Can't cancel account due to moron in support!!!!

[#1]

My name is Mark and I have created a number of accounts for family members, who are not able to do so themselves due to age or disability. A few years ago, I set up an account for my brother, who suffers from severe depression and other problems and at the time wasn't in a fit state to set up the account for himself. I am the one who pays for the account, I have an email redirect to my account for all email that come from Plusnet, so if there is a problem I can sort it out.
Unfortunately, my brother has got worse and due to many issues is now getting evicted and is now having to move back home to our parents in France so someone can look after him. I explained all the to the person in the support department that deals with account closures and all he could say was I cant close the account because I wasn't the account holder and the account holder needs to call in to cancel. So again I explained that he was no in any fit state to do so and was NOT to be contacted. But the moron would not listen and refused to pass me on to someone that could deal with the problem.
I also suffer from something called Fibromyalgia and any extra stress exacerbates the problem further and all the problems I'm having to deal with, my brother being one of them, the last thing I needed was some idiot not to try and help when it was so obvious that I was basically the account creator and holder for my brothers account.
It's things like this that give companies like Plusnet a bad name, with the way they treat people with disabilities and medical problems. If I had known I would have had all these problems, I would not have created the account in the first place.
Because of this, I will not be coming back to Plusnet when I am well and working again and will be canceling two other accounts that my father and my partners fathers have with plusnet and will be going for a company that has some compassion for people with disabilities and or medical problems.
I look forward to hearing what other people think.

[#2]

Well actually I think you've been rather polite about the insensitive individual that you spoke to and ddn't pass you through to a senior manager.
You said you pay the account - by what means - Direct Debit to your Bank account?  Does it include a phone line? Is that to be stopped as well?

[#3]

This is stupid but...
As you can obviously log in to the account, go to https://portal.plus.net/wizard/?p=wizard&page=22948&wizard_id=38 and raise a question saying "Please add <yourname> as a person authorised to deal with this account".
Once they action that you will be able to ring up and speak to them about the account.
Posting the number of the ticket you raise on here will probably get the ball rolling quicker.

[#4]

The other option you have is to cancel the account via Letter.
As long as the letter is from the account holder - This will be a perfectly valid method of cancellation.
Plusnet plc,
The Balance,
2 Pinfold Street,
Sheffield,
S1 2GU
If you address it to Customer Options Team, it will get to the right place.
Hope this helps.
Matt

[#5]

Matt should have mentioned it should be signed by the account holder!

[#6]

Other options are to raise a ticket on the account giving the requisite notice and tell them to bill until the end of the notice period and send the final bill by post to a forwarding address. If you currently pay by Direct Debit on your account, just cancel it at the bank now.
If the phone is to be cancelled and is with another provider and is to be ceased, just cancel that. As the Broadband is an asset on the phone line it will automatically be ceased.
Mind you this could be a little trickier (but not much) if the Broadband is under a longer contract, the cancellation bill will be more.

[#7]

No it isn't http://www.plus.net/info2/legal/index.html

Quote

If you wish to give us notice you must do so using one of the following mechanisms. No other form of communication will be accepted, unless specifically stated otherwise in this agreement:     To us: by phoning our customer options team or in writing to:     Plusnet Plc     The Balance     2 Pinfold Street     Sheffield     S1 2GU     UK

[#8]

That's what the "rules" may say Jim, but if Plusnet is being stupid, not paying or cancelling the phone line will soon get the account ceased 

[#9]

Hi vulpine,
I'm very sorry to hear of the personal circumstances your brother is going through.
Jim and Matt are right - we'd need a letter sending in explaining the situation regarding the account. I can appreciate that in this situation you are dealing with your brother's affairs, however, only the account holder can cancel the account.
I understand if you feel that the advisor you spoke to was being difficult, however, they were following protocol and they are not in a position to break this. The protocol is in place to protect the account holder's services.
Apologies for any inconvenience caused by this.

[#10]

Linn, I have seen this sort of issue come up before and this rather pathetic "protocol" stuff has been thrown around, and Plusnet have clearly not reviewed their procedures to find a more sensitive way of dealing with such things whilst at the same time giving the appropriate "protection".
If the person that vulpine spoke to was in CSC, then vulpine should have been passed through to Customer Options immediately. If they were in Customer Options the the fact that they did not explain that a letter (which he could draft) could be sent, just signed by his brother. If that option was not put, the agent in question should be given "feedback".
If vulpine pays the account then there are security checks that could be gone through on the phone to verify things.
I suggest Linn that the call should be listened to, and appropriate things followed up.
Also Plusnet need to review the procedures promptly.

[#11]

The protocols are there for a reason to protect their customers. Plusnet have a duty under the data protection act to protect users indenties and accounts. I would be extremely concerned if changes to my account could be made on the basis of someone claiming to act on my behalf unless PN had taken sufficient steps to validate that was the case and that person had my permission to act as my proxy.

[#12]

Thank you for your comment Razorback, I'm well aware of the reasons for the "protocols" and I too would be concerned if PN hadn't taken sufficient steps to validate that the action was correct and appropriate as well as authorised. The problem is that their current procedure does not do this. Nor is their current procedure capable of dealing with situations like this sensitively because it appears to be a one rigid solution that supposedly fits all and in any event is totally flawed.
As the OP pointed out, they set up the account and in this case, his brother is I expect a referral on his own account, and also the OP actually pays the Bill. Taking all that connected information into account, there would be ways of having a procedure that would deal with this sort of situation in a sensitive way.
In this particular case, irrespective of what the "defined procedure" is, this certainly was not handled sensitively and Plusnet need to take a look at the whole thing as outlined in my previous post.
Edit: Just to add, I expect Plusnet are not the only company with this issue.

[#13]

Quote from: Linn

Hi vulpine, I'm very sorry to hear of the personal circumstances your brother is going through. Jim and Matt are right - we'd need a letter sending in explaining the situation regarding the account. I can appreciate that in this situation you are dealing with your brother's affairs, however, only the account holder can cancel the account. I understand if you feel that the advisor you spoke to was being difficult, however, they were following protocol and they are not in a position to break this. The protocol is in place to protect the account holder's services. Apologies for any inconvenience caused by this.

When I created the account for my brother, I didn't need his "OK" or a signature, but now I need to cancel I need this, is ridiculous. I have full access to the account, I pay the bills and my email address is the one that all plusnet emails are forwarded to, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm the account holder.
I don't need all these problems as it causing me too much stress, my brother is in no fit state to call, be called or sign any letters. I am not in any fit state to drive all the way down to Brighton from Oxfordshire for a signature and my brother has no friends to help and can't leave the house to get everything for a letter and can't even afford to eat, let alone get crap like paper, envelopes and stamps, so No he can't send a letter.
If something is not done, I shall just cancel my Direct Debit and Plusnet can try and get any last payments through the "account holder" ....   Good luck with that!!!  he'll be leaving the UK soon.

[#14]

Quote from: vulpine

When I created the account for my brother, I didn't need his "OK" or a signature, but now I need to cancel I need this, is ridiculous. I have full access to the account, I pay the bills and my email address is the one that all plusnet emails are forwarded to, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm the account holder.

It's exactly this sort of inconsistency by PN that requires senior staff or management to intervene and sort out.
It's understandable that junior staff can't deal with it, but to just refuse to assist is unacceptable.
Someone senior in PN needs to "get a grip" acknowledge that their systems are inconsistent and work constructively to verify the identity of vulpine and resolve this issue without further nonsense.

[#15]

What makes it worse is that if Vulpine cancels the DD there will probably be a black mark put against his credit rating, not his brothers.