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Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

tappouni
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Registered: ‎10-03-2019

Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

I'll try and keep this brief, but I've been a Plusnet customer for many years, mostly without a hitch. Since moving house around 6 weeks ago, has been nothing but a pain. 

 

The move was a nightmare, lots of phone calls back and forth. Engineers turned up late. Eventually after the engineers said they did everything, still no internet. More phoning Plusnet, sometimes to clueless people...eventually told that nobody actually activated the broadband! Finally after that phone call, the person on the phone turned it 'on', and within a few minutes there was internet, but despite signing on for Fibre, speed never peaked above 8 Mbps. 

 

More calls to Plusnet, they claim that our line won't actually support Fibre, despite being told previously, before agreeing to transferring the contract in the move, that we could get Fibre. So I signed a Fibre contract, in the knowledge of getting Fibre, with no speeds to match. Thought the line might just need time to adjust as it was a new line, but no improvement. Now after another phone call to someone who sounded totally fed up (as I am!), only resolution was to downgrade the contract to a normal, overpriced, non-Fibre contract. 

 

So what's going on? BT's Broadband Availability Checker on their BT Wholesale website says that 'FTTP on Demand' is available, 330 Mbps down/30 Mbps UP, and WBC FTTP Availability Date is 'Available'. But below the chart, it says FTTP is not available. Then, when I use BT's Fibre Broadband checker (on the Openreach website), it says 'Great news, Superfast fibre is available in your area', and that it's FTTC technology which it's enabled with.

 

Would someone perhaps more knowledgeable be able to enlighten me on what's the hell is actually going on? I'm totally confused. It seems like I can and can't get Fibre.

 

If Fibre is a no-go, I think I'd certainly like to get out of Plusnet's overpriced, non-fibre contract...

 

 

12 REPLIES 12
tappouni
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎10-03-2019

Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

Just to add to this, I've just been on Openreach's Live Chat, who tell me that in terms of FTTC, they've checked and there is room in our cabinet, and that FTTC is definitely available up to 80 Mbps. 

tappouni
Hooked
Posts: 6
Registered: ‎10-03-2019

Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

To add another layer to this, currently connect to Lenham’s Cabinet 7.

If I run BT’s Fibre checker with my Postcode/Address, it says Fibre is available via Cabinet 11, using FTTC.

If I run the checker with my phone number, it says Fibre is available via Cabinet 7, but under Fibre technology, it’s just a dash ‘-‘, and FTTC isn’t written there.

I’ll note that cabinet 7 is twice the distance from my property as cabinet 11, yet both say they’re accepting Fibre connections.

Have I been connected to the wrong cabinet?Huh
Baldrick1
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

Plusnet work off the dsl checker data, which does not indicate that VDSL is available. 

FTTP literally costs thousands to have installed and FTTC Multicast is a different product altogether. What you are looking for is speed data in the blank VDSL field.

Edit

Under the table on the dal checker page it says that your current product is incompatible with broadband. Maybe this is the key to your problems.

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tappouni
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Registered: ‎10-03-2019

Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

I see, thanks - I’m just a bit confused though. Openreach say I can definitely receive fibre, as does BT’s Fibre checker. Plusnet initially said I could have a Fibre line (prior to moving), then seemed surprised when after moving, I said I couldn’t get above 8 Mbps. So it’s as if I was sold an incompatible product.
Mustrum
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

You say you have recently moved - did you get a new number or take your old one with you?

Was fibre available at your previous place?

If you have been allocated a new number, it could have previously been issued to an address neared the other cabinet.

In any event, it sounds to me that BT/Openreach records on the checkers may not yet have caught up.

DS
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

I'd hang on and wait for a member of the forum staff to read through this imho.

There's every chance they can liaise with Openreach to either correct a data base mix up or confirm that FTTC is definitely not available to you from your supplying cabinet.

I know PN resolved a similar issue for another PN customer recently, though can't find the link to that topic Sad

tappouni
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Registered: ‎10-03-2019

Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

Had to get a new number as it’s a difference exchange, though we had fibre at the old place. Makes sense though, that our new number might be a relocated one.
Gandalf
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

Hi there.

Sorry for the confusion caused over whether fibre is actually available and for the experience you've had.

I can see we've provided you with FTTC at your new address, however our tests are showing your router is only in sync at 9.4mbps due to the length of your line at approximately 1.2 miles long to the cabinet(the green box in the road).

Sadly it looks like the estimated speeds of between 60 to 80mbps based on your address are very wrong, which we couldn't have known until the line was installed and the service provided.

There does appear to still be a data mismatch problem across our supplier systems. Checking an Openreach system called "Enhanced line characteristics", FTTC is showing as available but there are no speeds showing, compared to BTwholesale's DSL Checker which advises FTTC is not available for your telephone number/phone line.

I've raised a records query with our suppliers to investigate this further. I'd expect to receive a reply as an acknowledgement within the next 24 hours with regards to what they've found out.

I'll update you as soon as I know more regarding this.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
DS
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

<clears throat. I actually knew who it was, but didn't want to shout out in case you weren't around or missed it> Thumbs_Up

I too have cabs closer than the one I'm connected to. Kinda annoying (unless it does transpires yours is the one closer - v. doubtful), then there's not a lot you (or I) can do about it Sad

Gandalf
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

I've received a reply back from our suppliers advising that they can't investigate the records issue due to an open order. Upon checking for an open order I can see we're downgrading you back to standard broadband on the 14/03/2019.

Unfortunately as your line is over a mile long, I don't believe there's anything we can do to improve upon your fibre speeds.

I've added a reply to the support ticket 188168711 on your account which I hope helps.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
tappouni
Hooked
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Registered: ‎10-03-2019

Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

Thanks for the reply. The part I'm still not understanding though, is why I've been put in that cabinet, number 7, 1.2 miles away - sure, you weren't necessarily able to know in advance, that the speed would be terrible, as it's a new line.

Cabinet 11 is much closer, and as far as I understand, neither are at full capacity? Surely if there was a way to be put in the closer cabinet, it would reduce the distance/speed issue, but maybe it was overlooked for whatever reason?

Anyway I suppose we'll have to wait till that downgrade completes before you can check anything else.

Will there be an opportunity to leave Plusnet if not? I've heard good things about Origin, who would provide the same non-Fibre service at a fraction of the cost (half price basically!).

I don't want to leave Plusnet really, but if this Fibre issue can't be resolved, I don't see any compelling reason to stay. The whole matter has been very poorly handled by Plusnet, and paying over the odds makes no sense to me.

Just to add, if changing cabinet means changing the phone number/line, that's fine with me if it means a proper fibre connection (ie not 8 Mbps) might be possible.
Gandalf
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Re: Troublesome Move - falsely sold Fibre...BT says it's available, Plusnet says no? Help!

The part I'm still not understanding though, is why I've been put in that cabinet, number 7, 1.2 miles away - sure, you weren't necessarily able to know in advance, that the speed would be terrible, as it's a new line.

Cabinet 11 is much closer, and as far as I understand, neither are at full capacity? Surely if there was a way to be put in the closer cabinet, it would reduce the distance/speed issue, but maybe it was overlooked for whatever reason?

Our suppliers would generally provision a line in the best possible way with the options available to them. It's possible that the distribution point your line is on isn't connected to cabinet 11.

 

Anyway I suppose we'll have to wait till that downgrade completes before you can check anything else.

Not necessarily, I've filled out a formwize now to the fibre enquiries team at Openreach to query this further and see if there's anything we can do to move your fibre service to a closer cabinet. Possible outcomes may be that this is part of a live-to-live migration project to move any remaining lines on the cabinet far away to the closer one, or we need to put boots on the ground and arrange an engineer visit to assess this, or there's nothing further we can do.

I should receive a reply back within 7 working days, although I'm hoping it's before your service is downgraded to fibre as if we do need to go down the path of an engineer visit to investigate this we'd need an active fibre service.

 

Will there be an opportunity to leave Plusnet if not? I've heard good things about Origin, who would provide the same non-Fibre service at a fraction of the cost (half price basically!).

My response in the support ticket 188168711 should address this.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet