Migration Order Cancelled by System?

[#1]

I'm moving tomorrow (6 August). I placed order on 25th July to take over line in my new address and to stop my current service on same date. I've had several emails since 25th telling me its all going according to plan until today. 5th August. Day before we move. This email told me that my broadband line order had been cancelled due to 'technical issues in our (plusnet's) system'.

I rang Plusnet just now. The person I spoke to didnt know why my line take over had been cancelled. They've now started the whole process from scratch and told me that it would be from 5 to 7 working days until I had workable broadband at the new address.

We're relocating to an even more remote part of Northumberland where mobile signal is iffy to say the least. My partner works from home. This isnt good news.

On the notification chain the reason for this [-Censored-] up/delay is given as: " order cancelled for 2nd time as migration order cancelled. This order is migration from GEA order, there is no Stop order associated with the Start order, that's why this order got cancelled automatically by the system. So kindly cancel this order and reissue Start with Stop order. The current CP of the working line is not allowint Plusnet to takeover".

Can anyone tell me what this all means? What has gone wrong? And realistically when will be have a working broadband line in our new place? Thank you.

[#2]

@Wilfora i suspect this

The current CP of the working line is not allowint Plusnet to takeover

Is the root cause.

I suspect the previous occupier cancelled with their ISP and the cease hasn't completed yet, so another ISP can't place an order. It's a crazy situation, the previous occupant obviously doesnt want the service , they've moved out but the cease order still exists and Openreach's system wont accept a takeover order until the cease completes!!

[#3]

Moderator's note(s):

Thread moved from Broadband to My Order.

[#4]

Sorry I dont understand your Mark Twain comment?…what do you mean?

[#5]

@Wilfora What 'Mark Twain comment'? 😕

[#6]

Yes maybe you’re right. But people move and others move into their houses and take over their lines all the time so how come this sort of thing occurs? Surely it’s so commonplace there must be ways of avoiding this? And why didn’t Plusnet flag this up earlier? I could have coordinated the line takeover with the chap whose house I’m buying if I’d have known this was going to happen? It’s so inefficient. 

[#7]

Another user called MAV posted a Mark Twain comment. See above.

[#8]

Mav - a moderator - merely moved the topic to the relevant board - he posted no comment.

[#9]

@Wilfora 

What you see in my post at the bottom is my signature with a couple of quotes and confirming I'm a mod. Nothing under the 2nd line has anything to do with the topic.

[#10]

@Mav admit I missed that - I end to ignore signatures.😀

[#11]

@Wilfora 

If the person leaving a property tells their ISP to cancel the account then there is an OFCOM mandated 10 day period when no new order can be placed. This is to prevent fraud. The period starts from when the ISP puts the "cease" on the line.

Thereis nothing PN can do in this situation. They can't place the order until the end of the 10 day period and then it's subject to normal install timetables.

Brian

[#12]

Thanks Brian. I think I understand. Just wondering why Plusnet didn’t say this when I rang them on the 25th? Why did they say that the line would be transferred on the 6th? Why didn’t they say that there was 10 days gap between my vendor’s instruction to stop his broadband before my service with PN could commence? I think this is extremely misleading. They promised something that they knew they couldn’t deliver!

[#13]

It could well be that there was no cease order when Plusnet placed the transfer order. If the previous occupant then requested their own move, that would place the cease and cancel your transfer.. That's the crazy bit, there's an order to transfer in place but the cease overrides it!

[#14]

Thank you I think you’re right. I wish this info could be forwarded to PN! Surely they must realise that this causes a lot of hassle for their customers? If I’d have known this would arise: if the PN advisor I originally spoke to on the 25th had told me this might happen, I would have liaised with the guy selling the house/moving out. It could have been avoided. Or at least my expectations would have been realistic. 

If you have any influence at PN please feed this back to them. I was a loyal customer who had had nothing but praise for PN’s customer service. Not any more I’m afraid. 

[#15]

Its not a problem restricted to Plusnet, it affects all ISPs who use Openreach. If ISPs were allowed to contact each other in these cases the problem could be resolved but I'm afraid OFCOM prevent that. So in these cases , the new ISP has no idea who the old one is and what they are doing. Only Openreach are in possession of all the information and can make the sensible decision!