Home Move Confusion

[#1]

I 'joined' plusnet today (after a miserable experience with TalkTalk).  We're moving on the 20th.  When I went to put in a day for the service to start, the earliest date it would let me put in was the 29th, so I did.  I then called Customer Service to see if it could be brought forward.  After 20 minutes on hold, I got through to a nice chap who explained the folks we're buying from had a 'pending cease' on the line, and he needed to ask BT to take it off so PlusNet could take over the service on the 21st.  I called the chap - he called BT and got told that's 'the way they do things' and it couldn't be changed.
So, we won't have a 'phone (never mind broadband) for at least three days after we move in.  (Tried to call Customer Service, to get a recording saying to expect a 15 minute delay - didn't bother.)
Come on, folks, it's not a Telegraph station in 1915 - it's the 21st century.  I find it even more frustrating knowing that PlusNet is owned by BT - and they can't coordinate their activities any better than this.
'Doing me proud' indeed.  I hope this isn't an indicator of things to come, as I thought I'd left waiting on the phone for 15-20 minutes only to get less than excellent service behind at TalkTalk.
Still, I did get the lack of service in, firstly, a Scottish, and, secondly, a Yorkshire, accent, both of which I could understand.  That's the improvement.

[#2]

A lot of this sort of issue is due to OFCOM rules. Openretch who are responsible for the provision have to follow defined procedures, nor are they allowed to give BT Retail or Plusnet any preferential treatment over any other CP.  Whilst BT Retail have taken the action they have, they are the fly in the ointment it seems. However as you say, this is the 21st century and frankly this type of problem should not arise. I would ring OFCOM and ask them why the current procedure allows this to happen and what can be done to expedite the issue. If they end up saying nothing can be done, register a formal complaint with them - tell them there current procedures aren't good enough. Make sure they give you a reference number.

[#3]

Thanks Anotherone - but it won't do me any good.  And it still doesn't answer why I have to hang on a phone for 20 minutes listening to 80's music instead of getting an answer.  So I'll wait, without a 'phone, for three or four days after moving.  Didn't happen last time we moved (twenty years ago) before all the 'progress' of individual companies doing 'phone services.  Maybe PlusNet are a victim or their own success - I'll give it a month or two before I throw my toys out the pram.

[#4]

Nothing will ever do anyone any good when the basic rules of the system are at fault and no-one ever complains about it. Do please phone OFCOM.
Nor am I quite sure why Plusnet tell new customers that have just placed an order to phone the CSC number rather than the Provisioning number, but there is an option on the CSC number for customers wanting to discuss an existing order.  Are you saying that this option also has very lengthy wait times? If so, come on Plusnet, get your digit out!

[#5]

Hi ronfowler,
Sorry to hear the previous tenants line isn't due to cease until after you've moved in. Unfortunately, as Anotherone has already pointed out, we are restricted by the owners of the existing phone line. If they have a pending cease on the line we cannot place an order to complete before this date. I appreciate that you've pointed out that we are a subsidiary of BT, however, we operate independently and therefore it makes no difference if it's us or another ISP trying to take over a BT owned line.
I can see that the pending cease is due to complete on 21/10/2014. There are a couple of different reasons why BT have put a pending cease on the line for this particular date.

• The date may coincide with when the current tenants contract is up and they may have to pay a penalty fee if they cease the service early.


• The current tenants may have had to give 14 days notice of ceasing the services.

Once the phone line has been ceased we may be able to re-activate the phone line remotely within 24 working hours of placing the order, however, if we are unable to do this remotely then it will require an engineers visit in which case we'll book the phone line installation and Fibre installation on the same day.
@Anotherone There isn't a specific provisioning number to call. All calls are routed from 0800 432 0200 or 0345 140 0200 for support and it's then based on the correct option being selected depending on which department the customer wishes to speak to. The OP pointed out that they called Customer Services, they didn't state that Plusnet had specifically told them to call general Customer Services as opposed to Provisioning.
OFCOM are going to be unable to do very little in this situation considering it's their rules and regulations that they would be breaking if they did alter this process. The existing phone line belongs to BT, that means that they have full control over what they do with the line. As the gaining provider we cannot "override" the cease order that they have placed on the line.

[#6]

Hi Linn K,
I'm starting to think I've chosen the wrong ISP.  You're on-line signup tool wouldn't let me pick an installation date before the 29th - even though we're moving the 21st.  Now you're telling me I might not even have a phone until nine days after our move.
That's 'doing us proud'?  I don't think so.

[#7]

Eh, my understanding of Linn's post above is that they can possibly remotely activate the line within 24hours of the cease on the 21/10/14 which doesn't add up to the 29th. Is someone else saying something different somewhere? If so this needs to be urgently looked at.
@Linn
Perhaps I should have been more correct with my "terminology"    - Residential sales - 0800 432 0080
I also think you've misunderstood my point

Quote

OFCOM are going to be unable to do very little in this situation considering it's their rules and regulations that they would be breaking if they did alter this process. The existing phone line belongs to BT, that means that they have full control over what they do with the line. As the gaining provider we cannot "override" the cease order that they have placed on the line.

I was not suggesting that you should over-ride or be able to over-ride a cease order. Whilst I did make a reference to the current situation, the point of going to OFCOM is that it is precisely that their rules need to be changed if they prevent a "seamless" transfer. If we accept that the reasons for the cease order are valid and the existing line customer does not wish to change them (not just BT Retail's whim), then the line ceases on the 21st, and the new order should take effect immediately, there is no need for a wait of even an hour or 2, never mind 24hrs or several days.
After all, it is nothing more than a remote software job, simply a change of the name on the account for the line, even if there's a change of the phone number (a few more keys to press) there are no wiring/jumpering jobs needed, it's not a LLU phone line.

[#8]

I understand where you're coming from, Anotherone.
This isn't necessarily about BT "preventing" a seamless transfer as such. It's their decision what they do with the line. Many times the owner of the line can request that the cease order is removed from the line so that a seamless transfer can be made, however, this isn't something that the gaining provider can request for the gaining customer - it has to come from the owner of the existing line. Based on what the OP has stated the owner of the line called BT and requested this but BT said that that's now what they're going to do. Why you may ask? That's something I'm not able to answer - the question will need to be directed at BT.

[#9]

Sorry my main point has nothing really to with what the existing customer of the line has or has not requested or whether BT Retail cease the line.
None of that should prevent Openreach from setting up the line for a new customer of yours at the immediate instance that it it ceased as a result of the BT Retail order. If OFCOM rules or Openreach procedures prevent that, then it is something that needs to be addressed by OFCOM.

[#10]

Hi ronfowler,
I just want to warn you in advance that the 29th is just a provisionally suggested date. We are unable to place the order until we have switched your line back on, which will not be until the 21st. I'm a bit disappointed that the cease cannot be removed as it's likely to cause you a little inconvenience. But we'll do all we can from our side.
For the benefit of the forum; the date of the 29th comes in as FTTC has been requested.
@Anotherone I see where you're coming from. IMHO, what would make sense would be the ability to place an order to reactivate the line before the line gets ceased. Again this will be an issue that lies with OFCOM.
Matty

[#11]

Thanks Matty.
@ronfowler
It looks as though Plusnet are doing all they can to get you up and running as quickly as they can within the bounds of this crazy system. It seems your phone line is likely to be up on the 21st and the broadband I'm sure they will get activated as soon as they can. Do have a moan at OFCOM though about the way their rules and Openreach are working when it comes to this sort of house move situation. Good luck.

[#12]

Hi,
It seems that I am having the same problems as @ronfowler.
I have just moved into a flat and the previous tenants provider SKY.  I have contacted SKY who have told me that they cannot take off the pending cease and that Plusnet have to contact them not me.
The message I got from Plusnet was ...
Dear Mr Mennell,
There is a pending cease from current provider and due to complete on 20th November.
Please can you request for this to be removed so that we can take over the line, as there will be a £49.99 charge if ceased on the date above as it will require a engineer to restart the line.
Please do not hesitate to get back in touch online at http://portal.plus.net/wizard/?p=search if we can be of any further assistance
Will there defiantly be a £50 charge by Plusnet to restart a line that I was told  working line.  An earlier post suggested that there might be a remote takeover possible but this is not mentioned in my response from Plusnet.
I have moved house quite a few times over the last few years and never had this problem before.
Please let me know because I am very unimpressed with Plusnet so far as a new customer of only a week.
Nick

[#13]

Sadly, this seems to be the way it works under the regime created by OFCOM/BT and PN can do nothing about that.
If you had decided to take over the Sky services from the previous occupant then maybe charges would have been avoidable, but you didn't.
It's entirely possible (indeed likely) that Sky have their own equipment in the exchange so moving to any service based on the BT equipment involves real rewiring in the exchange.

[#14]

It just seems strange that the last two moves I have done when I have moved house (to BT from a previously SKY tenant and to TalkTalk from a previous BT tenant) have required none of this.  In both cases the setting up of broadband was quick and I was not required to do anything let alone be told to contact the previous supplier or face a £50 charge.
Its easy to say that this is an OFCOM/BTOR problem but other suppliers I have used have not seemed to have had this problem.

[#15]

Maybe the departing occupants had been a bit more cooperative and not ceased everything, or your suppliers charged more and absorbed these costs?