1 Day with my new phone/broadband package -already know it has a huge mistake

[#1]

I've been with plusnet 1 day so far and decided that there hideously low 10Gb broadband usage limit is not for me. When i was told what extra usage would cost I asked support about the cool-off period and was told that it was 7 from order date, which was more than a week before i got to see what i was offered.  No doubt plusnet will say that they told me about the usage limit in writing and on their website, which is fair except for this;
Shortly after  plusnet contacted my previous provider to arrange the transfer, my previous provider called me to offer me a better deal and it was a lot better - they offered free 24/7 calls including international and 0845 numbers and unlimited broadband usage for marginally less than what my new plusnet package. I then called plusnet and told them this to see if they would match the offer and they responded by saying that i'd need to call cancellations who are only open during weekdays working hours,. I tried over the next few days to call them during my half hour lunch-time.  Each day they were too busy and i had to abandon the call as like many residential customers i am expected to work during weekday working hours. Who would have thought???
Now I'm told I'm stuck with this awful contract or have to pay  much more for less provision than i would have had if i'd taken up my old providers offer or even worse pay ~£90  to release me from my contract, simply because plusnet choose to operate there cancellations department when most people are indisposed due to their own work commitments. A cynic would question why they choose to operate their cancellations departments at this typically inconvenient time where many will customers fail to get through or will be unable to find the time to call in the first place  - perhaps the answer lies in the question!!!! Surely many customers would prefer to call in the evening!!!!
I've more to say about the call-off period but i think i'll stop with that for now as it is my main bone of contention.
Yours
raymthom

[#2]

Cool off should be from the connection date?
from the order date is ridiculous imo.

[#3]

distance selling regulations is from order date
other regulations are from receipt date, they do not apply here

[#4]

Hi raymthom,
These are the hours that our cancellations department are open. There was  also the option of putting your cancellation in writing if you couldn't get through. If you feel that the 10GB allowance isn't enough then you could upgrade to extra which would give you another 50GB usage for £5. Be aware though, if you do upgrade then it wouldn't apply until your next billing month.
Jojo

[#5]

You should be on a 30 day contract. So you could get out after then end of the month, however if you have accepted a router from them they will charge you £40 for it.
Whether you could go back to your previous supplier is unknown (at the  offer price anyway)

[#6]

Thanks Hairy Biker. I appreciate your comments.  Unfortunately i did accept a router but the fact of the matter is that it might never have been despatched had the cancellations dept been available to take my calls. To be clear, it was not my immediate intention to cancel - i wanted to see if they'd match the offer i received from my previous provider, if they could then  good, if not i'd have cancelled.
Regards the offer from my previous provider, we finished the call by me saying i'd think about it and them stating that should i decide to go back to them the offer would stand but i agree this would not have been indefinite.
Jojo
Your response fails to address a single issue that I've raised but instead reads to me like "we've made it awkward enough so that you could not talk to our cancellations team so you're stuck with us now and if you want even worse value from us give us another £5." And the smiley is so inappropriate when responding to a serious complaint.
One further thing.  I raised a ticket yesterday evening asking cancellations to contact me today but alas I've heard nothing. Say it all really - good, honest, broadband!!

[#7]

Quote from: raymthom

I've been with plusnet 1 day so far and decided that there hideously low 10Gb broadband usage limit is not for me.

I've seen people who haven't properly researched what they've bought, but this leaves me totally stunned. It couldn't be clearer on the main page describing the broadband products that Value on has a 10GB limit.
If you've used the connection I believe you have effectively accepted it and that negates your rights under the distance selling regulations. The fact that you are trying to complain about the product being exactly as per the specification doesn't help your cause!

[#8]

Quote from: raymthom

................ One further thing.   I raised a ticket yesterday evening asking cancellations to contact me today but alas I've heard nothing. Say it all really - good, honest, broadband!!

Cancellations will NOT respond to a Ticket. They will only deal with a Cancellation request or MAC request if either:
a) You call the Cancellations line - OR-
b) You contact PlusNet in writing at the designated address.

[#9]

Quote

but this leaves me totally stunned. It couldn't be clearer on the main page describing the broadband products that Value on has a 10GB limit.

.
Yes, I was clear it was10 GB but having received a counter offer i was thinking of changing my mind and made ample attempt to get in touch with cancellations without success due to their restricted hours and prohibitive waiting times. It is this that complaining about not the product being as it was described but i think given the background that it's fair to compare what I've got now to what I was offered  and i feel hideously low is a fair assessment of 10GB relative to unlimited.

[#10]

Quote from: Wheel_nut

Quote from: raymthom ................ One further thing.   I raised a ticket yesterday evening asking cancellations to contact me today but alas I've heard nothing. Say it all really - good, honest, broadband!! Cancellations will NOT respond to a Ticket. They will only deal with a Cancellation request or MAC request if either: a) You call the Cancellations line - OR- b) You contact PlusNet in writing at the designated address.

If this is the case, and i don't dispute it, then why did the customer services guy not tell me this, instead he logged the ticket without a word and this just demonstrates just how awkward it is to talk to cancellations.

[#11]

I think you have to see the cancellations thing from PN's end.  Remember they're not a charity, but a company, out to make money.
Why would a company make it really easy for customers to leave?  I don't mean make it extra hard (ie. call a call centre who speak a foreign language), but why pay for extra staff, or someone to work overtime, when the one thing you'll get from it is a loss of profit.
If you were managing the team, how would you justify the overtime bill, against the loss of profit? 
I agree, not everyone can get time out during the working day, but the option for writing means it's possible for everyone.
And I'd suggest that if you'd wanted to neg your position, sales would have been a better bet, sales are always neging stuff, that's what they do.
A quick final thought:  I'm not saying I "like" how PN do this, it's just I can clearly and easily see the logic behind it, and therefore feel I can't argue with it.

[#12]

When it comes to Cancellations and MAC requests, PlusNet work to the TERMS of your CONTRACT with them and the minimum requirements stipulated by OFCOM.
OFCOM require them to give you TWO means of communicating your request. PlusNet provide a Cancellations Telephone Number and a contact Address. The T's&C's stipulate that you must use one of these routes. This allows PlusNet to ignore any requests made through other channels such as Tickets or calls to the CS helpline as they are invalid.
PlusNet's position complies with the Law but we don't have to like it.

[#13]

I think i did call sales in the first place (cant say for certain though as i don't remember exactly what options i chose) to see if they'd match my counter offer and they said i had to speak to cancellations.  
I do understand that PN will not want for customers to cancel. This is why a good cancellations team or rather a good retentions team is so important to most service providers especially in mature markets such at telecoms where any new sale is essentially gained from a competitor. In these cases retentions can be almost as important, if not more important than new sales given that the costs are often lower because of no sales, marketing, switching costs etc. (hence my really good offer from my previous provider). In fact I'd be surprised most retention departments aren't operated as profit centres rather than cost centres.
Maybe I'm naive, i would hope that companies would aim to retain customers proactive customer engagement .  I don't doubt that PN are complying with the law but this doesn't mean that they couldn't be doing more .
Anyway, thanks for everyone's responses whether they were sympathetic or otherwise.  I think I will just have to see out my contract and cancel as soon as it's done (assuming i can get through that is!!) and learn the lesson that if a company makes bold statements in it's tag-line then i need to be careful that they're not attempting to mask behaviours that to the contrary.

[#14]

Quote from: raymthom

and learn the lesson that if a company makes bold statements in it's tag-line then i need to be careful that they're not attempting to mask behaviours that to the contrary.

I fail to see where Plusnet have done anything wrong here.
On the other hand you seem to have completely overlooked the when you ordered.
When you are angry with yourself for not looking at what you are buying before you signed up, criticising the supplier really doesn't wash!

[#15]

As we all know, it's common for firms to make a retention offer when one requests mac code but it does seem that this offer was made at a later date. It's not unknown for people to say that they are leaving just to get a better deal 
As they aren't, to my knowledge, a registered charity I fail to see why Plusnet should make a financial loss when they have honoured their end of the contract.