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Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Its possible that anybody who had access to the cable running between the @OP's house and the exchange could have jumpered on their own telephone to make the calls, typically to their own premium rate number to increase the cash income from profit sharing.
Anybody with a handset and a couple of crocodile clips could easily do the deed if they could find a way to escape detection.
There is also the possibility that a dodgy contractor working in the exchange or local loop boxes could have jumpered on their own handset to make the calls. (Or somebody could have compromised such a box, and jumpered their handset onto a series of phones one after the other to make calls.)
Its a lucrative scam if you can evade capture.
brogden1
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

re. James_G - interesting and this is what the original CSC staff investigating reckon happened. He reckoned you can see some sort of intervention on the line occurred when the broadband connection suffered consecutive disconnections around the time of the 'calls'. It would be interesting to know how many others have suffered this in our area (checked with immediate neighbours and none had). The thing I find confusing is that I investigated the numbers through the premium rate regulator and they all seem to relate to different and established premium rate businesses, so I don't understand the purpose of the scam, unless the perpetrator owned all of them or was on commission somehow? This and the very fast disconnection/connection between different numbers does tend to indicate a remote electronic scam, rather than clipping on at the exchange?
glloyd
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Contractors or even BT staff have been know to jumper lines to make calls in the past, it's so easy for them to do so. A few years ago we had a fault on my line and I just happened to stroll outside whilst the engineer was working on my line in a box outside my house. He was chatting away to his girlfriend for a good 15 minutes or more. When I questioned him who was paying for the call he said it was OK as he was connected to the exchange on a test line. I took note of the date and time and when I received my phone bill there was the call to Austria for nearly £30. It took me some time to convince BT I had not made the call and their own engineer had made the call whilst fixing my line. They did credit the call in the end but it took a lot of convincing and many phone calls.
alanf
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Mark
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Hi Mr Brogden
Your issue has been escalated to me for investigation and I have examined the history in great detail this morning.
I apologise for the difficulty you have experienced and I will ring you this afternoon to discuss where we now go with this.
I look forward to speaking with you.
brogden1
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Registered: ‎01-09-2008

Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

alanf - that's very interesting.
The 2nd article on The Register describes exactly what has happened to us, in my view. This conclusion was also made within 10 minutes of my first call to PlusNet support staff - they said there was evidence of external intervention. My wife reported no dial tone around the time of our phantom calls and the broadband connection data shows consecutive disconnections.
Goodness knows why PlusNet decided to ignore all of that and treat us this way. I got the impression from one of the support supervisors that he had a great deal of sympathy (he said the case was very compelling that the calls didn't originate from our household but his managers required conclusive proof) but could do nothing about it due to pressure from above to stone wall us.
PlusNet need to have a serious look at their process for handling such incidents. When BT are doing a better job, then you know you have customer service problems. If a process is in place to block customer access to relevant management staff and divert official correspondence then PlusNet need to look at why that is going on as a matter of urgency. For me, all trust is lost and we will be better off elsewhere, but I would like to know PlusNet is putting procedures in place to prevent this happening to others. I would not wish this treatment on anyone else.
brogden1
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Registered: ‎01-09-2008

Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

I received a call from a member of the PlusNet management team last night. He was very apologetic and explained the the relevant managers were not aware of my issues - he was genuinely sorry about the situation. After a discussion, I am satisfied that my experience results from supervisors in CSC failing to follow laid down PN procedures. I am told that some serious discussions have taken place and also measures to ensure the lack of escalation does not happen in the future. PlusNet accept that the calls were made by some form of external intervention at the exchange and have nothing to do with us. Although we have suffered a month of hell over this, I am safisfied that the matter has now been taken very seriously by PN management and as a result we will remain with them and see how it goes. Our phone has now been switched back on and the phantom call charges + expenses have been credited.
Mal08
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Pleased things worked out for you.
Strange that someone from the management team wasn't aware earlier isn't it. !.
Don't they monitor these Forums ?.
But then I have seen Neil Armstrong respond to some messages  Huh
brogden1
Dabbler
Posts: 15
Registered: ‎01-09-2008

Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

I wish I had noticed the customer forum earlier because it was my posting here that alerted other PN staff to the problem - the staff that picked up on the problem from my forum posts were outside the circle of CSC supervisors that had jointly blocked escalation of the issue. That allowed the matter to be escalated to management which I had been trying to do for over a month. Although we have been treated horribly by those original staff, I have little doubt from speaking to PN management that they will take steps to stop such a situation happening again. It does show that the customer forum is well run and managed, even if there have been some rough edges in the CSC itself - just wish I'd seen it 5 weeks ago!
Santiago
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

I am pleased you have resolved your situation with Plusnet to your satisfaction. Common sense prevails.
I believe Plusnet deserve credit for having this forum as a platform for open and honest discussion of the pros and cons of their service.
Members do get good prompt help from Plusnet staff and other members and issues on the forum seem to be taken on board by Plusnet as you have found yourself.
Unfortunately Plusnet customers who do not use the forum do not get this benefit and have to rely on the online tickets or telephone support both of which I find tedious and inconsistent.
However you did not need the forum to alert senior mangagement of your complaint because you did this
Quote from: brogden1
I wrote a letter to the Customer Services Director on the 11th August. This is in line with the PN complaints procedure and is necessary before I can take the case to independant arbitration, but I have never had a reply. Instead it was simply posted on the support system for the same support staff to deal with. I got a 2 liner from support staff saying there was nothing further to add.

The Customer  Services Director should have done three things immediately he she received your letter,
1. Asked the CS department why you wrote to him her and investigate the compliant
2. Replied to you directly to open a dialogue to resolve the problem.
3. Considered the financial implication of the issue on the business
Most businesses, including this one apparently, don't seem to realise that a customer complaint is actually a good sales opportunity  when handled correctly.
Hopefully a good business will learn from service failures and use the experience to improve their product and their service.
I see your outcome as being very positive.
Edit: Gender correction
Mark
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Hi brogden1
I'm really glad that we brought this to a successful conclusion and fully acknowledge that it should never have gotten to this stage. Lessons have been learned and communicated to the relevant parties.
Quote
Strange that someone from the management team wasn't aware earlier isn't it. !.
Don't they monitor these Forums ?.

Hi mal.
We do monitor the forums although I tend to spend most of my forum time in the Support and Business forum. This one was flagged to me by the Comms team who do frequent every forum we have.
Santiago.
We certainly should have handled this one a whole lot better and as I said in my reply to the OP, lessons have indeed been learned and processes reinforced.
With a current customer base of circa 300k I am glad that situations like this are rare. I would be happier if they were non existant but we do get some that slip through the net and that is unfortunate and unacceptable.
Quote
Hopefully a good business will learn from service failures and use the experience to improve their product and their service.

Absolutely. You hit the nail on the head and we certainly will learn and improve from this.
Quote
I see your outcome as being very positive.

I totally agree.

Mal08
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Quote from: Mark

Hi mal.
We do monitor the forums although I tend to spend most of my forum time in the Support and Business forum. This one was flagged to me by the Comms team who do frequent every forum we have.

Yes I rather thought you did - see below
Quote from: Mark

With a current customer base of circa 300k I am glad that situations like this are rare. I would be happier if they were non existant but we do get some that slip through the net and that is unfortunate and unacceptable.

Indeed - these types of forums are not a real reflection on the total business of course - the vast majority will be perfectly happy I suspect - but that doesn't mean there aren't problems of course - and yes some do slip thorugh the net - it's getting a mechanism in place belieth the net to divert them to management that's key.
Good luck in getting the amended systems working.

pierre_pierre
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Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

yes the take up of 300K PN using the web is a low percentage
Forum - Info Center
Forum Stats
540489 Posts in 67075 Topics by 9256 Members
ie about 3%
Teds31
Grafter
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Registered: ‎06-08-2007

Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

Still wondering if broardband and phone under one supplier is a good idea,(all eggs in one basket etc) though this is a selling point used by PN,if the person concerned had his phone with BT at least he would have kept his main line of comunication,will have to give this more thought.There isn't all that much differance between them.(BT andPN)
Mal08
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Registered: ‎20-08-2008

Re: Premium Rate Numbers Incorrectly Assigned to Bill

I presume that if for some reason the phone line is barred, then the B/B will stop as well - depends where they jumper the line in the local exchange I suppose ??.
But maybe the jumpers from the subscriber side of MDF go straight to the ADSL rack - and not affected by a remote disconnect of the telephobe service in the electronic telephone exchange. ???.