I too wish I hadn't left TalkTalk - and that's really saying something!

[#1]

I used to be a BT customer. I hated how long it took to get through to customer service, so I left. I then was a TalkTalk customer, but their customer service people were always in the Philippines and never knew how to help.
I then joined PlusNet and I now know why coal - not broadband - comes from Yorkshire. The broadband service is ABYSMAL. It never works. I never had a problem with the connection for YEARS AND YEARS when I was BT and TalkTalk. I join PlusNet and suddenly half the time I have no broadband. And of course those charming tykes insist it is my fault. But after replacing wires, cables, microfilters and the modem it still doesn't work - particularly when the internet is desperately needed - and I am confronted by SARCASTIC, ARGUMENTATIVE and CONSTANTLY INTERRUPTING boys with MAJOR ATTITUDE PROBLEMS who seem to occupy your call centre. It is not just me saying this, the people - always the men - are plain rude, uncaring and dismissive of what you say. They constantly interrupt you and seem to take pleasure in being difficult and obstructive. They are never wrong and you are never right. If you contradict them they immediately claim you are being rude or are "shouting". I am sick of it.
Maybe it is something about "coming from Yorkshire". Maybe it is something 'anti-southern' going on... well, I just want my broadband to work. It constantly fails to work. It pains me to say it but despite BT and TalkTalk's shortcomings, despite the delays in getting through to speak to someone AT LEAST YOU GET BROADBAND 24/7 which is after all what you wanted when you signed up, not to put up with some argumentative, truculent northern attitude-queen telling you your wrong and whose interpersonal skills remain better suited to working at the pit face than handling anyone south of the Humber on the telephone.
It now seems clear that the reason why BT bought PlusNet is to maintain weak, ineffectual competition to avoid accusations they are a monopoly. But the competition is so much worse they can be confident people will eventually return to BT.
Please sort it out and fix my connection or I am leaving because you are failing to provide what I have agreed to pay for.

[#2]

Hi  jfrankcom,

Quote

I then joined PlusNet and I now know why coal - not broadband - comes from Yorkshire.

I'm sorry to read about your problems here, I'd like to at least try and reassure you that the problems you are experiencing do sound like an issue with your individual connection in some way and not our service in general. I'll do my utmost to help you through getting this sorted, what ever the cause of the issue is.

Quote

I am confronted by SARCASTIC, ARGUMENTATIVE and CONSTANTLY INTERRUPTING boys with MAJOR ATTITUDE PROBLEMS

If that has been your experience of our call centre we're very sorry, I'm going to see if we can listen to the calls you've made to us and any issues such as that will be addressed as that is not the kind of customer service we should be giving our customers.

Quote

Maybe it is something about "coming from Yorkshire". Maybe it is something 'anti-southern' going on

We'd get nowhere by discriminating against any customers not from Yorkshire, as mentioned it does sound like an issue with your service and I'm sure I can help, I'm going to check carefully through the history of your account before running what diagnostics I can before contacting you.

[#3]

PS thanks for your time on the phone, as mentioned I've logged the fault with our suppliers and will be back in touch when an engineer has been booked.

[#4]

Just a quick update to say that I've updated your ticket. To cut a long story short I should be able to book an engineer later today so I'll be in touch as soon as I've been able to sort that out.

[#5]

Well your promises mean nothing. I have wasted an entire day of my time sitting at home waiting for the engineer who never came. To be honest I didn't expect them to come because anything and anyone associated with PlusNet is likely to be an incompetent.
I demand financial compensation for the wasted day and your continued lack of service. I need broadband to be reliable, it isn't, I am sick of your lame excuses and empty promises. Compensate me for the wasted time, the dozens of phonecalls to your ignorant staff and the failure to provide broadband to an acceptable standard.
EVERYONE SHOULD AVOID PLUSNET THEY ARE A BUNCH OF COMPLETE MUPPETS AND THEIR BROADBAND IS link:censored
adie:red removed full quote of preceding post and avoidance of swear filter]

[#6]

The engineer is from Openreach and not PN, I'm sure PN will raise this with them and it really is out of their control if the appointment is missed.

[#7]

Quote

I have wasted an entire day of my time sitting at home waiting for the engineer who never came

I though you would be working which is why I asked the engineer to call 30 minutes ahead of arrival so that you wouldn't have to wait in?
I'm really sorry and not yet sure why the engineer didn't turn up as they were booked. I'll investigate and get back to you again ASAP.
We're not directly responsible for the engineers but you are paying us for your service so I'm sorry that another issue like this has affected you, I'll continue to do what I can to resolve this as quickly and painlessly as possible and will make sure you're given a good will gesture afterwards.
PS I've just tried calling you again I reached an automated message to say that you're currently unavailable.

[#8]

Here is some information that the dimwits at PLUSNET do not want you to know - the fault was fixed. And guess where it was? It was at their EXCHANGE and nothing to do with my system. So I have had to spend TWO SATURDAYS sitting at home waiting for engineers that never came around. I have had to spend at least two hours on the telephone to your very nice but totally useless callcentre staff. And now I have found out the fault was with PlusNet (as I suspected) they are avoiding me. They have tried to bill me but I DEMAND COMPENSATION for the whole period of the fault. However they want to take the fault date from the day I wrote on this forum - writing on this forum was not the first thing I did, it was the LAST. I demand two months free because I was unable to use the internet with any reliability in the entire month of December and the entire month of January.
I still warn everyone - do not go with PlusNet. Stick with TalkTalk or BT they are far more reliable.
dick:quote

[#9]

And what is more worrying for everyone involved is this;
They have told me that £1.50 of the amount they charge me is for a non-direct debit payment. I then say "but you have direct debited me" and it turns out they are using a card number they have "on their system" to take money from my account WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. I had actually requested they DELETE THIS CARD NUMBER more than a month ago - so they are in material breach of the Data Protection Act (which they are so fond of using when it suits them) not to mention the LARSONY laws, that's right, THEFT. They are taking money using a card they are not authorised to use. Heads should roll over this.
dick:quote

[#10]

Quote

Here is some information that the dimwits at PLUSNET do not want you to know - the fault was fixed. And guess where it was? It was at their EXCHANGE and nothing to do with my system.

That's a little harsh IMO we're not hiding anything from you here, I can see that a fault at the exchange was fixed and intended to talk to you about that today.

Quote

and it turns out they are using a card number they have "on their system" to take money from my account WITHOUT MY PERMISSION

Your card was listed which does mean billing defaults to any card listed and the £1.50 is automatically debited for non-direct debit payments.
I've mentioned before that when we know the fault has been resolved, which it now has that we'll credit you for the downtime and will provide two months free broadband subscription by way of a good will gesture so I'll keep to my promise and make sure that is applied for you.
I'm dealing with the credits now on your account and will pass the ticket back to you confirming what I've done. I've just tried calling you on your mobile but was unable to get through.

[#11]

There is no such offense as larcency in the UK either under common law or statute law.

[#12]

The Larceny Act 1916
there was just a few years ago

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Long title An Act to consolidate
and simplify the Law relating to
Larceny triable on Indictment and
Kindred Offences.
Dates
Royal Assent 31 October 1916
Commencement 1 January 1917
Other legislation
Repealing legislation The Theft Act 1968, s.33(3) & Sch.3, Pt.I
Status: