A long term customer that is extremely disappointed

[#1]

After being a long term loyal PlusNet customer since 2008, I have become angered and disillusioned with their service to the point where I now regret remaining being a customer of theirs.
We have recently moved house. The old house could obtain 74 mbps down / 20 up, however the new house can obtain up to 53mbps down / 11 up (same exchange). I was able to test this as the previous occupants still had an active fibre connection and was registering these speeds on my modem.
I was fine to receive these lower speeds as long as I could receive 10mbps up as I require a fairly fast upload for frequent remote access.
My service has resumed with PlusNet and I have now found out that my upload speed has been restricted to an outragous and very much useless 2mbps. I have only found this out through browsing this forum as I thought there was initially an issue with my line. I was wondering why my modem was syncing at 1999kbps upload with a huge 18db noise margin and now I know why!
There has been a complete failure of PlusNet customer services to inform me of this utterly ludicrous downgrade. What has added insult to injury was that I had my contract renewed for 24 months, completely unaware of the crippled upload speeds.

One of the main reasons I invested in fibre was for the decent upload speeds and I no longer consider the service fit for purpose. If I'd have been told this when I was moving house, I would have immediately left, paid off the rest of the existing contract and gone to another ISP.
Also, I was given no choice but to be 'downgraded' to the 38mbps package as apparently my line does not support above that speed - incorrect as the stats suggest.
I am actually now considering my options and going with another ISP unless something can be done about this because going from 20mbps to 2mbps is quite frankly shameful and unacceptable. 

[#2]

I can trump that.
Started with freenetname in 1999 which was subsequently absorbed by madasafish. The current acquisition by plusnet has really added the icing.
OK, BT have not helped but they do have to organise major works due to my remote location. They are moving the earth, literally!
The same cannot be said for plusnet who arbitrarily refuse to continue my connection, on a short term basis, due to my forthcoming migration to another ISP. New contract or nothing was the response of their representative.
As of 19th Jan I will have no phone or internet connection whatsoever until the BT connection is completed. Kapput. Klaar. Finis.
PlusNet, after all these years, thanks for nothing.

[#3]

The lack of response from PlusNet support here suggests that this issue is going to be brushed under the carpet as they perhaps think that my opening post was some sort of irrational rant. I also do not think it was appropriate to move my thread to the feedback section as this is NOT feedback, it's a complaint of poor service to which I would like a resolution. This is not just something I've posted for information or feedback only.
I posted here because I honestly do not think the people who I have spoken to on the phone have a clue what they are talking about and was hoping this could be dealt with. I am not prepared to wait hours in a queue on the phone to be told something I know already, or something that does not resolve my situation.
I don't know where I stand with this but there must be other people who have moved house and have been drastically downgraded to an utterly crap service and then locked in to a contract that they can't escape without financial penalty? Surely this is a breach of contract?
Forcing a new contract upon moving and then using the clause 'Sorry new house, new contract' to push a service that I have been given no choice to accept and that does not meet my requirements is unacceptable.
The simple matter is, I would never have signed up for this service as a new customer and I am not prepared to tolerate this as part of a 24 month contract.

[#4]

why don't you change to unlimited fibre extra which will give you the higher speeds as this was effectively what you were on before

[#5]

Jim, it's the same old Plusnet lunacy:

Quote from: MarkC84

Also, I was given no choice but to be 'downgraded' to the 38mbps package as apparently my line does not support above that speed - incorrect as the stats suggest.

[#6]

I was on Unlimited Extra fibre in my old place but because I apparently can't get it at the new property it is not allowed as an option and therefore I have been forced on to the standard 40/2 package.
My modem shows an attainable rate of 55mbps down and 11.5mbps up and I've found that I've always synced near these predicted speeds so I know my line can support the extra speeds.
However, because BTs pessimistic speed predictors state 'no' to above 40mbps, I can't get it. Fantastic.
This would not have been an issue had PlusNet offered 40/10 like virtually 99% of other fibre ISPs do?

[#7]

If you'd paid for the house move I think it would have been £65 and no new contract - perhaps you could use that as a negotiating point for agreeing your termination fees and get the hell out of here to an ISP that actually cares about it's customers.

[#8]

I think at the time I had those fees wavered with a contract renewal as I was unaware of the reduction in upload speeds on the lower tier service. I was not told on the phone that the upload speed would be drastically affected, probably because they knew I would not be happy in the slightest.
You would think that anyone from going from 20mbps to 2mbps up would be told about this?
I was only 4 months in to a 24 month Fibre Extra contract when me moved so am unsure where I stand regarding termination.

[#9]

@MarkC84 - I'm not particularly happy with the way the new package has been documented on the account. Leave that with me and I'll get the account forced on to 40/10 for you.
@foink - I am sorry you feel that way, however we did give sufficient notice to MAAF customers advising of the closure. This was later extended and letters were sent to all customers notifying them. We explained to customers that if they did not migrate to either Plusnet or another provider before 11th January they risk losing their phone and/or broadband services.

[#10]

Hi Harry,
If you could do this I would be eternally grateful!
Could you double check or clarify the following for me:

• I tried to apply for Fibre Extra last night in a dire attempt to resolve the problems stated above and there is an now account change in progress. Could this be stopped? I think what has happened is that my old house line data was still in the system, allowing me to place an order where I shouldn't have and it has slipped through the system. I fear that on the next billing run, I will start being billed for the more expensive service and I will lose the £10.49 discount I was promised as part of the house move deal. I will be just happy to receive 40/10 in all honesty!


• Another thing (which I am unsure you can resolve here) is that when I was organising the house move on the phone I was told that I would not be billed for any duration I was not receiving a service. The cutoff was the 23rd Dec and have only just received a service yesterday, so in effect I have been without a service for just under 3 weeks.
  

[#11]

Quote from: MarkC84

I was told that I would not be billed for any duration I was not receiving a service.

Did they say you won't be charged? Or that you would be refunded downtime?
What they should have said is: We can't pause billing on accounts, therefore we will refund for any downtime experienced during your housemove.
Either way, I'll check it while I'm on it.

[#12]

I am certain that I was told that I would not be charged. There was absolutely no mention of being refunded. Perhaps this is what the person I was talking to meant but just did not state in the correct way. If this is how it works then I am fine with that!
Thanks for looking in to my problem and sorting this by the way, I really do appreciate it.

[#13]

No problem
I apologise if it wasn't explained clearly, but I've made sure the refund has been issued. That'll be paid back in to the account your monthly bill is taken from within the next 14 days.
I've also made sure the account change is cancelled and placed the order to get you on 40/10. I might have to make a few other changes on the account tomorrow once the order completes, but I'll confirm via the ticket on the account when I believe you should be getting 40/10.

[#14]

Harry - Thank you, that is super.
I am sure this may have been suggested in the past but why don't PlusNet also offer the 40/10 package to customers as an intermediate tier at a slightly higher price?
I believe BT will be selling a 55/10 package soon, perhaps PlusNet could choose this package as an intermediate tier? This would appease customers such as myself that require the additional upload bandwidth whilst squeezing slightly more bandwidth downstream if the line can support it. I think this would offer greater flexibility.
I do think choice is a key factor when signing up for new services. I think at the moment the package choices are far too restrictive, especially when compared to the competition.

[#15]

Hi Harry,
Just to confirm that my line jumped to 9999kbps upload over night, thank you!
The only remaining issue is that I think my PlusNet account has a 2mbps upload rate limit still in place after testing, is this something that will sort itself out? I've tried disconnecting and reconnecting my PPPoE session but this seems to have made no difference.
Thanks,
Mark.