Does Plusnet have any happy customers?

[#1]

For her sake I hope it continues that way and no more hiccoughs.

[#2]

It is my understanding that the 'training period' only applies to the ordinary ADSL, not fibre.

[#3]

Correct FTTC should find its optimum settings within 48 hours

[#4]

Pleased for her and for you. As for me, I was told at close of play yesterday that Plusnet had managed to get BT to cancel the original screwed up order and start again (why did that have to take eight days?); and were expediting a new order aiming by best endeavour to connect me today, 17 February). At crack of dawn today I get this message:

Dear Mr C, Account username: ***************Your broadband order is now being processed. Your service is due to go live on 18/02/2017. Your order could complete any time on this date, up to midnight.If you've got any questions, please contact us using the Help Assistant:http://help.plus.net/Kind regards, Plusnet Customer Support http://www.plus.net/"

So now it's tomorrow not today, and the best endeavour to expedite it today seems to have lasted a few seconds after the start of their working day. Why does my gut tell me it won't happen tomorrow either? Interestingly, until now Plusnet in their conversations with me have referred to "our supplier" as the alleged cause of my problems but when they called me last evening they named BT as the people they were trying to giddy up.

The caller apologised saying that BT had cut off my phone line for two hours. They hadn't. If they had my intruder alarm system would have triggered (as it did at the start of this saga on 9 February when they DID cut it off), and it didn't trigger. So if BT cut a phone line while working on it, it was somebody else's, not mine. Also relevant in this connection is that I can see my cabinet through my window as I sit here typing this. If an Open Reach van comes to it it fills the view from my window. One Open Reach van came to it on what should have been my connection day of 9 February, but the driver just sat in it and never got out. When I asked him if he'd come to do my connection he said he hadn't come to do anything. When I asked why he was waiting there then he just drove off without answering. Apart from that, not a single Open Reach van has come to that cabinet on any of the days when I have been led to expect action - indeed I haven't seen one there on ANY day since then. The only activity there has been someone driving a van marked SSUB or something installing great wads of new fibre lines in the cabinet. He confirmed that it was my cabinet and that the people who told me it had no available adsl port for me were talking nonsense because it had loads of them. I ask myself, surely Plusnet/BT couldn't be working on entirely the wrong line and cabinet could they?

[#5]

@DC1 It was me that called you yesterday, I was in no way trying to blame our supplier for the problems you are having, I'm sorry if I gave that impression I was simply stating where we are at and what is happening.

Yesterday due to an error at our suppliers side your telephone number was disconnected, we noticed this when the we were unable to contact you to update you, as you had previously expressed how important it is for you to retain your telephone number and service we immediately set about resolving the issue.

Once the line was reconnected and the suppliers records had been updated to reflect this we placed a new broadband order and asked for it to be expedited and the supplier confirmed they are aiming for today. The reason your ticket has tomorrows date on it is because I've made a typo and for that I apologise.

Everything I stated on the call was correct, we're genuinely trying to do all we can to connect you as quickly as possible.

[#6]

Thank you JonoH. That is good news. Your speedy communications through this medium over the last few days has been a huge help and a pleasing contrast with the communication problems I previously endured. But let me repeat, BT definitely did NOT cut off my phone line even for one second. If they had it would have triggered my alarm and if I hadn't been here to disarm it the police would have been round. Perhaps something was done which stopped you from being able to call in on it but its outward connection and dialling tone remained intact throughout the day.

[#7]

Regarding the alarm on the line - my only thoughts are that OR possibly carried out a 'make before break' as they know you had an alarm installed....?

If they didn't or used another cheat device, then it does sound odd

[#8]

Jonpe wrote:

• It is my understanding that the 'training period' only applies to the ordinary ADSL, not fibre

Hi @Jonpe

My understanding on line training came directly from the Plusnet Handbook PDF download see attached:

I agree with your thinking on FTTC not requiring prolonged 10 day training but as this is (perhaps ambiguously) what is stated in the Plusnet Handbook without further clarification regarding any difference between ADSL and FTTC,  and that technologically it still makes sense to incrementally up step the service speed  until dropped packers occur and then downstep to the last stable service speed,  I went with the handbook. 

As I previously said,  my daughter is getting a significant increase to download speed with Plusnet compared to her old equivalent (but more costly) Sky contract.  In fact as a percentage her service has improved within 3 days by around 24%. .

[#9]

Right. Out shopping I get this email on my mobile phone"

Your broadband's ready to go

 Hello D**,Account username: ******************
Good news, your broadband service is now up and running.

Getting connected

You've not ordered a Plusnet router, so to connect your existing hardware you'll need the information below: 

"Yippee I think. Don't know why they think I didn't order a router when I did and have received it. But never mind that. When I get home I can connect it and away we go.

Then I get this message:

"Hello D**,Account username: **************Our Support Team have passed Question***********to you with the comment shown below.   The Question ***(*(*( has been released from hold in the BOT - WLR 3 - Delayed Orders pool and returned to the customer
Dear MrC******, I've tried to contact you today regarding your connection as our suppliers have informed us that they have started work on your connection. I've activated your account, you'll get a notification advising that you can now connect, please ignore this its automatic and is done when the account is active but on this occasion I wanted you up and running as soon as possible. Thanks Kind regards,

J******* H***"

If you can understand this and know whether I am or am not supposed to activate my router you are a better man than me Gunga Din.

[#10]

---

@DC1 wrote:

If you can understand this and know whether I am or am not supposed to activate my router you are a better man than me Gunga Din.

---

Hello @DC1, 

I must agree this doesn't fall within the plain speaking category. 

I wonder if perhaps:

• The bit about the router was because they know you were sent one with the original order but then that was cancelled and a new order raised in the knowledge you had already had a Hub 1 despatched?
• The rest of it seems vaguely similar to something I have read somewhere on the forum about automatic messages being misleading. 
• As you have had assurances from the chat on this forum that you will go live today 'up to midnight'  I reckon you should be safe. 

[#11]

your broadband service is now up and running

Sounds like it's on

not ordered a Plusnet router

They know you already have it, but it's just another one of those pre-filled out emails .... ?

I've tried to contact you today

Possibly JonoH again.....? (but as the BT moto is or used to be, it's good to talk.....;)

I've activated your account

Possibly JonoH again, just confirming the automated email .... ?

please ignore this its automatic

Ah, guess this bit can be ignored as you've already had the auto email ..?, but again confirms you're now connected

If all else fails, plug it in and see!!

[#12]

@quickbrew it also states on the BT Broadband availability checker (dslchecker.bt.com/) that the 10 day period applies to both ADSL & VDSL but 2 wrongs don't make a right!

Perhaps if BT change their webpage Plusnet will follow suit?

[#13]

@Browni

Loving your signature.  😬

[#14 · Accepted solution]

The automated message was the one that said

Your broadband's ready to go

 Hello D**,Account username: ******************
Good news, your broadband service is now up and running.

Getting connected

You've not ordered a Plusnet router, so to connect your existing hardware you'll need the information below: 

"Yippee I think. Don't know why they think I didn't order a router when I did and have received it. But never mind that. When I get home I can connect it and away we go.

You got that message because I marked your account as active on our end, to ensure that as soon as the engineer finished you were connected.

Dear MrC******, I've tried to contact you today regarding your connection as our suppliers have informed us that they have started work on your connection. I've activated your account, you'll get a notification advising that you can now connect, please ignore this its automatic and is done when the account is active but on this occasion I wanted you up and running as soon as possible. Thanks Kind regards,

J******* H***"

This was me, What I meant here was that as soon as the engineer finishes the work you're connected but not to expect that to be immediate as we have no way of knowing when the work is complete, just when the work is marked as complete on our suppliers systems and these can be quite different.

Anyway, none of that should be a problem now.

Plug your router in and let me know how it goes

[#15]

What a terrible company when one has to get cross on these forums to get something done and when Pnet conduct their customers services over these very public threads. But when other means of communication mean going through long waits, dreadful music and front liners who know so little.......well I am stuck with it for a while yet....sadly.