Bad start with +net

[#1]

Hi, I signed up with plusnet about 3 weeks ago (28th Oct) after disappointment with Virgin and talktalk (surprisesurprise).
The engineer did not turn up or phone yesterday (Friday) on the installation date which was already delayed a few days from my original 3 dates I gave.
I recommended my friend sign up with them too because we both did not want to be tied in to long contracts.  He was posted a router within a few days, I have not received one, so things look bad so far.  Is this where I'm supposed to call up customer service, be charged for waiting 15 minutes on my mobile, and have a new date set and have to trust that the engineer will turn up next time?
Why can ISPs get away with such poor service?  If things were fair I should be able to get a full refund now and take my business somewhere where an engineer will turn up on the day they say will, or at least contact me on that day.
What are my options now in reality?

[#2]

The engineer is from Openreach so you would have the same problem with all ISP's except VirginMedia

[#3]

I didn't know that, what a joke, so the engineer has no incentive to be reliable?

[#4]

So I've just received an email telling me the engineer couldn't contact me because my contact details were incorrect, and I am to be charged a re-booking fee.  I doubt it.  I was able to receive a text shortly after I signed up on my mobile, and I was careful to give the correct address.  I have an awkward address so have to be careful to give it correctly often.
I've just looked on my account details, address and phone number are basically correct apart from a small error, a duplicate part of the road name (how is that my fault?), so I will refuse to pay the rebooking fee.
I've had it with poor service from ISPs Virgin, talktalk, loss of services for weeks, delays, and no offers of discounts.  I used to be polite but it doesn't get you anywhere so now you see this tone.

[#5]

Quote

I've just looked on my account details, address and phone number are basically correct apart from a small error, a duplicate part of the road name (how is that my fault?),

  Well , who supplied or input the details incorrectly? Garbage in garbage out.

[#6]

The call centre worker, as I spoke them on the phone carefully and we double checked them, it's a sloppy typo.  Any person who is not medically retardede would see the error and ignore the duplicated part, or does west end lanewest end lane sound realistic?  The postcode was correct anyway but there is a problem looking up my address on google maps for example.  I think the call centre worker missed out the area of London as well, at least I can amend that now.

[#7]

Now I have to wait to the 8th of December for a new installation which isn't good enough as it was no fault of mine that the engineer didn't show, although unlikely anything can be done to get quicker appointments there should be if its btopenzone not showing up. The engineer may not even turn up this time then as there should not have been a problem first time round. I will try to phone bt openreach to explain this and look to make a complaint against them for not turning up. Meanwhile I'm paying £90 a month for 50kbs btfon hotspot. It will be 4 months of doing that by the 8th dec.
P.s I tried to move with talktalk but now it seems the engineer didn't show twice for them either (just realised, address fully correct with them as i received post from them) as I had 2 dates with them.  At the time I did not know it was broke reach though.  My first ISP was virgin so I thought like them ISPs have their own engineers.  Seems I have to get hold of openreach if I ever want them to turn up.  If data protection laws weren't ott then perhaps none of this woul have happened if mymobile could be passed on to the engineer... of course that's nothing to with plusnet
One very good thing so far the customer service line open 24/7  puts them way ahead of talktalk as u couldn't even phone customer services.

[#8]

Quote from: ISPsyunogood

.... I spoke them on the phone carefully and we double checked them, it's a sloppy typo.  Any person who is not medically retardede would see the error and ignore the duplicated part, or does west end lanewest end lane sound realistic?  The postcode was correct anyway .....

To an extent you have my sympathy, but , believe me, the eye and ears see or hear what they want to hear so often, it's a wonder more such errors are not made, I hope it gets sorted soon,

[#9]

@ISPsyunogood Just told today
My sister in laws husband recently changed from TalkTalk to PN and had a similar problem, but this time with user name.
He arranged the switch via a third party site (? Simply Digital) which advertised in the Sunday papers. He said that the agent took down the details similarly to your experience with results. Opinion was that although agent was clear spoken. his first language was not English and that led to the errors.
Was your switch dealt with by PN or a third party, perhaps?

[#10]

No this is different, it's not a switch, talk talk never turned up to my new address, cancelled at the old address, so I've not had any service here and starting here from scratch with plus net.
My second engineer visit has been delayed like the first arranged visit, but this time longer, from the 8th to the 14th.  If they don't turn up I will have to give up and reluctantly go back to virgin media, because at least then I have a chance the engineer will actually turn up, as they should have my phone number. 
What can I do.  A bad situation for customers for any ISP, if BT openreach provides a poor service, theres nothing anyone can do.  What incentive do openreach have to provide a good service as they don't have competitors?  Is there an alternative?

[#11]

@ISPsyunogood,
I'm sorry to hear about the issues you've had with this, especially with the missed engineer visit and problems dealing with our call centre.
I can definitely confirm that we will not be charging you for the rearranged visit (which I'm sorry can't be done any sooner) I will make sure feedback is given to the agents that you've dealt with.
With regards to raising a complaint with Openreach, they aren't a customer facing part of BT, however we are and can raise that complaint for you so do let me know if you'd like anything specific to be addressed.
Before I finish looking at your account now I'm going to make sure we provide you with a good will gesture in light of these problems. I'll add a note to your account (that should be visible to you via "my questions" on the portal).

[#12]

I see things haven't improved in the migration dept. since I signed to PN some months back.
I had 2 months of awful problems, however after a few rants on this forum Adam picked up my case, and managed to sort out the numerous problems, with a lot of head banging, hair pulling, and screaming at the computer!!
Any way, since the migration completed, I have had a great service problem free, with a much better speed than BT's rubbish, even though its through the same wires!
Give Adam a chance, once its sorted, then you should have a great service.
It's just such a shame that PlusNet can't sort out the migration/new installation problems that keep cropping up.

As for a good will gesture, after weeks of all sorts of problems, missed appointments, days off work, loss of earnings etc etc etc, I was given the equivalent of a weeks free service! hey hoo

[#13]

Thanks Adam.  After someone mentioned elsewhere that a sat nav should have lead to my address, I remembered that my Dad's sat nav did not recognise my postcode, similar to how googlemaps does not recognise the post code.  This seems strange considering I am in a block of at least 40 flats with the same postcode, and a solicitors below, but perhaps it is new or something.  I have changed my postcode back one letter at the end from E to D as it seems reasonable to assume the engineer would use a sat nav, but can't phone me, and that post code shows up on sat nav as near enough.  Shouldn't affect post.

[#14]

No problem, I'm sorry this got off to a bad start but I will keep a close eye on things until you're sorted.

[#15]

The engineers came today, no problems there, no sign of the router yet.  My friend signed up with plusnet just after me and received the router weeks before the engineer visited though.  Should I have received it by now or could it come in the next few days?