No choice of billing date

[#1]

I joined a few months ago and regretted it the first month when I realized I couldn't change my billing date.  Now every month I have problems accessing the internet around billing time since I pay a week later.  The time that I pay is the most convenient time after I get paid from my job.  The customer services person hinted that I should set aside the money every month and pay it back into my account, which looks like the only solution, but this is inconvenient.  Every single other bill I pay has a choice of date and so is taken care of automatically.  The other problem of course is the half hour wait on the phone to speak to someone.   I'm stuck in the contract now for the long haul but guaranteed the first opportuniy I get to leave I will.

[#2]

There is a planned update to the Billing system which will address this and a number of other problems.

[#3]

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@MauriceC wrote:

There is a planned update to the Billing system which will address this and a number of other problems.

Just to be clear and set the correct expectations, We do have an update planned but it may take some time for us to deploy the functionality. Sorry for the inconvenience  

[#4]

The Planned update for the Billing system has been awaited for the Past 8 years and by the look of things no nearer that it was back then

[#5]

We shall see  

[#6]

@JonoH seeing is not believing ,,,,, DOING is believing

Plusnets track record of promises not being fulfilled speaks volumes

https://community.plus.net/t5/Plusnet-Feedback/Why-I-have-left-Plusnet/td-p/1389353

[#7]

I'm not going to sit here and say that the new billing engine is going to either 

• Be deployed in the immediate future
• fix everything in the first phase

What I can say is that whilst the project is important to get out of the door to fix some issues that frankly we shouldn't have in this day and age (Direct Debit payment date changes for example), it's an extremely complicated task that needs to be done correctly.

Lot's of work is going on behind the scenes I believe the SU's have been briefed about where we're at, but we're still not ready to give dates yet.

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[#8]

It's a shame that PlusNet didn't think of this in the first place.  It's something all the big companies have. My only option to stop my internet access being interfered with (and me thinking there's something wrong with my laptop) is to do the inconvenient setting aside and putting back into my account.  Still definitely leaving at the end of my contract, by which time I suspect nothing will have changed.

[#9]

What's the problem with people just leaving enough money in the bank to pay the bills they know are due at the time they are presented ... instead of expecting their supplier to extend a line of credit?  Payments are due on the monthly anniversary of the service commencement date and are payable immediately, as stated in the T&Cs agreed to...

You may see your bills within your online account and we'll email you when a new bill is available to view. You must pay the bill as soon as you receive the email that your bill is available.

I really do not understand why people appear to expect to be able to not pay bills they know are due until their next pay date (instead of setting money aside from the last pay date) ... whilst expecting suppliers to provide services in advance of being paid.  In other words, they want someone else to manage / supplement their cash flow problems.  Its called budgeting.

If you were running your own business and you billed your customer for last month's service, in the first week of the month and they said ... "Well I don't get my income until the 25th of the month, so I'm not going to pay you for 3 weeks..." would you find that acceptable and would you be willing to finance their cash flow?  Before answering consider the extended implications of payment failure (or simply failure to pay) leaving you in a position of having to chase the unpaid 3+week old bill, whilst wondering if the next bill is similarly going to be late?  In the meantime, you would need to be borrowing money from the bank to pay your own bills.  I would be very surprised if many would find that an acceptable way of working.

[#10]

Plusnet is the only company I have had this issue with.  Every other company care enough to recognise the convenience for the customer.  Even the Council gives that choice.  I did actually borrow the money for my first payment because the date wasn't convenient but I needed to lock in the special deal offered at the time.  However I thought that I would be able to change it afterwards.  Plusnet make a big show of pretending to be customer friendly but the reality is different in my experience.

[#11]

@Townman yes i agree with you on the payments , but that's in a ideal world if you look at some small Businesses some  don't get paid until after 90 days after their invoice date !

But i have said this many times before not everyone gets paid the same day each month , like me i live on disability payments which come every 4 weeks , Not every month has the same date , you cannot budget correctly if you bill is unavailable to see until due day .

O2 Billing system is excellent Plusnet could learn a lot from them , Online payments are able to be paid before due day so you can actually pay in credit so money in your account before bill is due , and your bill is produced 14 days prior to the due day so you get plenty of time to budget as needed .

Like it has been said many many times Plusnets system has been awaited for more than 8 years with regular posts from staff saying we doing work behind the office , BUT nowt happens

[#12]

@rongtw,

You make the point very well - its a curse of our age - trying to optimise one's own cash flow (be that an individual or a big company) at someone else's expense.  Purchaser dictating payment terms is an outrage.  There have been no end of otherwise viable thriving companies go under because their invoices are not paid on time ... whilst those who owing money flex their cash flow.  Ironically government is one of the worse for this practice expecting not to pay for at least 3 months.

Yes 13 pay days a year makes any selection of a self determined payment day a bit of a nonsense.  I used to be paid 4 weekly too and budgeted a month's out goings against 4 week's income.  That left one pay period a year against which there was little liability.

[#13]

I hear your pain. 

I have been with Plusnet for atleast 3 years and I don't know why I renewed my contract. Bring on March!!!

[#14]

What kind of response is that?

Professionalism at it's best!!!

[#15]

Well my view is it can't be justified.  Even they are aware otherwise why promise to change it? 

Best wishes.