After 10 years with Plusnet I am leaving ASAP - the company has become a nightmare.

[#1]

My sincerest apologies @mjones07, it was not my intention to make you feel that we are not offering the level of support needed here. I have now updated your ticket with further information.

[#2]

@Baldrick1 Thank you so much for your support.

Yes, you have understood the situation precisely.

But with 2 added points:

1. I can still access the url's which cap my usage, but Plusnet has some coding which 'undoes' my capping.

2. According to my account it will cost me £30 to end my contract or transfer to another product.

[#3]

I think you will find that the £30 cancellation charge only becomes payable if you leave Plusnet and join an ISP that doesn't use the BT network. It doesn't apply to taking a different Plusnet product.

It's not all bad!

[#4]

@Mads Your response via the support question was as follows:

"I think I have identified the issue in regards to your Plusnet essentials account not letting you set a usage, it seems our legacy products do not work correctly with the new billing system and as such usage can no longer be set."

Then I think you have a legal obligation to make your new billing system work correctly, don't you?

Please stop using this as an opportunity for upselling.

When will the new billing system be corrected?

[and btw, it can be set, please see attached, but your coding rectifies an naughty little users who attempt to limit the amount you lift from our bank accounts]

[#5]

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@Baldrick1 wrote:

I think you will find that the £30 cancellation charge only becomes payable if you leave Plusnet and join an ISP that doesn't use the BT network.

That's what I thought, but @OllieC corrected me here: https://community.plus.net/t5/Broadband/Cessation-charge-quot-active-quot/m-p/1580255#M327511

[#6]

I stand corrected.

[#7]

Believe it or not @Mads is now replying to my posts via someone else's unrelated thread, presumably to interrupt forum members' understanding the narrative of this complaint!

She says: "I'm afraid we do not a fix for this nor we will have one in the future. We would recommend moving to the unlimited broadband packages to stop these further charges as we are unable to subsidise the usage fees from now on." [moderators please forgive me if there is a better way to cite her text, by linking or whatever, but I don't know the protocols]

There really has been no attempt by Plusnet customer services to address this issue, it seems their total focus is on which forum thread is receiving the greatest traffic (i.e., managing perception) and on constantly upselling.

@Mads it is deeply offensive for you to suggest you 'subsidise' my usage fees. I am a Plusnet customer not a charity case. I ask that you provide me with the contact details of the officer to whom I can make separate complaint about your handling of this matter. If you feel you have behaved appropriately then I expect you will have no hesitation in providing the relevant details for my written complaint.

Furthermore, you have publicly stated the Plusnet billing system is not operating correctly, that Plusnet does not have a fix for this, and Plusnet will not have in the future. This is something you need to make known to all Plusnet customers. Plusnet must either fix the billing system or stop billing customers. 

Which will Plusnet do?

[#8]

Hey @mjones07

I may regret this but thought I could help with a piece of this.

I think the Plusnet guys are referring to the product being withdrawn from sale in 2014, this doesn't mean that the product has been withdrawn entirely (although they'd have the right to do that at anytime). I highlight it as I think the thread is going off on a tangent and what I think your issue really is, is that the data watch isn't working as you expect and so that's your question is it not?

Cheers!

[#9]

I think it’s more fundamental then that. It’s not that the data watch doesn’t work as the OP expects. It appears that the option to set it is still there but the Plusnet billing system can’t cope with it so extra usage is billed regardless.  Hence a fundamental contract condition has been deleted without customers being advised of the fact.

[#10]

Note to all.  The SUs have this case under review, it has been escalated.

Some of the wording of responses has, shall I say, been unfortunate.  "Not supported" has unhelpfully been used to convey the concept of "not being sold any longer".  "Not on contract" has been used to convey "Out side of the minimum term".

Personally I have raised issues with general wording / speak around here - so long as services are paid for, there is a contract to deliver - unfortunately too many people interpret "contract" to mean "minimum contract duration during which a discount might be applied" which I suggest is incorrect and not helpful.  The service contract (and T&Cs) persists after the minimum term and associated discounts, even if that product is no longer offered for new business.

It is my understanding that is it possible to request that a legacy measured usage service be changed to unlimited without entering into a new minimum term agreement.

[#11]

@PacketLoss

Please no regrets. You are spot on:

"...what I think your issue really is, is that the data watch isn't working as you expect and so that's your question is it not?"

But ultimately all the forum & support question responses boil down to is this:

Yeah, so what, its an old product, the billing system wasn't written with existing customers like you in mind, you just have to buy a more recent (and more expensive) product. 

That's mighty high-handed customer service. It is upselling.

[#12]

Is your phone with Plusnet as well, or is it just your broadband?

[#13]

@Baldrick1

"It appears that the option to set it is still there but the Plusnet billing system can’t cope with it so extra usage is billed regardless.  Hence a fundamental contract condition has been deleted without customers being advised of the fact."

Exactly! Dear Baldrick, please come and write my posts for me, you are much better, more concise and to the point than I can be.

[#14]

@pjmarsh  BT phoneline.

(Yes, I probably would be better off financially combining phone with broadband, but please, thats not the point, lets not start all that again, although I appreciate your interest, xxx)

[#15]

Thanks @mjones07, the reason why I was checking is that you could probably have saved money on the package if you already had the phone line with Plusnet.