Unable to renew broadband. No one picking up telephone and cant renew online

[FTTC18]

I am happy with broadband and simply want to renew using the quote I received (Assuming I am reading the quote correctly, that I received via email).  However, I must call 03337 594 816 to renew and can't renew online.

Having waited around 20 minutes on the phone, the line went dead.  When calling back I was informed that I would need to wait a further 40 minutes.  Unfortunately, I am not able to wait on the telephone for an hour to speak with someone to renew.  I then spent a little more  time reviewing the automated AI Chat service to no avail and then sent a message using the NOW TV messaging email service.

If I do not renew and do not call, my costs will nearly double in September, which would force me to move to a new supplier.

Forum question - Can anyone recommend a faster way of resolution without calling and waiting an extended time on the phone.

NOW Support Team - This is my first news post on this forum and I assume the team do read them?  If so, may I please ask you to get in touch and confirm how I can renew more easily than waiting on the phone for an hour before speaking with someone.  Please feedback the need to have a renewal service online.

What I will do going forward.

1) Wait to see if NOW TV replies to the email I sent earlier today and via the NOW website and see if I can resolve my renewal using this method.
2) Await information from this news post and follow useful advice.
3) Take to Twitter next week and try to get some response from the NOW team.
4) Move to a different supplier if I am not able to resolve and renew satisfactory by 25th August.  This would be a shame as I have had a good service since being with NOW.  

I will update this news post once my renewal is resolved and if I go with anyone's recommendations, so that it may help others in a  similar situation.

Thanks for reading.

[schnapps]

Hi @FTTC18 

I find phoning the NOW Broadband Team before 9am in the morning if you can.

I had to do the same exercise recently on behalf of my elderly Father and it took me around 15 minutes to get through on the phone, once the telephone lines was opened.

I can't remember if I used the telephone number on the renewal email or this telephone number in the screenshot below.

You could try NOW Twitter (X), where my guess they will say that they cannot deal with account related matters and ask you to use the telephone number.

I don't know why in this day and age you can't update or accept the offer online directly from your account which would save time and trouble for both customers and NOW Staff who could be dealing with other issues.

[FTTC18]

Hi Schnapps,  Appreciate the time your taking to respond.  I will try before 9.00am.  Thanks for the tip. 

Twitter has helped us in the past with previous comments and complaints, so if we have any positive or negative information in this area, I will publish and let others know.  It's nice to see your screen shot and response and my Twitter post / info will be updated to take this info into account.  A very well known energy company are very good at responses (& resolution) via Twitter (Email 8 + months with no resolution and twitter, it took less than 2 weeks, with excellent and positive outcome).  Much obliged for the screen shot and info.

For info, I found a link to chat to a real person (Chat person - helpful enough) to be told that the chat session only deal with NOW TV issues and there is no chat for broadband.  Telephone calls are still 40+ minutes for broadband.  Here is the link I found (it is of no use for Broadband issues)  https://help.nowtv.com/article/how-to-submit-a-complaint

Although I know no help will be given, we will also report our complaint to OfCom for info.  It's a numbers game.  The more people that report the problem, the more chance on services in this area improving or NOW TV (Sky) getting fined.

All the best....

[RoyB]

@FTTC18 

We are all just customers like you here. Nobody from Now reads posts here or replies to them 😢

[FTTC18]

Hi RonB - With a smile on my face - this is nice to know and unfortunate.  We were previously (Many years ago) with another supplier, who (Although of little help) answered customer questions and were of some help.  We are currently using FTTC (Fibre to the cabinet and the cabinet to home is cooper) and now have available FTTP (Fibre to the premisses), so will go down this route with PlusNet (Some nice advertising for PlusNet), if we can't get this resolved by the end of next week, as well as continue with Twitter and OfCom.  We are fortunate that FTTP will cost us £2 more than we are paying and the speed with be three times faster than what we are currently getting.  Thanks again.....

[RoyB]

@FTTC18 

You will have to change your moniker to FTTP18 😛

Not just faster, but five times more reliable, according to a comparison Vodaphone did between their FTTP and their own FTTC…..

[FTTC18]

: -)  Nicely spotted.......

[FTTC18]

15Aug23 - Update.

I tried to call NOWTV broadband renewal team again today and during the early morning and to no avail.  I had the same problem.  The phone went dead after a while and when calling back, the time line was updated from 20 minutes to a 40 minute wait to speak with someone to renew. 

I have been a NOWTV broadband customer for over 10 years and never had to call to renew and have been very happy with the service for the 10 years I have been with them.  I simply wanted to renew at the renewal I was quoted in an email (Quoted via email £25.50 per month for another 12 months).  If I do not call and renew using the new quote I received, then my costs automatically go up to £46.50 in September 2023. 

I sent an email (14 Aug23) yesterday and received a reply today (15 Aug23) from the NOW TV broadband team explaining that I would need to call them to renew, as they had some "important information" that the broadband team needed a "verbal agreement" from me over the phone before they could renew at the cost they quoted.  I asked three questions in my original email and only one was replied to (You must call us to renew).  I replied to the email explaining that I wanted to know what I had to verbally agree to before calling, as this newly required verbal phone agreement may now influence my decision on renewing with NOWTV broadband.  I also asked for comments on why a phone call verbal agreement in any area was needed.  If I was a new customer, I could get it cheaper (With NOWTV - £22 for 36mbs - 12 month contract) online than my renewal quote (25.50) and I would not need to wait for an hour to call and speak to someone as a new customer. 

All I want to do is renew at the renewal cost they sent in the email ( A few pounds more than a new customer offer - New customer £22 - my renewal offer £25.50)

For me, I am sad to report that PlusNet will now be my way forward (With a Fibre / FTTP solution £26.99 estimated 145mb download - ordered this evening - install and go live next week) and I will update my landline to a VoIP solution for under £4 per month else where, to keep my home telephone number separate from my broadband, then cancel NOWTV via email once my landline number has been converted to a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol - anyone interested - search online for "landline porting". I am looking at virtuallandline (.co.uk) at the moment for £3.95.  per month, simply to keep my current landline number, which I will forward to my mobile phone, while I review further options in this area.  I may get a VoIP phone, as landlines are a thing of the past and will gradually be phased out in 2025.

It remains very sad to leave NOWTV broadband for something that could have been sorted out so quickly and with ease by simply login into my NOWTV account and selecting - "renew for another 12 months for £25.50 per month - or call this number to discuss further" (& wait for up to an hour to speak with us!).

There you go.............