topic Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS in Plusnet Feedback

Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:20:32 GMT

Can someone experienced at PN take a look at ticket 29846131 and provide some explanation as to what is going on. I've been struggling to get an answer with no success. Two weeks of being batted from one agent to another with little indication that someone can be bothered to get to the bottom of the problem.

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

James — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:18:06 GMT

Hi,
I've asked for someone more senior within the Networks Team to look into this problem again for you.

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:46:13 GMT

James
Thanks

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:32:25 GMT

Well I got a reply which looked hopeful but I never got the promised call from CSC this morning. Worse still my vpn has stopped working again
So I thought I would call CSC myself. Dumb idea, got a nice chap in South Africa who said all you chaps in Sheffield couldn't talk to me because you were having a meeting.
Hope the tea and biscuits were nice
Meanwhile I still have no resolution to this problem and no vpn supplied by PN

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

James — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:34:16 GMT

Sorry - It's the 6 weekly company rally (which I'm skiving off!).
Were you able to go through all of the details in the ticket? I think Neil added about as much as he could?

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:56:12 GMT

I think a conversation with Neil (or someone else knowledgeable in this area) might help to speed up a resolution. I get very little help from my company IT dept as most of them have little experience with vpn so all they will tell me is that the software uses port 110. There must be some way of tracking this problem down and there must a a bit of a clue in the WireShark log.
Has anything specific happened between 09:15 and 13:00? The vpn was fine before 09:30 when I went out but was broken at 13:00 when I returned. Something is changing on the PN link because the other BB connection I have access to still works with vpn (there are reasons why I need to have the PN link working).

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

neilm — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:48:45 GMT

Hi,
Thank you for your update and the further information that you have supplied. I have a colleague assisting us with this issue who is on leave today but tapping into his expertise in this area is ultimately going to move this forward quicker I feel at this stage given how complex it seems to be. I will endeavour to get the ticket updated with something comprehensive in the morning, or have someone give you a call if we can not diagnose any further with the information we already have.
Neil

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:24:43 GMT

Thanks Neil, I appreciate any help you (and/or you colleague) can give to bottom this one out.

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:37:04 GMT

And it just goes around and around.
Never got the call
Still no fix
I still lose vpn access for periods
I still get repetitive, uninformed and unhelpful remarks from CS

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

James — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:25:17 GMT

Hi Saturn,
I've asked Neil to chase this again for you.

Re: Periodic VPN failure and fobbed off by CS

Saturn — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:19:14 GMT

Thanks James, you can probably tell I'm getting a bit rotted off with this.
If ever there was a case for tickets being assigned to one person with expertise in the relevant area this is it. The most frustrating aspect of the whole thing is that a few steps forward are made and then another helpful sole has a go without reading the history on the ticket or understanding the problem. The net result is it starts everything off again usually with a comment like "it's your PC configuration". Then the next guy asks for a Wireshark log and so it goes around again.
Had a lengthy reply from DP but alas it doesn't address the undeniable fact that without changing anything at my end (and having proved the vpn link is working at the other end) the vpn link works sometimes and not at other times.