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Yes, I know I was a muppet but- (billed for 2 years after leaving now passed to oriel after DD shut)

beathhail
Newbie
Posts: 3
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎27-08-2020

Yes, I know I was a muppet but- (billed for 2 years after leaving now passed to oriel after DD shut)

Hello,

 

I'm at a loss as to how to proceed, I left plusnet to go to Sky in 2018 phoning CS at the time to recieve a transfer, this happened in due course and I thought nothing further of it.

Now comes the part where I reveal myself to be an idiot, I only ever glance at bank statements and didnt notice the PN continued to charge me until a couple of months ago, at which time I canceled the direct debit. 

PN then phoned me three times , each time I would explain that I had not recieved any services from them since 2018 after delving into records they would express dismay and say that I would not recieve any more phone calls asking for money I did not owe and that they would ensure that they resolve the problem.

This of course did not happen.

Last Friday, adding insult to injury, I recieved a letter from Oriel demanding what I presume must be the "charges" for the month where the DD was canceled. At this point I contacted PN customer services again and during a much longer call gave the rep all the details I could along with the date of my first bill for Sky, He assured me that the first thing he woud do was recall the "debt" from Oriel and then escalate the problem so that it could be worked out the exact date my PN service ended.

Since then I have been contacted a further two times by Oriel, concerning me enough that I contacted CS again only to be told that 'since the account is now closed they can only help me if I can give them the username and password' of an account I thought I'd closed two years ago and no longer remember. The name, address,phone number, DoB and bank account attached to the account are no longer enough.

How on earth can I resolve this if the only way to access CS is with information I no longer have?

4 REPLIES 4
Baldrick1
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Registered: ‎30-06-2016

Re: Yes, I know I was a muppet but- (billed for 2 years after leaving now passed to oriel after DD s

@beathhail 

It's incredible when you think that only a year before you left Plusnet were fined £880,000 for doing this. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2017/plusnet-fined-880,000

It won't help you but it's probably worth advising Ofcom that the lesson still hasn't been learnt that this is unacceptable.

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tinytaco
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 457
Fixes: 29
Registered: ‎30-03-2020

Re: Yes, I know I was a muppet but- (billed for 2 years after leaving now passed to oriel after D...

Good morning @beathhail Smiley I am so sorry to hear about your customer service experiences, and the recent debt letter. Please could you private message me with your full name and address so I can find your account and get this raised for you please.

 Noor
 Plusnet Help Team
beathhail
Newbie
Posts: 3
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎27-08-2020

Re: Yes, I know I was a muppet but- (billed for 2 years after leaving now passed to oriel after D...

Thanks for your response TT, PM sent

beathhail
Newbie
Posts: 3
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎27-08-2020

Re: Yes, I know I was a muppet but- (billed for 2 years after leaving now passed to oriel after D...

Thank you for contacting me, and I hope at least resolving the "debt" issue. 

 

I must say that it does seem very convenient that plusnet no longer have records of my request to leave, or Sky requesting the transfer even though of course my service was demonstrably transfered to Sky (using a MAC code from Plusnet).

Plusnet was indeed emailing a monthly bill to an old work email which may or may not protect Plusnet in the letter of the law from having to return money taken for a service they did not provide, the fact is that even if they sent a bill they were not in fact providing the service stated on the bill. It does seem very much against the spirit of the OFCOM 2017 judgment against Plusnet which was for almost exactly this situation-

"In light of the evidence and Plusnet’s admissions, Ofcom was satisfied that Plusnet seriously contravened GC 11.1 during the relevant period. It did so by overcharging 1,025 customers a total of £530,775.44 by rendering bills in respect of broadband and telephony services for amounts that did not represent and exceeded the true extent of the service actually provided to them.

...

Specifically, Ofcom has reasonable grounds to believe that Plusnet contravened GC 11.1 by rendering bills to end-users in respect of broadband and telephony services for amounts that did not represent and exceeded the true extent of the service actually provided to them. Plusnet had continued to bill certain end-users for broadband and telephony service after their service had been cancelled."

It does seem extremly odd in this day and age that no automated checking is done that 1) services migrating away from Plusnet are no longer billed 2) Plusnet actually "owns" the services it charges for.

 

I think I will be persuing this further.