Barmy Plusnet Emails

[#1]

I am sorry if it appears that I am just bumping this thread but it does seem significant to me that nobody from Plusnet has bothered to read this thread in the last 2 and a half days. Either that, or they are avoiding responding to my problem.
Shortly, I shall raise a formal written complaint about Plusnet's attitude of take it or leave it and if I get as little response to that as to this thread then I shall be taking Mum's account and mine elsewhere. I expect there are people who will say good riddance but Plusnet's attitude to long term customers  and their bullying attitude seems very unacceptable to me and a long way from the Plusnet of old that attracted so much praise.

[#2]

I'm sorry for the late reply I can assure you there are no bullying or avoidance tactics at play here.
I agree we could perhaps make the information pertaining to lead times more prominent but it is there.
I know your bank seem to believe differently but due to the timing of events the new direct debit became active within a week which is well within the 7 to 10 days we'd expect but this was actually after the billing date which is why the payment failed.
To resolve this card details would need to be added due to a one-off payment being needed to clear the outstanding payment and reactivate the account.
Adam

[#3]

@Adam  Yours is the sort of reply that does not do you very many favours in my eyes.

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

I agree we could perhaps make the information pertaining to lead times more prominent but it is there.

I have just checked and nowhere on the two web pages that deal with changing direct debit details does it mention allowing 5, 10 or any other number of days to allow for you to make the change.
As I have said, it does state 5 days on the email that arrives after the changes have been made and when it is too late. But it appears in the fine print at the bottom and below the statement in the email that says "If numbers OK .... then you need do nothing more"

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

I know your bank seem to believe differently but due to the timing of events the new direct debit became active within a week which is well within the 7 to 10 days we'd expect but this was actually after the billing date which is why the payment failed.

The bank authorised the direct debit within 3 days of me making the change on your website. How much of the delay was due to the bank and how much to Plusnet is unclear. Where do you get 7 to 10 days from? I  know jelv mentioned 10 days but it does not appear on your website as stated above and also as stated above your email sent out after its too late says 5 days.

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

To resolve this card details would need to be added due to a one-off payment being needed to clear the outstanding payment and reactivate the account.

So I need to jump through more hoops because Plusnets systems are unhelpful, antiquated and unintuitive. Thanks a bunch
I have already moved my phone accounts away from BT because Plusnet put their broadband prices up. I now pay less to the greater BT than I did before and I'm still on a one month contract. You seem determined to drive me away.
Also, I notice that the amount mentioned in the "Give us your card details or else" email is larger than I think it should be. Are Plusnet charging me a penalty charge because your systems are so badly set up?
Why don't you do the hoop jumping and run the direct debit again? That way, you get your money which nobody is trying to do you out of and I remain annoyed but slightly less annoyed than I will be if I have to make a formal complaint.

[#4]

I'm sorry if that didn't come across very well @EnglishMohican I'm just aiming to clarify the situation and advise what can be done to resolve it.

Quote

I have just checked and nowhere on the two web pages that deal with changing direct debit details does it mention allowing 5, 10 or any other number of days to allow for you to make the change.

I wasn't referring to it being on the same page but as I said I do agree this could be more prominent.

Quote

Where do you get 7 to 10 days from?

7 to 10 days is a different way of expressing 10 days admittedly, that's the lead time I've been personally aware of and that I'd come to expect for a direct debit activation. I can't say why your bank believed it was active within 3 days as that is a clear disparity with when the mandate showed as active on our systems.

Quote

Why don't you do the hoop jumping and run the direct debit again? That way, you get your money which nobody is trying to do you out of and I remain annoyed but slightly less annoyed than I will be if I have to make a formal complaint.

We can't I'm afraid which is why I responded with the advice in my last reply.

Quote

Are Plusnet charging me a penalty charge because your systems are so badly set up?

I've just checked the bill, the additional amount is a non-direct debit processing charge. The quickest way to resolve this would be to clear the payment on a card and I can then refund the £1.50 for you.
Adam

[#5]

So basically Adam, nothing has changed since I gave him the following advice on Sunday?

Quote from: jelv

I've seen another example of just these circumstances recently. Once the billing run has been done there is no way the payment can be made by direct debit - it has to be made by card. If there is a debit card on the account being used for the new DD then obviously that is the one to use and it will make no financial difference whatsoever. If I recall correctly when this happened last time Plusnet credited the card payment charge of £1.50.

[#6]

Didn't get my £1.50 back when I switched banks recently 

[#7]

Ah - the wonderful world of Plusnet.
Firstly, Mum receives an email which asks for action on the missed payment and contains the line:-
"If we're already processing your Direct Debit payment for the amount above you can ignore this message, you don't need to do anything. "
Well, my normal payment method is Direct Debit - you have an active mandate to take payment - so it would not be unreasonable to assume you would take payment. How am I expected to know whether or not you have started an internal process to take a payment that you are authorised to take?
Further, in the billing guide I found this line (my bold):-
"When you're ready to make the payment, all you need to do is log in to our website and you'll be taken directly to a page showing you how much is owed and when it was originally due. You can then choose to try again with your normal payment method, or add a new card for one payment only "
Ok - so my normal payment method is direct debit - so the billing guide says that I can try again. I do not have to put card details in - I can use direct debit to cover a missed payment.
And lo - when I go to the appropriate web age, there is an option to try again using direct debit, so I clicked it and continued. And up comes a page saying that it can take up to a week to take payment - after I have committed to that method - not before.
It is also unclear whether the  non-direct debit processing charge is automatically removed - as it is being payed by direct debit. I trust it will be for the moment but we shall see.
I think maybe this thread has become more appropriate to Feedback rather than Help and Support. Some people clearly think I am making a fuss about nothing but I think the problem flagged here is symptomatic of Plusnet's entire operation.

• Adam says 10 days, the web pages and emails say 5 days - left hand and right hand.


• The general advice is that I have to phone up and use a card to pay for a missed payment - not true - the payment can be taken by direct debit.


• The website is designed to put up warnings of the problems you face with using a particular method after you are committed to it - it should be before.


• Why, if you are authorised to take a payment and have the details you need to take a payment and the reason the payment was missed was that your turnround time on the details change clashed with billing day do you not simply take the payment a couple of days late. Much less grief for everybody including Plusnet.

Well providing the payment goes through smoothly and does not contain any "non-direct debit processing charge", I have said enough.  I do not expect Plusnet to take any notice of this feedback - they never have in the past - all we get is excuses about batch release of software and qa processes. Zen managed to get a direct debit authorised in less than 30 hours, I am not sure how much longer I can resist the temptation of the modern replacements for the Plusnet of old.

[#8]

My suspicion is that the next action on this matter is going to be that broadband is disconnected for non-payment.
Why did you choose to ignore the advice given?

Quote from: _Adam_Walker_

To resolve this card details would need to be added due to a one-off payment being needed to clear the outstanding payment and reactivate the account.

[#9]

@jelv. You cannot be serious. (to be shouted in an American accent!)
Plusnet's own website say that the direct debit can be used. Plusnet's own software provides a means of paying by direct debit. Plusnet's emails and website say there is plenty of time before anyone gets cut off. How could they possibly defend their actions if they do eventually cut off the broadband?
Yes, with Plusnet nowadays it could happen, but if it does then I refuse to believe there is any other way that  magically guarantees that Plusnet cannot mess it up.
Why am I pushing this, well, I thought I had explained that. I chose Plusnet many years ago because it had a good reputation. I know that Plusnet claim to still have a good reputation but I believe that that modern reputation is built on sand. I would really, really like Plusnet to turn themselves around and start to deserve that reputation again. If we accept that Plusnet can get away with sloppiness and mis-information then there is no hope for them. We need to tell them when they fall short and hope that their management care enough to do something about it. It may be a lost cause but I cannot help but try.

[#10]

Hi EnglishMohican,
Just checked with our billing team and it's showing as going through via the DD, should be sorted by next week given the lead times.

[#11]

Hi Matt
Thanks for checking. Next week sounds quite slow seeing as I authorised the payment last week but I am tired of arguing about that.
Could you also please check how much they are planning to take? The account page shows £9.49 which should be £7.99 as it should not include a "non direct-debit charge" as it is a direct debit.
If you have to take £9.49 or delay things even more then let the £9.49 go through and then re-pay the £1.50 as proposed by Adam but it may be easier for both of us if you can take the correct amount to start with.

[#12]

Hi,
As I said, it's already going through - I could ask our billing team to stop it, adjust the amount and then resubmit the DD once more but that'd drag things out even longer. I suggest it'd be better if I refunded the £1.50 from a previous invoice.

[#13]

Quote from: Matt

..... it'd be better if I refunded the £1.50 from a previous invoice.

Whatever is easiest please Matt.

[#14]

That's been requested for you and should be back with her in the next week or so.

[#15]

Plusnet are the most inefficient, incompent, quasi-honest organisation I have ever had the misfortune to deal with.
The money for the direct debit this thread is about was taken from her bank account last Friday. That is to say that the banks ran the computer programme that reduced Mums bank account by £9.49 and increased Plusnet's bank account by £9.49 early on Friday morning. I believe the process completes by 3am and by then the money shows up in Plusnet's account.
At 8:30 on the 3rd of November, over two days later, Plusnet sent out emails telling Mum that her service was restricted. So Plusnets computers run 7 days a week 24 hours a day restricting people's service but are too stupid and inefficient to notice that the money is already in Plusnet's bank account and has been for two days. jelv was clearly correct earlier when he forecast that Plusnet would end up imposing restrictions for no other reason than their own stupidity and incompetence and lack of civilised standards of behaviour.
Even worse, the reason that Plusnet only got the money on Friday was that they were far less efficient than for instance ZEN in moving a direct debit from one account to another and then incredibly slow in requesting the money from the bank and then incredibly slow in recognising that they have the money in their own account.
At this moment Mum's internet is not working entirely because Plusnet are inefficient and incompent. Plusnet's system has recognised for over a week that the payment was in progress. A half sane organisation would have put the restrictions on hold until they did or did not get the money when the direct debit process completed. Plusnet are too brainless and inefficient to do that.
Am I mad at Plusnet for their stupidity, you bet your life I am - and it will take a long, long time before I stop telling people just how inhuman Plusnet's systems are and just how unfit for purpose they are.