Primus / Planetalk - Homephone/Customer Service Issues

boshdmg

I had a Primus Homephone at my previous address. I was on a 12 month contract so I transferred it to my new address when I moved (march 2011).

After moving, I had issues with the line being 'dead', so I waded through their terrible Indian call center, and they eventually sent an engineer around to fix it.

A month or so after that the line stopped working again, and I just left it as I couldn't be bothered with their customer service.

Now I am wanting to cancel my contract as it runs out in October. I emailed them on planettalkers@primustel.co.uk, and someone rang me back from their new call center based in Yorkshire. They said they would sort out the cancellation and ring me back. They haven't and two weeks have gone by. Now when I ring them no one picks up even if I stay on the line for 20mins, and I tired emailing them again, and the email bounced.

What do I do? Can I just cancel the direct debit, or will that cause issues? Do I have grounds to/ should I seek a refund for the lack of a working phone line?

Heinz

I'd suggest a letter (keep a copy) sent by recorded delivery to their head office:

New Call Telecom Ltd
Bow House
1A Bow Lane
London
EC4M 9EE

harley1

Anyone know a number for the Yorkshire call centre?

I think I'm only 15 months into an 18m contract but have no line and am having the same trouble as the OP in getting hold of them.

I can't find any record of a contract with them though, either in my files or online.

Thanks
Harley x

Heinz

harley1 wrote: »

Anyone know a number for the Yorkshire call centre?

Surely they've just change the 'divert to' destination of their usual 0800 036 0094 number?

They also publish 0800 036 3698 for their 'business' sales.

harley1

sorry, I was hoping for a direct dial number. the 0800 number is the one I've been dialling but not getting any answer and it is using up the free minutes on my mobile. I thought if someone had a direct dial number it might actually have a chance of being answered.

I've emailed their customer services too but not had any response yet.

thanks for your response

harley1

Ok, I feel I now have to sing their praises :T

I rang my mum to whinge about the whole issue and she said she had been worried when she couldn't get hold of me (hates to ring mobile) and offered to ring them for me.

Well, despite not being a primus customer, she got through and spoke to a lovely lady who rang me back within 10 mins of me ringing mum. It seems that there is a problem at the exchange and it should soon be sorted.

At a time where it seems most companies have forgotten what customer service actually is I was very impressed by this ladies helpful attitude and polite manner.

As long as the fault is fixed soon I think they can keep my custom

Kamran

What an awful customer service!

I've been with them in the past which is why I went with them recently, but MAN what a rubbish customer service they have grown to have! They don't acknowledge or reply to emails, I've been on hold for 40mins on their phone (just for ME to pay MY final bill to them). God forbid they should have an online payment service?

I've left them, good riddance. No complaints at the actual phone call quality/phone service/overall value, but poor customer service means they lose my custom.

:T

bendipa

harley1 wrote: »

sorry, I was hoping for a direct dial number. the 0800 number is the one I've been dialling but not getting any answer and it is using up the free minutes on my mobile. I thought if someone had a direct dial number it might actually have a chance of being answered.

I've emailed their customer services too but not had any response yet.

thanks for your response

Yes. A lot pf customers including myself have had the same problems. I eventually did get a reply one week by email, and even managed to get through on the freephone number (I'm on a landline) after 2 weeks of trying by that method. So eventually my problems did get sorted. But it's very hard work and frustrating. I nearly decided to cancel my contract with Primus after just 1 month with them, but as things have now worked out ok, and I'm saving a nice chunk off my line rental compared to BT I'll probably stay with Primus unless I have another similar bout of frustration communicating with them.

Kwaker_Knacker

What a rubbish company this Primus lot are.

I signed up in July. For the 1st 10 days I had no internet. They kept saying they had fixed it, but still no internet. Phoned them every day for the first 8 days (a 20 minute wait every time to speak to someone who could hardly understand me and I could hardly understand them) then e-mailed them to cancel the contract, I also cancelled my direct debit. On the 10th day, the internet started working, so I e-mailed them to say I'd stay with them but they'd have to set up the direct debit again. Got a mail to say the DD had been set up again, but it never appeared on my DD page on my internet banking page.

So after 3 weeks, I get a bill through the post for the first 2 weeks. On it were charges for not having a direct debit, and for getting paper bills, and for the internet that never worked for the first 10 days. I'd asked for online bills when I signed up. So on the phone again with another 20 minute wait to get thru. Was eventually told that the bill would be squashed due to all the problems and because they hadn't set the DD up.

So I got my latest bill, and they've only gone and added last months bill (the supposed squashed one) onto this months bill. So I e-mailed them as soon as I saw this. Got no reply after 2 weeks, so e-mailed them again. Still heard nothing. Now today they have taken a payment out of my bank, but it is neither the full amount that my bill says, or the new bill minus the old bill, or the old bill on it's own. I haven't got a clue how much or when these jokers are going to be taking out of my account.

I only signed up cos I saw the deal in the MSE money saving e-mail and it seemed like a great deal, but I have to say it's been an absolute nightmare dealing with these clowns

Andy.

ian_w_4

I just cancelled my order with them after 3 weeks of trying to get a line activated. Thought I was ahead of the game ordering my new line 2 weeks before we moved into the new house but been in a week and still no phone.

Emails bounce back as failed or delayed and it takes 25 minutes (on a mobile so not free) to speak to someone. They're very apologetic and 'helpful' when you do get through but apparently they do nothing because my order never seemed to progress and I ended up just repeating myself.

In the end I wrote to them cancelling the order and booked a phone line and broadband with Plusnet- the complete opposite. Got a confirmation text immediately, another 2 hours later with my new phone number and 10 minutes later the wife rang me from the new landline!

3 weeks+ vs. 2 hours? I'll happily pay a couple of quid extra for that to be honest.

boshdmg

I wrote to them with this (to the address above) on the 13th of Sept......

My Primus account number is xxx, I have been a customer since August 2010. I have a number of issues with your service.

In March 2011 we moved house and so I transferred the remainder of my contract to my current address. At this time we were having problems with the line being ‘dead’, after battling with your very poor Indian based call center, an engineer was sent round and the line was fixed.

Shortly after this, the line stopped working again, and I decided it would be easier just to sit out the contract rather than ring and get it fixed again as we do no need the phone line.

As it is coming up to the anniversary of my contract I now wish to cancel it but I am unable to. I have tried calling this number 0800 036 3839 (selecting the customer service option) at various points between 9am and 5 pm on 4 occasions, each time I waited on hold for circa 20 minutes and gave up.

I then tried emailing you at planettalkers@primustel.co.uk on August 13th, some time after that someone rang me from your new UK based call center to enquire about my faulty line, when I explained that I wanted to cancel the customer support representative said they would do some investigation and see if they could cancel my contract without charge, to compensate for the line not working, and that they would ring me back in a few days.

No one rang me back. So on the 5th of September I sent another email enquiring about what progress was being made, but this time the email bounced back to with an error message saying your mail server is down.

So I am in a position of being unable to contact you to cancel my contract.

Please can someone contact me to resolve this. If I do not received a response to this later within 10 working days, I will be cancel my direct debit, contact Ofcom and do my best to make sure the customer service I have received it documented on the Internet.

And today on the 5th of October... they sent me a bill for "Early Disconnection Fee" for £65 pounds with no accompanying letter. October is the final month of my contract it makes no sense to charge me this.

HELP!