ZERO customer care at Plusnet

[#1]

It started well enough, no internet or cutting out, but great phone line with no problems.

So...what did we do? Report it. On a Sunday morning I reported the fault which had gone on from the Friday before, and an immediate check showed a 'noisy' line. Plusnet confirmed that a BT engineer would be out and fix the fault by Wednesay, 72 hours, which I have since learnt is their mantra!

Come wednesday lunchtime and a BT engineer was seen playing around the street junction box, so immediately we checked it. To our utter disbelief the BT, or as I have been told 'Outreach' engineer, managed to completely CUT my phone line, not even a buzz, but also wire it somehow so that it now rings elsewhere to a man who has a TalkTalk account and in the process he has lost his broadband, but gained our number!

The problem, apart from BT employing people that would not recognise one end of a screwdriver from the other, and perhaps in their country they qualify as and engineer, but come-on....Everyone tells me the same that they have not heard of crossed lines since the 1970s!!!! Yet BT idiots and incompetance is just one end of the problem.

I expected Plusnet to be concerned, to take a minute level of care about a working phone line being disconnected, cut completely. But NO....The only response was to assure me that the line would be back in...guess what? Yes...72 hours. And thet refused to do more, claiming that they have no direct contact with engineering and use a standard contact form, which considering BT caused the problem is anything but acceptable.

So then, Sunday the problem was raised, Wednesday the engineer cut the line, Monday (8 days after the report) the engineer was expected to fix the problem they caused, but NO.

And all that Plusnet yet again have said, 72 hours!

Is customer care really dead? It is with Plusnet.

Every single phone call, because they dont handle follow ups via online chats despite trying to get everyone to go online, every phone call ends with Plusnet order yet another BT engineer and ignoring that we don't want any new BT engineer order but want the first, the original fixed, especially as it has nevert been closed as complete.

I am furious at tthe level of utter non concern with Plusnet, especially as they started out so well and in 3 years there has been no problem. But this is getting to the point where enough is enough. If anyone is considering Plusnet, DON'T..RUN AS FAR FROM THE IDEA AS YOU CAN. Its not how good the service is when all lis well that counts, but how they respond when you have a problem.

[#2]

I have just raised a complaint via a given link to Plusnet.

I have absolutely no belief that they will act or do anything.

If I had £5 for each time someone at Plusnet told me they need to order an engineer from BT over the past 8 days, I could take a holiday to the Bahamas.

[#3]

As technical support are useless, I just called customer services, thinking my negative last call was a one-off..NOPE, I have just spent 40 minutes and 31 seconds in which an engineer was suggested AAARGGGGHHH!!!!!!!   Then she said she was transferring me to technical =  Cut me off.  Brilliant..

My time on the phone:

Today= 40 minutes 31

Yesterday= 49 minutes 35 + 5 minutes 35

21st April= 12 minutes 56 + 14 minutes 54 + 2 minutes 38

20th April = 25 minutes 8  + 9 minutes 19

17th (original fault) 20 minutes 21

BE PREPARED..PLUSNET WORK TO WEAR YOU DOWN AND GIVE UP!!

[#4]

Hi Cutoff,

A warm welcome to the forums.  I find your frustration understandable, however I also sympathise with PlusNET.

They are in an impossible position.  BT Openreach are a law unto themselves, answerable to no one for their abject failure to deliver a quality service.  They have no concept of fault continuity from one call out to another.  Each call out is treated as a separate fault, having its own 72 hour SLA.  No matter how much a CP jumps up and down BTOR will not respond further before the SLA has expired.  I've had issues on esclation with BTOR's CEO - whilst that opened other doors for PlusNET, it did not stop BTOR's esclation team from still waving 2 fingers at PN saying "We've told you the next update will be in 10 days time, now sod off for 10 days..." - actual words!

This is not PlusNET specific.  Years ago when my phone line was still with BT Retail some lags stole a few lengths of copper cable leaving me phoneless for 10 or so days.  After the cable had been replaced, I found I had the phone line of the pub in the next village and they had mine.  Not even BT Retail could get BT Openreach to respond quicker than a new fault SLA.  They did not consider this to be the same fault and pay compensation for loss of service whilst the lines were crossed.

Whilst Ofcom allow this behaviour to persist and refuse to push for reform (they claim they cannot because of EU restrictions...) we the consumer will see no imorovements.  Ducking and running to a different retail CP is not going to get you away from BT Openreach's out dated practices. 

[#5]

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Whilst Ofcom allow this behaviour to persist and refuse to push for reform (they claim they cannot because of EU restrictions...) we the consumer will see no imorovements.  Ducking and running to a different retail CP is not going to get you away from BT Openreach's out dated practices. 

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Townman sums it up. Plusnet service quality declined when they went massmarket before they had the staff to support their expansion but while it works my ADSL/phone package is fair value for money. Reading this forum I am struck by the number of complaints which involve Openreach service (or lack of it) and which PN can do nothing about.

The politicians huff and puff about separating OR from BT but do nothing about it. Obviously it suits BT very well to have the OR monopoly on the infrastructure. Maybe the solution is for the outsider ISPs jointly to complain to the EC regarding this anti-competitive monopoly as the well-paid and comfy Ofcom won't rock the boat.

[#6]

I think you may be wrong about Ofcom since the new chief exec took over.  She is definitely causing the boat to rock a little!

See here  and here  and most recently from Feb 2016

Sharon White is a tough cookie.

M

[#7]

Maurice,

You have far more faith in her than do I. She has no background in telecoms. She has flitted from one job to another mainly within Whitehall / the treasury. She says a lot but has yet to deliver anything tangible. From your first link, I quote (on phone)...

"Today’s draft statement follows consultation with industry and has now been notified to the European Commission. Subject to the Commission’s consideration."

So in summary it matters little what Ofcom mutter over improvements, we are still subject to permission from an unelected overseas administration to manage our telecoms in a manner which meets our needs.

In the meantime, users have to wait 72 hours (at least) for btor to do anything and to get there, the right party has to raise the right repair request. It is all just barking mad!

[#8]

I applaud your optimism, Maurice, but I'll stick with my original comment:

The politicians huff and puff about separating OR from BT but do nothing about it.

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[#9]

Regardless of the black hole in which Offcomm-OR-BT and Eu offices operate, they are so far removed from the end used where the problem arises, that any action even if taken will have no effect. And let us not forget just how easily companies can disstance themselves from even legislation that would be written in the plain English of 'Sod Off'! to compell them to act in an ABC menner. 

Let us not forget the mantra of every politician when they get tsomething wrong or are caught out -'We'll learn from this'. By so doing they have shown concern and after 10 minutes off dust settling, only then do we realise that 2 fingers have just been shoved in our faces.

Any rules and regulations will have no effect on the customer, us. I'm sure that if there was a risk of that some part of the company would be landed in India to bypass it in total.

Customer services had died. Nobody cares beyond telliing us how they appreciate the situation and how much they agree with our frustrations, and I have no doubt that they have a laugh as soon as the phone is hunng up.

Tomorrow I need to yet again phone tech support, they will suggest an engineer is sent out, order number 4 that will be, each of 72 hours but having no meaning. If only changing to Virgin was quicker and eeasier, they at least carry out all their own engineering work with no Outreach or BT involvement..

I was told today that BT also owns Plusnet now..?? If true then the jokes become bigger.

[#10]

BT Group have owned Plusnet for many years now.

Due to privatisation of BT & the arrival of widespread broadband, it

was sub-divided into BT retail(?) & BT Openreach (and some other bits).

I blame Thatcher & her ilk.

[#11]

@cutoff Plusnet is totally independently run from BT, however that doesn't seem to prevent them from adopting some of their bad habits

[#12]

BT is about to increase its prices.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bt-price-rise-millions-of-people-s-bro...

I'm betting that Plusnet is already got its plans ready to do the same...

[#13]

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav)

There is already a thread discussing the price increases, please keep this one on topic.