cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Just About Had Enough :(

DirectFS
Grafter
Posts: 32
Registered: ‎16-08-2009

Just About Had Enough :(

I don't get you Plusnet - not at all.
I've been experiencing problems for about six months now - all of which are well documented in your support tickets, and on here.  They haven't been resolved, and you just seem to be taking longer and longer even to ackowledge the tickets I raise, or response I put to them (which, by the way none of you seem ale to read properly, or at all).
Look - I signed up to Plusnet many, many moons ago, before ADSLMax was ever a glimmer in it's BT Daddy's eye.  I had, at that time, a fixed 2Mb connection, which ran fine for I don't know how long.
Then we come to around June this year.  I start experiencing problems with connectivity - not line sync mind, but connectivity - the actually doing things involving the internet bit.  And I'm still having them now.
At the time I reported these issues, I also explored the speed issue, and it was found that by moving to MAX, free, the speed would increase, almost by double or more.  And it did - for a day or so, a WEEK after someone discovered that BT hadn't updated their records, or some such.  Some magic switch was pressed and suddenyl there was speed.  As I say, for a minute.
Now, on and off, since then, I have experienced connectivity losses very regularly, often in the middle of doing stuff.  My speed has rarely managed to report itself at anything over about 2.5Meg, though sync has been fairly constant at 7.2-7.5Meg.  I am by all estimates about ONE HUNDRED METRES from my exchange, not one hundred miles.
The BT availability checker has concurred that I should be able to get a realistic 6-7.5 Meg download.  Ha, bloody, ha.  Tonight it reports 0.5 meg.  What????!!!!
Now, being a good little customer, I have raised fault tickets, which Plusnet, have, eventually, very kindly also populated with lots of test figures.  All of which mean absolutely nothing, since I still DO NOT have a useable, worthwhile, reliable connection.  It even states in one of the tests that there was a FAIL on the Copper Line Test die to a "battery contact" - yet nobody thought to send the little manny out in his little Fiesta van to fix it.  No, the fault MUST be in my house somewhere. 
Sorry, I haven't connected any batteries to my phone line.  Or anything else lately.  I have a router, plugged into the test socket, and nothing else - not even the phones, for which I also pay Plusnet.
So, over the last two weeks or so, I have reported that:
I could not connect at all.
I could not connect using PPPoA - though it DID over PPPoE.
Then I could connect using PPPoA about four days later.  Julie phoned and was very nice about it all, though nothing changed.
Since then, I have been unable to watch iPlayer without it dropping out every two minutes (yes, that frequently).
I have been unable to download a SINGLE THING at any higher than 84kbps!
And now even browsing web pages is faster on my O2 dongle (which is marginal in terms of connection here - my O2 phone manages only one bar).
I have:
Replaced the router TWICE.
Replaced Microfilter (with different types) no less than eighteen times now - I have a whole collection of them, surely they cannot ALL be bad?
Rewired the ENTIRETY of my "extension wiring" - everything that plugs into the master socket.  I have done this using BT grade CW1308 cable- BT's own cable spec.
Rewired my entire LAN using CAT5e high grade cable.
Replaced the standard RJ11 cable between the microfilter and the router with a high quality cable, at a cost of £20.
Unplugged EVERYTHING connected to the line, save the router and plugged it into the TEST socket.
I have ENSURED that the router has not been switched off once, since it was first plugged in, other than for hard resets.

Thing is, I am not a complete novice either - telecoms has been a major part of what I do for over twenty five years, all of it has been to do with systems engineering - you'd think I could spot a simple mistake somewhere by now, on any work I'd done.

Yet, all Plusnet do is KEEP coming back to me asking the same questions -- almost 20 of them, have I done this, that, the other?  Have I danced naked round the router in praise of the Internet God?  Did I feed it three small children in devoted sacrifice?  Oh, and they keep threatening me with a bill from BT if the problem is my fault, which of course, it must be.........
Look, I know £20 a month isn't a lot of money to Plusnet, collecting millions of £20's every month from other idiots customers.  It is to me though.
It is invading time and attention to my work, my university course studies, my life (yes, some of that happens on the phone too), and more.
I have two elderly parents here, and frankly, I'm getting scared I will need to call an ambulance and won't be able to.  Especially if the Vodafone transmitter behind my house also knocks out my O2 signal my phone uses as it does from time to time.  Yes, I know for a 999 call it will use the Voda signal, but not the point.
My point is, Plusnet have taken all that money off me for months, and given me nothing but frustration, delay, and no timely response.  Four days plus to respond to fault tickets is UNACCEPTABLE, however much I'm paying.  It is very close to breach of contract time.
My desires are not rocket science, and I'm not even close to asking for the impossible (well, you wouldn't think).
All I want is a reliable connection, that does what it says on the tin, at something approaching advertised speeds - and yes, I KNOW that sync and actual throughput are different, but a 7.5Mb sync with an 0.5Mb throughput, come on.
Most of all, I'd like to feel that anyone at Plusnet actually give a sh*t.  Like I say - a fault ticket, four days between replies, then simply blaming me, or repeating the same tired old questions over and over, all the while ignoring the INFORMATION you're being given.
Look, it doesn't take brains to come out, stick a line tester on a pair of copper wires, walk round the corner to the exchange, and pick the reading up.  I know that.  It's not even a full minute's walking.  And if Mr Openreach is truly that unfit, his Fiesta van will fit the whole way along the route!
Here, my point is - your automated tests are clearly lying to you.  I am not - I have no time or interest in pretending my broadband is buggered if it isn't.  And my experience - my USE of it, tells me it is, totally.  And THAT is what you should be listening to, not some pointless bunch of figures which MAY WELL be the case at the precise MOMENT you test.  It's still buggered though.  Again - sync of 7.5Mb, throughput of less than 1Mb - waaay less.
And why this has taken SIX MONTHS to remain UNRESOLVED, beats the living chocolate out of me.  To be fair, sure, it's been less oticable at times, than at others.  It's mostly noticable when I ACTUALLY try to use the connection.  Not when I don't.........  I guess that's part of the reason I don't ticket it every day, or indeed, experience it every day.  Stupidly enough, parts of my life do not involve resetting routers, fighting with a broken broadband connection, and tracert'ing the gateway I'm currently hanging onto by the skin of my router's teeth.
It seems I either end up faced with a FIFTEEN minute wait for someone to answer the phone, or a four DAY wait for a ticket to be answered.
Plusnet ----EPIC FAIL!
What do I have to do to get this resolved?  TO get my phone and my broadband both on together, all the time (or near as) and to get the service I've been paying for?  What have I missed?  Which god did I fail to worship?
Or am I just talking to the wrong ISP/Telecoms company after all?
Bill.

5 REPLIES 5
Mand
Grafter
Posts: 5,560
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Just About Had Enough :(

I'm just about to log off for the night, and can't give your account the attention it deserves at the moment. However I'll get a proper look at this tomorrow for you.
DirectFS
Grafter
Posts: 32
Registered: ‎16-08-2009

Re: Just About Had Enough :(

Thank you Mand
Will be here all day tomorrow!
Bill.
adie:quote
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Just About Had Enough :(

If ever a topic should be in the Rants and Raves board it's this one!
jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
Mand
Grafter
Posts: 5,560
Thanks: 2
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: Just About Had Enough :(

Hi Bill,
I've tried calling you today, but you weren't available. I've left my details for you to get back to me, or alternatively if you'd like to give me a suitable time to call I'd be happy to do so.
Regarding the fault, I've asked one of our faults guys to take a look at the voice side of things first, as it looks like there's a problem there, which in turn would have a negative effect on your broadband.
DirectFS
Grafter
Posts: 32
Registered: ‎16-08-2009

Re: Just About Had Enough :(

Hi Mand
Thanks - got the message, and sorry I was unavailable as it turns out!  Will call you in the morning.
Thanks again.
Bill.
dick:quote