Engineer running late or not yet arrived?

[#1]

Just read that earlier post - now locked, curiously - and am intrigued.   Why can't plusnet just say that a morning slot is from 0800 to 1500?   Because that's exactly what they are saying in this post.   Once again, a nail hammered into the coffin of any sort of customer service reputation.     I'm probably going to have to wait for an engineer (although I know it's going to be of no use since the issue is with Openreach) and its going to mean a day off work, because obviously they're allowing for engineers to be arriving any time between 0800 to 1500.   And then they're going to charge me £65 because they won't find any fault at my end.

Why aren't more people highlighting this stuff?   I was with BT for 6 years before switching to plusnet in 2017, and I gotta say BT customer service was better - albeit outsourced to India.   

[#2]

Openreach appointments are usually 0800-1300 or 1300-1800, was the 1500 a typo?

[#3]

I lifted the title from a previous post by Adamwalker, who is (or was) presumably a plusnet employee.   The post was admittedly put up in 2013 but since plusnet have locked it and left it at the top of the forum, presumably it's intended as a basic infomercial. If Adam Walker, with over 12k posts in 2013, is a plusnet employee, then he must be assumed to be speaking for the company.  

It therefore follows that plusnet policy is that they will not consider an appointment schedule of 0800 to 1300 or 1300-1800 to be breached until two hours after the closure time have elapsed.   

My point is that this is disengenous in the extreme.  Someone who has taken a half day off work for a morning appointment will have to potentially arrange to be around the house until 3pm.   

[#4]

BT use the same network, suppliers, and systems as PN, so really not sure what the issue is?

[#5]

The point is that they should be open about slots lasting for 7 hours, rather than 5.    

[#6]

Errm, no - the slots are already as per the early post - if they try and turn up outside those hours already agreed, you have an option to claim compensation. 

[#7]

if you read that post from 2013 it makes it clear that they won't take action to chase up a late arrival until after the extra two hours have elapsed.  That's a de facto statement that action will not be taken until then.   I'd be amazed if you could get compensation for them arriving in those extra two hours.  

it's symptomatic of Plusnet's approach to their customer service system, with which I've been interacting for the past 5 days.  Their system is fairly poor - obvious errors, promising to contact me and then failing to etc etc.   

[#8]

I think it is more to the point that BTOR will not allow a chase up until 2 hours after the slot because that is how long it takes BTOR systems to update engineers reports.  Nothing to do with PlusNet's rules.  A great deal of the "that sounds silly" rules around here are predicated by BTOR practice / policy - not PlusNet's.

[#9]

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@Richardcrawford wrote:

if you read that post from 2013

dun

dun

dun

We'd in flying cars by now, forget the skateboards

[#10]

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@Richardcrawford wrote:

I'm probably going to have to wait for an engineer (although I know it's going to be of no use since the issue is with Openreach)  

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This does not make sense - did you miss a word? If the issue is with Openreach, then the engineer might do something about it. You won't usually get charged if there's a fault somewhere else on the Openreach network beyond your property.

If the remote line test shows up some blatant fault somewhere on the Openreach network and not in your property, then that tends to get fixed without requiring an appointment. Otherwise an appointment tends to be the only way to get something fixed.

If it's some minor problem then you always have the option to just live with it if getting it fixed is going to be more trouble than it's worth.

[#11]

I'd also like to mention that there's usually an option to pay more to get a better level of service from Openreach, rather than just complain about the cheapest level of service. A "More Focused Appointment" appears to be either 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm, there are probably other options to get an evening or Saturday appointment, if you can find a service provider that will offer you them.

[#12]

well the minor problem is that incoming calls to my landline are blocked by a BT Call Guardian service which I certainly didn't implement, and I can't make outgoing calls because the line is dead, no dial tone.   so with a sick wife and very patchy cell coverage, this is fairly important to me.  

"you won't usually get charged"... interesting choice of words. Usually. So there is no hard and fast rule, no agreed statement of charging that I can review before I make an appointment?  When the call handler read out the statement they're required to read before booking an appointment it included the statement "a charge may be made... if no fault is found".   So is that fault with my internal phone wiring?   Because nothing has changed since the fault began, I know that there's no fault there.    It's all too woolly and I fear I am likely to be charged £65 AND lose almost a full day of work (because they won't chase for 7 hours) ONLY TO DISCOVER that the fault is elsewhere.  

I'm interested in the phrase "remote line test" because I presume BTOR have already carried that out and declared the line functioning.   Assuming a crossed line somewhere, that would be the obvious result since a signal from them aimed at my landline number would end up at whatever number has the BT Call Guardian.   

So how would they work out which line has been crossed?  

[#13]

That's a valid and hard question - the answer is that from the exchange / test centre, they cannot.  All that the can do is test the 'head' end of the line to see if it is 'complete' - they cannot tell where it terminates!

[#14]

Your agreement is with Plusnet, so it is ultimately Plusnet who decide if they are going to charge you for the visit or not. There are some relevant terms at https://www.plus.net/help/legal/terms/?scrollTo=engineerVisits#standardTerms (section 8 of Plusnet's standard terms for residential services).

Plusnet will make the decision based on what the engineer finds and notes down, and no-one can really make any definitive statement on if you'll be charged or not based on a description of the problem provided to the forum, but based on your description and assuming you've done all the checks correctly, it doesn't sound likely you'll be charged. You shouldn't rely on there being no issue with your internal wiring based on you not having changed any of it. If you don't have a test socket, that can makes things more difficult, and you have to rely on the engineer or Plusnet being reasonable about that.

[#15]

Have to say that the information provided here is a huge improvement on that provided by plusnet customer service.

IRO "done all the checks correctly", I don't have a corded phone, nor does anyone I know, so I can't do the checks without going and buying one.   More cost.  

And re the test socket, I asked the customer service rep what that was, after he mentioned it, but he didn't answer that question. 

also, re the engineers visit - "8.2.4. you report a fault, an engineer attends your premises and discovers the fault was not due to our services or equipment or, the reported fault was not present;"   It is more than likely that the fault is due to BTOR equipment or services.  So does that fall within the remit of charge, or not?   Rhetorical question, I mention it only to highlight that PN may very well decide to charge me.   

Maybe plusnet aren't any worse than the rest of the service providers in this type of case, but I'm stuck now with a problem I didn't cause, and no matter what way it goes, I'm probably going to have to shell out cash to get it fixed.