Appalling service -stay away from PlusNet

[#1]

I have had a nightmare changing from Sky to PlusNet.  They couldn't complete on the appropriate day and I had no broadband for 3 days -amazing how debilitating that is!

Far worse was the changes to our telephone number -swapped to another random number to start with then corrected 14 days later then swapped again and I am awaiting another 14 days to elapse hoping that it will be corrected again.

Have spent a total of over 3 hours on the phone to support -most of it on hold waiting to speak to operator as the minimum wait time is 15 mins and usually 30 minutes.  This whole process started when I placed my order in June 2017 and may possibly end on 24 August.  Original notification of completion was 12 July.

Completely unsatisfactory, Frustrated, disappointed and angry.  Spare yourself this and either stay with your current supplier or go somewhere else.

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After posting the above on Trust Pilot, '[CSA Removed]' from PlusNet suggested that I get in touch via Facebook or Twitter (I use neither) or through the PlusNet Forum -so here you are!

Interesting to see the general level of frustration and disillusionment with PlusNet within this forum.  There are a number of users reporting changes to the service provided.  One of the reasons that I changed to PlusNet is that I am a customer through another business and have enjoyed trouble free "straight forward " broadband and phones for several years.  In conversations with work colleages and others it seems that Talk Talk are the company to go to.

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): CSA name removed as per Forum rules.

[#2]

Hi,

A warm welcome to the forms.  I'll leave staff to deal with the detail of your issues, however just one simple question - "Did YOU tell Sky you were leaving them?".

Your post has all of the tell-tale signs of the dire consequences of the user telling their existing supplier that they are leaving ... rather than just leaving the gaining provider to run the migration process....

• Existing supplier immediately places a service cease order on the phone line
• No other supplier can place provide orders until AFTER the cease order has been completed (BTw / BTOR will simply cancel such orders)
• User loses both phone and broadband services
• User risks losing the phone number, as the new supplier is no longer taking over a working line and the old supplier is within their rights to retain the number
• BTOR encounters issues moving non-working line from LLU back to BT
• User blames new supplier for al the woes...

I am not saying that this applies in your case; it has been suspected that Sky has placed a service cease order in response to Plusnet giving notice of intent to take over a line ... the effect is though just the same.

As I said, it will need a staff member to explain what when wrong - but this has all the hall marks of your old supplier ceasing the service and thereby frustrating the migration activity well outside of the control of the gaining ISP - be that Plusnet or any other.

[#3]

I came here from TalkTalk as a result of very poor customer service and substandard connection failures. I am very happy with PN and have no issues at all with them.

[#4]

No I used the PlusNet online service to initiate the change.  Perhaps it could have been mentioned at that point?  Customer support could have told me what you have reported at the outset and I could have knuckled down and changed my phone number.  As it is we have had 2 weeks of the original number, ~3 weeks of a new number randomly generated, ~2 weeks of the original correct number and now a different randomly generated number due to revert back to the original number later this month (hopefully!).

I guess Sky are to blame.

Sorry PlusNet, all the hanging on listening to your hold music was obviously life affirming excellent customer service!

[#5]

As I said- its not conclusive without input from a staff member.  What I did say was what you've advised has the hallmarks of an unhelpful cease order having been placed on the line by the old provider.  Seen this far too many times before - both arising from the user advising Sky and Plusnet advising Sky of an intent to migrate.

The industry processes just do not meet the needs of the users - both CP/ISP retailers (the people you buy the service from) and the end users.  The situation is even worse in respect of house moves ... person A want to move from their old home to a new home where person B presently lives.  Person A can ask their ISP to migrate the service from old to new home ... whilst person B tells their supplier they do not want service any more (maybe getting a new supplier at their new home).

The service at person B's is put on a pending cease and the whole chain of moving gets stuffed.  The industry needs to evolve to allow "after cease" orders to be raised as pending on cease fulfilment and not unilaterally cancelled by the suppliers.

[#6]

@gbGrantham,

Ref your update - this profile of failure is a real bug-bare with me.  I suspect that something is going badly wrong in the industry and when it does Plusnet do seem to struggle with the consequential communications.  This issue is one which is being discussed within the super user community.  Your circumstances need the input of facts only available to staff - however your description of events fit a well known set of symptoms - which might or might not apply to your case.

[#7]

@Townman

Thanks for your input on this and clearly Sky (who don't care a jot) are complicit in this.  I am sure that the situation is as you outline in your original post.  As I say it would have saved a bit of hassle if that could have been part of the transfer process or if it had been stated at the start that our number would change.  Having uncontrolled number changes is the worst of all circumstances.

In amongst that dealing with PlusNet customer services has been stressful to say the least.  You have cheered me up enormously by simply pointing out what has (probably) happened.

As a layman I share your concern over the difficulty that there is in controlling the "ownership" of the phone/broadband network.  It seems a complete scandal that BT should continue to own Open Reach, I can't understand how that can do anything but penalise non BT customers!  Having said that I have learned through this process that PlusNet is owned by BT so you would think that would help in cases like mine!!

Anyway thanks again for your assistance and I am going to try and calm down and hope that my old phone number will reappear shortly!

[#8]

It is a complicated space - BT has many houses and like rival siblings they do not get on together too well.  Indeed Ofcom actively forbid that they should be helpful unto each other!

Being part of the BT family confers no favours - indeed some of us believe that it can be unfavourable.  Some of us suspect that BTOR gives preferential service to other ISPs outside of the BT group - certainly more preferential than Plusnet seem to get at times.  But finding firm evidence for that is near to impossible.

Retaining numbers ought not to be an issue when taking over a working line ... however if the line goes out of service - gets ceased (even by accident) ... it can sometimes be difficult to recover it.

I am though certain that what can be done will be done.  Hope you are soon sorted and will not see further issues with the service.