No Future Landline?

[#1]

@bazzer 

Sorry - typo. Should have been PN.

Phone PlusNet Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632 tomorrow (or even tonight if it's not too late) as it may be possible to cancel the transfer if you want to stay with PN.

Brian

[#2]

I will call them back - thank you.

[#3]

@jab1 @bmc Many thanks for your help, I'm back as a PN customer!!

Spoke to PN this morning, and they confirmed that I can recontract with them, which I have now done.

[#4]

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@bazzer wrote:

I have spoken to PN. In order to keep my landline, I have had to switch to BT.

After 22 years, I will no longer be a BT customer!

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If you wanted to swap to FTTP the the emboldened requirement can only be offered (within the group) by BT or EE.

As you have found out, if you want to keep EXACTLY what you have you can stay with Plusnet.  However, if you are on ADSL or FTTC 40/10 and wanted to switch to FTTC or FTTC 80/20 then you cannot do that AND keep the (POTS) telephone service - that all gets 'hit' by the stop sell rules.  Similarly if you change ISPs and want to (are allowed to) stay on FTTC you cannot retain POTS; if you want to keep the number that needs to be transferred to a VoIP provider.

[#5]

@Townman I will in time switch to FTTP, but my area isn't yet covered by that and may not be for another 2 years.

For now, I just wanted to keep everything "as is" and I'll face the issue of moving to VOIP when I have to.

[#6]

That is exactly what I understood you desired, in which case the CSA guidance to move to BT was quite inappropriate / unnecessary.  Therefore I have escalated this experience asking for the business process to be reviewed.

[#7]

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@Townman wrote:

That is exactly what I understood you desired, in which case the CSA guidance to move to BT was quite inappropriate / unnecessary.  Therefore I have escalated this experience asking for the business process to be reviewed.

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@Townman Thanks. The CSA I spoke to this morning was equally surprised.

Glad I raised it here, otherwise I would have known no different.

[#8]

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@bmc wrote:

@wcw 

Thanks for the information.

As you have discovered you are currently able to renew "as is" this time but when PSTN is switched off (end 2025) things will change. Whether you like it or not you will almost certainly be forced to switch to FTTP for an onging internet connection and VOIP if you want a phone service.

Brian

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To close out, had a chat to CS, checked through how I would eventually get FTTP but being close to the contract date I simply renewed as ADSL+POTS and can then take the FTTP conversion at greater leisure.  The online renewal prices were VERY wierd (24M higher than 18M that day, no 12M price) so worth the call just to fix that.  Lesson - do not renew on the website !

Confirmed my fixed IP stays with FTTP.

No hard push over to BT to keep voice, just 'we could only offer that via BT' and how to keep my number when going to a 3rd party VOIP.

Bill

[#9]

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@wcw wrote:

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@bmc wrote:

@wcw 

Thanks for the information.

As you have discovered you are currently able to renew "as is" this time but when PSTN is switched off (end 2025) things will change. Whether you like it or not you will almost certainly be forced to switch to FTTP for an onging internet connection and VOIP if you want a phone service.

Brian

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Confirmed my fixed IP stays with FTTP.

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What is the advantage of retaining a Static IP? This was mentioned as one of the advantages of staying with PN which I would have lost if I moved to BT.

[#10]

For most users a static IP address delivers no advantages. In some ways it can be disadvantageous in that those of us with static addresses are routed through Plusnet’s data centre services for all Internet access. This is also known as the high touch network.

Dynamic IP address connections route directly off BT Wholesale’s platforms to the Internet aka the low touch network.

Having a static IP address does facilitate running inbound diagnostics such as the Think broadband TQM monitor. If a user wants to run internet facing services (such as a web server) for public access, then a static IP address is required.

[#11]

I have some 'login only permitted from this IP' and also remote access needs.

Cheaper than say dynDNS or third party unravelling of the dynamic IP's.

[#12]

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@Townman wrote:
For most users a static IP address delivers no advantages. In some ways it can be disadvantageous in that those of us with static addresses are routed through Plusnet’s data centre services for all Internet access. This is also known as the high touch network.

Dynamic IP address connections route directly off BT Wholesale’s platforms to the Internet aka the low touch network.

Having a static IP address does facilitate running inbound diagnostics such as the Think broadband TQM monitor. If a user wants to run internet facing services (such as a web server) for public access, then a static IP address is required.

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@Townman Thanks for explaining.

[#13]

@Townman @bmc 

An update. 
If you recall, PN initially told me that I could not keep my landline and told me I would have to transfer to BT.

Following the advice on here, I called PN who said I was wrongly advised, renegotiated my contract and withdrew my cancellation. I also phoned BT and told them to cancel the transfer.

Today would have been the day of transfer to BT. Therefore it can be no coincidence that I have come home to find all the email accounts associated with my PN account have been deleted. 

I tried to phone PN but they were closed. Worryingly, an automated message said there was no account associated with my telephone number. 

This is showing signs that they are in the process of closing my account. Am I correct? If so, can they reverse everything? 

[#14]

There’s a small gap between the account being closed and the billing system killing the account. Once the billing system kills the account there is zero chance of going back.

I recommend you call PN urgently at 8am tomorrow, ask that the calls be reviewed and the account be reinstated. It be might be possible to get that sorted quickly, however restitution of the service will probably take at least 5 working days.

@NickBS - this has its roots in bad advice from CSAs - can this reoccurring theme be reviewed please?

[#15]

@Townman @NickBS Apologies for the delay in reply. To say this has been frustrating is an understatement.

As it stands, through no fault of my own, my original account held for 23 years has been deleted (or destroyed to use the PN phrase) all of my family email accounts have been deleted and are unrecoverable despite being told they can be recovered.

My phone line and broadband are, thankfully, still live, despite being told that these would cease to function by the end of 29/10/2024 and to await reconnection by Openreach.

I'm living hour by hour, unaware if I will suddenly have no internet or phone line.

Each time I speak to someone at PN, they tell me the opposite of what I have previously been told. They then have to speak to a manager to seek clarification.

It is clear that many of the advisors do not know what can and cannot be done in certain circumstances, and this is not their fault but that of the inconsistencies of the training they are receiving.

At the end of this is the customer, me in this example, and I have been left exhausted with the frustration of having to go through the history every time I have called PN.

I do not want to criticize those I have spoken with, but all of this could have been avoided from the outset if the original advisor correctly understood the availability of services applicable to existing accounts and not just those offered to new business.