Plusnet refuses to give the MAC key

Hi everybody

that's seems so surreal. I have asked the MAC key code more than 5 days ago, today I have got a reply from them saying that they cannot supply a MAC key at all.

Is it legal from an ISP company to refuse to give the MAC key?

It is not set in law they give you a MAC, but rather than that what reason did they say they could not provide a MAC, they have to give a reason.
The most conman reason is they can't identify you as the account holder or if there is some other order on the line, say your phone line is showing a cease, or there is already a migrate order to a full LLU, or you had been given a mac already and that is being used to migrate somewhere else.

thanks for your reply

unfortunately no one of the cases you have mentioned applies to me. plus no reason was given in their email, just 'unfortunately we are not able to supply a MAC key'.

They are just rubbish.

In that case I would go back to them again and ask for the reason for withholding the MAC.

Did you PM with your username and/or ticket number when he asked you to? He is usually very helpful.

In reply to a post by debian70:

thanks for your reply

unfortunately no one of the cases you have mentioned applies to me. plus no reason was given in their email, just 'unfortunately we are not able to supply a MAC key'.

They are just rubbish.

Hi, I reckon they did not believe you to be the customer. Have another go and follow the Plusnet procedures for obtaining a MAC key.

11. Why won't you give me a key?

We're sorry we can't give you a key straightaway. This might be because:

1. We don't know who you are/the person who's asking to move your service is
2. Your broadband service has already been cancelled
3. We've already given you a key, but it's not expired yet
4. We're already cancelling your broadband service
5. We can't get a key from our supplier. (This is rare, but if it does happen we'll do whatever we can to get one for you)

If we can't give you a key we'll let you know. We'll also tell you some other ways that you might be able to move to your new service provider.

http://www.plus.net/support/customer_service/using/r...

In reply to a post by E7er:

In reply to a post by debian70:

thanks for your reply

unfortunately no one of the cases you have mentioned applies to me. plus no reason was given in their email, just 'unfortunately we are not able to supply a MAC key'.

They are just rubbish.

Hi, I reckon they did not believe you to be the customer. Have another go and follow the Plusnet procedures for obtaining a MAC key.

11. Why won't you give me a key?

We're sorry we can't give you a key straightaway. This might be because:

1. We don't know who you are/the person who's asking to move your service is
2. Your broadband service has already been cancelled
3. We've already given you a key, but it's not expired yet
4. We're already cancelling your broadband service
5. We can't get a key from our supplier. (This is rare, but if it does happen we'll do whatever we can to get one for you)

If we can't give you a key we'll let you know. We'll also tell you some other ways that you might be able to move to your new service provider.

http://www.plus.net/support/customer_service/using/r...

I bet they do believe me when I pay my bill.
Thank you for getting back to me, by the way. I have already asked more details, but no answer so far.

You were asked to provide details by a Plusnet staff member here

http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/t/4083116-r...

Can't see any response from you

In reply to a post by nadger:

Can't see any response from you

I have answered hundred of times by means of the official Plusnet help & support website. Are you telling that getting help on this forum is much easier than the official Plusnet one? Never mind...

All we are trying to do is to help you but entirely up to you whether you take advice from experienced users

In reply to a post by debian70:

In reply to a post by nadger:

Can't see any response from you

I have answered hundred of times by means of the official Plusnet help & support website. Are you telling that getting help on this forum is much easier than the official Plusnet one? Never mind...

Yes - that's exactly what we are telling you. The Plusnet reps here are generally great, PN standard help routes are often do not provide a solution.

Shocking, but true. If you can't get the locked main gate open by ringing the bell, accept the side gate offer .

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by debian70:

In reply to a post by nadger:

Can't see any response from you

I have answered hundred of times by means of the official Plusnet help & support website. Are you telling that getting help on this forum is much easier than the official Plusnet one? Never mind...

Yes - that's exactly what we are telling you. The Plusnet reps here are generally great, PN standard help routes are often do not provide a solution.

Shocking, but true. If you can't get the locked main gate open by ringing the bell, accept the side gate offer .

Ok ok... thank you for your advice. Now take a breath and cold a bit down though. Maybe I came across the wrong Plusnet reps... I have been unlucky.

In reply to a post by debian70:

Ok ok... thank you for your advice. Now take a breath and cold a bit down though. Maybe I came across the wrong Plusnet reps... I have been unlucky.

You haven't got the mac code yet...

In reply to a post by debian70:

Maybe I came across the wrong Plusnet reps... I have been unlucky.

The good ones aren't on the phone. See what Orbrey can do for you .

They also have a daft queuing system for tickets. If you feel it's a long time since you last updated it, and add something to it because of that, it goes back to the end of the queue. It might have been next in line .

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

You haven't got the mac code yet...

Ma code .

http://www.maccode.org.uk/

I hardly think a site thats even gets it wrong in its name is the definitive reference for what MAC means.

On actually reading the first few lines, the tautology becomes obvious.

�MAC Is abbreviation for Migration Access Code

MAC Code is therefore shown by themselves to be clearly incorrect usage.

My ticket is open since the 17th of November 2011... a long story. Thanks for your advice though

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

They also have a daft queuing system for tickets. If you feel it's a long time since you last updated it, and add something to it because of that, it goes back to the end of the queue. It might have been next in line .

That's something that has been raised several times with Plusnet as a known problem.

What can happen is that, by adding more notes as opposed to question answers, people add to their own frustration.

No need to tell me what I just told debian70, who probably didn't know.

I doubt that many people would know about this problem and I was purely, as a Plusnet customer and Usergroup member, reinforcing what you'd said

I thought ISPs had 5 days to provide a MAC!?

What do Plusnet say when you phone them?

Plusnet Broadband - A call centre down t'road

In reply to a post by b4dger:

I thought ISPs had 5 days to provide a MAC!?

What do Plusnet say when you phone them?

Plusnet Broadband - A call centre down t'road

In reference to consumers.ofcom.org.uk/tell-us/telecoms/service-problems/migration-...:

The MAC process
Under Ofcom regulations, where a consumer or small business (with 10 or fewer employees) wishes to change broadband provider, a MAC must be issued within 5 working days of request.

The MAC � which is valid for a period of 30 days � consists of four letters beginning with L followed by between seven and nine numbers, a slash, and five alphanumeric characters (e.g. LAEM1234567/1F6HT).

You should present the MAC to the ISP you want to switch to and it will then process the request to migrate and inform you of the transfer date.

The service should then be transferred seamlessly and with little or no disruption of service.

Refused a MAC?
However, there are some circumstances where the �losing� broadband supplier can refuse to provide a MAC. These are:

the broadband supplier cannot confirm they are dealing with the named account holder
the broadband service has already been disconnected or is in the process of being disconnected
the broadband supplier has already issued a MAC and it is still valid
the broadband supplier is unable to obtain the MAC from their own supplier
the broadband service is supplied through a full Local Loop Unbundling package
However, if any of these apply to you, your broadband supplier must make this clear.

How to complain
If your provider does not issue your MAC within 5 working days, use our template letter to complain to them about the problem.

If your problem is not resolved you can submit your complaint to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme.

Ask your provider for a �deadlock� letter so that you can refer your dispute to the relevant scheme.

Or, if more than eight weeks have passed since you first made your complaint you can contact the ADR directly.
At the moment Ofcom has approved two ADR schemes � CISAS and Ombudsman Services: Communications.

Your phone company will tell you which scheme it is a member of, or you can use our ADR Checker

They are the rules ,

Incorrect, it is a MAC - Migration Authorisation Code, not migration authorisation code code.

I was waiting for you to say something like this. I thought you'd raised it 5 or so days ago, but now you're saying you asked for it over 2 months ago. I'm sorry, but this voids all the other so called "helpful" posts in this thread, period.

I look at PlusNet together with their recent CBB sponsorship deal. I look at these forums, I look at some of the issues people have, the comments and scurrying about people do replying with the same contrived advice that has already been regurgitated before in replies to hundreds of other previous threads like this one. All I can do is "face palm", Captain Picard style.

I wish I could offer positive advice on your predicament, I surely do. I hope when you do get out, you choose a more reputable ISP that doesn't provide any more of these antics as part of their general practices, policies and customer service. I was with PN 10 years ago, but I saw how they ran themselves, and only stayed a year (the length of the contract). I had the trusty retentions team try and call me to retain my custom, but I wanted out. Thankfully though, this never took 2 months - more like a few working days.

Good luck.

PS - I don't hate PlusNet, I just don't have a lot of time for them.

So in a post which is completely unhelpful, you have the temerity to say things like "the same contrived advice that has already been regurgitated before in replies to hundreds of other previous threads like this one".

Mind-boggling.

Am I right in thinking you consider anyone coming to these forums should read every post of every forum before daring to ask a question, and anyone who responds to a question such as the one this OP posed should say:- "Are you blind? The answer is already here, go find it!"?

I was waiting for you to say something like this.

The only reason for that could be the desire to come out with a smart-ass post.

I thought you'd raised it 5 or so days ago, but now you're saying you asked for it over 2 months ago.

So did we all.

I'm sorry, ...

No you aren't.

... but this voids all the other so called "helpful" posts in this thread, period.

That is up to the OP to decide. The most important post and advice in this thread was to accept orbrey's offer, which the OP then did.

I don't think it fair to make the accusation of those offering advice as "contrived", I think that comment is undeserved and has no foundation.

What struck me most about your post was that you were a user "10 years ago". I believe I was still on dial up at that time. IMO no ISP is the same animal as 10 years ago....we have all seen over the years ISP's go from flavour of the month to one to avoid..... and also the reverse. Generally things have stabilised somewhat, the technology is far more reliable and designed to be plug and play for the fast majority who just "want it to work" and the big boys have land grabbed customers with double or triple play offers.

Glad you don't "hate" Plusnet after 10 years....but you do seem it have enough Ire to post a comment that in no way was of help to the OP.

I consider all the posts helpful, even the ones by the Plusnet reps. It is just business it is not personal. I do not hate the Plusnet staff at all. Some of them are fine, others are unprepared and incompetent. I have just made a mistake, after all it was my fault in choosing Plusnet. Cheap prices for a cheap service. It is good, I suppose, if you are after emailing or facebook, but it is different when you run a server, or are a blogger etc...

thank you all by the way.

In reply to a post by Sadoldman:

I don't think it fair to make the accusation of those offering advice as "contrived", I think that comment is undeserved and has no foundation.

Noted and understood. Looking back, it was a bit brash.

It was not my intention to target perfectly helpful posters here, but I can see how it might have come across that way. I have no qualms against you, RobertoS, or any other informed users of these forums. It is more with PlusNet, as a company. Sure, companies can change over 10 years, but I don't think PlusNet ever changes its spots.

Doesn't alter the fact that waiting 2 months for a MAC code is a bit wrong, on many levels. Someone isn't being proactive enough. It could be argued that's the OP, but I'm more inclined to point the finger at PlusNet.

Glad you don't "hate" Plusnet after 10 years....but you do seem it have enough Ire to post a comment that in no way was of help to the OP.

Absolutely. Like I said, I don't "hate" them, I just don't have a lot of time for them. As for my Ire, I blame that on the fact I recently left my 20s and I'm beginning to realise just how screwed over this country is becoming. But I'm not going to deviate onto any of that in this thread - there are other founded internet forums for such controversial debates.

Peace . My reply to you was also somewhat sttronger than it needed to be. The opening of yours though ... [cough].

Anyway, two months and not getting a MAC isn't a "bit wrong", it's appalling. On the other hand it does seem likely, as has been posted, that there is a reason and debian70 strangely hasn't been given it. And no way should it be necessary for reps here to be contacted to find out what is going on. But that's unfortunately how it is.

I blame that on the fact I recently left my 20s and I'm beginning to realise just how screwed over this country is becoming.

ROFL!

I hate to tell you, (You could reply that "No I don't"), but you haven't seen the half of it yet. Wait until you are approaching your 70s!

As you say, this properly belongs elsewhere, but is it sensible for 18 year-olds to have the vote? As for the suggestions it should be lowered to 16, that is lunatic. Perhaps under-25s should have a multi-choice multi-topic non-binding consultative referendum at the time of elections, the results to be considered by the political parties. Nothing more.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

you haven't seen the half of it yet. Wait until you are approaching your 70s!

I remember the 70s. Today is a breeze by comparison to that dark, god-forsaken period of British political and economic history.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Wait until you are approaching your 70s!

Youngster

Overall I'm finding it difficult to get my head round Plusnet supposedly taking 2 months to supply a migration code. Doubt we'll ever know why

In reply to a post by nadger:

Overall I'm finding it difficult to get my head round Plusnet supposedly taking 2 months to supply a migration code. Doubt we'll ever know why

... as we doubt you are a real Plusnet usergroup member!

I think this thread does not go anywhere and I am sorry to have started it. Perhaps a moderator could close it.
Thanks to you all by the way.

Edited by deleted (Sun 22-Jan-12 14:08:08)

The mods rarely do that unless it has become abusive.

Please let us know what happens though, perhaps in the other thread, once Orbrey gets hold of it.

Wait until you are approaching your 70s!

Part me actually hopes I don't live that long, and I go peacefully in my sleep. Sad but true. I watched this lovely video and it made me realise a few home truths. I'm even considering joining age concern as a volunteer maybe, or some other related charity. I already donate £20 a month to the NSPCC but that's not really doing anything is it? That's just pretending to be a considerate person by letting them take some of my wage per month.

As for voting, that's a waste of time also. Doesn't matter who gets in, it will go in the same direction every time. My personal take on it is that the current political and monetary systems will collapse some time soon, and things are going to get pretty darn messy. Don't suppose you've been following the whole John Harris / Dean Clifford stuff on YouTube per chance? Interesting stuff.

Anyway, this is thread derailment. So time for hush! And peace also Rob!

In reply to a post by debian70:

... as we doubt you are a real Plusnet usergroup member! .........

I assume that is a Royal "we" you used there...count me out.

You should have some respect for age here......and unfortunately a lot of respect for a lot of age...sorry Nadger.

P.S. He was formally a Pipex fan boy.

Yes, and the first person I ever encountered here some years back when needing some router/Pipex help ...got a soft spot for Nadger

In reply to a post by debian70:

... as we doubt you are a real Plusnet usergroup member!

You don't have to wait 2 months for proof of that

http://usergroup.plus.net/members.php

In reply to a post by nadger:

In reply to a post by debian70:

... as we doubt you are a real Plusnet usergroup member!

You don't have to wait 2 months for proof of that

http://usergroup.plus.net/members.php

Fine, you win.

In reply to a post by debian70:

Fine, you win.

Not actually trying to win anything

Let's hope that Plusnet Digital Care manage to resolve problem to your satisfaction.

In reply to a post by TrishaH:

.got a soft spot for Nadger

Gee thanks

Ten years here next month

Hi debian70,

Just replied in your other thread, the MAC had already been added to the ticket when I got there

I'm sorry for the delay, if there's anything else I can help with please let me know.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I hardly think a site thats even gets it wrong in its name is the definitive reference for what MAC means.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

On actually reading the first few lines, the tautology becomes obvious. MAC Code is therefore shown by themselves to be clearly incorrect usage.

Hoist and petard?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

The Be line rental price looks interesting, but I expect even in that there is a contribution to the OR ADSL line rental.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

There is a 10-day period after first connection of an ADSL line after installation. It should not cause poor performance.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Seeing as you believe I don't know what I'm talking about it will have to be bye-bye. I am well aware of the difference of attenuation between ADSL2+ and ADSL lines, and I was also aware of your 20CN stats on line 1. For the matter in hand that is totally irrelevant so I tried not to confuse you.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Before ADSL Max, and for a while after it was introduced, there were only fixed speed ADSL lines of 512kbps, 1Mbps and 2Mbps. It is still possible if needed to get similarly fixed speed lines but based on "managed" ADSL Max.

Chuckles.

What annoys me, when making a purchase in a shop, is if the till operator asks me to insert my PIN number.

Strangely enough looking at all the big ISP's, Talk Talk, BT, O2, Be.on their FAQ's they all mention MAC codes, so it is a common use.

Even the OFCOM website calls it a MAC code so no matter what people bleat on about how it's not correct it's here to stay.

Hehh !

Nice one. I'll give you that.

For now .

But given that, ADSL2+ is a bit clumsy. I also like the subtle difference that also arises between "My ADSL2 is borked" and "My ADSL 2 is borked".

In the those two cases, how too does one distinguish between a fault on the line and a fault in a modem, at either end of the line?

As one can also run dial-up on such a line, we get the interesting "I can talk to myself on MIRC with two different IP addresses, (the usage fixed and dynamic IP of course incorrect), by dialling up using my ADSL2+".

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 25-Jan-12 11:58:13)

In reply to a post by burakkucat:

Chuckles.

What annoys me, when making a purchase in a shop, is if the till operator asks me to insert my PIN number.

I find that is more common than being asked to enter my PIN. To the extent that being asked for my PIN pleases me. Such a complex life I lead!

Ummm? "Insert"? PINs?

Just made a Roberto doll so I can insert pins

One of my pet hates with such things iare the Individual Savings Accounts that were introduced to us years back as ISA's. (I.S.A.)
Within a couple of years, when enquiring about same, one would be repeatedly corrected by bank clerks who would immediately say 'icer' ...was it that the three sylables required for ISA became too much?

In reply to a post by nadger:

Just made a Roberto doll so I can insert pins

Awww, that's unkind.

Unless you mean for acupuncture for my many symptoms of decrepitude .

And it should actually be pronounced IZER if you are going to say it that way.