Told 3 days. Signed up. Now told 3 weeks.

[#1]

I'm moving home in a few days. I shopped around for deals and Plusnet have a decent speed and cost, but the selling point was the message that appeared when I selected a product:

"Good news. You've already got a Full Fibre connection so you don't need an engineer. Your service should be up and running in 3 working days' or you can choose a date. You don't need to be at home when we activate your connection."

Great! I work from home, so a timely setup is exactly what I need. So I signed up, selected the 31st as the activation date, paid the first payment, and the direct debit has been set up. I'm now a plusnet customer!

A few hours later, I received this email:

" We're emailing you to update you on your broadband order.

The engineer appointment to activate your broadband service is confirmed for 10/08/2023. The engineer should arrive between 13:00 - 18:00.

Please ensure you are available to provide access for the engineer to carry out the work.

If access cannot be provided, you may be liable to a charge of £65 and the appointment will need to be rebooked.

If you've ordered a Plusnet router, this will arrive before your activation date. Please refer to the guide inside the box for setup instructions."

There are three glaring problems here. First, the need for an engineer, which I was told I wouldn't need. Second, my confirmed setup date of 31st July has now become 10th August, which is far too late. Third, as its a house move and no one has lived at the place for months, there's no existing service for me to use - I dont even know if I can be there for the 10th, because without a connection I will need to find somewhere else to work. The cherry on the cake is the idea of a fine if I can't actually be there for an appointment I didn't choose.

What can I do about this? The main reason I signed up was the time it'd take to set up. It's in a low signal area so there's no chance of tethering from that, and I need a connection day and night for my work. Am I, to put it bluntly, stuffed?

TIA

[#2]

@Jark the automated ordering system seems to get confused where an existing FTTP installation is present. It detects the situation initially but then continues to assume that an engineer is required!!. In fact, where there is an existing ONT , then a remote activation can be made. I'm sure one of the Plusnet help team will be along shortly to check on your situation, and if remote activation is possible, will remove the automated orders and place the correct ones manually. 

[#3]

@Jark  I have commented on this problem several times on the forum but Plusnet's ordering systems still appear to raise a new installation order when it isn't required. You could try calling support but I'm not certain they recognise the problem or know how to deal with it. The staff who work on the forum should be aware of the problem but you need it picked up quickly. There is a wizard who has moved to different role but does appear on the forum from time to time ... @Gandalf  can you help? 

[#4]

I'm in the exact same situation. Moving to a house with a connection already in place. Activation date was supposed to be 1st August, a day later I got an email to say an engineer had been booked for the 3rd August (I did not book this, and was originally told I didn't need any engineer). I rang the support number and the lady on the phone was very pleasant, and said it was 'odd' for an engineer to be needed but that's what the system says so that's what needs to happen... I also work from home so this is a bit of a nightmare. Never had any problems like this with any other service provider. 

[#5]

---

@rolly_01 wrote:

I rang the support number and the lady on the phone was very pleasant, and said it was 'odd' for an engineer to be needed but that's what the system says so that's what needs to happen...

---

Plusnet - this needs sorting - it is causing problems for customers, and unnecessary work for your support teams.

[#6]

I've escalated this to attempt to get some Help team interaction.

[#7]

I contacted customer services today. My call was answered instantly, the problem identified (as suggested above, it was an order issue and the engineer appointment is unnecessary), and was resolved quickly. Looks like the original date is back on the table.

I haven't had that kind of customer service before. Feeling a lot more positive about plusnet now!

[#8]

Glad to hear it if you need anything extra just send me a message or pop it on here and our guys will pick it up.

[#9]

Glad you got sorted Jark! Don't mean to steal your thread Jark, but @willcutforth I have the exact same problem. But when I called the contact number and explained the situation nothing was resolved. Openreach are texting me about an install appointment for next week. Any chance you can help? Unless I'm missing something I don't believe an engineer is required. Would appreciate any help you could provide!

[#10]

Sure, I'll just send you a PM to get your details and one of our guys will sort it out for you

[#11]

Plusnet - this needs sorting - it is causing problems for customers, and unnecessary work for your support teams.

Apparently, the ordering system does an 'ONT health check' which failed in both these cases, requiring an engineer visit.

Now the health check fail, COULD be as simple as the ONT not powered, or it could be more complicated such as fibre failure. The automated system can not determine why its failed but CSC have been alerted to the issue, so that if a customer calls in to query why an engineer is required, they  can request the customer powers the ONT (assuming they are at the premises) and a check can be manually performed and the order changed if the ONT passes.

[#12]

Thanks for the update, @MisterW .

[#13]

New plot twist.

During the call a test was done and he said it looked fine. But when I moved into the property on Friday, to my horror, I found that the previous owners had removed the ONT! The absolute gits. It must have been done months ago because it has been empty for quite a while.

I think PN have clocked onto this, as my activation was scheduled for Tomorrow but last night I got an email confirming my activation date as the 18TH AUGUST. That won't do - I need this for my job - so I'm going to escalate the hell of out this tomorrow.

Whats really upsetting me is the way in which things are communicated. On the phone they're great. But under no circumstances should an email be sent out to a customer telling them that their order has been delayed EIGHTEEN DAYS without a written rationale for it. It's an emotional rollercoaster.

[#14]

But when I moved into the property on Friday, to my horror, I found that the previous owners had removed the ONT!

There needs to be more publicity that the ONT is the property of Openreach ( similar to the old master socket ) and should NOT be removed from a property. Its also pointless since it will not work at a new property anyway!. Each ONT has a serial no and is registered to a property and will only work there.

@Jark Im afraid your installation now requires an Openreach engineer to fit another ONT and so any timesacle is at the mercy of engineer availability in your area.