For Att: Managers or Bosses Of Plusnet

[#1]

As a new customer of yours, I am disgusted and appalled at your so called award winning company. I am constantly seeing reps from your company (Chris Parr, Jo Clark and others) constantly saying sorry, we apologize etc etc etc, like a skipping record, over and over again. It shouldn't be like this.
Instead of enticing & contracting new customers to your shocking service with your TV Ads, why don't you put a hold on all new customers until you sort out the VERY prominent issues that your company has towards your loyal and newly signed customers? You are already in a deep hole with regards to your service and especially your customer services (which takes 15-30 mins to get through) . All I see is bad reviews EVERYWHERE, including your very own Awards posts you posted the last few months (See Below). Don't get me wrong, every company has their fair share, but nothing as bad as what I have seen from yourselves. It is very clear that you can't handle the work load you have already and you're asking for more? What a joke. Instead of congratulating yourselves with a pat on the back 'Oh, look at us' or 'We got an award' post, how about you make a post about the issues that your company are facing and how you are going to remedy them, because I'm sure MANY of us would like to know, but we know your not going to do that.
Here's a list of sites housing bad complaints (Read Comments):
Plusnet SIte:
http://community.plus.net/blog/2015/03/25/plusnet-wins-which-recommendation-for-seventh-time/#commen...
http://community.plus.net/blog/2015/01/30/plusnet-wins-not-once-but-twice-at-key-customers-awards/#c...
Broadband.co.uk
http://www.broadband.co.uk/broadband/providers/plusnet/reviews/page:all/
Trustpilot
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.plus.net

I would find others, but I'm currently using my PAYG sim to tether to laptop, because guess what, I currently at present, have no service from Plusnet due to my situation with them. I did look at Which? though (ironically, the ones who awarded Plusnet) and see that it is a subscription charge after a Trial for their content. Of course they're going to give ANY company a raving review or maybe a so called award as there getting money of their customers who look at their reviews etc. Do I believe that loads of customers of Plusnet had been surveyed? Certainly not.
Anyway, I have never seen so many complaints about a company in my entire life and stupid me, didn't even think to look at all the reviews before becoming a customer with yous. I've had a real life bad situation that nearly caused myself and family (Including a 2 year old child who's had heart surgery) to become homeless in a Hostel, this is due to my landlord wanting to take the house back to sell. I tried to cancel due unforeseen circumstances to be told, "so what, it's a story, anyone could use that story to get out of a contract, here is a £240 release charge". A charge that is not welcome when facing eviction to a possible hostel and being on sick benefits due to being disabled.
When I phoned to cancel, I was transferred twice as your customer reps didn't have a clue as to what to do under the circumstances. Everything was agreed for the contract ending a few days ago. I raised a complaint and 5 days later, that's when I had one of your complaints team said something along the lines of tuff s**t, you should never of took a contract out with us if your not stable. At what part didn't you understand that it was Unforeseen Circumstances I replied, another reply coming from them (again, 5 days later) basically apologizing for his colleagues response, that he didn't clearly explain everything properly and he then stated about it being a story and anyone could of copied it.
So, after seeking legal advice last week about my housing situation, my family and I have another 2 months (at least) of stay execution until the landlord takes it further (through none fault of our own). I messaged plusnet last week and got no reply. I phoned them 2 days ago, a day before the turn off to say I wanted to keep the services running. Nice chap, turned around and said, no problem, we can keep your services running, I will phone through to the relevant department and get it sorted for you. He came back to me and said 'I'm sorry, that department are not in today, I will send a ticket over to them and they will answer tomorrow (yesterday 21st May) and keep your services running' Bear in mind, he phoned through to the Housing team on the Wednesday 20th May at around 2pm and they weren't in on a weekday, Really??. where were they? Meeting? Lunch? Day Off?....Anyway, come 12:10am yesterday morning, broadband went off, account closed and logged out of there member center. After another 30 mins of listening to 80s music yesterday, I've managed to speak to someone who has had to do a new account, however, due to the services being cancelled (Which could of been avoided if a member of the right department had been in the day before switch off), I'm now still waiting for the services to be switched back on, telephone about 2 days, broadband approx 5 days. All could of been avoided.
I personally can't wait to get out and away from your Company. All your Company has shown me is greed and a lack of caring for your customers, trying to get what you can and just make do isn't going to cut it. You need to make a radical change to your Company and fast, because from what I've seen (from my own situation and other reviews), your not going to have much custom left. You need a radical shakeup in your Customer Services side, from waiting 30 mins to get through to Customer Reps who pass the buck as they haven't got a clue.
Another area that needs sorting is your billing system, generating a bill on a certain date and then taking a payment (by debit card) that same day is wrong. We as customers need a choice as to when the money gets taken from our accounts each month. This is so that we can make sure money is in that account ready for you. Other big companies give 2 weeks notice of the bill for that month and give customers plenty of time to budget and have money in ready, not yous. For instance, I am on sick benefits awaiting operation on my hip, my money goes in every 2 weeks, however, depending on other bills and other unforeseen payments I may have to pay out, I may not have the money in the account on your set day. Giving me 2 weeks notice gives me plenty of time to budget for everything that is going out. Due to your billing system, I'm having to pay by debit card sometimes several days after you generating the bill and I've got no choice but to pay that way incurring an £1.50 debit charge. It's a Joke really.
You really need to listen to your customers RIGHT NOW. Your shooting yourselves and I know that your aware of these issues due to hearing some things from your very own Customer support staff. I've even heard you are looking at maybe getting a new billing system in place, but whether that is true, I don't know, maybe I was told that just to keep me happy. One thing I've noticed that your company does and has sickened me, is to hassle a deceased member of family with emails still demanding money etc (see review sites above), that is AFTER they have contacted you to close the account. How low really can you go? I'm absolutely disgusted that a company like you has no system or Customer service Reps who can stop emails etc going out when someone has passed and account has closed. This shouldn't be happening and needs to stop.
My Conclusion:
1) Your portraying yourselves to be Greedy (Getting what you can, every single chance you get), suppose that's what EVERY Company is about really.
2) You don't care about Customers, Just profits.
3) Your Customers Services are a disgrace (not just my opinion) Waiting 15-30 mins is shocking, made even worse by the same old 80s songs you play, Online Help hardly available. Complaints taking 5 days for response and then taking a further 5 days for each reply the customer sends you (A complaint could last several weeks before it is resolved)
4) Customer Service Reps seem inadequately trained and don't seem happy. There not sure on who deals with what properly and leads to customers being on the phone on hold for several more minutes being passed around.
5) Your Billing system is wrong (taking payment same day as bill generated doesn't work for Customers  who can't meet that)
6) Sending emails to a deceased customers relative still, so wrong.
5) We'll Do You Proud (No you won't, No you haven't and No, you never will)
Plusnet, sort yourselves out...

[#2]

Hi there SadSac,
I'm really sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with Plusnet. As it happens, I am familiar with your account and the situation that you find yourself in. Plusnet absolutely sympathises with your circumstances, however the contract that you have signed up to unfortunately means that, should you leave Plusnet early for any reason, you would be liable for early termination charges. I can assure you that our early termination charges are not for profit; we purchase fibre service from our supplier for 18 months at a time, so the charges if you leave are compensatory.
Plusnet does care greatly about its customers, and strives to treat all customers equally, which unfortunately means that we cannot waive cancellation charges in situations like your own. If we waive the charges for one customer, we must do it for all, and as stated previously, the charges are compensatory and so that we as a company do not lose money from a cancellation.
I do apologise for your services being disconnected on 21/05/2015. I can assure you that our House Moves team would have been available on 20/05/2015, however it is possible that there was a long wait time (House Moves is one of our busiest departments) and rather than keeping you on the line any longer, our agent sent a ticket to them so as not to keep you waiting. I can see that you have since spoken with the team and they are re-providing your services for you.
With regards to our billing system, it will automatically take payment on your billing date from whichever payment method is stored on the account. If your stored payment is card, payment will go out on the same day, where as if you have a Direct Debit set up, the payment takes 3-5 working days to leave your account. If you have no payment details stored, we will email you to let you know that we have not been able to take a payment, and you will have 14 days to settle the balance. Unfortunately at the moment we are unable to alter billing dates as our billing system simply does not support this. We are working on a new billing engine that will have the function to change your billing date, but it is taking some time to build before we can roll this out to customers.
Once again, I am very sorry for the problems that you have experienced. Our provisioning team is currently working on getting you back up and running and will contact you to let you know when your orders will be complete. 

[#3]

Indded I feel for the OP's personal situation. Who would not? As to the reviews, I have problems with all reviews that purport to come from consumers. Some come from those who are with what goes on, others from those who do not understand,or wish to understand the complexities of  realtionships of companies who have to co-operate to provide a product or service.
Reviews can be stale or even faked, as in this Guardian article. That the bad reviews of PN on Trust Pilot seem to have arrived like a proverbial number 9 bus certainly makes me suspect them. The picture painted is not my findings over nearly ten years, after coming on personal recommendations.
Of the matter of contracts, no company can be aware, or make in general principle, special provisions for the actions of an unrelated third party, viz. a landlord. The one thing I'd hope,is that companies like BT/PN can take in exceptional cases a sympathetic approach. That can not infrequently, be more beneficially than hard nose.