Plusnet want to charge me £65
I had a call from a customer exacerbated after discovering Plusnet Charges. She called Plusnet four times, requesting they deal with her line fault. She was told by the advisor that if the fault was inside her premises she would be charged £65. However the charge should only be raised if the fault is on your own wiring AFTER the Master Socket.
I've heard nothing but Praise for Plusnet
In particular, Plusnet level of Customer Service and the speed and ease with which customers can get through I’ve heard, is impressive.
One of the main things governing who I would personally choose to go with as my Service Provider, would be how easily it would be to speak to someone if i did have an issue.
So many people struggle lately to get through and raise faults with TalkTalk and BT. Therefore I was surprised to hear how in this case, Plusnet seem to have it wrong. Here’s what you do first regardless of who your Service Provider is – a Line Test.
First things first - How to check using the Test Socket
A current NTE Master Socket was installed, and the customer was able to carry out the standard checks. She removed the Front Plate and plugged her phone directly in to the Test Socket.
The line was still proving to be faulty without any of her own wiring connected.
When you do this, you are isolating the wiring in the rest of your house, and are connected directly to the incomming Landline. If you have problems when plugged into the Test Socket call your Service Provider and insist they send an Openreach Engineer free of charge.
How to challenge Plusnet charges
Fortunately – as a result of her call to me, I was able to provide free advice. I referred her back to her Service Provider, Plusnet. I advised her to insist on them booking an Openreach Engineer to fix her line – free of charge.
Openreach look after the Telephone and Broadband network and are obliged to maintain everyone’s wiring from the exchange, up to and including the Master Socket or NTE. Note that its name is a giveaway – Network Termination Equipment. It consists of a removable ‘Consumer Front Plate’ so that you are able to test the line directly when it comes into your property. Removing the plate isolates your own wiring feeding extension sockets allowing you to figure out where the fault may lie. So now you’re more informed about the Plusnet Charges you can be sure you’re not overcharged.
If you have a problem when your phone or Router are pluggged into the Test Socket, you have just proved that the fault is down to Openreach. You have to report the fault to your Service Provider, and they are obliged to raise a fault on your behalf.
What if I don’t have the latest Master Socket?
An older type of socket is called a Line Jack Unit or LJU. It is fairly small and has a solid front so do not remove this. There are no tests you can do; in fact you might dislodge a wire. If you only have one Telephone Socket then regard this as your Master Socket. Openreach are responsible up to and including that socket for normal wear and tear. You cannot do any further tests, but you can call me now for expert help and advice!
If you book an engineer to visit, ask him to upgrade your obsolete socket for the newer NTE5C. Then, you will be able to isolate and test the line in future if a new fault develops.
Do you have additional Extension Sockets?
Faulty Telephone Extension sockets and wiring are subject to Plusnet Charges because they aren’t their responsibility to fix or maintain. Additional Telephone Extension Sockets, Alarm junction boxes and associated wiring are not covered. If the fault is traced to that wiring then you are liable to receive a charge. Contact me to see how I can save you money and time.
It is likely that the Openreach Engineer will disconnect your extensions to get the line working and raise a charge. This charge is for the call out and not to reinstate your own wiring. Therefore you will be left without those other sockets working. This also potentially affects your burglar alarm or Careline if they directly connect to the line.
When should I be expected to be charged?
Openreach can raise a charge to the Service Provider if the fault is caused by corrosion inside your house up to and including the Master Socket. This can occur if the socket is situated in a damp place, or condensation is present. Or if you’ve spilt water on it. This is not classed as normal wear and tear. However if the socket has been installed by Openreach in an inappropriate place – prone to water ingress, argue that it should be relocated free of charge. Such a poor location might be beside a cold single glazed window sill. If your cat has urinated over the socket or wiring this is also chargeable and a common source of corrosion based faults.
Very unfair Plusnet charges
I Googled ‘Plusnet want to charge me £65’ and low and behold I found their forum full of similar customer complaints. One customer writes:
“Very unhappy to receive an email from PlusNet charging me £65 to for an engineer visit. The reason apparently is a repair to an extension wiring”.
“There is no extension in my house, just a single master socket which had a fault. The BT engineer repaired the master socket and advised me that there would be no Plusnet charges – as the BT Master Socket belongs to BT. The router connects directly to the Master Socket. There are no extensions at all”.
“Also, the email said I could review the ticket and add feedback. When I review the ticket, I can see the text but there is no option to type anything in. Hence the last resort of typing it into the discussion forum”.
“I’m very unhappy and I consider I’ve been ripped off by the way that Plusnet charges”.
Another Plusnet customer gets a refund after being wrongly charged
“I just had this exact issue and it is not our responsibility. The Master Socket is Openreach’s responsibility, with some debate about whether the face plate (on older, ‘two socket sockets’ which have a built in ADSL filter) is included in this. It seems also that Openreach charge (wrongly) for this all the time and there is even an article about exactly this from 2014. Plusnet kindly refunded my charge”.
BT Openreach are responsible for everything right up to the test socket.
“BT Openreach are responsible for everything right up to the test socket” – So NOT for the consumer plate”!
“However, the engineer said they did not have a NTE box with a Test Socket, so presumably an old LJU Line Jack box. This ought to be upgraded free of charge to allow the consumer to isolate their own wiring should a fault develop. The latest NTE5c can accept a Filtered Front Plate, or vDSL Plate. This prevents extension wiring slowing the Internet down. It’s essential for good Broadband speed and should be fitted wherever there are extension sockets.
How to query Plusnet charges
“An email from Plusnet said I could review the ticket and add feedback. When I review the ticket, I can see the text but there is no option to type anything in, hence the last resort of typing it into the discussion forum”.
“Sound like the ticket is ‘read only’ ie closed”.
“If you start here – Plusnet Help and click on ‘Help Assistant’ then select ‘I’ve been charged for an engineer visit’ you’ll be able to log your complaint”.
‘No Fault Found’ could also mean a charge applies
“As it was explained to me ‘If no fault is found’ means if everything is working as it should and there is nothing wrong, not if they can’t find out what’s wrong. Presumably, you have already satisfied Plusnet that there is a fault or they wouldn’t be offering to send an engineer. Low speed or frequent disconnections indicate a fault is present, whether the engineer can find it or not, so the main concern is where and why there is a fault and whose fault the fault is. If the fault turns out to be your responsibility or your imagination you would be charged”.
“As part of the investigation of this fault we may need an engineer to visit your property to test the line. If the engineer finds the problem is with your internal wiring, your equipment, the condition of your property or the Openreach network has been damaged within the boundary of your property by things like building or garden works or if no fault is found, you will receive Plusnet charges of £65”.
BT Customer Charges
From BT Pricing Info
Full-rate charges – Where the fault is found not to be with any BT service or equipment.
In particular this covers the situation where no fault is found, or the fault is found to be on non-BT equipment, or is due to damage caused by someone other than BT or someone at the customer’s premises, or due to theft, loss or removal of equipment, or in the case of customer owned or rented equipment (but not BT’s network) faults caused by damage by external or environmental factors (e.g. lightning, electrical surges or floods).
Note at time of writing, the charge for BT Retail residential customers was £150 and £245+VAT for business customers
Missed appointments
Another customer advises, “Do make absolutely sure you can’t miss the engineer. Ideally have a camera watching your door so you can have a record of who comes. I suspect overstretched engineers sometimes claim they have visited a property and found no one in when they can’t make their target for the day because other jobs have taken too long. Certainly, something similar happened to me. Plusnet accepted what I said, waived the charge and in fact offered me a new router by way of apology”.
“In other words, you have to agree to something written by lawyers to cover all possibilities, but in my experience common sense was applied in how it was used”.
