cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj
Grafter
Posts: 69
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎09-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

I don't get it, why can't you get the engineer back again to fix what he broke??!  I'm just stunned at what's going on here.  No one seems to appreciate the huge security and privacy issues with having a line hijacked in this way, and then on top of it an engineer breaks something and leaves!
I don't have any choice, I'll find someone to cover so yes tomorrow morning (thank you) - but if you can *try* to get someone back today that would be much more convenient though since there is someone at the house at the moment.
Simon
Pettitto
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 6,346
Fixes: 5
Registered: ‎26-11-2011

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Hi Simon,
I appreciate your frustration, I really do. If I could get an engineer back out today, I really would. I've booked you an engineer for tomorrow morning between 8am-1pm. If anything comes up for today, I'll certainly get that changed for you.
snj
Grafter
Posts: 69
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎09-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Thank you Chris.
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 23,982
Thanks: 10,189
Fixes: 175
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Quote from: snj
I don't get it, why can't you get the engineer back again to fix what he broke??!  I'm just stunned at what's going on here.

Hi Simon,
Indeed BTOR can be stunningly bad at times.  I understand how frustrating this is for you, however not all BTOR engineers are skilled up to do everything.  I suspect that you got a plain old basic POTS engineer, whose ability is limited to fixing voice circuit faults.  As I noted before 9and no one responded to) it seems very strange that you still had a serviceable PLUSNET broadband service on a phone line which was apparently not yours.
One can only suspect that the POTS engineer correctly connected up your voice service and thereby the ADSL patch in the exchange is now connected to the wrong line.  That is a job for a broadband engineer - different skill set - and not a POTS engineer.  Broadband engineers can do POTS jobs, although they often feel it is beneath them.
Hope this is soon all fixed for you and you can get on with your wedding plans.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

itsme
Grafter
Posts: 5,924
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎07-04-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

It's probably nothing to do with whether they are trained in POTS or Broadband, and if it's at the exchange the job could be given to a Frames Engineer. it's more to do with treating all customers equally and doing what they been instructed to do by the system. They are not allowed to think independently anymore.
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 23,982
Thanks: 10,189
Fixes: 175
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Quote from: itsme
... it's more to do with treating all customers equally and doing what they been instructed to do by the system. They are not allowed to think independently anymore.

Rather you mean not treating people like fee paying customers, who typically do not understand the complexity of the service provided by BTOR, but rather just want their service to work?
Does one have to spell out in precise detail to these people what needs to be done?  Surely (if it is within the engineer's skill set) if they are sent to sort out a crossed over line, that should encompass fixing ALL services associated with that line?  If this engineer had the required skills, then fixing the broadband service as well should have been part of his job.  I conclude that either they were single skilled or (as you imply) just did not think at all - independently or otherwise.  May be it was that well known contractor outfit!

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

itsme
Grafter
Posts: 5,924
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎07-04-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Think you need to refer to the OP. It's a botched up Sky transfer because of this they have to go by what they instructed to do by the system.
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 23,982
Thanks: 10,189
Fixes: 175
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

@itsme,
Yes, fair point, I'd forgotten that snippet!  Difficult to know if this is in effect an accidental "slammed" migration or just a wiring cock-up.  Whatever it is another bodge arising from Sky activity.  It does though seem strange that such messes can occur within their provisioning systems - I recall that on one of my referrals I transposed two digits of their phone number - the order got rejected due to phone number not linking to property address.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

snj
Grafter
Posts: 69
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎09-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Well, all was fixed this morning. The engineer said he didn't need to come to the house but paid a visit anyway as some people apparently get annoyed at taking time off only to have it fixed remotely. Funny that.
He did try to explain to me what went wrong, something to do with fibre broadband being connected via the cabinet while adsl is from the exchange, and that it was therefore possible to disconnect the phone line but leave the zdsl intact easily enough. It didn't make complete sense, but apparently the telephone engineer reconnected our line at the exchange but somehow missed something in the cabinet, possibly because he assumed we were on adsl.
It's really no excuse for breaking something and then leaving the customer in the lurch.
Thanks for the help. I'm assuming I can request some sort of refund for loss of services due to Openwretch's errors, and the calls that were made by the person who had my line for those few days?
Simon.
LinnPlusnet
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,686
Registered: ‎03-02-2014

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Hi snj,
I have created Ticket: 86602088 to cover the downtime of your services and also to cover any call charges made whilst the fault was open.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused by this.
snj
Grafter
Posts: 69
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎09-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

A hijacked telephone number, so all our calls go to a complete stranger, who makes calls on our account (though not malicious I grant you)
Refusal to log it as a fault because "the computer says no", so we have to wait five days for an engineer visit
A botched engineer call that then takes our broadband line down requiring another visit
Two days when we have to organise for someone to be home
And you give me a refund of: £4.18
Marvellous.
I really do wonder why I bothered coming back to Plusnet (and no, it wasn't just price)
LinnPlusnet
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,686
Registered: ‎03-02-2014

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Quote
I'm assuming I can request some sort of refund for loss of services due to Openwretch's errors, and the calls that were made by the person who had my line for those few days?

I'm very sorry if you feel that this is unacceptable, however, this covers the total amount of downtime of your services during the fault and also the total cost of the calls that were made during the time of the fault.
Quote
Refusal to log it as a fault because "the computer says no", so we have to wait five days for an engineer visit

Unsure what you mean by this as we have to log it as a fault in order to assign an engineer to attend. Ticket: 86344208 is the logged fault ticket.
snj
Grafter
Posts: 69
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎09-08-2007

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

The reason I think it's unacceptable (and actually pretty insulting) is this:
The original issue wasn't caused by an equipment malfunction, or storm damage, or any type of accident.  It was caused by one of your suppliers making a mistake and not bothering to check their work.
Next, when I contacted Plusnet to explain what was going on, you checked the line and said that there was no fault detected so I had to wait five days for an engineer to come out, rather than escalate it there and then.  In spite of the fact that your colleague at the end of the phone called our number and got through to someone else, proving that there was something wrong.  Again, I'll stress: I wonder if you appreciate the privacy concerns here?  Especially given the recent news about phone redirection scams for accessing banking details?  It's no different to someone intercepting your post.
On top of this, when the engineer turns up, he ends up fixing the phone but disconnecting the internet and then says that's not his problem (that was pretty much his attitude).
I know you want to pass the buck here to Openreach, but they are not my supplier,  you are.  You know full well that Openreach make it impossible for end users to contact them, I have no choice but to go through you.
BT Retail, in spite of supposedly having no better access to Openreach appear to deal with these issues more quickly and with a more reasonable outcome when the problem is down to them rather than any equipment malfunction.
LinnPlusnet
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 1,686
Registered: ‎03-02-2014

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

I'm very sorry for the inconvenience caused by the fault and the complications that came from the engineer's visit.
I've created a discount on your account and this is outlined in Ticket: 86608054