Another voucher problem

[#1]

Joined Plusnet in April and after a few problems at the start, prob due to Covid situation all has been fine. However I have contacted them to say I have not received the £70 reward. During phone call I am made to feel as if I missed an email from you, I did not. They say they cannot activate it now as it has expired, simple send another! No they can't do that, offered me two free months, this still falls over £20 short of the reward offer. I am not going to let this drop. 

[#2]

Hello, my contract began on 20th July 2020 and I too have not received the email voucher notification.

Emails do not go missing, if they are actually sent, and to the correct address, then they arrive.

It is very disconcerting to read on this forum just how many customers are in this situation.

I am unable to use the chat system (unavailable), unable to open a question (no button for this), and unable to telephone due to personal difficulties.

How can I contact Plusnet  to ask them to send the voucher email without having to write a recorded delivery letter, or is it necessary to contact the Ombudsman to get things moving?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[#3]

I got an e mail today telling me I am not entitled to the offer, but the main reason I signed up was this offer, after yesterday offering me two months free broadband they have now withdrawn it. I really thought Plusnet were a decent company to deal with, I am now regretting joining them

[#4]

Hi, same here, the £75 voucher tipped the balance for me and I too understood Plusnet to be a customer friendly company.

I suggest that you write to the Ombudsman.

I've just been reading this article which has the Omb' address: osenquiries@os-communications.org and

enquiry@ombudsman-services.org

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/bills-and-utilities/broadband/plusnet-make-customer-services-listen-comp...

Also this Google search query threw up several other items of interest:

ombudsman complaint about plus.net

I did finally manage to get a question raised after a ridiculous struggle and will wait a week before going further.

Many people don't understand that an email sent is an email received, as long as the address is correct. It would be possible I suppose to create an email which had the hallmarks of spam hoping that it would go into the spam folder and remain unnoticed, but that is perhaps too much of a conspiracy and I certainly hope that is not the case with these emails. It's just that so many people are complaining about it that it certainly raises an eyebrow.

Good luck with your case....don't let it drop....I won't....contact the Ombudsman.

[#5]

Thank you for those useful details Overscore.

I won't let it drop either, and I hope a lot of others don't either.

[#6]

Hello,

I have received this notification about my voucher.....saying it might take 30 days to arrive! As I have waited 29 days already I am hoping that it will not have expired when I eventually receive it!!! Also, there is mention of sending me an email update about my question, but again it was not received.

"Question #204756426, 1:19pm, Friday 7 Aug 2020

Hello, My broadband contact went live on 20th July 2020 and I am writing to remind Plusnet that I have not received the email regarding my £75 voucher, and I would be pleased to have you send it to me. Thank you.

[CSA Removed] - CSC Analyst
6:44pm, Saturday 8 Aug 2020
Dear Mr "Overscore",

Thank you for your continued patience.

I am sorry to know that you have not yet received the email to claim your £75v reward card. I would like to confirm that I have claimed your cashback on this side for you.

We will send it out to the address you provided when you signed up. It could take up to 30 days to arrive, but in the meantime you can start planning what you'll be spending it on!

If there is anything else we can help with please reply back to this ticket.

Kind regards,

[CSA Removed]

[Email notification sent to: [Removed]]

Oversore's Response
1:27pm, Sunday 9 Aug 2020
Hello,
Thank you for replying.
** Please can you explain why it will take 30 days to travel from Sheffield to Birmingham since the Consumer Rights Act 2015 states that a service should be carried out with reasonable care and skill, in a reasonable time, and 30 days on top of the 29 I have already waited is unreasonable I would say.
** I would like you to confirm that they card will still have it's full length of validity of two months from the date when I receive it.
By the way, your system appears to indicate that it has sent me an email copy of your reply, but it did not. Is there something amiss with it since I see that many other customers are complaining about the same thing, and particularly in relation to the claim email not arriving.
Thank you.
Overscore"

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): CSA name(s) removed (to an area staff can see) as per Forum rules.

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): Personal information removed from a public forum (to an area that staff can see).

[#7]

Hi All

Sorry to rub saltinto open wounds - I resigned mid july  - i posted in my account forum at beginning of last week that i had not recieved any paperwork I recieved an email then I recieved my card on Saturday and all registered ( no issues using card website  ( which had been reported by others) and card activated. ( basically within a week of chasing.

If/when you do get your cards  - there is a glitch when you register you account  - b/day field will default to 2004  UNLESS you pick year of birth first then you can choose day / month 

Card PIN is obtained from your account when it is set up

hopefully plusnet staffer will pick up your posts / action the elusive email for you

[#8]

Hi, more info:

To get help chasing this up I wrote an email to Money Saving Expert on whose site this deal is featured. There are many more people complaining about the same thing on the Plusnet forum (and elsewhere)....I didn't count exactly but I saw at least 30 and there were more on other pages too. As you can see from the T&Cs which I'd made a note of, they say that they will send out a claim email when your service is activated. The majority of the complaints hinge around them (plusnet/BlackHawk?) purporting to send the email, but nobody is receiving them, so the two month claim period expires and there is no appeal. A clear scam; I'm a computer consultant and this fact is unambiguous: an email sent is an email received, as long as the address is correct. They are not sending them.

I got a reply from an MSE representative as follows:
======================================================
"The reward is usually supplied by a reward partner. Here at MSE we aren't involved in any tracking or processing of rewards and unfortunately we don't have any access to look into this further. However, as you've let us know you've having problems receiving the reward, we can escalate this with the reward partner to look into further for you.

So that we can pass on the info about your order, please reply with the below information:

Date of purchase:
Name of deal purchased/Monthly cost:
Order number:
Email address used on account"
=========================================================

So, try writing an email to this address and tell them your story too.
voucherhelp@moneysavingexpert.com

Good luck, Overscore.

===========================================
** Plusnet Reward Card T&Cs (on 22/6/2020)

Once your broadband and line rental are activated you will be issued claim information via email. Follow the instructions in this email to be issued with your Plusnet Reward Card. You must submit your claim within two months of the email being issued. The card must be activated within three months of it being issued.

The Plusnet Reward Card is issued by Blackhawk Network (UK) Ltd, an Electronic Money Institution authorised in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority with Firm Reference Number 900023; pursuant to license from Mastercard International. Mastercard ® and the Mastercard brand mark are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. Blackhawk Network (UK) Ltd's company registration number is 05802971 and its registered office is at Westside, London Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 9TD. See Plusnet Reward Card termsOpens a new window.

[#9]

On this page you will find a template letter for complaining about a service:

https://images6.moneysavingexpert.com/images/documents/2015serviceletter.rtf

And cCourtesy of the MSE site, here is some information about Advanced Consumer Rights which might prove useful. Quote (edited for relevance):

"Push it to the max (advanced complaining)

Knowing where you stand with consumer law can save you a bundle. Yet additional criminal laws also protect consumers.

Businesses need to have "intentionally misled beyond all doubt" before they are considered criminal. If you suspect a company's breaking these laws report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service and they will pass to the relevant trading standings office.

You can't always use these rules to fight bad practice alone – in the main it’s for the authorities to bust these crimes – but you can use the laws to help fight your own battle. For example, if a trader has misled you, you can both report them and use your knowledge of the following rules in your own complaint...

Misleading information

The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, is similar to our civil consumer rights, but takes it a step further by making it a criminal offence for a company to undertake certain unfair practices or carry out aggressive and misleading actions.

The regulations are very important and a boon to consumers. They automatically outlaw 31 unfair practices.

• Read the full list of offences

It's also illegal for a company to do something misleading, withhold information to try to mislead you...... so that you make a different decision to the one you would have otherwise made.

Your right to redress

Since October 2014 if you buy something from a business that used an unfair or misleading practice you have even stronger rights. As well as the criminal action the authorities can take, you can also take civil action in a county court.

If you act within 90 days and can return the goods, delete the digital content or end the service, in most cases you can ask for a full refund. After that time you can get a discount."