Hi - posting here as usually PlusNet forums have 'proper' techies monitoring them, and they are best placed to escalate issues (and saves me phoning Support). Worth reading as very weird behaviour at PlusNet tech end.
11/02 I got a 'stored card details need updating' due to soon to expire card. Card was expiring end 02/19, and payment was due 04/03/19)
12/02 I updated with replacement card details (started 03/19, ends 02/22)
12/02 Got confirmation of 'payment details have been updated
*** I wonder if the issue is that on 12/02, the new Visa card was not in its valid period, so although one part of the PlusNet system accepted it, another did not? Lousy coding if so.***
01/03 get the 'we'll soon take payment' email.
and then, whilst away from home
06/03 Payment Reminder 'We've not been able to take payment..." The wording includes 'to avoid restrictions ... please make payment in the next 14 days...you can pay online by logging into https://www.plus.net...."
So, I arrive home, to find problems with browsing - Amazon.co.uk works, so does Guardian.co.uk and BBC.co.uk.... but not Google.co.uk, or.....
.... www.plus.net (all latter default to http://failed.billing.plus.net... which 'can't be displayed'.
So, the situation is that a) I already have had restrictions placed on the account before the end of the 14 day period, and - contrary to the email, I can't actually go online to www.plus.net to pay....
(Yes, IE and Firefox both had the same problems).
Fortunately, having an iPad with 3G, I was able to visit www.plus.net and enter (for a 2nd time) my CC details - and to be fair the restrictions were removed pretty fast, so hopefully back to normal now.
IMHO...
PlusNet have either
a) subcontracted their billing system coding to an incompetent 3rd party firm (Capita anyone?) who they are powerless to control or improve (given the litany of issues over a long period of time, or
b) got their own people to code the billing system, and they are being led by some incompetent manager who nobody has had the b*lls to fire yet
Whichever, the above is clearly faulty - and in all my years of brilliant service from PlusNet, this is the first time I can say that they have clearly dropped the ball.
Let's hope a techie here can pass the above experience on to a sane programmer to rectify. To spell the issues out:
1) sending a confirmation of CC being updated and then 'losing' the updated information is clearly wrong
2) dramatically restricting service within 2 days is not great, especially when - bizarrely - some sites remain accessible but others don't
3) not restricting the BBC, or Amazon or the Guardian.... but making your own billing site unreachable is clearly bonkers.
And I do hope that our credit history is not affected by the above, that would be the last straw.
Thanks for listening. Feel sorry for the customer facing staff who must have to deal with fallout from above.
