The Problem with PlusNet

[#1]

The current spate of complaints about PlusNet in Feedback and other fora is largely a self-inflicted wound by PlusNet Management. At the moment they seem to be rearranging the marketing deck chairs on the Titanic while their front line staff take the heat.
I'm a business user and pay significantly more than domestic users for what is ostensibly the same copper ADSL as we wait for OpenReach to remove its thumb from its fundament on the rollout of optical fibre. However in terms of service from PlusNet we were generally happy with the support from the Help Desk. We had one bad incident about five years ago with a dumb support technician but that was quickly stomped on by us and PlusNet when we raised the issue.  When we moved buildings some 184 miles we paid PN for an enhanced move and it worked like a treat. At the due time we plugged in our old router into the new line and it worked faultlessly first time and continues since then.
However the way PlusNet Management announced the service reductions to domestic users beggars belief. What a mess! Significant reductions in support hours, reductions in line speeds, elimination of VOIP, increased fees above the rate of inflation, under-resourced help desks with unacceptable delays in answering the calls.  You removing diagnostic aids in a way which seems to us to are trying to hide problems. We see no clear plan for improvement.
For an organisation which markets itself as a high quality service you are going out of your way to alienate your existing customer base. The lack of genuine senior management response on this forum is symptomatic of the management failure. Rebuilding a reputation is very difficult.
Why aren't you making better use of the User Group?
I've spent a lifetime of sorting out poor IT/Telecoms customer services and infrastructure in very demanding commercial environments and it is sad to see your managers destroying a fine product. Being a constructive person, I challenge them to to pick up the phone and call me. I'll help them Pro-Bono, but they might need a thick skin and there will be some hard work.

[#2]

PlusNet seem to enjoy cutting their own throat. Over the years they have destroyed what was special about PlusNet by appointing greedy BT bods to run the company. How they continue to get such high marks for customer service is beyond me.

[#3]

But hey never mind, the 12 months free is back out again ...

[#4]

Hi AlaricAdair,
Whilst I appreciate that some of the changes may seem negative, they are being implemented with the best intentions to try and improve the service and focus we offer. I'm not sure what diagnostic aids have been removed as the help pages are still there, we've recently added an online phone troubleshooter and the online broadband faults checker is still there, there are now also YouTube videos to get help which we didn't have previously.
I do appreciate the comments you've made and will ensure they are passed on, however the proof will be in the pudding and I sincerely hope that you see that the changes we are making are to try and improve.

[#5]

Quote from: Chris

... however the proof will be in the pudding ...

And it could be a humble pie.

[#6]

Kate looks a bit stringy to me!
dick:quote

[#7]

Plusnet have gone right down hill over the last 6 months, what's going on in the backround are shareholders demanding the purse strings be tightened. The faults process is getting worse you can tell in the replies you receive that they cant be bothered. When i first signed up to Fibre the person i spoke to insisted i should get very near the 80/20 speeds because i live that close to the exchange and the Fibre cabinet. I was told if i signed up to a 2 year contract i would get it a few pounds a month cheaper with a free Fibre router thrown in, so i signed up.
Yet the maximum speed i have had is 75mb now my speeds have been capped at 66mb according to the BTW Performance Test not that im getting even that speed so thats an 11mb drop in download speed from last week but because plusnet read that iam in line with the BTW Performance Test ip profile they do nothing about it.

[#8]

@bustermissy1961 - I've responded to your post on the capacity thread.

Quote from: Chris

I'm not sure what diagnostic aids have been removed ................

Chris, you are joking, surely aren't you?
See my comments here, here and this one

Quote from: Anotherone

The other dilemma is the putting up with the removal of information that would help in self diagnosis of problems and reporting the less urgent ones in a convenient and non-time-wasting manner (primarily to the customer but also to Plusnet staff).

Many of us regard all the stuff that's been removed, not only recently but some time ago, as removing ability to help identify or eliminate issues not only with our own connections but those with less technical ability whom we may be trying to assist on this forum or elsewhere. Never mind the ability to conveniently report any issue at our leisure via the ticket system.
The net consequence of this will just mean more phone calls to Plusnet to check or report such things.
I hope all these remarks are being fed back to those that made the decisions to remove helpful information.
It's quite obvious that tech staff and CRT were not even consulted about these things otherwise they would have been told about the decision.

Quote from: Chris

Let me ask about this.

[#9]

Quote from: Chris

Hi AlaricAdair, ... I do appreciate the comments you've made and will ensure they are passed on, ..

Thanks for that. In respect of my challenge, I've had my phone re-checked in the past couple of days and it is accepting calls.... but it hasn't received the call.

[#10]

Quote from: AlaricAdair

I've spent a lifetime of sorting out poor IT/Telecoms customer services and infrastructure in very demanding commercial environments and it is sad to see your managers destroying a fine product. Being a constructive person, I challenge them to to pick up the phone and call me. I'll help them Pro-Bono, but they might need a thick skin and there will be some hard work.

I'll stand with you on that one... seems my recent email to CEOs of BT plc, BTOR and their COO/MD Service Delivery had had more reach / punch than the same to Andy Baker in respect of abysmal BTOR performance.  There are clearly a lot of process issues requiring attention and resolution.