PlusNet cancelled my broadband !

[#1]

I am moving to Virgin FTTP (Openreach has no current plans to bring this to my area)
Virgin install date of the 20th February.  Cancellation date with Plusnet the 27th February.
Naturally Virgin rearranged the install date from the 20th February to the 5th March.
I extended my leave date to the 12th March with Plusnet (to give some leeway)
On the 27th February PlusNet switched my broadband off and closed my account.

No broadband and like many I work from home and rely on it.

To make matters worse Virgin have have yet again postponed my start-up date.  Not PlusNets fault but myself not having broadband is.

Anyone else had this happen to them and what if anything did you have from PlusNet?

[#2]

When BB is disconnected I wonder is this done by Openreach acting on PN instruction? If so, PN may very well have asked for your line to be terminated but this instruction may not have trickled down through Openreach. Of course I would not imply that OR would do its own thing ... but sympathies on your predicament, no joke when one is WFH.

[#3]

Moderator's note(s):

Thread moved from Broadband to My Account/Billing.

[#4]

So far the only information I have is when the second extension was placed the first extension wasn't removed.  When the 27th Feb was reached this cancellation was still active, hence my account been closed.

I am curious what type of system requires a previous cancellation request to be manually removed after later requests have been placed!

[#5]

Unfortunately experience doesn’t come cheap. The lesson for any others moving to an ISP that doesn’t use the Openreach infrastructure is to compare the cost of being without Internet access against the cost of staying with the old ISP for a bit longer. Then decide whether to take the risk and cancel on the forecast day or wait until the new service is live before cancelling, paying for both services for the notice period.

[#6]

Yes I set the cancellation dates a week after I was meant to go live.
The takeaway is: don't rely on Plusnet extending your cancellation date as their system is clearly broke.

[#7]

@_Stuart_B 

Or is it the Openreach service that is broke?

All that can be clearly identified is that Virgin failed to meet their original date. That is why it is best to wait until such a change is up and running before cancelling the working service.

[#8]

@_Stuart_B 

No, the take away is don’t cancel your existing service when you order new infrastructure until your new supplier can deliver the new service when you expect it, or even have tested it and that it meets your requirements.

[#9]

I know it's no consolation, but that's exactly what I did for my recent change to avoid any such risks.

I gave the new connection a little time to ensure it was okay and called Plusnet the next morning to cancel the old one.

Authentication stopped later that day and my email disappeared overnight. I can still log in to the member centre on that account and can see it is flagged as "closing down".

To be fair it should be noted, though I don't think it makes any difference (except to billing), that my old connection was "out of contract" and the new one is with Plusnet.

[#10]

Yes I wish I had done this.  Sadly I trusted Plusnet.  Not something I will do again.

[#11]

"All that can be clearly identified is that Virgin failed to meet their original date"

Simply not true.  Plusnet admitted to cancelling the service early. 

Account scheduled to me ceased for the 27/2/2023, then changed to the 12/3/2024. Original cease was still in place so alteration didn't occur as planned. Account ceased today, 27/2/2024, earlier than requested.

[#12]

@_Stuart_B 

My post was intended as a warning to others. Regardless of who was to blame this time or might be to blame in the future, the point that I am trying to make to others who might pick up this thread is that if no break in service is important then it is wise to wait until the new service on a non Openreach network is up and running before cancelling the old.

[#13]

Ah, read it wrong, and yes, absolutely, even if your provider informs you that the cancellation date can be pushed back don't do it.
Just eat the cost of any overlap as it is still likely better than no broadband at all.