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Clarification on FTTC waiting list

mattbuk
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎12-09-2016

Clarification on FTTC waiting list

There seems to be many posts regarding FTTC capacity and inability to get service, but there does not appear to be any complete answer from PN regarding getting service.

I had FTTC with sky, moved to PN and FTTC order got rejected due to capacity even though it was a transfer. Sky line was ceased as per the notice I gave (all sky services were cancelled) and a new activation required.

 

A month from original order, I now have a DSL connection that barely hits 1Mb down and 256 up (It's nothing internal, it's how slow the DSL is in my area) and no way of getting onto this "wait list". Streaming is usable for one person, web browsing or downloads, forget it.

I have a direct notification service into the Open Reach system to check FTTC availability and where I get alerted of a port available, I place an order. Two so far, that have not been either quick enough or have been allocated to others on this "waiting list"

I'm aware of BT customers attached to the same cabinet who are on this list, place their order once and get connected at some point.

I know that there isn't a time frame that can be advised or a magic stick that can be waved, but with the provisioning team telling me that the waiting list for FTTC doesn't exist, to keep on placing orders, have them rejected then have to call to be asked if I want "unlimited DSL" time after time is a waste of your support staff resources and frustrating for me.

Does Plusnet operate the ability to be on the WBC FTTC Availability Waiting List and if so, how do you get onto it? My experience as a new PN home user tells me that it's a myth within the PN system.

10 REPLIES 10
mattbuk
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎12-09-2016

Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

Well, as nothing "official" is still forthcoming, this is what's occurred so far since posting. After putting in my last FTTC upgrade order and that being rejected (no ports available), PN support advised to keep on calling and placing orders as the waiting list was not real and a badly worded statement by BT.

 

Having noticed that my billing now says I being charge for fibre, I also have an email advising that my fibre is now live (it isn't) I speak to a lovely chap who tells me that I am indeed on the waiting list for the order and I will be continued to be billed for the fibre product until I can my order and go back to an DSL product.

When I do eventually get fibre (which maybe months) I "should" get the difference between the DSL charges and the fibre monthly charges credited back.

So there you have it.

 

Yes you can place and order for fibre and yes they will put you on the list. But you will pay for the better, higher cost service until the day you get it, no matter how long that would be.

 

Seems a strange way to run a billing system.

 

i should of took the advice off the OR engineer who warned me that PN is now seen within the industry as one of the worse suppliers going. Who knew that TalkTalk would ever lose that crown.

Who knows, now that I'm outside of my cancellation period, at somepoint over the next 17 months, I may get a conncetion that's better than this.

Data Rate
544 kbps
256 kbps
MAX Rate
768 kbps
352 kbps


Yep, That's 0.5Mb down and 0.25Mb up.

bobpullen
Community Gaffer
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

If there's an opportunity to be added to the waiting list (which by the sounds of things you're now on), then it will say as much when checking Broadband Availability here.

To be honest, I was under the impression that we were one of the only suppliers consuming this waiting list at the moment (although as you've discovered the process is less than ideal).

Bit more information for you, straight from the horses mouth:

Users of the btwholesale.com web based version, will be provided with details of where a Waiters list is applicable both in the Status column of the results table against WBC FTTC results and by a message beneath the table when there is an open Capacity Waiters

Key points:

• Once the order is placed on a Waiters list, CPs will receive an information code confirming it.
• CPs must place a cancellation order to remove the order from the list.
• Orders will be able to wait for a maximum of 90 days without the need for further intervention.
• Reminders are sent every 15 days to confirm presence in the Capacity Waiters list.
• After 90 days, the order will be rejected if no capacity becomes available. A notification will be sent to this effect.


We have little control over those bits in bold.

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

mattbuk
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎12-09-2016

Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

Thanks for the clarification on the process.

As PN is part of the BT family, you will have access to the waiters list, such as other ISPs owned by BT. They don't open it up to the others as a general rule.

It's only on the third order for FTTC that I have found out (by accident and checking billing) that I've been added to the list. Seems that there is a little disparity as to how orders are dealt with.

Regarding the dsl checker, I do have a direct alert setup with OR regarding FTTC availabilty and it's when I get notification of port availability that I place an order.

Thankfully, being on the waiting list, I don't have to keep ontop of that so much now Smiley

 

Any information or pointers you can give me regarding billing billed for fibre from order and having confirmation that even though i still have DSL I PN advise me that I do indeed now have fibre.

 

Your product change is now complete, here are the details:
 
Broadband product Unlimited Fibre
Estimated speed 32Mbps to 40Mbps

 

Oh how I long for the days back enjoying years of fibre goodness before I switched.

jelv
Seasoned Hero
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

@bobpullen Perhaps you could respond to this - the user can't find how to get put on the waiting list.

jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
Chris
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

We don't use the waiting list in the way Bob describes as the timescales can vary hugely from a few days to months.

 

At point of sale we check if fibre is available, if it's showing as 'waiters list' we wouldn't take an order for fibre at that point but would advise the customer they can sign up to ADSL and then upgrade to FTTC when it does become available.

If we take an order for FTTC and the cab changes to waiters list between signup and when we place the order, we'll let the customer know of their options which are to switch to ADSL until FTTC is available or cancel the order.

Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
ejs
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

So do Plusnet actually put people on the waiting list while they are waiting or not?

Chris
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

No, we don't.

Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
ejs
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

I think that rather defeats the purpose of the waiting list. They'll still be having to wait an indeterminate and possibly long amount of time, someone will have to keep checking the availability, then everyone else actually on the waiting list would get connected before them, plus if Openreach look at the length of the waiting list to judge demand (especially if they need to install an extra cabinet or do more than the usual amount of work to add more capacity), then that's not going to work if Openreach don't know how many people are waiting because they're not on the waiting list.

I suppose there might be some unintended consequence such as not being able to get a fault with the ADSL fixed while being on the FTTC waiting list, due to only being allowed one order at a time.

bobpullen
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

I think some clarity is required here Wink


@jelv wrote:

@bobpullen Perhaps you could respond to this - the user can't find how to get put on the waiting list.



It's not possible any more. Our signup journey was altered late last month to refuse applications from customers whose lines are in a waiting status. This was in response to the less than ideal process that was clearly aggrieving folk. It's possible to accept an order manually but that's not something we've decided to do either I'm afraid.

@Chris wrote:

We don't use the waiting list in the way Bob describes...


We did. We don't any more.

 

@ejs wrote:

I think that rather defeats the purpose of the waiting list...


In an ideal world, we'd consume the waiting list functionality and have some nice tailored messaging both pre and post signup to correctly set expectations and keep customers informed. Unfortunately, the development investment to build something like this is significantly larger than the alternative Sad

Bob Pullen
Plusnet Product Team
If I've been helpful then please give thanks ⤵

jelv
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Posts: 26,785
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Re: Clarification on FTTC waiting list

Moral: If there's a waiting list you either have to check every day and hope you get in quick enough when FTTC is shown as available or to guarantee getting FTTC at the earliest opportunity chose an ISP that does use the waiting list.

jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)