Disgusted with plus net & Jess needs to do one!!!!!!!!
I think you're getting picky again
Quote from: Anotherone moving the phone to another supplier
, I didn't suggest that.Just a generic comment along the lines that if something is important then research in advance is helpful and you're already "on my case". Calm down dear.
Just thought I'd add a bit of information about BT and how they deal with "disadvantaged" customers, based on real (stressful) experience today. Summarised as briefly as possible below.
My relative, referred to earlier in this thread, was in the middle of a phone call earlier from my wife when the call was cut off; she rang back but it just rang and rang, not answered.
After some time and no contact we called the next door neighbour (a keyholder) who went round to check.
To cut a long story short, the phone had been cut off for non-payment! The neighbour got that message when trying to use the phone to call us back to say everything was otherwise OK.
We tried and tried to get through to BT, but their automated phone systems, with totally rubbish voice recognition, got nowhere, never to a person!
We check the post at least weekly and there are no phone bills (we pay them), let alone any reminders of a bill or that it was overdue. As we discovered later BT "probably" phone to tell you the bill hasn't been paid; totally useless given the situation as the recipient wouldn't understand let alone remember the call.
Eventually we went online (luckily had an old bill to hand with all relevant reference details) and paid an outstanding sum of about £70.
I then phoned again, to get silly messages along the lines of "your phone has been cut off due to an outstanding bill of zero!"
So at least the payment had been processed.
Eventually, by battling through the automated system for about 30 minutes and "constructively lying" to the automated questions I was asked, I got to a real human being by about 7pm!
I really struggled to understand what they said, but we were able to communicate, albeit slowly.
However, they were at least helpful.
I explained the situation and the age and infirmity of the person they had cut off plus the total lack of bills and reminders. They could see that the bill had been paid.
They wanted to go through setting up a Direct Debit, but I insisted - NO we need to sort out getting the phone working first, future payments are secondary.
I spoke to them about 2 aspects of the BT Code of Practice which I had researched following the input earlier: "Free Priority Fault Repair Service" and the "Protected Services Scheme" (for elderly/disabled customers who might accidentally be at risk of being cut off).
I was able to persuade them to check and trigger manually a reactivation of the phone; they explained it was an automated process and may take some hours, which I understand, but it was done (or so I was told).
They then marked the account for "Free Priority Fault Repair Service" without asking for any paperwork. Result.
Finally we discussed the "Protected Services Scheme" which I'm not convinced the person I spoke to was at all familiar with; I've subsequently found that there's an application form to fill in for it.
But they did add my wife (closest relative) as a second person on the account, taking all her contact details, though they did already have some.
I subsequently rang the number given to call to request a form for the PSS and ended up in the usual useless voice-recognition system that seemed to have no knowledge of the scheme so got to a totally useless dead-end choices menu none of which were going anywhere. But we were outside normal office hours so I'll try again tomorrow.
So, it looks like BT are able to support such people sensibly but the means of requesting it are truly appalling. I'd have happily sat in a queue for 20 minutes just knowing I'd get a human being, rather than a series of automated questions that really were just designed to fob me off!
A summary of the services that BT offer (but how do you access them?) is here: http://www.bt.com/includingyou/other-products-services.html#PSS what do PN offer by way of comparison?
My relative, referred to earlier in this thread, was in the middle of a phone call earlier from my wife when the call was cut off; she rang back but it just rang and rang, not answered.
After some time and no contact we called the next door neighbour (a keyholder) who went round to check.
To cut a long story short, the phone had been cut off for non-payment! The neighbour got that message when trying to use the phone to call us back to say everything was otherwise OK.
We tried and tried to get through to BT, but their automated phone systems, with totally rubbish voice recognition, got nowhere, never to a person!
We check the post at least weekly and there are no phone bills (we pay them), let alone any reminders of a bill or that it was overdue. As we discovered later BT "probably" phone to tell you the bill hasn't been paid; totally useless given the situation as the recipient wouldn't understand let alone remember the call.
Eventually we went online (luckily had an old bill to hand with all relevant reference details) and paid an outstanding sum of about £70.
I then phoned again, to get silly messages along the lines of "your phone has been cut off due to an outstanding bill of zero!"
So at least the payment had been processed.Eventually, by battling through the automated system for about 30 minutes and "constructively lying" to the automated questions I was asked, I got to a real human being by about 7pm!
I really struggled to understand what they said, but we were able to communicate, albeit slowly.
However, they were at least helpful.
I explained the situation and the age and infirmity of the person they had cut off plus the total lack of bills and reminders. They could see that the bill had been paid.
They wanted to go through setting up a Direct Debit, but I insisted - NO we need to sort out getting the phone working first, future payments are secondary.
I spoke to them about 2 aspects of the BT Code of Practice which I had researched following the input earlier: "Free Priority Fault Repair Service" and the "Protected Services Scheme" (for elderly/disabled customers who might accidentally be at risk of being cut off).
I was able to persuade them to check and trigger manually a reactivation of the phone; they explained it was an automated process and may take some hours, which I understand, but it was done (or so I was told).
They then marked the account for "Free Priority Fault Repair Service" without asking for any paperwork.
Result.Finally we discussed the "Protected Services Scheme" which I'm not convinced the person I spoke to was at all familiar with; I've subsequently found that there's an application form to fill in for it.
But they did add my wife (closest relative) as a second person on the account, taking all her contact details, though they did already have some.
I subsequently rang the number given to call to request a form for the PSS and ended up in the usual useless voice-recognition system that seemed to have no knowledge of the scheme so got to a totally useless dead-end choices menu none of which were going anywhere. But we were outside normal office hours so I'll try again tomorrow.
So, it looks like BT are able to support such people sensibly but the means of requesting it are truly appalling. I'd have happily sat in a queue for 20 minutes just knowing I'd get a human being, rather than a series of automated questions that really were just designed to fob me off!
A summary of the services that BT offer (but how do you access them?) is here: http://www.bt.com/includingyou/other-products-services.html#PSS what do PN offer by way of comparison?
My relatives phone? 
(I would have though it was obvious it's BT as described in my post above)
Just to add that I have spent another 30 minutes on the phone talking to BT this morning, again after "negotiating" a ludicrous menu system.
The operator I spoke to understood my request about the Protected Services Scheme, but it took all that time to find the relevant forms!
If anyone is interested they are on a very well-hidden downloads page at: http://www.bt.com/includingyou/help-support-downloads.html#PSS
(Though the downloads do NOT include the form for the Priority Fault Repair Service!)
Anyway, to get somewhat back on track, as noted above I wonder what PlusNet's formal or informal approach is to people in similar situations?
(I would have though it was obvious it's BT as described in my post above)
Just to add that I have spent another 30 minutes on the phone talking to BT this morning, again after "negotiating" a ludicrous menu system.
The operator I spoke to understood my request about the Protected Services Scheme, but it took all that time to find the relevant forms!
If anyone is interested they are on a very well-hidden downloads page at: http://www.bt.com/includingyou/help-support-downloads.html#PSS
(Though the downloads do NOT include the form for the Priority Fault Repair Service!)
Anyway, to get somewhat back on track, as noted above I wonder what PlusNet's formal or informal approach is to people in similar situations?
