Where have all the PN staff gone?

[#1]

As the title - there seems to have been no support staff replies on the forum for about a week, and with the apparent level of dissatisfaction, I find this worrying to say the least. Fortunately, I don't need help (at the moment), but if I did, the thought of 60+ minute waits on the phone, to possibly not get a sensible response, is worrying. Same with webchat, and I don't do Twitter.

Any ideas, folks?

[#2]

I am in a similar position to you John and have the same concerns.

This forum and the willingness of Plusnet to actively engage with their customers was a major reason why I picked them when we last moved supplier.

Lets leave a light on for them and hope they come back.

[#3]

it was Posted that BobPullen was away for two weeks , surely he hasnt taken the rest of PN staff for some R & R .

Or is it because if they post they would have to admit their failings

PN support has SUNK

[#4]

Don't remember seeing that post, @rongtw, but your comment re: R&R made me smile.

On a more serious note, though, the lack of staff response is VERY worrying - it's almost as though they've given up, unless of course new management has decided that giving customers support is something PN are no longer going to do.

In PN's concern though, I must say that there seems to be a change in the 'type' of customer they are attracting, and those customers seem to not want to constructively engage when they are asked to help others to help them/

Something else I've also noticed is the absence of the experienced customers (AO for instance) - yourself and jelv seem to be the only 'bright sparks' posting these days.

[#5]

In PN's concern though, I must say that there seems to be a change in the 'type' of customer they are attracting, and those customers seem to not want to constructively engage when they are asked to help others to help them

I think you're right there. The forum is now largely a complaints vehicle rather than as it used to be, a source of help from other users and PN staff.

Something else I've also noticed is the absence of the experienced customers (AO for instance) - yourself and jelv seem to be the only 'bright sparks' posting these days

That could also possibly be due to the removal of the 'bright spark' category

[#6]

jab1 the post was made here   https://community.plus.net/t5/Fibre-Broadband/High-packet-loss-and-other-DNS-issues/m-p/1370046/high...

[#7]

Part of the problem with "previously helpful" users is that the problem/support boards are overwhelmed with complaints which are not specifically or even related to connection problems and you need to go through multiple pages of unread topics to check

In addition, previously we could rely on the technical support staff on here to help specially if they were notified by PM but now it just doesn't seem to have much effect

I can't speak for the other Bright Sparks (I was actually one before I was demoted to Moderator) but the sort of problems we used to help with (mainly on ADSL) seem to be few and far between and are hidden in the morass of complaints about Plusnet not doing what they should

A prime example of this is the time it takes Plusnet to pick up a fault report which seems to be a minimum of 3 days and often longer

[#8]

---

@rongtw wrote:

it was Posted that BobPullen was away for two weeks , surely he hasnt taken the rest of PN staff

---

Maybe Bob Pullen is all the "different" staff on the forum.

[#9]

Isn`t this present situation, something akin to the Beeching cuts, on the railway branch lines?.... where the management deliberately withheld support for maintenance of equipment, that it began to fail, such as engines not ready for steaming, so services were cut... resulting in less traffic/customers using it..... and this eventually gave credence to cutting that branch line out of service " to save money"...

With PlusNet, seemingly, either ovewhelmed by problems, they cannot deal with, due to lack of staff, and complaints rising as a result, meaning more staff are required to deal with complaints, than problems,..

Big brother B.T. in charge,,,  I can see that the once "customer friendly" ISP, known as PlusNet will be eventually "gobbled up" by B.T..   in the guise of "improving customer service"....and of course.... saving money... 

[#10]

shutter

Its a BIG posiblity , Run down support PN start to lose money , Shareholders unhappy sell up to get their investment back

[#11]

And the forum mission statement which you see before logging in is very clear about the function of these forum

We're a friendly bunch of Plusnet customers helping each other out, answering questions and talking about everything under the sun from broadband to what we're having for breakfast.

Nothing about staff is mentioned. Very telling of the upper management who sanction such statements.

[#12]

What is this new "type" of customer? The Undead? (Who seem to be every where when I turn on my TV nowdays - so maybe Plusnet is signing them up for broadband)

Plusnet have always been a mainstream, mass market provider in the significant recent past. What has obviously changed is the recent focus upon trying to compete with the bargain basement providers on price rather than the mid level providers on a slightly higher price with a level of customer service.

This change has swelled the numbers on the service (putting pressure on it) while removing popular ways of communication (eg ticketing or limiting telephone service hours) putting pressure on the ways left to communicate.

Add a sprinkle of unexpected network errors (especially if Plusnet is sluggish in putting up notice of these when they happen) and naturally you are going to have a significant number of people turning up moaning or being frustrated on a forum like this.

It is hard to have any sympathy for Plusnet here when most of this was done by their own choice, especially when they market themselves as a customer service focused supplier. (Their main rival does not do this - they have always marketed themselves on low costs.)

You are then left with a people who remember the old Plusnet and feel irritated that things have deteriorated and are suprised that the reps seem to stay away. The newer people are rightly annoyed that they are not getting the service they pay for and can't get any answers from a company that sells itself on straight talking service.

While Plusnet has always had awkward customers that refuse to listen to help, the biggest swell of unhappiness is from people with genuine frustrations that cannot get resolution or answers.

Without the older level of reps solving or even acknowledging issues quickly with the increase of numbers and network issues leads us to the current situation in regards to the miserable forum.

I hope things get better, but it could get worse.

Some of us (like me), might have to accept that Plusnet has changed from under us and will never be the provider we joined again. It might be a no frills, bargain basement provider with token support and that we might have to consider moving (and paying more) to get the type of supplier Plusnet used to be.

That said - Please Plusnet Reps come back and make me believe everything will be like it used to be!

[#13]

my reading of the situation is that when the career middle managers from the likes of StalkStalk were drafted in they felt uncomfortable with the "Geek Squad" who staffed Plusnet and who kept winning awards for customer service. These "professional" middle managers work by following the "competition" and adopting "the industry standard". They didn't want to excel but you can't be sacked for doing the same or just a little better than the rest of the industry.

As far as our PN staff members on the forum go i think the Japanese have a saying "the nail which sticks its head above the others gets hammered" 

[#14]

A coach with no WiFi but full of spoon whittlers with 'kiss me quick' hats on was seen heading up the M6 toward Blackpool a couple of days ago - could that have been them going on their annual jolly?