Plusnet Assist, and how it damaged my view of your company

[#1]

My internet experience has been rotten for the last few days. Cycling through "limited access" for minutes at a time before connecting, dropping out two or three times an hour, atrociously low download speeds. So I came to Plusnet's site for help, and found there was an automated assistant I could install which would solve all my worries and diagnose/cure the problem. Duly installed, and having waited the five minutes advised, I started it up - and was met with an error message saying I have an incompatible browser. Apparently I need to use IE or Firefox. OK, one thing - I DO use Firefox. It recommended using IE, so I switched browsers and restarted. Same result.
If you offer a facility making great claims which (a) cannot detect that I am already using the browser approved on its list, and (b) cannot tell when I switch to its recommended browser, then you look incompetent. I've uninstalled the Assist software as it is clearly utterly useless. This is just such a bad customer experience, and it has greatly downgraded my view of you as a company. Extremely poor.

[#2]

Hi kged,
I'm sorry about this. Plusnet Assist admittedly leaves a bit to be desired. As it stands, Plusnet Assist only works on IE up to version 9.0. Have your download speeds improved in any way at all?
Matty

[#3]

Quote from: MattyC

As it stands, Plusnet Assist only works on IE up to version 9.0.

Not good news for the vast majority of Windows users (running Windows 7 or 8.1).

[#4]

See my latest post http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,132039.0.html

[#5]

Quote from: MattyC

Plusnet Assist only works on IE up to version 9.0. Have your download speeds improved in any way at all? Matty

Its ridiculous and embarrassing, that PN assist only supports a browser version that was last updated in 14th March 2011.
So PN encourage the customer (through the website) to use a PN assist ( which is dreadful any in any case) but you have to use a three and a half year outdated browser, with its security flaws.
PN where is the logic in this?, if you can not be bothered to keep it up to date, you should not offer it !, encouraging customers to use an out dated browser is bad practice.
Regards
Mike

[#6]

I do agree with you, and some good points have been raised.
This is something that I have personally fed back before, but I will make sure that I do again.

[#7]

Thanks for your reply Matty
What makes it worse is that you have to feedback on a problem like this in the first place , were is the common sense ( surely the department that deal with PN assist know all these short comings?), and when you do, you have obviously not be listened to, the safest option is to discontinue PN assist , until it will work with current browsers/versions.
It seems these days getting anything changed at PN, requires months of we are " looking into it".

Regards
Mike

[#8]

Its like BR old saying "  We are Getting there " 

[#9]

BT(retail) don't seem to have this problem with their version of the software ('BT Desktop Help' aka 'MotiveSmart', as far as I can see it's quite happy to work in IE11 at least), I thought Plusnet Assist was little more than a rebranded version of that (but it appears it has not kept up with updates that have found their way onto the BT branded version).