cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Jaimiebyrne
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎11-07-2017

For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

So I've had a problem with my voicemail for ages. After a number hours of wasted with the online chat with no success, and forever being on hold waiting to speak to someone on the telephone, I finally get through on the telephone! Hooray! "Let's get you through security," said the Customer Advisor. "Now I just need your last few digits of the sort code and bank account you have your Direct Debit on. So I obliged and gave her the information from my bank account card which had the Direct Debit set up with Plusnet. "Sorry, those details are not correct!" I was informed.  Not a problem, I thought. I'll just re-read them to her as perhaps I’d misread a digit. "Sorry, Computer says No!" is the response this time. By this time I'm starting to worry. "Hang on” I said, "I switched banks about nine months ago, you know, it's all part of the Current Account Switch Guarantee Service, you've got my old (closed) bank account information. My new bank contacts you as part of the switching process."

Now here’s the kicker, "That is incorrect Mrs ….when you switch banks accounts it is your responsibility to inform us, not your new bank" Flabbergasted, I responded and politely pointed out that this is incorrect! But keen to get my voicemail problem concluded I went along with it “Ok then let's get my new bank account details updated then (I’ve been with my new bank for about 9 months)” I said” "Sorry, Mrs...We need you to confirm the bank account details that we have for you before you pass security". “Erm, I don't know my old bank account details as it was closed months ago and the card has been shredded! Anyway, you are taking money every month from my new account, surely it isn’t down to me if your records are incorrect "Sorry Mrs… without your (incredibly outdated) details you can't gain access to your account" Seriously?!? You wouldn’t think it would be so hard just to get my voicemail working.

So at this point, I'm starting to become a tad annoyed. So I asked to speak to a supervisor” because I'm pretty sure that her telling me, “it is not down to your new bank to inform Plusnet, it is your responsibility inform Plusnet that I've moved banks even though you used the Current Account Switch Guarantee Service” “Unless you clear security I can’t put you through” She said.

So she refused to let me speak to a Supervisor/Manager until I'd cleared security. Ok, I thought, the other half is with Plusnet, he can clear security. This really threw her: Computer can't say no to that huh. So after him clearing security she very reluctantly put him through to Mark the Supervisor.

My other half asked Mark, the Supervisor, directly if the information provided by the Customer Advisor in relation to the Current Account Switch Guarantee was correct and he said "YES!" 

For anyone who isn’t familiar, PlusNet included it appears, basically when you switch banks under the Current Account Switch Guarantee Service, if the company who has the Direct Debit set up has not updated their records they will continue to send requests (DD) to your old bank who will forward the Direct Debit requests to your new bank for a period of only 13 months. My partner asked Mark what would happen after that period if we (as individuals) didn’t update Plusnet with the details of the new bank's Direct Debit to which he responded: "it will accumulate until we can secure a payment from an alternative source."

Great, who’s up for a nice black mark on their credit file all courtesy of PlusNet Mobile?!?

Not only was the Customer Service Advisor either very poorly informed/lying, (she was rather patronising also I might add) Mark, the Customer Service Team Leader/Manager, towed the line, albeit with some added technical jibber jabber to sound more convincing. However, the message was clear. "It is your responsibility as our Customer, not your bank, it’s down to you to inform us”

  

 

For clarity Plusnet, and especially Mark the Team Leader, this is how it works:

Common questions

  • What happens to payments that people send to my old account?

The Current Account Switch Service will redirect payments to your new account. Each time an electronic payment is redirected an automatic message is sent back to the originator advising them of the new account details so they can update their records. Some organisations may contact you directly to confirm your details have changed.

 

You can read all about it here: https://www.currentaccountswitch.co.uk/helpandsupport/Pages/help.aspx

 

So there you have it, although having the details of our new bank account sent to them EVERY time that Plusnet make a request for payment to our old, and very CLOSED, bank account for many months, It appears that Plusnet doesn't update their records! Instead, their ill-informed staff shirk responsibility, blame/lie to their customers and appear to have no comprehension of current banking practices.

I understand the importance of account security and keeping the customer’s information safe, seriously, I get it! Of course, I wouldn’t want someone else to have access to my account. This really isn’t the issue, in this case, no matter how much you try and make it the issue. Just take some responsibility, you messed up, you wasted my time, something didn’t go right at your end and you should have put it right instead of blaming and lying. Not me putting it right, not the bank…. Plusnet. After all, isn’t that what award winning Customer Service is all about? I very much doubt that these awards were won through lying/blaming your customers for your errors and your staff showing a lack of understanding of how the Current Account Switch Guarantee Service works.

Two individuals from Plusnet have shaped my opinion now of the whole company. Perhaps the Call centre also takes calls for BT, EE or Vodafone. Who knows!

Like many, we were switched to Plusnet having previously been with Life mobile whom we never had a problem with. I had high hopes for Plusnet based on the slick advertising campaigns. Ah, the power of advertising huh: say something enough and eventually, you get people to believe it. Oh, and still no resolution to voicemail issue. No doing me proud here Plusnet.

 

To anyone who has either switched or thinking about switching their bank using the Current Account Switch Guarantee Service: don’t rely on Plusnet to do their bit at their end by updating their records.

 

19 REPLIES 19
Strat
Community Veteran
Posts: 31,320
Thanks: 1,609
Fixes: 565
Registered: ‎14-04-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat) Topic moved to Mobile board for better visibility.

Windows 10 Firefox 109.0 (64-bit)
To argue with someone who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead - Thomas Paine
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

There is no problem with EE my friend changed banks using the current account switching service and she had notification  from EE advising her that they had changed the DD.

So PlusNet must have a different/poorer account system

quelquod
Pro
Posts: 668
Thanks: 163
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!


@Anonymous wrote:

So PlusNet must have a different/poorer account system


 

Dont worry! A new accounting system is being developed as we speak.

Actually it's been promised for several years now so it's bound to be nearly there. (Heh! Wink)

Democracy - 3 wolves and a lamb voting about what to have for lunch!
Fudrucker
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎20-04-2017

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Hi @Jaimiebyrne, I get that's pretty frustrating, but after having a quick gander at the ol' T's and C's that get everyone, I happened upon this lovely piece of info - 27.3. Communicating with you: We'll give notice to you via our website, by email or by post to the address where we provide the service. It's your responsibility to ensure we have an up-to-date email address, contact telephone number and payment details. Any notice given via a website update or by email shall be deemed to be received on the day of transmission. Postal notices will be deemed to be received two working days after being sent.

 

Dunno what you think of that, but I'm pretty sure that means that you need to tell them that you've changed banks. Smiley

MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

but I'm pretty sure that means that you need to tell them that you've changed banks

Yes, but do you need to do it personally?  Surely the responsibility to inform is discharged by the Current Account Switching process, whereby the banks undertake to inform them on your behalf.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Fudrucker
Hooked
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎20-04-2017

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

It's your responsibility to ensure we have an up-to-date email address, contact telephone number and payment details.

Yes, but do you need to do it personally?  Surely the responsibility to inform is discharged by the Current Account Switching process, whereby the banks undertake to inform them on your behalf.

 

Yep, it says it is the responsibility of you. Not the bank, not the CAS, "It's your responsibility".


 

MichaelWilliams
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 304
Fixes: 15
Registered: ‎13-07-2017

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Thanks for your post and feedback, Jaimiebyrne.

 

First of all, I’d like to apologise for the experience you had on the phone with us. Our security process has to be very strict, both in order to comply with the Data Protection Act and also to ensure our customer’s information is as safe as possible. However, I can completely appreciate how frustrating it must have been to be told you were unable to pass security, especially if you believed the bank would have changed all of those details for you. I'm particularly sorry to read that you felt patronised, as this would never be our intention at all.

 

You’re completely correct in your assertion that information is sent back regarding your new details whenever a Direct Debit request is made. The issue here arises because this information goes to our Direct Debit provider, not Plusnet ourselves. Thus our records aren’t updated, and situations such as the one you experienced can unfortunately arise.

 

Of course, if there were any charges applied to your account due to this, or any negative impact on your credit score, we could look at reversing those. A lot of these processes are automatic, but when the customer is not at fault, we’re always willing to take a look into those and take whatever remedial action necessary.

 

The good news is, this is an issue that we are actively working on at the moment, and the new system that is incoming should fix problems like this. We are asking, for the time being, that customers do inform us if they change bank details to ensure that situations like the above are as infrequent as possible in the meantime. It’s thanks to feedback like this that we can make these changes, so I’d like to thank you for bringing this to our attention, and again apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

Finally, I’d love the chance to get your Voicemail issue sorted as well. If you could please drop me a Private Message, I can start to investigate and get your voicemail up and running again Smiley

Jaimiebyrne
Hooked
Posts: 8
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎11-07-2017

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Michael,

 

I think you just need to clear up this business with regard to the Current Account Switch Service. As a previous poster mentioned: PlusNet’s Terms and conditions state that it is the customer’s responsibility to inform Plusnet of any change of details including banks. I think most people would not need to read your Terms and Conditions to tell them something so blatantly obvious. 

 

What I’m talking about, specifically, like when I spoke to Plusnet’s Customer Service Advisor (who didn’t have a clue what I was talking about) is the Current Account Switch Service or CASS.

Like many people around the country, I’ve, successfully, switched my Mortgage Council Tax, DVLA, TV License, Utilities, Car/House insurances, and many other direct debits (in some cases they have been with very small companies), using the Current Account Switch Service. All of which have been taken care of by my new bank as part of the service.

If the council can manage it, it can’t be that hard. I haven’t had to inform any of the other companies: that’s why I used the service: if I wanted to change every Direct Debit personally then I would not have used the Current Account Switch Service.

 

 

Was the problem I experienced?

a)

“Due to Plusnet’s external Direct Debit Company not updating the records” and “the ongoing issues which we are actively working on at the moment”?

 (So when the systems are all working what happens?) 

 

Or,

  1. b) Is it that Plusnet does not subscribe/Recognise/adhere to the Current Account Switch Service?

 

 

As far as I can see, in either case. Plusnet need to inform their customers that, if they are using the Current Account Switch Service, they will have to pick up the Phone and give Plusnet their new bank details! 

I can see why perhaps Plusnet would not want to advertise either of the above. But, at the very least, your Reps/Managers should know what the Current Account Switch Service is, and how it works. Not just say “you need to do it, it’s not down to your bank” when clearly it is the bank who do it! Seriously, If I wanted to be treated like a moron, I’d at least get the other party to pay me. I’m paying you!

 

So what's the official line here from Plusnet regarding CASS? This is really what I/we need Plusnet to clarify.

 

How about:

"We understand that just about every company, (the family run Nursery, the paper subscriptions, Councils, Three Mobile, the vets, the subscription to Customer Service, Weekly) will all use CASS - allowing their customers’ new banks to make the Direct Debit switches on their behalf, simply put, Plusnet just ain’t doing it.

We don’t subscribe to these mad hat fad crazy, schemes that all the banks & businesses have fallen for. The customer has to call us personally to tell us about the change.  As we are a quite large company, they just assume we do the whole CASS thing. But the thing is, we don’t tell them that we don’t do CASS. We just wait till their payments are declined from their old bank, then we whack on all sorts of fines for late payments. Lovely Jubly!. And then, when they call us to complain, we say it’s their fault, not ours-.they should have Read the small print! Job done!"

 

Michael, I do thank you for your previous response, and for trying to help me with my ongoing problems with voicemail.  I feel honoured that, after you only joining the forum today, I am your 2nd ever post. Mark sound like Mike. Right?

 

 

MauriceC
Resting Legend
Posts: 4,085
Thanks: 929
Fixes: 17
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

This Topic has been flagged for attention by senior staff.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

SarahStewart
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 121
Fixes: 6
Registered: ‎25-11-2016

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Hi Jaimiebyrne

thanks again for taking the time to leave us some feedback! Hopefully we can get this issue cleared up  for you. 

Any customers who use the Current Account Switch Service with their bank, we do not have the ability to update your bank details on our CRM system as due to security reasons these are sent back to us in a tokenised format.  However, we will update the details in the system that calls for your Direct Debit to your new bank account details.

 

We will only ask for you Direct Debit details to be confirmed as part of our Data Protection Process if there is not a Security Password set up on your account.  You can add a Security Question to your account at any time by logging in to your My Account.

 

Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

Am I the only thick one round here

First when signing up you need to create a security password

Secondly - why are Plusnet the only organisation who seem to be unable to use this system as it is intended

MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,575
Thanks: 5,411
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

@SarahStewart

That just begs the question, why on earth are you storing the DD details in a system which doesn't actually need them ?Roll_eyes

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

SarahStewart
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 121
Fixes: 6
Registered: ‎25-11-2016

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!

We do set up a security question on every account with all new users when they sign up, however some of our original LIFE customers do not have these set up yet and as such we need to use the last three digits of the account number and last two digits of the sort code as an extra layer of security. Therefore we need to store these details as occasionally they are used as an extra layer of security for data protection. 

MauriceC
Resting Legend
Posts: 4,085
Thanks: 929
Fixes: 17
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: For anyone who has recently switched banks whilst being with Plusnet!


@Oldjim wrote:

Am I the only thick one round here


Add me to the list Jim!

I've escalated this problem to understand why Plusnet seem to believe there is a security problem with CASS.  The mobile billing system seems to suffer similar problems as the PN system.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.