Is not answering questions a new policy

[#1]

Please see below my question and the rather useless answer.
Either your analyst did not read it,  did not understand the question, read it but has a target for closing questions or you have a new policy to not answer questions via tickets and expect everyone to ring in.
Which one is it?
I have certainly learned not to say anything positive that can be latched on to close a ticket.
A shame because everything else about the upgrade went well.
Question
My router arrived and the service is working fine. However I need to have access to all the router's settings.
Is there a way of bypassing the plusnet UI to get to the native UI?
Reply
Thank you for getting touch,
We are very pleased to hear your fibre services are working fine, please contact our technical support team on 08004320200 for any sort of router settings.
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.
Kind regards,
Link:csa removed
Adie:red removed agents name as per link:rules

[#2]

The answer you were given is understandable, though referring you to these forums might have been more appropriate for that question. Support will assist with router setup but they are not experts on its inner workings.
You could take a look at topic Unlocking the potential of Sagemcom 2704N (assuming that is the router Plusnet supplied to you).

[#3]

Sorry I am confused by your reply.
Why is it understandable that I am being asked to call if I have a technical question? I thought that was what the ticket system was for.
Why is it OK to close a ticket without answering my question?
I have already read some of the thread you suggested but that seems to be working along the lines of finding a way around the Plusnet UI.
I understand Plusnet created the UI to reduce support calls which is a good idea for them and for a lot of the user base.
However some of us know how to use a router and would like the option of have access to the manufacturers user interface.

[#4]

As far as I understand, the router is property of PLUSNET, and the only way to get around the plusnet restrictions is to re-flash the firmware with a rooted version.
This does break T&C so is not advisable....

[#5]

I suggest that the technically savvy sometimes rather expect too much.  The PlusNET supplied routers are not intended to be all things to all men, rather something which will be idiot proof for 90%+ of the user base and will not generate a significant support work load when the ill informed make ill advised changes.
If you know what your are doing and want to make changes to your heart's content, then may be the right answer is to buy your own router which is not idiot proof and more closely matches your personal requirements.

[#6]

Either way, I think OP should maybe have been directed here rather than just be told to call in, so I've fed the ticket back 
@cfcws - Did you get what you were after in the end?

[#7]

Quote from: MattyC

Either way, I think OP should maybe have been directed here rather than just be told to call in.

Or perhaps the ticket re-directed to Technical Support. That would be the best solution for both the OP and work-scheduling within Plusnet.

[#8]

Townman
Thanks for the helpful comments but when I was offered the router it was not described as a locked down idiot proof router. In fact it was not possible to find out even what make it was or its capabilities. Also you missed the point of my message which was the closing of the ticket not the router.

MattyC
Thanks, I have not had any further reply re the ticket.
I don't agree that I should have been referred to the forums as all I was looking for was 'official' confirmation from Plusnet that they do not allow users to bypass the idiot proof UI to get to the underlying router. It seemed the prudent thing to do before spending money on a new router.
I think I know what the answer is now but I was more annoyed at the manner in which the ticket was closed. Time to buy my own router I guess.

[#9]

Quote from: cfcws

When I was offered the router it was not described as a locked down idiot proof router. In fact it was not possible to find out even what make it was or its capabilities.

That's a fair point, however knowing the make (in this case) is not going to help as it uses customised firmware.  Anything published about the generic product will presume a "standard" firmware offering.
There are a number of reasonable expectations arising from off-the-shelf routers which many also expect of the packaged product supplied by ISPs.  Several ISPs firmly lock their routers down to just their services so that you cannot use it with a different provider / pass it on.  Others (notably BT) limit the amount of technical data you an get out of them, one wonders if that is to reduce support calls from those trying to get the most out of margin lines.
With the ever decreasing charges for BB service, which is complex and naturally leads to a support service demand, it is not surprising that ISPs are looking at every angle to reduce support call volumes - reasonably or otherwise.  This router does inhibit idiots doing wrong things, however it thereby stops people such as you and me from doing what we know can be done...
...for what its worth, if BTOR get my client's line provision sorted, I'll be taking my first encounter with the 2704n router later this week ... until I can make up my mind what to buy in place of the intended Vigor V2925Vn+ which appears to have gone out of production and does not have a clear replacement.

[#10]

I should probably make it clear that the upgrade to fibre worked perfectly, the engineer arrived on time and the service was working in 15 minutes. Of course like most people I am not getting anywhere near the estimated speed but after reading the forums I think pursuing that is a waste of time.
The router is great it works out of the box and if I was PN I would create a locked down router as well. I would guess that whoever came up with the idea of a custom router interface deservedly got a nice promotion/ bonus for cutting the number of support calls.
What bugs me is companies that do not have an alternative route set out in their training/crib sheets etc for customers who may want something different. Even if the route they suggest is to buy your own router.
It is just laziness on the part of the back room guys who designed the customer service process. The best companies are not purely driven by internal accountants looking to to cut costs.

[#11]

Quote from: cfcws

The best companies are not purely driven by internal accountants looking to to cut costs.

I totally agree with you on that point.  However the user is cost driven rather than quality driven ... Until it goes wrong and then quality (or lack of it) becomes a concern.  I had always thought that something given for "free" was probably not of much value ... though to be fair the TG582n (the previous standard router) has not been too bad for me.  Certainly better than my old bought router and for that matter better than the dual band NetGear router I acquired.
As for your speed, it is worth giving it a poke - line faults in new installs are not unheard of....

[#12]

@cfcws unfortunately you've just joined to see the tail end of what used to be a good company. Plusnet used to be a gem and the staff always used to go the extra mile to help the cognoscenti get what they wanted out of a competitively priced service.
How this relates to routers is that prior to the latest offering the routers weren't locked down and there were telnet instructions available on these fora for those who were interested and driven to optimise and customise. The present offering with it's lack of features and lack of support from PN is all part of the move away from the old customer centered attitude towards a mass market follow the crowd strategy. 

[#13]

Despite my misgivings I thought I would ask about my speed problems.
The reply below at least proves that the ticket system is effectively dead. So now I have to use the chat system even though I do not have time, will probably have to go through the idiot user script when all I want is for someone to check there is nothing wrong at Plusnet's end. Especially when many people say their profile is usually wrong on fibre upgrades.
What a waste of time and energy but I know somewhere in Plusnet there is an accountant basking in the glory of cutting the cost base.
'Thanks for taking the time to contact Plusnet.
We're making some changes to the way we handle our customers questions. So, we’re not able to answer your question in this way but we’d be more than happy to help you quickly and easily though Plusnet Chat.
Just follow the link below to chat to us online and we’ll do all we can to help.
https://www.plus.net/home-broadband/contact/'