LIVE CHAT is NOT busy... it isn`t working

[#1]

In reply number 12.......

@JonoH  made this statement.....

The decision was made and we were unable to change the messaging on the live chat widget in the same time frame. We are working in doing that as we speak.

BUT..... on the top of the Plusnet Feedback board is a "sticky"  that is entitled.....

Chat service availability

with the last post on there.... 8th of June 2018........

WHY, did nobody THINK to put a new STICKY...

LIVE CHAT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED .....

...Instead of persisting that there was no time to change the lies that they proudly display on the Live Chaat access page....

Perhaps they thought nobody would notice...... and be "taken in" by the lie that Live Chat was Busy......

also...in the statement above.....

We are working in doing that as we speak.

which was posted 3 hours prior to this post now..... 

  How long does it take to open, and post, a short thread on the very forum where customers WILL be complaining about a service that has been Disabled, for Disabled customers, to keep them informed......

[#2]

The use of the word 'lie' is a bit strong and assumes that there was an intention to mislead customers which I very much doubt.

[#3]

@Mav 

LIE is not a bit strong at all......

Because there was no announcement..... and because there has been no notice that Live Chat IS unavailable... and .... Because it states ...... quite clearly.... on the LIVE CHAT ACCESS PAGE..

"We`re a little busy"   --- totally untrue,.... as we now know...

"there might be a short wait"      --- totally unture.... as my thread with times of access showing 2.5 hours

 departments that are "open" ... lists....  "customer services"   --- marginally true.... but only via the telephone... TOTALLY UNTRUE via Live Chat.which is what the page is telling us.

"Join Queue"..... totally untrue.... as there is NO queue.... as nobody has any access to Live Chat.

"Chat is available 7 days a week"  ----   totally untrue..... (as we now know )... and hasn `t been available for the past week..(or more ) .

"7.30 am -10 pm..." --- totally untrue..... see previous lines.

Outside of these hours please call us on 0800   etc..... a totally irresponsible suggestion to DEAF and Hard of Hearing customers..( Disabled customers ).... an  an insult quallified by the "sorry for the inconvenience" responses to earlier complaints.

Please explain how you can say that the above pictures, and wordings, are not intentionally misleading customers...

[#4]

Because as @JonoH stated, there wasn't time to change the message before chat was pulled.

As it is being worked on at this moment then I don't see it necessary to continue in this vein. Hopefully the message will be altered in a timely manner.

[#5]

"there wasn`t time before chat was pulled"

Then, if that is the case.... it should have been planned better, by whoever decided it was a good idea, not really thinking properly about what the consequences were to the customers of the action taken. 

There has been plenty of time for someone in the department that decided this action, to put up a message on this board.... as a STICKY... about the situation regarding Live Chat....

Even before I started this thread..... and...even after I mooted the idea in the thread,...

. yet... there is still no notice to inform those customers being frustrated by the lack of access to Live Chat.

,  apart from the misleading words stating that Live Chat is a little busy...  etc etc etc etc ..

Certainly not "doing us proud" ..... nor themselves, come to think of it....

[#6]

I have Autism and find it extremely difficult to speak on the phone. what service do you have to support me if your live chat isn't working?

[#7]

Hey @cooper1218,

Thanks for getting with us here.

We do have the options here available should you have trouble with calling into our contact centre, or you can get in touch over this community forum by creating your own thread and it'll be picked up. The same with our Facebook/Twitter channels - just bob us a PM/DM with your account username & a summary of the issues you are facing and we can go from there.

Thanks.

[#8]

@Mads   Interesting....  you do not respond to any of my points.....

and judging by the wording of your last post on here....

can we assume that LIVE CHAT is NOT going to be reinstated.

and the best way disabled customers, such as Deaf, Hard of hearing, Autism, etc 

                                                                                   ......................................   is to send  you a Private Message. 

Before a final decision ( if it has not yet been made) to discontinue Live Chat... take a quick check on how many people have read this thread...

On Monday... it ws 436 ...

                     on Tuesday... it was 485...

                                        on Wedesday... it ws 641

                                                           and currently it is at 670.  

Surely, this shows there is a genuine demand for this service.....

Taking just those statistics... it s possible to read them as customers who have tried to contact customer services via Live Chat and in frustration , have found the thread on here.... 

        Of course... that number "could" be wrong,..... inasmuch, it does not include those unfortunates, who have just "given up" .because they do not know about the forum.

  ( yes... there are some customers who do not know about, or use the forum.... ) ..

In your reply... you also mention Facebook/Twitter   ... and.. what about those, like me... who do not have, or want,/need,  a Facebook, or Twitter account.... 

Are we to assume, that those staff currently employed on Facebook/Twitter accounts, are the same ones that USED TO BE working on Live Chat .... and that is the reason for this atrocious management of the current situation...

still no messages.....( apart from the blatant untruths showing on the Live Chat access page..  ) that Live Chat is NOT active.

[#9]

Hi @shutter,

Thanks for getting in touch.

I appreciate your query and apologise for the Live Chat service being unavailable at present. Queries handled on this service are always responded to by agents working in the relevant departments the query came under, the service has never been handled by our Social Media department or staff and that remains the case.

I understand you not wanting to contact us via Twitter, Facebook or our Community forum. Although Live Chat is not available at present, you can still contact us via the text service https://www.relayuk.bt.com/. This is the replacement to the Next Generation Text service and allows you to type out your communication or instruction which is then relayed live to us. You can also do this via the app on the site should you so wish.

I hope this is a workable alternative to the Live Chat service for the time being.

Thanks - LF

[#10]

@LordFoul 

@Mads 

@Gandalf 

OK.... here` s the story....

Went to the link.... saw that I could download either Windows or Linux...and did Windows first ( even though I am using Linux ) can usually work Windows progs and apps through WINE 4.0

... (For me...usually an easier way to install progs that I already know and use...)

Installation took only a couple of seconds from the download...   and was reported as successful...

clicked on the desktop icon.... had a very very very brief flash of a "Terminal" window  ( I think... )  and nothing else happened. 

so ...uninsalled it.... and downloaded the Linux version...

got it extracted to the Desktop folder I had prepared...

opened the folder ... tried to "open" the executive file.... NGT Lite .sh.....

Nothing happened.... not even a flash of terminal window..

I don`t consider myself a computer guru, especially as far as Linux is concerned....but I can usually get most stuff working when instructions are given and followed to the letter.. ( as per second attempt ) ..

If I am finding this "difficult" ... then how difficult will it be for " less talented" computer users than me ? ? ? ? 

Live Chat is so simple to use... and does not ( did not ) need any special competency... except, maybe to download another browser and use that, as an alternative because you cannot figure out which adblocker app is stopping it working for you...

Just as an update of the statistics provided on my previous thread..

another 16 views....  or another 16 customers who have been frustrated by the "untruths" on the Live Chat access page.,....

making the total 686   

[#11]

Thanks for your feedback, by the end of next week we're hoping to have all of the pages that offer chat advise you that the service is closed.  Hopefully this should make it easier for customers to make a choice about how they'd like to contact us from our available channels.

[#12]

@JonoH  What a shabby way of doing things.....Shadesof Dr. Beeching and the cuts in Railway services.

How can you close a vital service to deaf. hard of hearing, autism, disabled customers, without a proper , easy to use replacement.....

Please explain how it will be easier for us ( disabled customers )  to contact you when you close the service ?  

Your post, does not make any sense at all....

Why not put a sticky on this board.... LIVE CHAT IS CLOSED.  see here for alternative ways to contact us.

This is an absolute disgrace.

I was once proud to belong to PlusNet.... but after 10 years.... I am beginning to feel that getting old, and deaf, is the kind of customer that PlusNet does not want any more.

I tried, yesterday for over 2 hours to get that NGT thing working....but no....

Again this morning, I have been trying for almost THREE HOURS to get it to open on my Linux Mint 19.1  from the instructions given on the link provided....but no..

still not working..... just the same as Live Chat...

Diabolical service   ...... noway are you living up to your "supposed" reputation of "do you proud"...

Absolutely disgusting way to treat customers...

certainly won`t be recommending PlusNet to anyone.... and most likely will be searching for another ISP when my current line rental period runs out...

[#13]

One has to ask what the motivation to the closure of this service is. To me an interface via a chat service or indeed via social media for the type of support and services offered by Plusnet (or others) is pointless. You could deal with many more people via the phone in the same time frame, as very few people can type as fast as they speak.

[#14]

@JonoH 

I hope that those pages that advise that chat is closed also tell you all the available methods that can be used to contact Plusnet with appropriate instructions as to how to use those methods.

Not all Plusnet customers are users of these forums (so at the moment thay do not know about this impending reduction of service) nor are they all users of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Therefore those customers will presumably revert to telephone contact only with the attendant waiting times that invoilves.

Not to mention the reduction in service for disabled customers which others have already alluded to.

Or are you going to reintroduce a comprehensive ticket system which I seem to remember was discontinued as the Live Chat option was seen as a better option?

The Plusnet service just gets poorer.

[#15]

@Mook   Unfortunately.... you miss the whole point of "live chat".... as regards to people who are DEAF.... Hard of Hearing... or with Autism... who find it almost impossible to use a telephone... but they can... invariably, use a keyboard when sitting down in front of it.... even if they only type at 10 wpm... the will get their message across ... clearly and concisely... in much the same way as those with good/reasonable hearing.

The alternative of NGT as given by the so-called help team. is useless. as it does not work on Linux..   as you well know..

therefore to close such a VITAL SERVICE to the disabled hard of hearing customers.. before making sure there is an actual working alternative text from computer system in place... it is STUPIDITY in the management way of things... it`s ok for them... they are not disabled hard of hearing... and think everyone is computer savvy enough to get stuff like NGT working...