My activation day as a new Plusnet customer was Monday 30th November. It was not an entirely satisfactory experience and went something like this:
Mon 30th
9am: Got up, (I'm retired OK! Your day will come), Internet connection still there with existing ISP so carried on as normal.
2pm: Got a text from Plusnet that my phone order was complete. Checked phone - all OK.
3pm: Internet connection with existing ISP went down. Now no Internet or emails. Ah well, Plusnet will text soon to tell me that by broadband is available.
I waited..............and waited..............and waited............no text from Plusnet.
7pm: Phoned the number in the Plusnet connection booklet. I was asked to punch in my phone number - did that - automated message "Your broadband is not up and running yet. We'll let you know when it's available"
I waited............and waited...................and waited...........no text from Plusnet.
10.30pm: Phoned Plusnet again. Automated message "Our provisioning deparetment is now closed until 7.30am" I began to wonder if I'd done the right thing by going with Plusnet.
Waited up 'till midnight but no text from Plusnet so went to bed.
Got up at 3am for..........well you know..........checked phone - no text.
Tuesday 1st December
7.30am: Phoned that number again. Same message "Your broadband is not up and running yet. We'll let you know when it's available"
8am: Seriously teed off with Plusnet now, I phoned Plusnet customer services this time. Message "We're experiencing high call levels at present..... (at 8 in the morning??) ........you may wish to go on line to the Plusnet website......" That last bit just added insult to injury.
I held the phone to my ear for 12 minutes before someone came on. I explained my situation. "Let me check" the young man said. I carried on holding the phone to my ear with Tina Turner blasting out Nutbush City - not nice at 8 in the morning. Four minutes later, (I timed it), the young man came back and said that according to their records my broadband had been up and runing since yesterday afternoon and had I tried plugging in my Plusnet router.
I stayed calm and polite, (with some difficulty), and asked why then had Plusnet not texted me to tell me that my broadband was available. There was a pause and the young man said somewhat sheepishly that it looked as though they had not sent me a text but that I could have plugged my router in and tried it. This was too much and I must admit that my voice tightened. I grizzled down the phone through gritted teeth...."Your Plusnet connection guide tells me not to connect my router until you have told me that my broadband is available, and you never told me that so I haven't connected it yet"
OK .........long story short. The young man on the end of the phone stayed with me for the next 20 minutes or so and talked me right through the whole setting up procedure until I had good Internet and emails. So thanks to him for his patience with me, a polite but obviously grumpy and unimpressed new customer.
So all's well that ends well. But Plusnet, you need to look at your activation day procedures for your new customers for sure, and for goodness sake lets have Mozart at 8am not Tina Turner !!
