Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
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Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
17-06-2019 7:34 PM - edited 17-06-2019 7:41 PM
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@LaurenB What I don`t understand is.....
Paying by Direct Debit..... is
"paying on line".. is 100% secure and does not need any further action from either party involved.
Paying via the link you provided..
does, indeed, inconvenience the customer (which,,, incredibly....... you appreciate.... But do nothing to alleviate that ) in time and effort,
and is only secure, IF the procedure is correctly completed, ( that is the inconvenience and effort part ).
Paying over the telephone,
is more inconvenient, having to try to use the telephone when hearing is impaired.
is more inconvenient due to the excessive waiting times before answer.
is not so secure as the telephone line is not encrypted, ( as with online payments ). and the information given/received during the conversation is wide open to abuse.
So, reviewing those comments,....
You appreciate the inconvenience...(Thank you for that ....) ..
but... I think you will agree, that paying by Direct Debit, is the most convenient, safe and secure method,
YET YOU CHOOSE TO INCONVENIENCE YOUR CUSTOMERS saying you don`t have the option....
This then, is your chance to "do me ( and thousands of others ) proud" .. by setting in motion the necessary actions to include the option,
By doing so, you will certainly be able to hold your head up high,
and not be ashamed to say " We`ll do you proud"...
And ... of course, you will have the honour, of bringing PlusNet, bang up to date, in the 21st century ...
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
17-06-2019 8:30 PM
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Paying the LRS by direct debit has never been an option and to be honest we have no reason to implement it when we have other means of these being done. The options are to pay for it online as it was originally intended to be done, or to call.
The measures are there for you to make the payment and although inconvenient to yourself, security procedures by your bank aren't something we control.
I understand this isn't the response you were hoping for but there's nothing further I can advise.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
17-06-2019 8:55 PM - edited 17-06-2019 9:10 PM
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@LaurenB I appreciate that my posting has been an inconvenience to you and yours..
Hope that makes you feel better. Knowing how much I appreciate your inconvenience, the same as you did mine.
Paying the LRS by direct debit has never been an option and to be honest we have no reason to implement it
Just because it has never been an option, does not preclude the fact, that it SHOULD and CAN BE an option.
Erm.... I think I have given you at least THREE reasons, in my last post, to implement it.
Certainly, taking no further action, and doing nothing to alleviate inconvenience to customers, goes against the advertised "Award winning customer service "..... and certainly... you are not doing anyone proud, by your lack of action.
security procedures by your bank aren't something we control.
There is no "security procedure" involved, in the direct debit system, as it is already in use, for paying the phone bill every month... ( as already mentioned ) ....
The measures are there for you to make the payment
which are out of date... and insecure, to say the least......as already pointed out. ... apart from the inconvenience, which you have already appreciated.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
17-06-2019 9:14 PM
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said......
Paying the LRS by direct debit has never been an option and to be honest we have no reason to implement it
Here is one.....by paying for LRS using Direct Debit, will lessen the load on the Telephone Customer Service department...
the time spent taking card numbers verifying they are correct, and verifying the user name and other question and answers for each renewal, will cut down the waiting time for more important calls to be dealt with in a more timely manner.. Totally inefficient way of doing things...
( i think it could be classed as more cost effective than the telephone system in use at present ? ? ? ? )
That in itself is a good enough reason to implement the Direct Debit....
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
17-06-2019 10:59 PM
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@shutter your reasoning is correct , it looks like PN are so intransigent they wont consider a change ,, Especially as what has happened with changing Billing
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 8:52 AM
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They provide a method to pay online which the vast majority of customers use without issue.
They aren't going to implement a direct debit system for a minority of customers who don't like verified by visa.
The cost of implementing and developing the changes far outweighs the cost of a handful of customers calling once a year.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 10:02 AM
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@ScottStorey wrote:
The cost of implementing and developing the changes far outweighs the cost of a handful of customers calling once a year.
And of course, you can verify that statement of " a handful of customers" ?
I am sure that the LRS is taken up by many more than "a handful" otherwise it would not be cost effective to PlusNet.
even if it were only 10 per day, ringing up those calls amount to about 15 minutes in length.... EACH call.
therefore you can approximate 150 minutes (or 2.5 hours)) of Phone lines and staff, tied up...... PER DAY...
. equating to 17.5 hours..... per week
or to put it into context... 2.1875 working days per week... ( COST THAT IN WAGES ? ? ? ) for your "handful of customers "
on something that can be dealt with by a Direct Debit system freeing up those Phone Lines and staff...
Surely that is much more efficient and cost effective ?
As mentioned..... the Direct Debit system is already in place for the monthly phone bill payments..
Adding another "script" or whatever to cover the annual payment should not cost as much as 2 days work per 70 customers....
And , from a customer service point, is much less inconvenient to the customer, adding another * to the "Award winning customer service" already bleated about so often.
At present ... the system auto generates an email reminding customers of the impending ending of the current contract. Changing the wording to accommodate the Direct Debit request/order should not be a major cost/problem.... as once it is done for one, it is done for all recipients.
As for your other statement.....
They aren't going to implement a direct debit system for a minority of customers who don't like verified by visa.
You are, again, fudging the issue.... ..... the Direct Debit system would not be "for a minority of customers"
it would be available for ALL customers. Whether they liked the verified by visa option or not..
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 10:31 AM
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Ran out of editing time.....
further to my last...
upscaling the figures for annual cost... works out to
113.75 days wages for personnel to answer the phone, and process the call into the accounts department PER YEAR.
For something that can be done in "automation" terms, much more efficiently, by the Direct Debit system of payments, already in place for the monthly payments.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 10:36 AM
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Hello @shutter
As a business, we are continually looking to improve our services, I have forwarded your feedback to the relevant team.
In the meantime, I will go back to what my colleague Lauren has informed you, there are no changes in place to the method we ask our customer's to pay for their LRS.
You can either pay for it online or to call our customer support team.
Many thanks.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 1:12 PM - edited 18-06-2019 2:14 PM
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Hi Shutter, I hope you don't mind my jumping in on this thread, but as you know accessibility is something I'm super keen on and I'm involved in a number of projects around the business to try to improve our offerings.
Firstly, I absolutely understand why being told to call isn't helpful, you could, however, choose to use the Next Generation Text Relay service at no extra cost to yourself.
Secondly, you can pay online at plus.net/rentalsaver. I understand you don't like the 3d secure aspect of the payment but we have a responsibility to ensure that payments taken are as secure as can be, not being able to remember your password (that can be reset) doesn't trump security, although I personally have experience being annoyed at forgetting that password
You've asked for us to allow payment by Direct Debit and I can understand why that might be attractive to you, but unfortunately, we don't have the facility to do this and the truth of the matter is that we're unlikely to design another system to do allow this as this will come at a cost that's:
a) financial - and so unlikely for a product that makes us less money than simply paying monthly, when perfectly good alternatives already exist.
b) resources, the development time making this, could be spent doing something else. I repeat there are already multiple options for taking payment for LRS
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 2:26 PM
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@Dumbledore Thank you for taking notice of my thread... and hopefully, your input will, eventually, bring an updated and better level of customer service, regarding this matter.
I appreciate, that it is not going to happen this week, or next... or, indeed before this current years LRS expires ( for me ).
However, I do hope that for the thousands of others, who have LRS, this service will, eventually, be provided, as a 100% secure and simple and effective means of paying for it in the future.
This is not just about disablement through deafness, it is something that will benefit ALL PlusNet customers for years to come.
Please continue to read my reply to @JonoH below....
Thanks for your input...
but we have a responsibility to ensure that payments taken are as secure as can be,
Do you honestly believe that taking card numbers, and other sensitive banking information, like expiry date and the security code number off the back of the card, OVER THE PHONE....
. is "as secure as can be" compared to a payment by Direct Debit ?
Seriously, which would you prefer ? ( if you had the choice ? )
You go on to say..........
unfortunately, we don't have the facility to do this and the truth of the matter is that we're unlikely to design another system to do allow this as this will come at a cost that's:
a) financial - and so unlikely for a product that makes us less money than simply paying monthly, when perfectly good alternatives already exist.
I fail to see how this suggestion can be "written off" so glibly, as a financial loss ...
Taking my estimated figures for time spent on the phone, and associated wages cost. ( as mentioned earlier)
If wages of the Phone Staff, are at (say) £8.00 per hour...
17.5 hours ( of time, for processing the payments over the phone), per week costs £140.00
multiply that by 52 weeks the costs come out at £7,280.00 for one year.
As you are well aware, the phone staff are probably paid more than my estimate
and their wages costs will rise annually, as in normal practice.....
therefore the ongoing cost of doing nothing to implement paying for LRS ( using the existing Direct Debit system {adjusted/amended/re-configured} ) will also escalate pro-rata , year on year.
b) resources, the development time making this, could be spent doing something else. I repeat there are already multiple options for taking payment for LRS
"resources"... A smoke screen ghost term. often used to suggest to the unwashed, that many people, possibly in their hundreds ( numerically, not age related).. will be required to write a script or two, to implement the changes.
Cost of those resources is a "one-off".... probably less than the £7,280.00 figure quoted above, and once in place will recoup its cost year on year.
As mentioned, that £7,280 will increase year on year, but assuming that the wages do not rise,
in three years time, .....
doing nothing now,....
will cost £21,840.00
Yes, I know about the multiple options... but that does not mean there is no room for improvement. just because they are there now...... Does it ? ? ?
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 4:01 PM
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@shutter wrote:
Thanks for your input...
No problem Shutter, I pride myself on being as open and honest as I can be, I wouldn't just tell you that I've passed the feedback on (and I have). I'd always try to give you my thoughts for what the likely outcome will be, they're only that though, my thoughts.
Do you honestly believe that taking card numbers, and other sensitive banking information, like expiry date and the security code number off the back of the card, OVER THE PHONE....
We're fully PCI compliant and process plenty of card payments both online and over the phone.
. is "as secure as can be" compared to a payment by Direct Debit ?
Seriously, which would you prefer ? ( if you had the choice ? )
With your sort code and your account number, a person with the intent can still make payments from your account. I'd always prefer to give my card.
unfortunately, we don't have the facility to do this and the truth of the matter is that we're unlikely to design another system to do allow this as this will come at a cost that's:
a) financial - and so unlikely for a product that makes us less money than simply paying monthly, when perfectly good alternatives already exist.
I fail to see how this suggestion can be "written off" so glibly, as a financial loss ...
Simply because we already have workable solutions, and the Venn Diagram of people that want line rental saver, don't want to pay online via a secure card payment method and don't want to pay over the phone with their card would leave very few people in the middle. Sure some might prefer to pay via DD but most will use the other options.
"resources"... A smoke screen ghost term. often used to suggest to the unwashed, that many people, possibly in their hundreds ( numerically, not age related).. will be required to write a script or two, to implement the changes.
Cost of those resources is a "one-off".... probably less than the £7,280.00 figure quoted above, and once in place will recoup its cost year on year.
Resources doesn't always have mean money, there is also the opportunity cost of moving forward with this option, over another. The development that goes into improving a service that already works perfectly fine for the vast majority of users could go into fixing something that needs it, or into the creation of a brand new thing.
Yes, I know about the multiple options... but that does not mean there is no room for improvement. just because they are there now...... Does it ? ? ?
Another reason why it's unlikely to get further development work on the product is that there is internal debate currently about if LRS is even a product we want to continue to be offering. We have a trial scheduled for the latter part of next month where new customers will not be offered the option of LRS and we will asses the impact this has on new sign-ups and make a decision based on this data as to whether or not we offer this to new customers in the future.
This doesn't impact any of you that currently have LRS, there are no current plans to stop customers with LRS renewing at a later date.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 6:01 PM
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You think you have problems I have been waiting for a Line rental refund for 55 days , at this rate I will be able to take this dispute to the Ombudsman Service .
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 7:17 PM
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Hi @hashioki, I've responded to your other post regarding this elsewhere.
Re: Line Rental Saver - Renewal problem
18-06-2019 7:20 PM
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@JonoH Summing up your response, it would appear that , currently, PlusNet are losing money everytime someone phones up to renew their LRS.... and reading between the lines, in respect of your last paragraph... PN are losing money twice because of this.... firstly, losing it on the LRS offer..... and secondly losing it on the cost involved per customer using the telephone to renew.. i.e. 17.5 hours of C..S. operator per week.
Due to that loss, PN are saying that they will not offer new customers the LRS... and eventually, existing users of LRS will have to pay a monthly fee....
Hmm... so ... no need to set up a new direct debit for the LRS, then.... just don`t have LRS, and Line Rental. will be paid for ....
BY DIRECT DEBIT... only monthly, with the phone bill ! ...
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