Can Plusnet Please Help

[#1]

I have friends in their late 70s desperate as they are without telephone or broadband and have no mobile access without driving several miles. The fault ticket is 107776501. We have checked the account and I can not find any reference to this fault (maybe we are looking in the wrong place). I have been listening to rubbish music for some time now trying to contact you. I presume that this is an OR problem (the line fault not your music) but can some-one please advise whether the fault will be fixed by the end of today as promised by you..

[#2]

Well I spent 40 minutes listening to the music to end up being told that the fault was so confidential that the operator would not talk to me about it as despite knowing the account password I am not the account holder. I guess I should have just lied about me identity! When I suggested that it was difficult for the account holder to contact PN as they were without communications I could sense the shrugged shoulders at PN towers. He did however give me a clue that there was indeed a hidden support ticket which with the help of this forum I found. This did not include the fact that the internet was also now down so I guess the PN fault diagnosis could be wrong. Now I just need to drive to my friends and tell them the good news!

[#3]

Hi baldrick,
Sounds like we need to get you down as an authorised user on the account. I can see that the fault is still with BT. I'll get our faults team to chase this for you ASAP.
Matty

[#4]

Hello Matty,
Thanks for taking an interest. It would have been much easier if I was an authorised user but that isn't possible at the moment as the account holder cannot authorise it for the very obvious reason. I do understand that privacy is a big issue but I cannot see what is so confidential about progressing a fault, especially as I have the password - I was hardly asking for personal information. Still I understand that it is no good whinging at you about the over zealous rules invented by those that lurk in all big organisations.
Your offer to chase this up is much appreciated. As we get older the security that comes with being able to keep in communications with family and emergency services becomes quite important..

[#5]

Quote

It would have been much easier if I was an authorised user but that isn't possible at the moment as the account holder cannot authorise it for the very obvious reason

It used to be possible to add an authorised user by raising a ticket requesting that the named person be added. Since you obviously have access to their account you could do it on their behalf. Not sure if that will work now that the ticket system is more or less defunct.. :(.

[#6]

Progressing a fault can have potential charges to the account holder, which I believe only the account can agree to.

[#7]

If we need to book a appointment then yes the account holder needs to be the one who books it due to the potential charges.
On the other hand if our tests find a external fault then a authorised user is able to raise a fault on their behalf.

[#8]

I quote from the ticket:
Your Help Assistant Question is now being placed on hold. The next action on your Question will be 23-07-2015.
It is now the 24th. Still no phone no internet and no update.
I know it is up to OR to fix the problem but I get the impression that PN don't give a damn as to how much these issues matter to people. Their laid back 'it's our suppliers' attitude needs to be changed even if it upsets their suppliers colleagues in their OR division.