I reckon that my recent experience with my DSL supplier must be pretty bad.
So, I upgrade my service from 2 Mbps to 8 Mbps. In due course (not a smooth one, because they 'forgot' to upgrade the line, despite sending me confirmation letters and billing me for it) the line is upgraded and my modem syncs at 8 Mbps.
However, throughput is only 2 Mbps. No matter what I download, it's always 2 Mbps - pretty much exactly. If I use a download monior, the graph is ruler flat.
So I call - 'My router is syncing at 8 Mbps, but my download rate is only 2 Mbps'.
'OK. Please can you check that your router is plugged in and switched on'
'It is.'
'What type of router is it?'
'It's a safecom ADSL 2+ router. It's connected via 100 Mbps wired ethernet'.
'OK. Can you check if the green lights are on'
'Err. Yes'.
'What type of router is it?'
'It's a safecom ADSL 2+ router model SWART2-54125'
'OK'
'Is that a wireless router'
'Err. No'
'Is it connected via USB'
'Err. No'
'So is it connected via ethernet?
'Yes'
'I need to run a line test'
'That's fine. But I called yesterday about thte same problem and the line test was fine.'
'OK'
<Line goes dead for a bit>
'Your line test shows that the line is fine. I don't think there is a problem that we can help you with'
'I know the line is fine. My router is synced at maximum speed with 20 dB of SNR margin. The problem is throughput.'
'So you are getting fluctuating speed?'
'No. I am getting a constant slow speed. The same speed as before the upgrade.'
'OK can you go to our speed test web site - gives URL'
'OK. But I just ran a speed test on that site before I called. The result was 1900 kbps. I won't be able to run another one so soon, because I can only run one every 30 minutes'.
'OK. Please go to the site. The URL is <URL>'
'There's no point. My speed is 1900 kbps'
'Then enter your 'phone number in the box and click OK'
'It won't work'
'Please enter your phone number and run the test'
'OK.'
<I do that and get an error message - sorry, you cannot run a second test within 30 minutes>
'I've just got an error. It says I can't test again so soon'
'Oh. Right. What speed did you get last time?'
'Err. 1900 kbps'
'OK. I'll need you to check some settings on your PC. Can you load up internet explorer, blah. blah'
'I don't use internet explorer, so this is irrelevant. The problem still happens if I use boot to linux - so it isn't a configuration problem. It happens on 2 seperate computers. I have also tested my PC and router on my brother's broadband line - it's fine. Please can we skip this bit?'
'But we still need to check the internet explorer settings'
'If we must'
<Spends 5 minutes talking me through deleting cookies and temporary files>
'OK. Has htis helped?'
'No'.
'Well, it looks like 2 Mbps is the fastest speed your line can support. What speed where you told you'd get when you signed up?'.
'6.5 Mbps'
'I need you to look this up on our website'
'I just have. It's 6.5'
'The URL is <URL>'
<Goes to URL - it says 6.5>
'6.5'
'I need you to read me exactly what it says on the screen'
'Line 01234567890 is connected to exchange ABCDEFGH. We expect your line speed to be 6.5 Mbps'
'Look. I don't think we're getting anywhere. The problem appears to be a bandwidth cap on my line of 2 Mbps.'
'Aha. We haven't got a cap on this service'.
'Is it possible to check the configuration on the BRAS server for my line? - Could the bandwidth profile be incorrectly set to 2 Mbps?'
'I'm not sure I can do that. If you want a server, you need to speak to the sales department.'
'Aaargh'.
---
This is the same thing, every time I call. Same questions, same answers. No record of my previous calls on their 'files'.
If I call a supervisor - it's the same thing, excpet they offer to escalate it. They never do. I called again, after I'd had no response to my last 3 escalations. No record, of any fault ever being escalated on my line.
I give up.
-----
Cliffs
1) Slow ADSL
2) Bad tech support
So, I upgrade my service from 2 Mbps to 8 Mbps. In due course (not a smooth one, because they 'forgot' to upgrade the line, despite sending me confirmation letters and billing me for it) the line is upgraded and my modem syncs at 8 Mbps.
However, throughput is only 2 Mbps. No matter what I download, it's always 2 Mbps - pretty much exactly. If I use a download monior, the graph is ruler flat.
So I call - 'My router is syncing at 8 Mbps, but my download rate is only 2 Mbps'.
'OK. Please can you check that your router is plugged in and switched on'
'It is.'
'What type of router is it?'
'It's a safecom ADSL 2+ router. It's connected via 100 Mbps wired ethernet'.
'OK. Can you check if the green lights are on'
'Err. Yes'.
'What type of router is it?'
'It's a safecom ADSL 2+ router model SWART2-54125'
'OK'
'Is that a wireless router'
'Err. No'
'Is it connected via USB'
'Err. No'
'So is it connected via ethernet?
'Yes'
'I need to run a line test'
'That's fine. But I called yesterday about thte same problem and the line test was fine.'
'OK'
<Line goes dead for a bit>
'Your line test shows that the line is fine. I don't think there is a problem that we can help you with'
'I know the line is fine. My router is synced at maximum speed with 20 dB of SNR margin. The problem is throughput.'
'So you are getting fluctuating speed?'
'No. I am getting a constant slow speed. The same speed as before the upgrade.'
'OK can you go to our speed test web site - gives URL'
'OK. But I just ran a speed test on that site before I called. The result was 1900 kbps. I won't be able to run another one so soon, because I can only run one every 30 minutes'.
'OK. Please go to the site. The URL is <URL>'
'There's no point. My speed is 1900 kbps'
'Then enter your 'phone number in the box and click OK'
'It won't work'
'Please enter your phone number and run the test'
'OK.'
<I do that and get an error message - sorry, you cannot run a second test within 30 minutes>
'I've just got an error. It says I can't test again so soon'
'Oh. Right. What speed did you get last time?'
'Err. 1900 kbps'
'OK. I'll need you to check some settings on your PC. Can you load up internet explorer, blah. blah'
'I don't use internet explorer, so this is irrelevant. The problem still happens if I use boot to linux - so it isn't a configuration problem. It happens on 2 seperate computers. I have also tested my PC and router on my brother's broadband line - it's fine. Please can we skip this bit?'
'But we still need to check the internet explorer settings'
'If we must'
<Spends 5 minutes talking me through deleting cookies and temporary files>
'OK. Has htis helped?'
'No'.
'Well, it looks like 2 Mbps is the fastest speed your line can support. What speed where you told you'd get when you signed up?'.
'6.5 Mbps'
'I need you to look this up on our website'
'I just have. It's 6.5'
'The URL is <URL>'
<Goes to URL - it says 6.5>
'6.5'
'I need you to read me exactly what it says on the screen'
'Line 01234567890 is connected to exchange ABCDEFGH. We expect your line speed to be 6.5 Mbps'
'Look. I don't think we're getting anywhere. The problem appears to be a bandwidth cap on my line of 2 Mbps.'
'Aha. We haven't got a cap on this service'.
'Is it possible to check the configuration on the BRAS server for my line? - Could the bandwidth profile be incorrectly set to 2 Mbps?'
'I'm not sure I can do that. If you want a server, you need to speak to the sales department.'
'Aaargh'.
---
This is the same thing, every time I call. Same questions, same answers. No record of my previous calls on their 'files'.
If I call a supervisor - it's the same thing, excpet they offer to escalate it. They never do. I called again, after I'd had no response to my last 3 escalations. No record, of any fault ever being escalated on my line.
I give up.
-----
Cliffs
1) Slow ADSL
2) Bad tech support
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