Is there customer support based out of the UK please?

[#1]

I find part of your customer support a bit of a joke:
i registered for new phone line and broadband. someone with south african accent called me yesterday morning to request a "new line connection fee of 49.99". i asked to be called back before 1pm as i wasn't convinced this was a legitimate call and whether i had to pay the extra fee (plusnet do get a fee of 49.99 though for new lines, that's fine).
noone called before 1pm yesterday. i posted a ticket at 3pm reporting this.
at 8:30 this morning another south african accent calls me. he said he called because i asked them to call before 1pm!!! i asked whether it was about the new line fee and that i was willing to pay 49.99 for the installation asap. they wouldn't accept it!!! they mumbled about a direct debit and about placing the new order. so, why did they call me yesterday asking for 49.99???
please help, i'm getting mad! do these people understand customer service? could someone from the UK please resolve this?
thanks.

[#2]

we have two call centre, the original English one in Sheffield that can be reached on 0144 296 5188, if you dial the 0845 number you might get that or you might get the call centre that PN inherited from the John Lewis Partnership in Durban South Africa, that is supposed to be an overflow location.
On sign up it is quicker if you initially give a credit card, as it takes them about an extra week to set up and verify the DD's.  The £49.99 should only be payable if you havnt got a current line, the set up fee for Broadband, I thought was £40, and there you have two options, pay up front and go on a 1 month contract, with 10 days notice, or agree to stay for 12 month on "Deferred" where you dont pay the £40 and if you stay for 12 month it is written off, if you leave early you have to pay - again only 10 day notice required
just looked it up

Quote

Pay a one-off setup fee of £40 and have the freedom to leave Plusnet when you choose with 10 days' notice and no penalties. If you need a router, you can also buy one from us for as little as £20. Alternatively, take a 12 month contract and you'll only be charged for your setup and router if you leave within 12 months of signing up.

[#3]

Hi ritz,
I'm just digging into this to find out what's going on with the order. I'll be back with an update shortly.

[#4]

hiya Ritz,
I have just been connected, and had exactly the same thing happen.
However, no first payment is taken via debit card or direct debit UNTIL you are actually connected.
Dont ask why, because nobody seems to know!
I take it you dont already have a bt socket in your home then mate?

[#5]

thanks to all of you who replied.
pierre_pierre: you say "we have"... who are 'you', plusnet? and why don't you have a real name as the other plusnet gentleman who replied by name. in any case, the info you are providing is wrong: there is no set up fee of 49.99 for new broadband, this is only chargeable for new phone lines, as i requested. there has been no mistake here.
matt taylor: appreciated. pls check my ticket yesterday and last week, explicitly requesting new phone line. i would like to speak to uk customer support always please.
torbayguy: i do have a bt socket at home, but i am requesting a new line (as my secondary residential phone line + internet for the house). the funny thing is that their second call (this morning) was contradicting yesterday's call! they had also acknowledged y'day that they would call me back yesterday b4 1pm  
my goodness!

[#6]

Ritz have a look through my thread, you will see your alone! 
http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,84426.0.html

[#7]

I've also been wondering for a long time who pierre_pierre is. Says on his profile "I'm retired" so maybe he's a retired PluNet Staff. Very helpful guy (more power to him) but would one of his replies be the official Plusnet reply?

[#8]

Pierré Pierré is a customer just like you and me but one who takes a very 'personal interest' in the forum hence the use of 'we' when referring to Plusnet.
He tends to be quite graphical in his responses and has been around for quite a few years.
To the best of my knowledge he has never worked for Plusnet.

[#9]

It's all a case of interpretation.
We have 2 call centres that we could be put through to when we ring Plus Net up.
PN have 2 call centres that you could be put through to when you ring them up.
Means exactly the same thing, but expressed differently.

[#10]

Hi ritz,
Thanks for your time on the phone - the fee has now been taken and the order is progressing. I'll also address the issues that you mention with our support centre.

[#11]

Yes, I an not and never have been a PN employee, and most people have a different "handle"  here to their Broadband log on name, my reason is that I have a PN web based site and they all start with your username, as does the e-mails - so it stops people you dont know muscling in.
if you look at the bottom of the index page you will see a lot of non PN users  - at the moment 122 Guests, 24 Users (2 Hidden)
And that quote on my last page is correct, it came from the PN Portal, take a look and click the more info button
Oh and another if you want to know, I worked for 43 years in the Auto industry and retired early in 1996 on full pension and got PN broadband in 1998

[#12]

Hey Pierre, my cars asking to see the garage, if your not busy, fancy a trip to Paignton? 

[#13]

Better not let SWMBO see, you only said yesterday when are we going back to Cornwall, We normally stay in the St Austel area, four times now, and We have friends, for the last 50 years, now living in Plymouth.
PS this is one of my mounts on the top of the Gross Glockner in Austria

[#14]

matt, thanks for helping move things forward. i would appreciate an earlier date than the 23rd of April (that's a delay that has been caused by bad service from your substation staff).
the real question here is why one has to go to a public forum to get good service? is the subcentre unable or untrained to do this? so, what is the value they are adding to plusnet? (reading some of the other posts in this forum, it seems that they are doing more harm to your brand than they do any good! something to consider...).
i would appreciate if you could always get uk-based staff to contact me for future issues. i find the service station in south africa appalling so far.
thanks again.

[#15]

Hi Ritz,
There is a backlog with our suppliers which is why your order was not raised until today so this is not due to any agent error on our side of things. We are sorry to hear that you are not happy with how things have gone when you have dealt with the Durban call centre, however any training issues that have been highlighted by this will be raised where needed.