Plusnet erased my webspace.

[#1]

Plusnet deleted all the files in my webspace, without legitimate cause, falsely accusing me of abuse of the AUP.
I recently updated my Plusnet broadband product to Plusnet Extra. Before doing so I asked about several features of my Plusnet account, specifically including "whether uploaded files on my Webspace would remain intact", and was assured by [removed] (CSC Analyst) that the "upgrade to the new package would allow you to keep all the same".
Come the day, and I get an email from the 'abuse team': "It has come to our attention that in the last 24 hours your website has exceeded its webspace allowance by a significant amount. Unfortunately, because of the amount over the limit, your site has been archived.  Please contact us through the website if you want your site to be restored. - we cannot do this via email or over the telephone. Your website used 60075 KB OVER its webspace usage allowance during the last 24 hours... A condition of your site being restored is that you take precautions to ensure that future levels of usage don't exceed what is allowed on your account."
Since I hadn't uploaded anything for months it seemed likely there'd been an unannounced reduction in my webspace allowance. I enquired within a very few hours, and received a reply from [removed] (CSC Analyst): "Unfortunately it seems there has been an issue with the upgrade. If you can respond to the 'archiving' ticket referencing this one and asking for the webspace to be un-archived. Once the webspace has been un-archived please save a copy of all documents on your local machine and respond to this ticket. We will then increase the ammount of space available back to 250Mb. I know this is a bit long winded but this is the only way to ensure none of your data is lost whilst making this alteration. I shall also assign this to myself personally to action once the webspace has been un-archived."
I explained I had no "archiving ticket". [removed] then informed me "My apologies I had assumed a archiving email had been received by yourself. I've had a look and it appears that the webspace component was completely removed and unfortunately this will mean all the data on the website will of gone." [removed] added that he was now "passing the ticket to one of my colleagues, [mremoved] as I now finishing my shift and am not back on until Tuesday."
I replied, explaining that I did get an "archiving email', on the 26th, stating that "your site has been archived", and asking "Could you please ascertain whether there has been some mistake, and my files can be restored?"  So far, not a peep out of [mremoved].
So, Plusnet may without warning and without cause delete all the files in their customers' webspace (not merely a 60Mb 'over'), without bothering to verify their assessment, without giving even a customer of many years' duration a few hours' grace, and without taking the elementary and modest precaution of shifting the files to an archive. I don't think such high-handed and technically inadequate behaviour is anywhere near good enough.
No documents were actually lost (i.e. of course I have copies), but several files had been uploaded to prove that a document existed on a particular day (using the server datestamp), and these have now gone. I do not yet know how serious their loss may prove to be. They were sufficiently important to alone ensure I maintained my contract with Plusnet.
[Moderator's note by Jim (Oldjim): CSA name removed as per the forum rules.]

[#2]

Hi Philbert,
First of all we'd like to apologise if indeed your site data has been lost. However there is more than a shred of doubt that this is correct as archiving should never involve the deletion of any data at all. I will pass the ticket on to one of our more experienced agents who can log into the relevant servers at this side and confirm if this is the case. However I fear on the other hand that the account change may have caused an issue here. Please bear with us and I will make sure someone comes back to you today about this matter.

[#3]

I do rememebr a long while back when i exceeded my webspace allowance. I was made to feel like i had exposed myself in public or shaken a small child!
Is it really that neccessary to use the measures you have in place?

[#4]

Hi Philbert,
I've restored the contents of your webspace and increased your quota to 250MB. It was the account change that led to the site getting archived (it reduced your webspace allowance by 150MB). This doesn't happen if we initiate the change from this side, however it does if you request an account change via our website.
Hopefully all is now in order? If you've any further problems then give me a nudge here or bounce your open support ticket back to us.

[#5]

Well, Bob, thank you...
All seems back in order, including the time-sensitive files. The degree of stress this episode induced was matched by the marked sense of relief at seeing everything back in place.
It does beg the question of how - and why - the 'abuse team' could be so unprofessional and discourteous, and how  [removed] and [removed] etc. could exacerbate matters with statements apparently owing more to guesswork than competence.
I have just transferred my home phone line to Plusnet (being fed up of receiving scripted sales-calls from my previous provider's third-world call-centre), since on the whole I've been very satisfied with Plusnet's service for a number of years.
But it is way past time for the 'abuse team' management to climb down off their high horse and send me a personal apology (let alone an offer in compensation for the buggy system they've inflicted).
I'm not expecting it, of course...

[#6]

Philbert,
To be honest there isn't a specific abuse team, as such queries are handled by various people here across different teams but rest assured feedback will be given to the individuals involved so please accept our apologies.
Part of the problem here seems to be not only agent error in what you were advised but also some dissatisfaction to how our automated systems handled this scenario too, however we're confident that with the increased web space quota that you've now been given we should not see a further problem with this. We do appreciate that this could have been avoided in the first instance too.

[#7]

I had the same about a year ago, I uploaded a file to send to someone overseas and it took me over my allowance, crash bang wallop, no warning, just an abuse e-mail, luckily got it restored the same day, but it would be more polite to notify first and ask us to rectify it

[#8]

I don't think anyone in my house uses our PN webspace, but I have a hosting plan with Xilo for my websites, and I've used them for years without any problems.
For £25 per year (which works out at about £2.08 per month!) you can have 1Gb of webspace, with 10Gb of traffic per month. I'd highly recommend if you need extra web space for virtually no cost!

[#9]

Do plusnet not think, that the response to overuse would be much better if a request to reduce was first sent out (say with a 1 week opportunity to respond) BEFORE taking the step of removing files.
This would be a much more *civilised* approach, would it not?

[#10]

Well, thank you Adam, for your acknowledgement.  But really, the 'Abuse Team' is a deception? Or, perhaps, is initially a crudely designed program designed to generate an automated email when triggered by over-simplified parameters? That is, I hope it isn't just some slacker on a rudimentary power kick taking time out from anonymous flaming...
Why not call it something else, something more accurate?  Even 'The Acceptable Useage Bot' would be less offensive, not least because it would not appear so personally vindictive, especially if accompanied by a query rather than an accusation, and - as pierre and collinet point out - providing a few days' grace to resolve the matter would do no harm. Improving the program (if that's what it is) to take into account pertinent factors - such as history and service changes - would be good.
On the rare occasion I have needed to raise a ticket with PlusNet, or enquire by phone, I have been satisfied by the quality of the human response. I appreciate this is not everyone's experience, and for sure - as anyone looking at this forum will realise - a few people do suffer the stinky end of the technological stick. We all know that automation makes for efficiency, but the quality of the human intervention when the automations foul up significantly defines the quality of a business.

[#11]

Without recommending any alternatives, I've used hosting bought via Ebay and from other services giving several GB web space and tens of GB allowance for traffic.
I think the big problem is that PN is working on a 'daily' basis so while the overall web space / traffic offering (esp as this is free) is a good one, it's not actually flexible enough.
Most hosting services, for example, give a monthly allowance and send a warning e-mail before you hit space (90%) or web traffic (75%) limits, and don't 'archive' but just suspend access (from the web, via a 'suspended' web page, refusal of FTP requests and so on).  It's the daily limit one exceeds that causes such grief to customers, where monitoring daily and acting on a monthly basis (with a warning, and perhaps suspension) seems a more 'gentle' way of approaching a high use.
I can understand an ISP having a 'react swifty' policy, but surely not when it makes customers feel like they're about to undergo the Inquisition !!

[#12]

Quote from: Bob

It was the account change that led to the site getting archived (it reduced your webspace allowance by 150MB). This doesn't happen if we initiate the change from this side, however it does if you request an account change via our website.

This is now fixed and won't happen when you request an account change via the portal.