Internal Complaints Procedure...

Hi, like many others I have lot's of issues with PlusNet, not least the five-year contract; under the advise of Ofcom I'm following their [PlusNet's] own internal complaints procedure, but to date I have had no response - obviously if I get no response it's straight over the Ofcom.

Has anybody else followed this procedure and got a reply?

Thanks - Blue

PlusNet does not have a 5 year contract. The contract is either 1 year or 1 month depending upon the option that you took when you signed up.

The 5 years reletes to free (deferred) activation and hardware fees.

When you connect an ADSL line for the first time there is an actication fee payable to BT by the ISP. You can choose to pay this up front. Alternatively many ISPs provide an option to pay this when you leave, normally with some rules around how much you have to pay dependant upon how long you have been with the ISP. In PlusNet's case they reduce the amount payable by 20% at the end of each year. The activation fee therefore becomes free after you have been with them for 5 years. If you leave before then you owe them the activation fee minus 20% for each full year that you have been with them. This is all fully explained on their web site.

The same is true if you opted for free (deferred payment) hardware.

Here is the current wording from their web site if you follow the free set-up now available (terms apply*) links.

Want the detail? 'You stay we pay' explained.

For every year you stay with PlusNet we'll guarantee that the cancellation cost decreases. What does this mean? If you cancel within the first year, then you will pay

Thanks B - perhaps I worded that slightly incorrectly but the question still stands concerning the internal complaints procedure!

Thanks - Blue

Writing a letter by recorded mail would probabily be the best route to go and ask for a responce in the letter. If nothing happens raise a ticket asking them why it was ignored and request a responce again, If all else fails.... erm you can run if you like? i dont think they'll do much about complaints these days, unless circumstances warrent it.

Hi SL, we've already gone past the ticket stage and onto the internal complaints procedure [Recorded] - I'll wait a couple of weeks and then pass it over to Ofcom; after all, this is what they [Ofcom] advised.

Blue

The easier option which i am now going to follow is to seek services from another provider that does WLR services. such as TalkTalk. sign upto them for phone side and ask that you not have the broadband and the service change will kick plusnet off the line leaving your line clear and then sign up with another provider.

Plusnet have screwed me around massively and their service is getting worse. Half the time i have a connection i cant even use it due to teh 2nd hop within their network killing my connection. ive asked for help and they dont give a flying stuff.

I signed up and was told the modem would be free. now they want to charge for it if i cease.

I was never given an opt out option when they changed the fair usage policy either which has royally peev'ed me off now as i would have taken it

Internal complaints procedure doesnt work. ive asked for a higher level complaints team contact and no joy still and also asked if it would help if asked watchdog or the like to look into the issue.

Ofcom will take an age to do anything and the easiest option is to just cease the phone line to be honest and create a stop start on the line to remove the services.

Be careful doing this and thinking you have walked away as you are still liable for any contractual obligations (12 months etc). To get them cancelled you would either need Plusnet to agree or to go to court and get a judgement in your favour.
It is always worth discussing with CAB or legal advice before making a move.

I think they would really struggle inn proving their case in a small claims court as they havent offered a servcie that they wanted to, they offered other customers but not myself an opt out clause when the fair usage policy changed, and they have changed what was orginally agreed at point of sale and they dont even offer customer service anymore.

Do they even bother to come on this forum anymore as i havent been here for a while but it makes for light reading as always...

Even with all that you say - legally the contract would still stand until such time as you reach an agreement with the provider or a court basically rips it up.

I would suggest go seek some independent advice on the matter.

http://www.adslguide.org.uk/isps/problems.asp has some hints and tips in this area

Andrew

Cheers Andrew.

Most annoying yet again as i cant get online with the connection. shock horror its falling over in the plusnet network again... :rolleyes:

Update after 1 week of waiting for a reply they say the below and say this to me!

In reply to:

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Dear xxxx,
If you wish us to supply a MAC key then the deferred terms as stated above will be required first, we will not be issuing this FOC.

We are fully aware of the procedures to log into e.co & woosh, so there is no need for you to explain this to us.

I see you have reported this issue before back in July (22/07/06) via our automated faults checker.

Within this report you indicated that the syncronisation of the line is dropping. As i'm sure you'll be aware we cannot directly cause this problem, the sync represents your connection to the telephone exchange - on a related note a move to any other ISP would see the issue remain.

The other reason i mention this previous report from yourself is that you closed it approxitmately an hour after raising it, so therefore the automated woosh never completed, and as a result nobody on this side was ever passed the issue.

We can and do raise intermittant faults to BT WHOLESALE on a daily basis, these do sometimes take longer to resolve due to the intermittant nature, but do get fixed.

We would be more than happy to investigate this issue and get it resolved for you, If you want us to woosh your line and raise a fault please access the faults checker again (http://faults.plus.net) and allow the process to complete without closing it.

I would also point out you cannot migrate and have a fault open with BTW at the same time:

As soon as a Migration order is submitted by the new ISP, this would see the asset reported as CEASED in e.co and we'd be unable to perform a one shot check on the circuit.

So in short, we can either generate the MAC (upon recipet of the previously advised payments) or we can investigate the fault for you.

Please advise how you'd like to proceed.

Regards,
Andrew Bunker

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needless to say the no sync fault was closed as i had sync return fine and without interuption within the hour but they dont understand the fault im reporting within their network? Not meaning to be funny but if i employed them on my team(rival ISP 2nd technical support team) they would be sacked as they just arent reading it right at all let alone spell checking it or grammer checks.....

Really riled about this now so one phone call to sort this as im gunna demand a TM speaks to me and no normal CSA or 1st dogsbody type or this goes off to watchdog as i just copied the whole thing out...