Telephone support hours changing at Plusnet

[#1]

I cannot see any reference in the existing terms about support hours etc., so in that respect there are no material changes to anyone's detriment as far as the T&Cs go.
Equally, OFCOM will not view this as a material detriment based on their previous guidance of General Condition 9.6.

[#2]

So they're trying to scrap the ticket system by making it more difficult to access.
Then promoting the on-line help system as presumably it is cheaper to run than say employing staff.
The call waiting times will obviously improve by decreasing the hours it is available.
Will only be a matter of time before the only way to get support will be on here - before these forums are scrapped too.

[#3]

Quote from: Alex

before these forums are scrapped too.

Now, that would make me reconsider my position as a (generally) happy customer.

[#4]

Anyone who has in the last year called in to report an issue after 10pm and before 7:30am: you should have a ticket on your account. I strongly recommend that you go to https://portal.plus.net/wizard/?p=search and search all tickets raised to find the ticket and take and keep a screen shot. If you are going to claim it's a detrimental change to your service you will then have proof that you have used the 24/7 support in the past.

[#5]

Quote from: w23

[pedant] There's a lot of talk about Ts & Cs but can anyone show me where in the Plusnet Ts & Cs there is mention of Telephone Support Hours? I can't see that this is a change to Ts & Cs but it does constitute a material change to the overall service provided. The Ts & Cs do mention the Plusnet Code of Practice but only in relation to 'Sorting out disputes', the Code of Practice does state telephone support hours. [/pedant]

I don't believe there's anything in the T&Cs that says someone on Fibre Extra has to be provisioned on the 80/20 product, so on that basis Plusnet could at a whim downgrade you to 40/2 and (as along as they adjusted the price charged in accordance with the Price Guide) you couldn't claim that as a detrimental change to get out of the full contract term? I don't think so!
Your contract with Plusnet includes the full service as described on the day you entered in to the agreement (see attached example) and if you end up going to court, proving a detrimental change has been made to the service provided will be sufficient.

[#6]

I'm now wondering how 'here's the legal bit' ties up with Ts & Cs.  

Quote

Here's the legal bit <snip> We'll give you the best download speed available (up to if you live in a high speed area) dependent on your location, phone line, home wiring and time of day

[#7]

Stayed at the hotel next to the Plusnet offices recently could see many customer service desks but only 2 people.

[#8]

The problem is, where does one then find an isp which provides decent telephone support. Sky, BT & Talk Talk are totally useless, I write from personal experience. I believe that John Lewis are OK but obviously one pays a premium. Maybe PN now have sufficient members so that the "churn" rate won't affect their bottom line.

[#9]

@tijara33 , John Lewis home phone and broadband is fully supplied by PN , from the customer point of view it's PN with a different name
Regards
Mike

[#10]

So I assume the call hours of John Lewis will be cut too?

[#11]

I believe they have dedicated support staff. I wonder if their support is currently 24/7?
(& a separate Support Number).

[#12]

JL hours have always been 9am - 6pm, 7 days a week , as far as i know  , they are very quick to answer the phone , but then they are more expensive
Yes they have dedicated support staff, and their own number. I have a few customers with them. For market 1 exchange and a low user cheaper than PN direct

Mike

[#13]

[quote=https://www.johnlewisbroadband.com/buying-guide/]Sometimes you may just want to pick up the phone and talk to someone about your broadband service. If you ever have any questions or issues, then just give us a call on 0800 022 3300 (9am - 6pm, 7 days a week) and we'll be happy to help. Our freephone service is free from a landline, and our UK call centre is staffed by people who are broadband experts.

[#14]

Quote from: tijara33

The problem is, where does one then find an isp which provides decent telephone support. Sky, BT & Talk Talk are totally useless, I write from personal experience. I believe that John Lewis are OK but obviously one pays a premium. Maybe PN now have sufficient members so that the "churn" rate won't affect their bottom line.

You really have to look at the smaller, niche ISPs if you want excellent telephone support. The problem with those though is you are unlikely to get 24x7 support and you're probably going to end up paying a large premium over what you currently pay.
I haven't had to phone Plusnet support for over two years, so I don't think this change will affect me. I would imagine most people on here contact support in the hours they are now hopefully going to focus on. If call times can be reduced to something reasonable, then I view this as a positive change. On the other hand I am kind of interested to know what happens in the event of a major outage out of hours - will there be staff on hand to post status updates etc.?

[#15]

Have been to Plusnet website and you get an almost immediate request to chat to you on line, so it is strange they can't answer the phone.