Telephone support hours changing at Plusnet

[Oldjim]

That is surprising - mostly they just change the timetable to increase the journey time

[Alex]

No they actually do it - I remember when there was a bit of snow and the timetable had changed once so the last train home was 8pm rather than 12pm. ::)
I wonder if PlusNet have recently recruited a senior manager from Southeastern (sic).

[g1000]

Quote from: AndyH

I suspect they could build a case showing the current call volumes and patterns. If people can call up and get support without waiting during core hours, then it has to be of material advantage to the customer compared to the current status quo.

No, they can't argue any of that. Because the contract contains absolutely nothing about wait times. The contract has not been modified for example from a guaranteed wait time of no more than 30 mins to no more than 3 mins, let alone to "without waiting". So that is just hearsay and puffery which has no contractual promise or bearing on the contractual modification and its ramifications. Only the modifications to the contractual agreement can be considered.

[Anotherone]

Didn't you know Alex, it is cheaper for them to cancel a train! If they are late they get fined.
Anyway I've had no such "statement to customers"  ::)

[chrcoluk]

ofcom have got back to me, they consider plusnet in breach with guidance and plusnet will be contacted shortly.
They have suggested anyone who wants to leave plusnet penalty free because of this and plusnet refuse the request to contact ofcom..

[ITWorks]

Very interesting chrcoluk, be interesting to see what PN response is .
Did they get back to you by email? if so are you able to post their full response here ?
Regards
Mike

[chrcoluk]

probably as little as possible,

[Anotherone]

Quote from: AndyH

.............do something about it and take it to OFCOM or the Small Claim's Court. I am confident you will not get anywhere with either......

Seems to be contrary to chrcoluk's experinece then !

[AndyH]

Get it in writing then for us all to see.
OFCOM don't make arbitrary decisions like this over a phone call.

[Anotherone]

Quote from: AndyH

Plusnet will argue that if this change dramatically reduces call waiting volumes during the new support hours, then it's a major improvement

That would be so IF the change dramatically reduced call waiting times BUT it can't, because the number of staff employed overnight dealing with the Residential Call Centre calls is so small it can't possibly have much of an impact. If in fact they are currently employing a lot of staff overnight (which they weren't), then that just boils down to incompetent management.

Quote from: AndyH

A lot of people seem unhappy with the change - but how many people have tried to contact support in the past between 22:00 and 07:30?

I have. There are few occasions when I have called within the "new" hours. The last time I actually called within the "new" hours was when there was a major network outage and no Service Status.

Quote from: AndyH

Quote from: chrcoluk something advertised and then pulled is a change in ToS. I disagree with this. Plusnet's terms say they will provide you with what's listed at http://www.plus.net/broadband but they do not say that what is listed there is set in stone and cannot be changed.

As I belive I have commented on more than one occasion, there is a question of mis-selling, misleading advertsing, and it's there as bold as brass in so many places, it can be regarded as port of the ToS. So you can disagree all you like, I don't agree with you, and it seems OFCOM don't agree with you either - unless you are suggesting chrcoluk is not speaking the truth. And my experience is that they will/do give advice over the phone, albeit not in the one phone call as clearly some consideration and examination of the facts has to be made.

[AndyH]

I am not calling anyone anything, I am just giving my views and opinions.
If OFCOM deem this change a breach of General Condition 9.6, then there will either be a published statement from them or Plusnet will say something - it won't be hidden either way.

[chrcoluk]

its pretty evident plusnet approached this not thinking its legal but rather thinking they will get away with it, companies try tricks all the time for financial gain.
Ofcom had no decision to make, it already fails existing guidelines, they dont need to consultate over this.
Now I guess as before in other threads andy you will fight hard to defend plusnet.
Think I am wrong? you are free to ask ofcom yourself.

[Oldjim]

In the other place you stated http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/t/4416734-re-support-hour-changes.html assuming it is you of course

Quote

I contacted a contact I have within ofcom. Since ofcom are now actioning this there will be something happening soon whether they release something in print I dont know. To edit, I did also ring them via the official channels so there is my individual complaint logged also.

So I am not sure whether this can be classed as an OFCOM official stance or the opinion of one member of staff within OFCOM
However I personally will be delighted if they agree with you and others in getting out of the contract as it wil then almost certainly kill it

[chrcoluk]

As I said on TBB, I did 2 things.
I contacted someone I know inside ofcom first for an opinion.  He gave me that opinion and then advised me and others will need to contact ofcom via the official route so I then phoned them and registered my complaint.  I will get a letter now I made the call confirming the nature of my complaint and ofcom's official advise, the official advise given to me was to ask for plusnet to send me the new terms and if I want to leave penalty free make that request to plusnet, if I ask to leave and plusnet refused to do it penalty free ofcom then said they would intervene on my behalf.
Now for me personally this isnt a big deal as I only have one month left, and LRS wouldnt be refunded for this, I contacted ofcom as I dont like companies been this arrogant to their customers.
He also said he or someone else on his team will contact plusnet to verify what I stated and to hear their stance (is possible they plan to inform users), advising them if necessary to take the correct action.
This is my final post regarding my ofcom findings.  The answer is simple, if you dont like what plusnet have done here register your complaint with ofcom.

[AndyH]

My views wouldn't change if this was Sky, TalkTalk, BT Retail, Zen. The ISP has nothing to do with it.
I never said OFCOM needed to have a consultation, but there is a legal process under the Communications Act 2003. If OFCOM believe that the rights of consumers have been affected, then the Consumer Affairs Team will need to investigate and come to a determination. The outcome of such a decision would be published here - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement/competition-bulletins/closed-cases/closed-complaints/ The open case would be published here - http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement/competition-bulletins/open-cases/open-complaints/ The process takes months though and it would not happen on the back of a single phone call or email.
It's another question for Tony though (although I doubt there will be a direct answer). Have Plusnet consulted OFCOM as to whether this change amounts to something of material detriment to end users?