Switch to Plusnet: Get cut off

lexmarshall

The Plusnet internet switching process is the one and only failure I have experienced over many years of switching between different providers. The failure was major and quite astonishing. I was cut off for 8 days.

On Tuesday a Plusnet text message stated the router had been despatched (first class mail apparently). Emails stated change-over to take place on the following Friday and not to connect up the router until a text message stated it was okay to do so.

No router had arrived and from very early on that Friday morning the internet was cut off.

Saturday, still no router. Had to drive partner to a relative’s place to use their internet for her on-line certification course.

Rang Plusnet and after almost an hour someone eventually picked up. Investigation revealed all the work had been done, just needed to connect up the non existent router. I asked about the unreceived text message I was expecting, telling me when to connect up and was told that because I had opted to not receive text messages one was not sent. Bit of a logic problem there, because even if I had a router it would not have been connected up until I received the Plusnet follow-up text message!

Right then, the only missing element was the router, so where was it? That it was dispatched on Tuesday was confirmed by the operative, so it was out there somewhere. Come Sunday and still no router and no prospect of a Sunday delivery. Implications were beginning to develop for my on-line financial arrangements – end of month and Financial Year looming. Monday arrived and still no router. I had to drive my partner to a relative’s house to continue with her on-line course again.

The operative did suggest that Plusnet was aware of some issues with its sub-contracted delivery arrangements and indicated its “First Class” delivery arrangements could take up to 5 working days! Elsewhere, in one of its emails, Plusnet denied any liability for shortcomings with its third party delivery contractor. Fair enough, but my contract is with Plusnet not some third party cowboy outfit it chooses to contract with, so I expect Plusnet to comply with its contract and have its router available at the right time.

Tuesday, still no router and the five working days were up! Phoned Plusnet – through to operative within 4 minutes. Advised that there was nothing Plusnet could do other than send another router. Received a text message that another router had been sent and would arrive within a few days! Could not take partner to relative’s house for online course because relative had gone on holiday. On-line course abandoned.

Turns out the third party is Royal Mail (“Royal” perhaps being a bit on a misnomer these days). Royal Mail was sold off a couple of years or so ago to a private sector outfit which apparently has alienated its work force by eroding workers rights (not sure exactly what rights because I can’t check online, but parr for the course is new employment contracts with less pay for extra hours – take it or quit). What do you expect from a disgruntled work force? My experience with Royal Mail over recent years is late deliveries, non-deliveries and damaged goods as well as correct, on-time deliveries. The latter is obviously ruled out in the current case and “lost in transit” seems to be the prime suspect for this one.

Given its knowledge of potential issues with its delivery arrangements, one might have thought Plusnet would have enough gumption to check if its new customer had actually received a router before pulling the plug on the existing internet connection or at least dispatch the router more than 5 working days before cut off. The latter would at least give the punter a head start for getting a delivery problem rectified. Plusnet confirmed that Saturdays do not count as a working day even though Royal Mail will deliver on that day (if the item has not been lost).

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, still no router. Hence no access to internet, to Amazon Prime, to Netflix, nor to Firesticks. Subscriptions being wasted. Borrowed a neighbour’s phone to check my emails. There was one from Plusnet from Thursday (1st April, oh dear) saying the router had been put in the mail that day, ie two days later than originally stated, and to expect it within 24 to 48 hours! Well nothing within 24 hours.

Running out of groceries, no online ordering, so now have to forego shielding arrangements because of my partner’s and my delicate health situation, and risk a venture to the shops. [Me, recovering from bowel cancer and removal of thyroid gland, she, coeliac and crippled with complex regional pain syndrome]. Lots of people milling about, many not observing the distance rules and bumping into me and my partner on her crutches. Thank you Plusnet.

If you can follow the arithmetic, we are now eight days without internet!

The ninth day has arrived and the router turned up this morning. Plugged it in and got everything to work, no trouble at all.

Made a complaint to Plusnet and have been given a refund of one month's fees. 

My purpose in writing is t flag up a warning about this ISP;  you might get cut off!   I received a hint that the senior management was aware of a drop off in standards from its third party and might be considering other options.

Neil_Jones

First thing I would say here is that Good Friday is a bank holiday and Easter Monday was a bank holiday.  It was almost granted you wouldn't get anything on those two days in the post.  If you needed the internet for end of financial year stuff it probably wasn't a good idea to switch provider at the beginning of April, surely?

flashg67

I found Plusnet one of the better, more responsive suppliers I've had, but you got unlucky I guess, and considering  RM are the main mail provider in the UK, not surprising they use them, as do 000's of other companies. Out of millions of items some are bound to go missing.  Google Hermes, DPD, UPS etc and you'll see every mail carrier has issues sometimes. I also use RM for most of my post/parcels - genuinely can't remember the last time I had a non delivered item. 
Are you counting Good Friday and Easter Monday as working days - they're not generally considered to be

Carrot007

lexmarshall said:

Right then, the only missing element was the router, so where was it? That it was dispatched on Tuesday was confirmed by the operative, so it was out there somewhere.

TLDR, however from you points that I saw.

Sounds like you were not cut off and just recieved no router "in time". You had your old router surely why not use that? (yes you have to manually set it up and some (like sky) will not work.

I'm also sure Tesco was open somewhere neaby and happy to sell you one (been a while so I don't know if they have em still but always Argos in Sainsburys or Amazon 2 hour delivery).

Would not use a ISP supplied router anyway, my plusnet one went to my aunt who uses it on talk talk (though I wish she would go for a better provider, was a more reputable one untill they all got bought up, but anyway...).

So were you cut off of did you just not have a router from the ISP where any old router would probably have done the job once setup.

Chino

lexmarshall said:

Implications were beginning to develop for my on-line financial arrangements – end of month and Financial Year looming.

Which is why it's never a good idea to leave these things until the end of the tax year - you never know what might go wrong at the last minute.

lexmarshall

Thanks for the comments, all valid I would say.  Looks like it was my own fault!  Moot point, was I cut off if only the router was missing?   Hopefully I will know better next time and will stand by to use one of my collection of old routers, but will need to check on the internet how to do it!   Plusnet has given me a free month by way of compensation.

A_Lert

To be fair the same situation could occur with any ISP. They're all going to use one of the same small number of delivery companies. I don't know of any that wait until you're got their router before finalising the switch date, so I assume there's a reason they don't.

And there is as far as I know no law against ISPs making routers locked to their systems, meaning they become e-waste when you switch and forcing you to have a new router rather than having the option to reconfigure your old one for your new ISP.

brewerdave

A_Lert said:

And there is as far as I know no law against ISPs making routers locked to their systems, meaning they become e-waste when you switch and forcing you to have a new router rather than having the option to reconfigure your old one for your new ISP.

Fortunately PN aren't one of the ISPs who disallows your own router!