Outage 10/09/2015

[#1]

It's unlikely there will be any technical explanation of what happened - this is something which is common practice amongst large ISPs and there has been a clear policy change within Plusnet to adopt this approach. I think if there was a prolonged outage, then there would be media pressure on Plusnet for more details about what happened.
At the end of the day though, knowing the technical details of the outage provides very little or nothing to most people. It might be interesting to know, but you don't gain anything from it.

[#2]

Quote

It might be interesting to know, but you don't gain anything from it.

Speak for yourself Andy, not for the rest of us who would love to know the reasons for yet another PN cock up.

[#3]

Quote from: goldenfibre

U go in the NHS hospital appointment at 10am and they didn't call u in until 12pm (cos doctor was too busy to deal with others first) and the doctor doesn't have to explain to u of why u were called in late!

That's a change in attitude compared with this post

Quote from: goldenfibre

PN must bring back 24 hours support. Otherwise we will known nothing about DNS servers went down all night. Not good!

[#4]

I think people are being quite catty now.
At the end of the day it's been fixed. Yes it would be nice to find it what the issue was, but I suspect we won't.
If you're not happy with how pn dealt with this then I would suggest you make a formal complaint and/or look at migrating to a different ISP.
I had issues when I first joined pn, but am happy with the service and I think it is one of a handful that have UK based customer service.
Rick.

[#5]

Quote

If you're not happy with how pn dealt with this then I would suggest you make a formal complaint and/or look at migrating to a different ISP.

Already done & without any penalty for cancelling my contract.  Admittedly it took 45 minutes to get through on the telephone.

[#6]

@ ricke17
It is not my intention to get 'catty' as you call it.
All I am trying to point out..... is the ability to provide good customer service is as important, to many, as the service provided.
I am just on the side of  the cause for a level of customer service to remain equal to that of when many first joined Plusnet, which coincided with a time when  the company was trying to grow their customer base.
I am aware that internet provision is a cuthroat business.... and there are only so many customers to share about between companies. Sure, costs come into it, but surely customer satisfaction is also important.

[#7]

There is at least one very good reason why Plusnet should be keen to keep the status page and other communication means up to date.
If I have a problem with the internet, I start trying to find what has gone wrong and I start with my end of the connection. This morning I changed the DNS settings on my router (TG582). That is perhaps trivial for experts but I found it quite tricky - command line, telnet, client, server - it is pretty obscure and I could have done lots of damage and ended up with my system not working. Often the advice on here is to reboot the router/modem or to jump gateways.
It is really not going to help Plusnet to have a surge in disconnections and connections and when Plusnet sort their problem, they then have another one sorting out the mess I and many others might have made of our end of the link trying to put right a problem that was not there.
It helps Plusnet to have a stable load and not to have to solve dozens of problems caused by end users trying to put right a problem they think is theirs. So yes, we want the guys to get on with sorting the problem - but they really ought to take the time to let us know the problem is theirs - not ours.

[#8]

I woke this morning to discover that I could not access a critical website, on four PCs.  I sought to verify that it was not down, and got several people, throughout the UK, who could all access it.  The problem 'clearly' lay with me... somehow.
I reset my router.  Checked firewalls, reset browsers, installed two other browsers.  After several hours of wasted effort, I discovered this was probably a PlusNet issue.  This brings me to the point of whether it would be useful, to know what was the issue.  Just because my problem coincided with that of PlusNet, how do I know that it resolving its issues, would necessarily solve mine?  I could not afford to waste hours - sitting in that 'waiting room' - to discover that the doctor was only ever preparing to give me a flu injection, when I was there with a crippling back injury!  I needed to know what the problem was, whilst it was happening.  After the event - and it is still not over for me, since I still cannot get that website through PlusNet - I do not care anywhere near as much as during it.
If you go 'NHS', perhaps you are prepared to put up with all this rubbish; but I'm afraid I expect something better, when I'm paying for it.
If it had communicated, honestly, that it had an issue and what it was, then I could have got on with other things; as I completely accept problems happen.  To hijack the NHS analogy, this was like sitting in a waiting room, unaware the doctor had been informed.  Moreover, unaware a doctor was necessary; and spending several hours walking around the hospital, searching for nurses, admin staff, parking attendants and cleaners, asking if anyone knew why I had been delivered here!!
One final point... when most people can't get the internet, or, more confusingly, one particular website, do they just sit around for hours, hoping it will all be sorted out by someone 'out there'?  That's fine, if you know someone is dealing with it... when you know that they will resolve your issue.  In that case, one can take it easy, chill out and let them get on.  However, this is only made possible, by distributing information.
Clearly, some of these posts are made with not a thought for other people's situations, only their own lack of urgency; not to mention mindboggling apathy.

[#9]

@ EnglishMohican
@Antchexec
If only there was a 'Like' feature where others could show support for someones reply
By the way, both their above replies highlight, each in a different and similar way, my point about the need for a good customer service experience when things are not going quite as they should.

[#10]

Quote from: Trying

Quote from: lucerne The moans about lack of communication remind me of a saying that went something like, "when you find yourself swimming with sharks, the last thing in your mind is draining the ocean". Let the guys get on with it. I may be very well in a minority here, but have my doubts how many PN punters would gain very much by knowing what the cause of the malfunction was. @ lucerne I think you are totally missing the point..... You take your car in for a service.and expect to collect it at 5pm when you finish work,....... .but when you get to the garage, it isn't ready, Would you not expect some information/ explanation, or would you happily just wait unaware of what to expect?

I am not on about what happens at 5 when it is collected, so I haven't missed the point at all. I am saying that, while the matter is under investigation, one should be patient, as updates are likely to be effectively, "we do not know".
I do wonder how such an answer may please some here. TBH I would guess that the innards of  PN are far more complicated than an ICE, and a mechanic's report would be far more basic, than the equivalent that wold be needed here.

[#11]

Quote from: lucerne

I am not on about what happens at 5 when it is collected, so I haven't missed the point at all. I am saying that, while the matter is under investigation, one should be patient, as updates are likely to be effectively, "we do not know".

What's wrong with "we do not know" anyway?  It's better than silence.
I'd have loved to have woken up and seen a [service status page + twitter + facebook + post on this forum] like this:
01:00 - Hai guyz, we haz routing issues - plz b patient, techies are workin on it
02:00 - Still working on it
03:00 - Some customers have reported improvement by using Google's DNS servers (8.8.8.8) and/or rebooting their router
04:00 - Apologies for the length of this outage.  More information will be posted when we know more
07:00 - We have found the problem and are working to clear it up
09:00 - The problem is mostly fixed (hurray!).  Sorry for the delay, but we're sure you understand how complicated WAN routing can be
Instead, we had this:
01:00 .....
02:00 .....
03:00 ......
04:00 ......
05:00 ......
06:00 ......
07:00 Hi guys, I just got into the office and apparently there are problems.  I'm sure the techies are looking at it.  <locks threads, moves things about, confuses people on the forum further>
08:00 Oh, yeah, we have a twitter account.  Let's use it!

[#12]

@ lucerne
I think you are definitely missing the point.....
Where were you at 2am yesterday morning.expecting to be able to use your internet connection, and not being able to?
A simple status update saying' we have a problem, and are investigating' would have sufficed. Instead we are left not knowing whether it is a problem with our own computer equipment, or the wires that deliver the service to our homes, or an isp problem. By virtue of the number of people posting, much unnecessary time wasting was encountered leading to frustrations
As I said elsewhere, we don't all live in a 9-5 working day environment.
I am happy that Plusnet have admitted to  failing to provide such updates as per MattyC post elsewhere, just kind of disappointed that current support structures had failed to pre-empt a workable procedure to ensure such timely updates happen.

[#13]

Yesterday I stared a Thread on many web sites not available someone advised me in a reply to use Open DNS which I did and that cured things I want to thank that person but my thread as been closed.
Hope they read this thank you.
A further question should those of us who are now on Open DNS ( or Googles DNS as some moved to I understand) stay with them?

[#14]

Plusnet, your handling of this entire situation was a farce. How in the world your management thought it sensible to say nothing for, what, 8 hours, is beyond me.
Especially poor timing for me as I'd spend 13 days prior struggling to get you to fix my dead connection, something I later learnt could have been fixed in 48 hours if you'd have done what you were supposed to.      Twice flagged for a complaint, if only your complaints department would actual speak with me, eh!  
Now, who's for a good ol' conspiracy story?  
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/broadband/11856185/Plusnet-outage-leaves-thousands-without-pho...
Anyone else find it strange that, for an article that exists purely to tell the story of the outage, it paints the Plusnet reaction in rather positive light? Hmmm...
To see 4 separate awards for customer service on the Plusnet homepage is quite surprising. If it weren't for other comments here and the http://ihateplusnet.blog.co.uk/ blog (ha!) I'd be questioning my own sanity!!
4 months left on contract and counting...
dick:green Excessive white space removed.

[#15]

A non-techie thread was also started early yesterday but got merged into this thread. I for one am lost with a lot of the tech information discussed.
I wonder if we will get an apology from Andy Baker, CEO of Plusnet. Like all CEOs he was asked to introduce himself when he joined PN but I can't remember him doing so. He has certainly not involved himself in the forums.
So, Andy tell us what the problem was and apologise for what happened yesterday. You or a member of your board owe customers an explanation.. For a communication company you have not communicated well with your customers.