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God, what awful customer service

angryian
Newbie
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎26-09-2015

God, what awful customer service

You'll get the gist from the letter which i have just tried to send to the Plusnet CEO. The email bounced back because the inbox is full. I'll bet it is: full of complaints about your non-existent customer service.  Anyway, just in case the two people or the cat who works at Plusnet customer services  reads these forums, see below:
Dear Mr Ford,
I'm turning to you in the faint hope that as CEO of Plusnet, you might be interested to hear about actual customer experience when it comes to complaining about your almost biblically woeful service.
One of the things that attracted me away from the truly hellish BT Broadband service is that I was deluded into believing by all the cheerful, plain speaking, straight talking Yorkshire advertising that you actually gave a stuff about how the people who pay your salary are treated.
How wrong I was.
You managed to switch my broadband without a hitch, well apart from not sending the router until 6 days after the service switched. But we put this down to teething problems and the reassuring Yorkshire lass on the helpline was very nice about it all. And the broadband speed did increase. Very, very slightly.
Now the deal was that you switched my broadband AND phone service at the same time. That was part of the package and I was reassured this would happen seamlessly. And we thought it had. Until we received one bill from BT and then another. It became clear that you were about as seamless as Samuel Beckett's face. (He's an Old Portoran like me - wrote a famous play called 'Waiting for Godot' which is about a group of people who wait forever for something which never comes - a bit like waiting for a human being on your 'help'line.)
So after we received bills for a service from what we thought was our old provider who you told us we had left, I got in touch with you. After being categorically told what I had described could not happen - here's the good bit - your customer adviser actually admitted that it did happen! Yes! Joy! She sad that Plusnet would refund the line and call charges we paid BT because we were already paying Plusnet for this service. Result we thought, after numerous calls, customer tickets etc.
But here's the downside, I haven't yet received any money from you. I have had an admission of responsibility. I have, after repeatedly using your totally soul-destroying and ludicrous help and support system got an apology and a request to submit files on a customer 'ticket' which show the BT charges. And very sorry for letting you down etc. But before I could summon the will to engage with this witless maze again, the relevant customer question ticket had expired. And who the hell knows how to raise another one or connect it to the previous tickets? You see, I have to work for a living. I haven't the luxury of being able to take a morning off to do your work for you. You deliberately try everything you can to avoid letting me have an email address so I can submit these details to you the simple way. But some helpful soul in the Plusnet forum has provided your email address so I'm going direct to the boss.
Let me tell you something straightforward about customer service. If a customer has been as poorly served as I have been and if your 'plain speaking' image was more than just an adland fantasy someone ought to have noticed:
1. We made a mistake
2. We admitted it (in writing)
3. We owe the customer a proper apology and speedy/appropriate  recompense for being out of pocket and the insane amount of time he as had to waste to get you to do our work for us
4. Hey, just for fun, why don't we contact the customer!
I'd then have wasted no time in proactively getting in touch with that customer by phone or by email or carrier pigeon and offering a quick way to resolve the issue. But no. I am expected to spend time I can't afford navigating a system designed to defeat me to get money from you that you have already agreed to pay. It's an undiluted nightmare.
So, the ball is in your court and I await your reply with great interest.

Ps: Your invariably clogged customer 'support' line with typically 15 minute waits has Tears For Fears on it. 'Don't you want me?' Someone has a pretty warped sense of humour in your organisation.
In case you are remotely interested:
tickets 106107573 and 108711267 and 108711267 refer
6 REPLIES 6
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: God, what awful customer service

Only problem is that the CEO is Andy Baker who was appointed in 2013
AlaricAdair
Champion
Posts: 5,658
Thanks: 647
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎21-03-2011

Re: God, what awful customer service

The senior management of PlusNet are well aware of the complaints in the forum about poor service quality. Indeed it must be part of a planned cost cutting programme to save on customer support levels while using advertising to generate increased numbers of customers. Somewhere in the organisation there will be a beancounter with a PowerPoint presentation proving their "success" at cost cutting.

If they haven't planned to reduce service levels, it would mean the management team have lost control of the situation.
Now Zen, but a +Net residue.
AndyH
Grafter
Posts: 6,824
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎27-10-2012

Re: God, what awful customer service

I'm not quite sure why you contacted Plusnet about bills from your previous provider (BT)? Surely you should have contacted BT?
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: God, what awful customer service

The way I understand the OP’s post is that the line migration didn’t go according to plan and remained with BT, which generated an invoice that the OP has paid. As Plusnet were meant to be providing the line and charging they admitted their mistake and said they would pay the BT line rental charges (having had proof).
But, as Plusnet have not been provided with proof due to the OP’s unwillingness to engage with the ticketing system the ticket expired, and as a consequence (but quite rightly) Plusnet have not refunded the money they said they would.
motti2750181
Newbie
Posts: 1
Registered: ‎27-09-2015

Re: God, what awful customer service

When I ordered the full package of broadband and telephone, I was told that the router would would arrive and wait for a text to my mobile (non smart)  My tablet informed me that the server was not responding and so I tried my desktop to find that email/internet was not connected.  so I phoned Plusnet.  pleasant lady informed me that there is a 48 hour delay.in receiving the full service.  Unbelievable, there is nothing about this in writing, nor was I told verbally.  It took a lot longer! Whenever I phoned there was always a 15 or 30 minutes wait.  Phoned technical support to hear the automat voice inform me of a 45 minute wait.  This is clearly unacceptabl;e when I am unable to go online to report a problem.  It appeared that a modum was reequired and so after Sunday midnight till last night (Saturday)  when the modem arrived, I had no service whatsoever,
I chose Plusnet because of Which, which I believe must never have had these  problems reported.  I do not believe that I shall take anymorte notice of Which.  The service was from EE had been appalling both online and from the local shop, with staff unable to answer questions and being told to go online to find answers.  I phoned EE to enquire whether the fault was theirs and their technical support answered on the second tone.  Come on Plusnet, your adverts mean nothing to me, as actions, or lack of speaks louder thna words.  Happily, Paul in Technical support was very helpful and arranged for the modum to be sent to me.  Thank you Paul, a faint beam of light in a murky area.  I do hope that Plusnet will find a man at the top to sort things out as a personal responsibility for the company's customers and good name!
[Moderator's note by Dick(Strat): CSA full name removed as per the forum rules.]
Macuser72
Newbie
Posts: 2
Registered: ‎27-09-2015

Re: God, what awful customer service

Quote from: angryian
You'll get the gist from the letter which i have just tried to send to the Plusnet CEO. The email bounced back because the inbox is full. I'll bet it is: full of complaints about your non-existent customer service.  Anyway, just in case the two people or the cat who works at Plusnet customer services  reads these forums, see below:
Dear Mr Ford,
I'm turning to you in the faint hope that as CEO of Plusnet, you might be interested to hear about actual customer experience when it comes to complaining about your almost biblically woeful service.
One of the things that attracted me away from the truly hellish BT Broadband service is that I was deluded into believing by all the cheerful, plain speaking, straight talking Yorkshire advertising that you actually gave a stuff about how the people who pay your salary are treated.
How wrong I was.
You managed to switch my broadband without a hitch, well apart from not sending the router until 6 days after the service switched. But we put this down to teething problems and the reassuring Yorkshire lass on the helpline was very nice about it all. And the broadband speed did increase. Very, very slightly.
Now the deal was that you switched my broadband AND phone service at the same time. That was part of the package and I was reassured this would happen seamlessly. And we thought it had. Until we received one bill from BT and then another. It became clear that you were about as seamless as Samuel Beckett's face. (He's an Old Portoran like me - wrote a famous play called 'Waiting for Godot' which is about a group of people who wait forever for something which never comes - a bit like waiting for a human being on your 'help'line.)
So after we received bills for a service from what we thought was our old provider who you told us we had left, I got in touch with you. After being categorically told what I had described could not happen - here's the good bit - your customer adviser actually admitted that it did happen! Yes! Joy! She sad that Plusnet would refund the line and call charges we paid BT because we were already paying Plusnet for this service. Result we thought, after numerous calls, customer tickets etc.
But here's the downside, I haven't yet received any money from you. I have had an admission of responsibility. I have, after repeatedly using your totally soul-destroying and ludicrous help and support system got an apology and a request to submit files on a customer 'ticket' which show the BT charges. And very sorry for letting you down etc. But before I could summon the will to engage with this witless maze again, the relevant customer question ticket had expired. And who the hell knows how to raise another one or connect it to the previous tickets? You see, I have to work for a living. I haven't the luxury of being able to take a morning off to do your work for you. You deliberately try everything you can to avoid letting me have an email address so I can submit these details to you the simple way. But some helpful soul in the Plusnet forum has provided your email address so I'm going direct to the boss.
Let me tell you something straightforward about customer service. If a customer has been as poorly served as I have been and if your 'plain speaking' image was more than just an adland fantasy someone ought to have noticed:
1. We made a mistake
2. We admitted it (in writing)
3. We owe the customer a proper apology and speedy/appropriate  recompense for being out of pocket and the insane amount of time he as had to waste to get you to do our work for us
4. Hey, just for fun, why don't we contact the customer!
I'd then have wasted no time in proactively getting in touch with that customer by phone or by email or carrier pigeon and offering a quick way to resolve the issue. But no. I am expected to spend time I can't afford navigating a system designed to defeat me to get money from you that you have already agreed to pay. It's an undiluted nightmare.
So, the ball is in your court and I await your reply with great interest.

Ps: Your invariably clogged customer 'support' line with typically 15 minute waits has Tears For Fears on it. 'Don't you want me?' Someone has a pretty warped sense of humour in your organisation.
In case you are remotely interested:
tickets 106107573 and 108711267 and 108711267 refer


This experience echoes my own, with the exception that I did go the "ticket" route of doing things - having been completely unable to speak to anyone - only to find my ticket not only closed (wrongly marked "closed by customer") but a day later completely removed from the system and not even showing under the "tickets closed in the last 7days"  or even 30 days!
In my 15 years of various sip's this has got to be by far and away the very worst customer service ever - even worse than Talk Talk and that's saying something. I can't ben change my internet package online.
It also seem the facility to raise new tickets has been taking away as well