Yet another porting failure for Plusnet

[#1]

Hello everyone,

Literally just writing this message so that anyone reading this who's considering joining Plusnet from a major network might be saved from the seemingly endless frustration that it brings.

Long and short of it:

• Switched to Plusnet *20* days ago.
• Number has still not been ported. The regulated timeframe set by Ofcom is 1 working day.
• Porting failed once already and (apparently) requested again.
• Customer service, even at management level, unable to provide any information about it. Can't tell me why it failed, can't tell me how the problem might be resolved, can't give me any possible timeframe for porting to be successful.
• Even at management level, the Customer Service Reps have absolutely no oversight over the Ops team. They literally have a screen on the PC telling them that your port is "outstanding" but they have no more info ever (literally) about your status and are not allowed contact Ops to ask.
• They try to make it sound like they're in regular contact and that the "Ops team is working on it" but if you ask a direct question about it, they will admit that they have no idea about status and can't even ask.
• They can only offer compensation, but ultimately your contract is probably £8 a month. You could lose your number for 30 days and the very best they can offer is that £8. I would happily pay many times that now to go back and reverse my decision to join.

I have totally given up now with the CSR and will just wait until the number transfers (if they don't lose it in that timeframe) and then leave immediately - but don't make the same mistake if you're thinking of joining them! Join literally anyone else!

I've never encountered a company with such a flawed operating structure. Hats off to the CSR for putting up with my rants (see above!) but just a terrible, terrible company.

Thanks for reading.

[#2]

Fully sympathise. Check out my posts on this topic, you can see what I’ve been doing to highlight the problem with the regulatory and others bodies:

https://community.plus.net/t5/Mobile/Problems-Porting-Mobile-Number/td-p/1676219

[#3]

Yes, I'm just reading through your exchanges with them now. Sadly offers me precious little hope for the immediate future considering how much effort you had to go to with them! I've already complained to Ofcom, but I may well contact the OSG group sooner rather than later...

[#4]

The OSG guy was really good and I am convinced it was him that sorted my issue out. So get your email off ASAP.

Its also really important to register a complaint with Ofcom because they have the power to properly regulate companies like Plusnet. If you look at my latter posts you will see that Plusnet claim that loss of service does not apply to failed portings so I am checking that out with them. If Plusnet are correct, then there would appear to be no consumer safeguards so complaints to the regulator will alert this issue to them. I copy in the CEO of Plusnet ~Andrew Baker and the CEO of their parent company BT to most of my exchanges and I suspect they might begin to receive a lot of flack fro many of those I contacted. Their email addresses are: andy.baker@plus.net, philip.jansen@bt.com they wont respond but if enough people take their complaints to them, they cant ignore it. I also believe some of their advertising is misleading so I have raised this with the ASA and also with sites like MoneySavingsExpert. Complain to the Guardian’s Anna Tims: your.problems@observer.co.uk.

Its all to easy to give up and this what Plusnet count on so you have to use guerrilla tactics like these with rogue companies because there is no alternative. You’re stuck until you get your number back So you cant give up unless your prepared to lose your personal mobile phone number.

[#5]

Hi,

Thank you very much for the advice, which I will definitely follow. I am certainly not willingly going to lose my number, since I have had it for 17 years (and is the only number I have ever had, in fact).

I absolutely share the sense of frustration that I have noted in your messages that the Ops team seems to have absolutely no accountability in Plusnet, and I have highlighted to the CSR that I am not complaining about their failure as such but instead about the bizarre, inefficient and incompetent management/accountability structure in the company.

I hope that others reading this learn from our mistakes!

In the meantime, I will get in contact with the people you suggested. Many thanks again.

[#6]

Hi @Frustrated1byPN, I am very sorry to hear that you are currently experiencing a delayed port issue. Please know that this is not the experience we want you to have.

It sounds like the relevant steps are already in place and that we are doing what we can to get this resolved, but if you could please drop me a PM with the following details (and pop a message on here once done) we can take a look into this further for you:

- the mobile number in question

- Your full name & address including postcode

- Are you the account holder?

[#7]

Hi Lauren,

I'm grateful for your message and I will send you a private message if you think you'll be able to do anything for me, but I think we are both fully aware that you will not be able to tell me anything new, although I know that's not your fault. Ultimately you won't have any visibility over what your Ops team are doing (or not, as the case may be), and so the best you will be able to offer me is your assurance that they are working to resolve the issue, but:

1) you don't know what the issue is;

2) you can't offer me any idea - at all, even vaguely - of a possible time frame in which it might be resolved.

Would you agree? I have already opened a formal complaint over the phone today.

[#8]

Hi @Frustrated1byPN,

Thank you for sending the PM, I will ask Lauren to pick this up with you when she's back in the office. I'm sorry for the inconvenience that this issue is causing you and we will do our best to chase this up for you and get you a meaningful update.

[#9]

I have sent her a PM but I have virtually no faith left in Plusnet now. I received a text message and email this morning saying that the port had failed for the second time and to give you a call. On calling, I was told that the port appears to have been successful and would go through tonight or Monday. Apparently, Plusnet has had a lot of problems with customers this week telling them that their port had failed when it had actually worked - but who knows? As ever, zero clarity and zero genuine reassurance beyond saying that *eventually* (who knows when?) the number will port.

[#10]

Plusnet, you continue to amaze. Just got a phone call from you - the first time I’ve ever had a call back ironically, despite numerous promises in the past and no request for one this time - telling me that actually there’s a system failure and lots of people are experiencing these problems and that I should call my previous provider to ask them to transfer the number. Your agent was surprised to hear that the number was already dead and the PAC should still be within date - although I’ve discussed both these details with you numerous times - and started to tell me that, on looking at my details, I shouldn’t have to contact my previous provider after all and that it should go through automatically before your CSA got cut off.

I am therefore even more in the dark than before - has the porting request been rejected? Has it been successful? Do I need to contact my previous provider? Should I not bother since sometimes you say the problem is with you, sometimes you say it’s not? Sometimes it’s an isolated problem, sometimes it’s system-wide? Who knows?

I can honestly say I have never had such an incompetent commercial experience as this.

And to top it off, your CSA here hasn’t bothered to reply to the private message that she requested.

Sort it out please?

[#11]

Thanks for getting back to us @Frustrated1byPN

I've just asked some further questions via PM so we can investigate further.

Can you respond to the PM and then post back here once you've done so

[#12]

Done.

[#13]

Thanks for getting back to me @Frustrated1byPN

I've flagged this to the relevant team for investigation but as they don't work weekends I'm afraid we won't know any further until Monday.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused

[#14]

Which team is this?

[#15]

Hi @Frustrated1byPN We’ve emailed our Ops team, myself and my team have a direct line of contact with them (most of us sit in the next room on the other side of a door).

When Matthew emailed them they had already left the office but we should be able to get more information on what’s happening next week, I’d expect Monday. It’s possible that Ops won’t have all the information as it may be in hand with other teams but we should hopefully know more then and we’ll update you as soon as we do, and once this is sorted I’m sure we’ll be able to discuss and come to an agreement on a gesture of goodwill. 

Apologies for the experience you’re having.