Endless problems with transferring to PLUSNET
Hi Polly,
Welcome to the forums and PlusNet, sorry to hear of your tribulations. A full answer of your questions will require assistance from the CRT - PlusNet's support staff.
Sounds like you have become an unfortunate victim of the Ofcom rules on moving phone lines. There is an inbuilt 10 day "buffer" period to allow time for the loosing supplier to inform the customer that their line has had a migration order placed on it. This is intended to prevent SLAMMING however some retail operators are not so good at playing by the rules. I suspect that now the issues have been resolved, the 10 day rule is again in-play.
The acquiring supplier does have to drive the process, but they can find themselves at the complete mercy of BTOR who owns all the infrastructure and the loosing supplier who can be very uncooperative. If you read through these forums, you will observe numerous reports in respect of Talk Talk and Sky in this context.
SIMultaneous transfers of BB and phone can be tricky due to the bazar way some loosing providers behave. In the case of BT Retail, they have been known to do a complete cease on a line thereby loosing both the existing phone number and the broadband service even if that was supplied by a different ISP.
I know this is frustrating, but your issues started with the action of AOL doing something you did not request, leaving PN picking up the pieces. One failing of PN though in this arena is if there is no news to be reported, you receive no communication, leaving you in the dark over what is happening.
Hope someone can get a prompt response to you.
Welcome to the forums and PlusNet, sorry to hear of your tribulations. A full answer of your questions will require assistance from the CRT - PlusNet's support staff.
Sounds like you have become an unfortunate victim of the Ofcom rules on moving phone lines. There is an inbuilt 10 day "buffer" period to allow time for the loosing supplier to inform the customer that their line has had a migration order placed on it. This is intended to prevent SLAMMING however some retail operators are not so good at playing by the rules. I suspect that now the issues have been resolved, the 10 day rule is again in-play.
The acquiring supplier does have to drive the process, but they can find themselves at the complete mercy of BTOR who owns all the infrastructure and the loosing supplier who can be very uncooperative. If you read through these forums, you will observe numerous reports in respect of Talk Talk and Sky in this context.
SIMultaneous transfers of BB and phone can be tricky due to the bazar way some loosing providers behave. In the case of BT Retail, they have been known to do a complete cease on a line thereby loosing both the existing phone number and the broadband service even if that was supplied by a different ISP.
I know this is frustrating, but your issues started with the action of AOL doing something you did not request, leaving PN picking up the pieces. One failing of PN though in this arena is if there is no news to be reported, you receive no communication, leaving you in the dark over what is happening.
Hope someone can get a prompt response to you.
AOL taken over by Carphone Warehouse taken over by Talk Talk! OMG, Polly! 
All sympathies to you!
All sympathies to you!
Thank you all for the welcome 
Matty, we almost got 'slammed' by aol and talktalk. They tried to hard sell us talktalk when we asked for our MAC code, and we absolutely declined - aol have been rubbish for years and fobbed us off with all sorts, and our connection would improve hugely after each phonecall!!! then a week or so later back to the same rubbish connection - dropping out up to every few minutes and if the phone rings, no connection for hours. all this would cease after a phone call to aol ??!!??
Anyway we got a letter after the MAC code was issued, saying they had to allow BTOR access to our connection at the exchange and giving a date of transfer. It was only when Plusnet gave us a different, earlier date of transfer we realised something wasn't right. There had been NO mention of which provider we were being transferred to in the letter from AOL.
Called Plusnet to check on the dates and they had no knowledge of the later date, and suggested we call AOL, which we did. AOL claimed we took up the offer of TALKTALK !! Nice try but never in a million years etc.. so we insisted they cancel immediately, which they agreed to eventually. Except they left a Tag on the line.
This whole sorry tale just goes back and forth.
I suppose what I really need now, is confirmation that all is progressing to plan.
I'll leave reporting TalkTalk and AOL to OFCOM until after it's all resolved, as there's no guarantee they have finished their petty games yet.
We'll have to check our credit card bill as to whether we're being billed by TalkTalk. We were told by aol that we would be billed to the payment after we move to Plusnet ! Which I'm sure is wrong as there's always been a month upfront payment no matter who you're with.
What I really can't understand is why PLUSNET didn't bother telling us that they couldn't transfer us because of TalkTalk, especially as they had already taken payment from us, that surely should have rung alarm bells with plusnet, yet they didn't even tell us about it. It was sheer luck that we double checked when we did, the day before transfer to TT was to take place and 2 days after we should have gone live with Plusnet.
As for compensation, don't make me laugh, we were made to feel they were doing us a favour by cancelling the transfer to TT.
I had to get in touch with TT myself to get a MAC code, AOL said they'd email us one and didn't bother, we got a letter from them days AFTER we had the MAC from TT.
Maybe we should contact them again and ask for compensation?
ONE thing throughout all this though, we have at least retained our phone and BB connection so far. And miraculously, it's been fairly stable too, no getting dropped every minute or so, although I can't vouch for staying online when someone rings our phone. I know many others haven't been so lucky.
Matty, we almost got 'slammed' by aol and talktalk. They tried to hard sell us talktalk when we asked for our MAC code, and we absolutely declined - aol have been rubbish for years and fobbed us off with all sorts, and our connection would improve hugely after each phonecall!!! then a week or so later back to the same rubbish connection - dropping out up to every few minutes and if the phone rings, no connection for hours. all this would cease after a phone call to aol ??!!??
Anyway we got a letter after the MAC code was issued, saying they had to allow BTOR access to our connection at the exchange and giving a date of transfer. It was only when Plusnet gave us a different, earlier date of transfer we realised something wasn't right. There had been NO mention of which provider we were being transferred to in the letter from AOL.
Called Plusnet to check on the dates and they had no knowledge of the later date, and suggested we call AOL, which we did. AOL claimed we took up the offer of TALKTALK !! Nice try but never in a million years etc.. so we insisted they cancel immediately, which they agreed to eventually. Except they left a Tag on the line.
This whole sorry tale just goes back and forth.
I suppose what I really need now, is confirmation that all is progressing to plan.
I'll leave reporting TalkTalk and AOL to OFCOM until after it's all resolved, as there's no guarantee they have finished their petty games yet.
We'll have to check our credit card bill as to whether we're being billed by TalkTalk. We were told by aol that we would be billed to the payment after we move to Plusnet ! Which I'm sure is wrong as there's always been a month upfront payment no matter who you're with.
What I really can't understand is why PLUSNET didn't bother telling us that they couldn't transfer us because of TalkTalk, especially as they had already taken payment from us, that surely should have rung alarm bells with plusnet, yet they didn't even tell us about it. It was sheer luck that we double checked when we did, the day before transfer to TT was to take place and 2 days after we should have gone live with Plusnet.
As for compensation, don't make me laugh, we were made to feel they were doing us a favour by cancelling the transfer to TT.
I had to get in touch with TT myself to get a MAC code, AOL said they'd email us one and didn't bother, we got a letter from them days AFTER we had the MAC from TT.
Maybe we should contact them again and ask for compensation?
ONE thing throughout all this though, we have at least retained our phone and BB connection so far. And miraculously, it's been fairly stable too, no getting dropped every minute or so, although I can't vouch for staying online when someone rings our phone. I know many others haven't been so lucky.
Quote from: Polly I'll leave reporting TalkTalk and AOL to OFCOM until after it's all resolved, as there's no guarantee they have finished their petty games yet.
That's probably a very wise idea, but I'm glad you've got it in mind to complain to OFCOM, make sure when you do that you get (a) reference number(s) from them. (you know the complaint is properly registered).
Quote from: Polly What I really can't understand is why PLUSNET didn't bother telling us that they couldn't transfer us because of TalkTalk, especially as they had already taken payment from us, that surely should have rung alarm bells with plusnet, yet they didn't even tell us about it. It was sheer luck that we double checked when we did, the day before transfer to TT was to take place and 2 days after we should have gone live with Plusnet.
This is very poor and it will need MattyC or one of the other CRT members to look into this, there seems to be something wrong with procedures.
Quote from: Polly We'll have to check our credit card bill as to whether we're being billed by TalkTalk. We were told by aol that we would be billed to the payment after we move to Plusnet ! Which I'm sure is wrong as there's always been a month upfront payment no matter who you're with.
Quote from: Polly Maybe we should contact them again and ask for compensation?
You certainly should. If you don't
, phone calls, etc They will undoubtedly wriggle, just remember at the relevant time to use the words "This is a formal complaint - which I will pursue to the CEO's office and the Ombudsman Services if necessary" - that should get them in gear
Put in plain english, Kevin means that it's still the same BT Openreach line between you and the exchange which might play up, but as your line rental will be with Plusnet, there shouldn't be any issue getting it fixed, especially with all the help here - just to put it in a more positive way