Re: Help again with Broadband please

Yes, that's my feelings too Nicol. Sorry if I'm missing replying to any posts, trying to put as much down before I get booted off again

Edited:

Are we entitled to demand a new router (free)? The last time I had problems they sent me a new router after they decided that's what was wrong.

Anyone know about about the fact that the phone line must be ok if it's working fine for calls, even though the B/B is being problematic?
(Perhaps I'm not explaining it very well though )

Re: Help again with Broadband please

Can we assume that if your incoming phone line is the standard copper cable type that are you using the supplied microfilters if so? These separate the phone and router/modem signals so that they don't interfere with each other.

Re: Help again with Broadband please

Wot Judd said

I had the same problem, phone was fine but BB was borked.
As far as getting a new router's concerned, ask nicely and if they start giving you the runaround tell them ok, I'll go to *insert another providers name * they are hassling me for my custom. They'll send you one I'm sure.

Re: Help again with Broadband please

Yes, that is correct sir

Re: Help again with Broadband please

Actually Nicol I lost my rag yesterday, the chap was rather unhelpful. He babbled that much, I told him I was old and asked him to pretend I was his granny 'cos I didn't understand what he was talking about.
I ended the call saying I'd had enough of bloody technology and if I cancelled everything, phone and t'internet, would I be charged. Yes he said.
I was so cross I slammed the phone down.
(I'm still in an 18 mth contract, which ends March I think)

Re: Help again with Broadband please

Just a point to note.

Switching off your router is inadvisable unless it's absolutely necessary.

Every time you switch it off the BT system detects that it can't talk to your router any more and it interprets that as a problem. If it keeps happening the BT systems then actively lower your B/B performance and speed in the hope that the communication can be improved. That can get very frustrating very fast as performance grinds to a crawl and it takes 3 days !!! yup 72hrs before the BT system cranks up the performance again.

So anyone who thinks it's a good idea to switch off their router every night before going to bed to save on electricity usage might want to think again !

Regarding your wider problem, the issue is 99% of the time the fault of the internet provider but they will never admit it and they always give customers the complete run around. They have a script which the helpline staff just work through. That script ALWAYS throws the problem back to you. They give YOU loads of things to try and test, which are all meaningless and futile because ultimately it is THEIR B/B system that is having issues. They know about it but they always give customers the run around.

Because of this I have had to take measures to cut all that crap out. I have 2 or 3 routers. That's because I found the router that the service provider sends you, is largely poor and underpowered. For example I couldn't get a signal in my back garden with the provided router. So I simply went to Maplins and bought a much better router.

Bottom line is I have 2, maybe even 3 routers. Now these all operate the same way. You plug them into the power, and you plug your phone cable into them and lights start flashing on the box. The lights are labelled, always the same and one of those lights is the broadband service coming through the phone line. If that light doesn't light up, then 100% there is no broadband service, a BT/provider fault.

To prove it I try each of my routers and if the magic light doesn't light up on each router then there is absolutely no question. Armed with that evidence I then just contact the helpdesk, tell them that 3 independent routers confirm there's no BB signal and the fault must be theirs. And that basically sorts the blame and they get on and fix it.

I will offer one other tip for people if they are getting really poor BB performance, which happens a lot because the providers throttle certain users so they can offer faster performance to other users.

You simply go onto their website, login with your credentials and go to the webpage that deals with terminating/leaving the service. You click the various buttons and options to indicate that you are THINKING OF LEAVING but don't actually confirm anything. Their system picks this up, and then magically you will find that your BB performance suddenly starts to go into hyperdrive.

This lasts for a while until normal service resumes. Then just rinse repeat.

BB providers are a law unto themselves. They are all crap and none of them properly admit when their services are down or performing badly.

A lot of the problem is that the providers piggy back off BT's infrastructure so when BT is having a problem it affects their ability to give you a service. There's little they can do so they just run customers around in circles, stalling until BT sort out their stuff.

Re: Help again with Broadband please

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Re: Help again with Broadband please

Pesta, did you get an email recently saying there is a price increase?

Preferably in the past 30 days?

if you ever get notification of a price rise during a contract period, you have 30 days in which to cancel without penalty

Both me and Mondays child have jumped ship the past month on the back of this clause.

Re: Help again with Broadband please

If your telephone line is still copper or part copper and you still have a phone line, try dialling one digit to get rid of dial tone then listen to the 'dead' line.

If it is hissing, crackling or clicking excessively then complain about the quality of the phone service. Which used to have to be fixed free.

In the good old days of ASDL complaining about the quality of the phone line was the best way of getting your Internet fixed.

Whether that sort of complaint still works now I don't know but it might be worth a try and cost you nothing.

If it is fibre into your home then you're on your own