The computer says no
I thought I’d finally bite the bullet and try to upgrade my parents broadband to a new provider. They have been on Demon forever, but the service has atrophied as they were first bought by Thus and then Vodafone. I visited the PlusNet and BT websites to find out what packages they could switch to only to end up with some rather strange errors:
A bit of googling took me to the excellent BT community forums which showed this is a problem that other people have had. All the providers reference an Openreach database which contains phone numbers and addresses. It's entirely possible for this database to contain the wrong address even though your phone provider is billing you at the correct address.
Your current provider is the only organisation with the authority to get this address updated. You need to navigate to the right department (SME provisioning in the case of Vodafone/Demon) and get them to send an address update request to the BT Openreach ORDI robot. This can take a few days to flow through but once it's done you'll have a valid number again!
Have the computers already taken over? It now seems common (and acceptable) for human's to be unable to complete a transaction or provide a service because the system won't allow it, is down, is being slow etc. These systems/processes need to be designed to fail gracefully and allow for humans to override/apply intelligence in the case of data errors and outages. With all the recent AI and robotised process hype is this going to get worse?
- You don't have a compatible phone line. To provide you with a new service we will need to give you a new phone number
- The phone number and postcode supplied do not match; please try again.
A bit of googling took me to the excellent BT community forums which showed this is a problem that other people have had. All the providers reference an Openreach database which contains phone numbers and addresses. It's entirely possible for this database to contain the wrong address even though your phone provider is billing you at the correct address.
Your current provider is the only organisation with the authority to get this address updated. You need to navigate to the right department (SME provisioning in the case of Vodafone/Demon) and get them to send an address update request to the BT Openreach ORDI robot. This can take a few days to flow through but once it's done you'll have a valid number again!
Have the computers already taken over? It now seems common (and acceptable) for human's to be unable to complete a transaction or provide a service because the system won't allow it, is down, is being slow etc. These systems/processes need to be designed to fail gracefully and allow for humans to override/apply intelligence in the case of data errors and outages. With all the recent AI and robotised process hype is this going to get worse?
Full chat text below:
Info
at 10:28, Apr
16:
You are now
chatting with Droid.
Droid
at 10:29,
Apr 16:
Hi there, how may I assist you with your Plusnet order
today?
Customer
at 10:30, Apr 16:
I was trying to
sign up online but your website is saying that we don't have a compatible phone
line, yet we have a normal working phone (currently with vodafone)
Droid
at 10:31,
Apr 16:
Hello John
Droid
at 10:31,
Apr 16:
I'll be happy to assist you with this.
Droid
at 10:31,
Apr 16:
This means you will need line rental with your broadband
Customer
at 10:32, Apr 16:
That's fine but
it also says we need a new phone number to get the service. This is a show
stopper.
Droid
at 10:34,
Apr 16:
Unfortunately you will not be able to keep your telephone number.
Plusnet will provide you with a new number when switching.
Droid
at 10:34,
Apr 16:
An engineer will be required to connect a telephone line
for our broadband.
Droid
at 10:34,
Apr 16:
Your line connection fee will be just £49.99 one off.
Customer
at 10:34, Apr 16:
Why is a new
phone number and engineer needed?
Droid
at 10:35,
Apr 16:
Who is your current provider?
Customer
at 10:36, Apr 16:
Vodafone
Droid
at 10:36,
Apr 16:
Can I please take your landline number (if you have one),
postcode, and door number or house name to check Plusnet availability and
price?
Droid
at 10:36,
Apr 16:
I will double check
Customer
at 10:38, Apr 16:
<snip
number/postcode>. We also have a second line which we will be cancelling -<snip/>.
The second line is used for ADSL/Fax but we want to move it all across to the other
number. Both lines are with Vodafone currently.
Droid
at 10:38,
Apr 16:
Which number should I check with?
Customer
at 10:39, Apr 16:
<snip/> as
this is the number we want going forwards
Droid
at 10:40,
Apr 16:
That number is not showing as valid I am afraid
Customer
at 10:40, Apr 16:
How come it is
working then. Shall I call you from it to prove it?
Droid
at 10:41,
Apr 16:
You should call the phone sales team to get this double
checked John
Customer
at 10:42, Apr 16:
Can't you do
this for me?
Droid
at 10:42,
Apr 16:
I am afraid I have checked with it and the phone number is
showing as not valid
Droid
at 10:42,
Apr 16:
I am truly sorry about this
Customer
at 10:43, Apr 16:
So PlusNet can't
help then
Droid
at 10:43,
Apr 16:
I can only go by what the system says John
Customer
at 10:43, Apr 16:
To confirm, you
can't provide a service on this line
Droid
at 10:44,
Apr 16:
I cannot see the number being accepted John
Droid
at 10:44,
Apr 16:
It is not a valid number
Customer
at 10:44, Apr 16:
Right, I'll go
with a different provider then
Customer
at 10:45, Apr 16:
Laughable that
you think it's not a valid number when it has been used for 30 years!
Droid
at 10:45,
Apr 16:
I am afraid the system needs to recognise the number
Droid
at 10:46,
Apr 16:
I will check
again
Customer
at 10:46, Apr 16:
How can the
phone be working then? Is it magic?
Droid
at 10:46,
Apr 16:
it is now working
Droid
at 10:48,
Apr 16:
I am afraid I can still see a line installation is needed
and a new phone number is needed John]
Droid
at 10:48,
Apr 16:
I am truly sorry about this
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