cant pay for my bill unless i call?

[#1]

Quote from: brainthee

1) No flexible DD dates. DD goes out x days after your billing date and that is it. Apparently they can now change your billing date to make the DD match the day you want, but not without several months of kicking and screaming.

Nearly every time a change of billing date was attempted it caused no end of grief that took ages to sort out. As a result they will not even attempt it these days. I believe the new billing system which is in development supposedly resolves this.

[#2]

Quote from: jelv

Quote from: brainthee 1) No flexible DD dates. DD goes out x days after your billing date and that is it. Apparently they can now change your billing date to make the DD match the day you want, but not without several months of kicking and screaming. Nearly every time a change of billing date was attempted it caused no end of grief that took ages to sort out. As a result they will not even attempt it these days. I believe the new billing system which is in development supposedly resolves this.

Fair enough. Though I've heard different stories of what phase it's in each time I've asked. Ironically, They suggested the change of billing date to solve a problem with their dev team either refuse to fix or won't fix with any kind of timescale due to it being a low priority. Hopefully the problems incurred from changing the billing date will be less than those I already incur every month.

[#3]

Just received a text on the usual timframe to inform me that PN want payment on allocated date
It does not look very professional to address it to Dear Customer then RE: it to customers Username
[quote= Email]Dear customer,
re: username [REDACTED]
We hope that you are enjoying Plusnet Unlimited (Contracted) account and finding our services of
exceptional value. This is just a brief note to let you know that we will
be taking the next subscription payment for your Plusnet Unlimited (Contracted) account
on 2014-11-02.
       
The subscription fee for your account will be reduced if you currently earn a My Referrals
discount or you have been awarded a number of days service free of charge. For more
information on how much you currently save with My Referrals, visit
http://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=mydiscount_static_info

In the meantime it is important that you make sure your account details are
up-to-date and that your Plusnet Unlimited (Contracted) account is correct.
Please note - It is important that your payment details are valid and you have
sufficient funds on or just after 2014-11-02 as failure to do so will result in your
Plusnet Unlimited (Contracted) account being disabled.
       
Did you know you can now pay for your account by Direct Debit? Direct Debit
payment is easy to set up and convenient, as there's no need to confirm
regular payments or update your details. Set up your Direct Debit today - visit
http://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=direct_debit&s=1&redirected=yes

If you have any queries about this or any other matter, please don't
hesitate to contact our friendly Support Team on 0800 432 0200 or 0345 140 0200
We are available to take your calls 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Thank you once again for choosing PlusNet as your Internet partner.
Kind Regards
PlusNet Accounts Department
http://www.plus.net
This email has been sent as it contains important information about  your service from PlusNet.
Please do not reply to this email, as this is an unmonitored address.
Plusnet plc
Registered Office: The Balance, 2 Pinfold Street, Sheffield, S1 2GU
Registered in England no: 3279013
VAT registration number: 842254440

Email ref: EXXXXX
The fact that services are restricted on the very day the bill is to be paid is absolutely appalling to say the least
Yet as everything that has been broached, has been met with false promises of updates / being fixed / hearing from etc
I suspect that it will never be addressed & be brought into modern as opposed to being kept in Neanderthal times
What forms of payment(s) did PlusNet accept prior to Direct Debit ?
& @ which date was Direct Debit introduced  to PlusNet customers ?
I have asked around & it seems so far that PlusNet is the only ISP that does not provide a Pay Now Button
Come on PlusNet, please pull your socks up & get with the programme
You do not I repeat DO NOT have to have a physical image as you could produce an image-less button in CSS3 similar to
[code= CSS3 File Image-less Button]
.pay-now {
    margin-left: 600px;
    -webkit-box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 0 #bee2f9;
    -moz-box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 0 #bee2f9;
    box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 0 #bee2f9;
    background-color: purple;
    border-style: outset;
    border-color: black;
    -webkit-border-radius: 23px;
    border-radius: 23px;
   
 
    font-family: Georgia, sans-serif;
    font-size: 12px;
    font-weight: bold;
    padding: 6px 23px;
    text-decoration: none;
    text-shadow: none;
}
.pay-now:active {
    position: relative;
    top: 1px;
}
[/code]
[code= HTML5 File Pay Now Button]<div class="previous"> <a href="plus.net-customer-to-be-able-to-pay-now-page.com" target="_blank" title="href="plus.net-customer-to-be-able-to-pay-now-page.com" class="tooltip"><span title="more">Pay Now</span></a>
            </div>[/code]
As for any PHP etc, perhaps other members can help with that

[#4]

Quote from: brainthee

So many things make me love PN, yet so few critical things really bug and affect me. You really aren't doing me proud sometimes  I would love to hear an official response to this. If I'm mistaken with the above, PLEASE correct me, I would love to be corrected (this isn't sarcastic in the slightest!). Compared with other suppliers, I love PN. But common guys, show the love (other than shiny marketing campaigns).

Will we get an "official response" to your post I wonder

[#5]

Guess not. 😞

[#6]

Quote from: MattyC

Hi guys, @warbleeder - If you want to add a card and make payment, I'll make sure it's removed for you. Alternatively, if you want to pop me a PM we can try and arrange a time for me to call. A lot of people have raised points here. Our billing system is tailored to suit Direct Debit a lot more than any other payment methods, and IMHO I think this is the brunt of the problem. I think it's because the system is ancient, above preferred payment method or anything else. Ideally, I think that for card payers there should be a middle ground in between the stage of before the bill being due, and the stage of "failed payment". This would make life easier for people like rongtw and Devonports. All customers who opt to pay their monthly invoice by one off debit and credit card payments, instead of Direct Debit, are subject to a £1.50 surcharge on each invoice. This is partially a processing fee sent to us by the bank. I can't attest to how much of it goes to the bank in all honesty. I was pretty intrigued by this, so I did a bit of digging and I found this that told me that pretty much every provider charges for card payment. I don't really intend on this being an excuse, but it does seem industry standard. Matty

Card details still appear to be on system? can you remove please?

[#7]

Hi warbleeder.
All done for you now

[#8]

Thank you  alex