PlusNet won't connect my broadband because of Sky

I moved into a new (purchased) property on 20 December, the same day that the previous owners moved out. They used Sky for TV, phone and broadband.

I very quickly applied to Primus for a home phone landline and after waiting around 3 weeks this was set up, with the same home phone number that the previous owners had had.

Around the same time, I also applied to PlusNet for broadband service. However this has been far more troublesome as they say they cannot set me up for broadband as Sky are still providing broadband on the line. Can this be right? The previous owners moved out almost a month ago, and I have my own landline account with Primus now.

Sky refuse to tell me whether they are supplying broadband or not, and won't tell me if it is about to be cancelled.

The previous owner says she cancelled it before they moved out. I asked her to call to see what was going on (which she kindly did) and she said they assured her it would be cancelled as of four days ago (Saturday). PlusNet say it isn't cancelled (they did some sort of TAG check yesterday). Previous owner says Sky are the bane of her life and is reluctant to waste any more of her time talking to their "useless call centres".

What should I do?! I need broadband asap...

Thanks - MrChips

BT Openreach have a "Tag Removal team" specifically for this purpose. Plusnet (at the right support level) know this.

There used to be a number users could ring as it used to be a common problem, but in BT's helpful way they got rid of it.

The last number I have seen quoted is in this post.

That's all assuming they haven't cancelled it for ISPs as well now .

The gaining ISP - Plusnet has the responsibility of resolving this for the user.

The broadband order would never have progressed until the phone line was in your name. Here is hoping that the Primus deal is actually a WLR deal, and not one where they've put the person onto full LLU and only broadband now possible is full LLU via Primus.

Thanks for replies so far. My Primus line is WLR, or so I am told by them (what does that stand for by the way?).

PlusNet have been very supportive so far but they insist there is nothing they can do until Sky get off the line. Do I need to ask them to try harder?

I've read on another forum that I need to ring BT Marker division and tell them to remove the TAG marker??

it is Plusnet's responsibility to sort it out as gaining ISP. So yes, ask them to try harder.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Thanks for replies so far. My Primus line is WLR, or so I am told by them (what does that stand for by the way?).

WLR = Wholesale Line Rental, (from BT Openreach), and it means it is a "BT" line so far as ISPs who require one are concerned. That's what you want.

PlusNet have been very supportive so far but they insist there is nothing they can do until Sky get off the line. Do I need to ask them to try harder?

If by "them" you mean Plusnet, Yes! As MrSaffron says.

I've read on another forum that I need to ring BT Marker division and tell them to remove the TAG marker??

You sure it wasn't my earlier post here? If it was elsewhere then that's two of us saying it. Except you can't ring it, unless that number in the post I linked to works for you. Try it.

Sorry - I meant to say I did try that number and it doesn't exist anymore

Back on the blower to PlusNet I guess!

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Sorry - I meant to say I did try that number and it doesn't exist anymore

As I expected really

Back on the blower to PlusNet I guess!

The rest of us all agree they are talking nonsense. They can get it fixed. Though it can take several days from when they request the Tag removal I'm afraid, they can't do much about that.

I will put this across to PlusNet again now and see what they say.

As a point of clarification, can they still remove the TAG if Sky are still providing a broadband service (i.e. the previous owner forgot to cancel, or only cancelled very recently) or can they only do it if Sky have cancelled the service but have forgotten to remove the Tag?

Plusnet initiates the process, the fact you've taken over ownership of phone line means any previous broadband service will be ceasing already.

This is probably why things are slow going, as nothing much will have happened until your current phone firm's details have been trickled through to Openreach who will do the leg work in the end.

Hmm, perhaps you should take this as indicative of the level of service that you will receive from this ISP and look elsewhere instead?

If they won't even break a sweat to get you as a customer, why not try IDNet or Zen?

I had similar problems when I first approached Plusnet. At the time I was pulling out my hair since BTW maintained is was PN's fault/responsibility and vice versa. It's the nature of things sometimes. The service over the five+ years since has been fine. Hiccups happen. For the cost versus the other ISPs' costs it's worth it.

Hi all - thanks for posts so far.

Got an email today from previous owner who assures me she rang to cancel on 15 December, and that she has already been assured by Sky that they have cancelled so she is a bit reluctant to spend more time talking to Sky.

I called PlusNet again armed with this info and spoke to a really helpful customer service agent who offered to take this up with the Tag people again. When he called me back he did have an update. Apparently Sky tried to cancel the line on 13 January but for some reason this didn't go through properly (he insinuated that Sky messed it up somehow). He was told that the cancellation would be going through in January, but that for data protection reasons he hadn't been allowed to know the exact date in January!

So...fingers crossed that this will be fixed sometime soon, although it could be another couple of weeks.

While it might be considered cross-posting, a short post in the Plusnet section to highlight this thread might get a PN rep onto the case. You never know.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

He was told that the cancellation would be going through in January, but that for data protection reasons he hadn't been allowed to know the exact date in January!

Another load of corporate tripe, though the guy will just be saying what he has been told to.

There is no Data Protection legislation that says you can't be told when a rogue service on equipment that you rent is going to be terminated, ie the line made available to you.

It is your data!

indeed, without this number I wouldnt have been able to order adsl at all, as my line was left with a bulldog tag when I moved in.

Don't know if it will help but I've flagged it over on here

Hi Anonymous,

If you can give me a ticket ID or username (I don't know how the PM system works for anonymous users but suspect you can't send them, so probably best to post a ticket ID) I'd be happy to chase this for you with our provisioning team, and see if there's anything we can do?

There should be TAG phone number for the new customer who moved to new property to get BTW to get the activated broadband removed from the line.

I hate it when it happen, some are very lazy peoples or could be unbilled to pay sky and left the property and leave broadband activated on the line, is so unfair really.

I thought if the old customer cancel sky phone line rental or bt line rental to move out then both phone line and broadband will be cut off.

In reply to a post by orbrey:

I don't know how the PM system works for anonymous users but suspect you can't send them

You suspect correctly .

Quick update - got a call from PlusNet today to say that Sky have now removed the Tag and so they can set me up.

Should be connected in 5-7 working days.

Thanks to everyone for their useful input...

Great - good luck.