Telephone support hours changing at Plusnet

[#1]

Plusnet will argue that if this change dramatically reduces call waiting volumes during the new support hours, then it's a major improvement. I would be inclined to agree with this if the call waiting volumes are reduced enough so that there is next to no wait when you phone support.
A lot of people seem unhappy with the change - but how many people have tried to contact support in the past between 22:00 and 07:30?

Quote from: chrcoluk

something advertised and then pulled is a change in ToS.

I disagree with this.
Plusnet's terms say they will provide you with what's listed at http://www.plus.net/broadband but they do not say that what is listed there is set in stone and cannot be changed.

[#2]

Quote from: Gel

And I wonder if this reduction in service will be applied to their Waitrose/J Lewis operation too; their www shows as 24/7 still? [/color]

JLP remains the same.

[#3]

This is purely a cost cutting exercise and is a predictable consequence of price cut packages.  ADSL at £2.50 for 12 months on a 12 month contract (even without cash back) barely covers the cost of picking up the phone even in daylight hours, let alone unsocial night time hours.  If you factor in the call volume arising for poor BTOR performance, I'd judge that PlusNET are in something of a financial crisis.  All of this was a totally predictable consequence of the aggressive customer base expansion tactics to achieve the apparent 1m user base target to secure the CEO's bonus.
Sorry Andy Baker - but on your watch, the issues are not getting fixed, PlusNET is not influencing BTOR in rectifying their failures and within those circumstances the access to support (tickets and phone desk) are being significantly curtailed.  I politely suggest it is time for a change in leadership, or a public declaration - to regain customer confidence - of what is being done to IMPROVE service, for of recent times all that can be seen is a reduction in service levels.
@Tony,
It has been suggested that the change in hours will improve call answering times when the call centre is open and also that the call volumes during the time which the call centre will now be closed were insignificant.  Can you please provide metrics for those claims, particularly how many staff man the phones during the dark hours.  If the claims are to be believed, there would need to be significant numbers of staff employed 10-7 (to be redeployed to day time) answering not very many calls, which all rather points to poor management use of resources.
I cannot see any possible good truthful spin from this one.  It is totally inept... Unless the plan is to boost the number of business numbers.  Given the small difference in cost....

[#4]

Andy, in a way, I agree with you re the reduction in call wait times, but I for one because of my weird sleeping pattern, would find it easier to call in the middle of the night, or to create a  ticket at that time (I am more alert when awake during the early hours), but those options will no longer be available to me.

[#5]

Plusnet contractually agreed to give 24/7 customer support, it’s in black and white in the T&Cs. To properly remove 24/7 customer support must necessarily involve a contractual modification.
It is dead wrong to claim that the webpage referenced in the T&Cs can be updated so that Plusnet can hold existing customers to whatever it says without constituting a change to the contract.  If Plusnet hold existing customers to rolling changes of features on this basis, then they are changing the T&Cs, because the webpages are part of the T&Cs. This is trite law - any document, or part of it, referred to in a contract forms part of that contract. The T&Cs themselves confirm this: "The Terms and Conditions of each service are made up of this important information and the following terms (including any other document we refer to in those terms)."
This is why Plusnet can’t just change the webpages and on that basis reduce your speed from 40/20 to 40/2 mid-contract, or majorly reduce 24/7 customer support mid-contract. It doesn’t matter that they are asking for the same price and the customer is not losing money, what matters is that in both cases the service is reduced in a way that significantly affects a subscriber.
For broadband the page is : www.plus.net/broadband
For fibre broadband the page is: www.plus.net/fibre-broadband/

[#6]

Quote from: jab1

You are correct, AO, but if those 1 million customers start thinking like me, soon they won't have any.

If a large number of broadband customers thought like you TalkTalk, and many other mass market ISPs, would have no customers. So we can conclude most don't think like you.
There are really only a couple of deal breakers for me - using non-UK support staff, or dropping unlimited usage.

[#7]

OK - as I've said, my best- thinking head is on in the early hours, so that needs clarification.
TT (and other mass market ISPs I guess) have a large churn rate - with the associated costs, that is not a good business model long term.
I agree totally with you regarding your 'deal-breakers'.
What attracted me (and a few other people I know who moved to PN when I did) was they were a different breed - now they're just the same.
If I could afford it, I'd be off to AAISP, but on a VERY low company pension, it is not an option.

[#8]

Quote from: AndyH

Quote from: chrcoluk something advertised and then pulled is a change in ToS. I disagree with this. Plusnet's terms say they will provide you with what's listed at http://www.plus.net/broadband but they do not say that what is listed there is set in stone and cannot be changed.

You are totally wrong! The fact that a user agreed to abide by the terms and conditions at the time they entered a contract means that what is contained in them and any explicitly referenced information means it is set in stone and both parties to the contractual agreement must abide by the T&Cs. On Plusnet's part that means giving official notice of the change and as it is a detrimental change allowing penalty free termination of the contract.
I really don't understand why you seem to be having difficulty understanding the posts which have made the situation crystal clear (or what your motives are). Just what part of this extract from the Terms and Conditions do you not understand?

Quote

Plusnet Broadband Family service terms What we provide [list type=decimal] The service we agree to give you comprises: [list type=decimal] a high-speed network access to the internet that is delivered over a Plusnet or BT compatible telephone line; helpdesk services; and any other applications and features as described at www.plus.net/broadband You will need to have a Plusnet or BT telephone line to enable you to receive your Plusnet Broadband service.

I have phoned in issues very late at night several times in the past - I've taken a screen shot of the ticket from the last time I did so to prove it. What worries me is that some of those times it's been because something serious has gone wrong and it's an issue affecting a lot of users which needed CSC to contact the on-call Networks engineer to have the issue sorted overnight. Now that won't happen and in similar cases it will be a much bigger issue when the phones go mad at 7:30 the next morning and they realise they have a serious problem.

[#9]

Quote from: jab1

If I could afford it, I'd be off to AAISP, but on a VERY low company pension, it is not an option.

AAISP may(?) have new packages arriving in the next month(?), though I'd be surprised if they were affordable. 

[#10]

Quote from: g1000

Plusnet contractually agreed to give 24/7 customer support, it’s in black and white in the T&Cs. To properly remove 24/7 customer support must necessarily involve a contractual modification.

I don't agree with what you're saying, but Plusnet can still change the T&Cs and it doesn't give you the contractual right to cancel penalty free:

Quote

Sometimes, we will need to change the charges and the Terms and Conditions of the service. We will publish details of all changes online at www.plus.net.

Even if Plusnet were to agree that this was a contractual modification, they would clearly argue that it's one that's not to your material disadvantage:

Quote

If we have made a change which is to your material disadvantage then if you decide to end our agreement with us early then, you will not have to pay a charge for doing so unless there are any charges or payments we have deferred or the Price guide says otherwise.

I suspect they could build a case showing the current call volumes and patterns. If people can call up and get support without waiting during core hours, then it has to be of material advantage to the customer compared to the current status quo.

[#11]

Quote from: jelv

I really don't understand why you seem to be having difficulty understanding the posts which have made the situation crystal clear (or what your motives are). Just what part of this extract from the Terms and Conditions do you not understand?

If it's so crystal clear to you, do something about it and take it to OFCOM or the Small Claim's Court. I am confident you will not get anywhere with either, although Plusnet might be inclined to allow you to leave without penalty as a 'save as to costs' settlement if you did bring a county court claim.

[#12]

I have never needed to call up, tbh, I would be more annoyed if they switched from a UK call centre to overseas tbh.

[#13]

PN , why are you still actively advertising 24/7 as a key feature to get customers to sign up  ("join us today" button), knowing full well it will be pulled a day or two after the customer joins.
See here https://www.plus.net/home-broadband/satisfaction/
Funny PN quote of the day "We don't compromise on value or service"
Regards
Mike

[#14]

TBH i dont think this will make any difference to call wait time 

[#15]

I agree. I think if it don't make things worse, it might just work out the same... even if they do use funds from the night staff to fund extra staff during the peak periods..
I'm sorry to say this too but isn't it suspicious how Plusnet decided to cap it at 10PM... Why not 11 or Midnight.... it's nothing to do with the fact that after 10PM employee's have to be paid extra per hour is it