll speak to the content team about that email, as I agree it could be friendlier.
With regards to other payment methods, we only offer DD or card as methods of payment for residential customers. The amount of manual overhead to allow other payment methods is preventative.
Communication by email is something that we don't allow internally, as it is not accountable or centralised, this could lead to major problems when you consider we have in excess of 200 agents.

[#14]

Quote from: Mand

We're looking at the DD notification period currently, following numerous discussions here and elsewhere.

So what happened?

[#15]

We have no intentions to change the billing notifications.