New fibre install - speed drop

[#1]

Ok, thanks Adam.  Don't worry, I won't 
The OR engineer has just left, having completed tests on the line, and made a 'phonecall to a helpdesk to ask them to also check the line.  The line has come back with no faults, and I think as far as OR are concerned, they are not currently prepared to do anything further as there are no faults with the line.  The engineer did a thorough job, and is the same chap from last time, so no complaints there.  I have basically been told that the speeds I am currently getting are the best I will see.
I was also told during the visit, that my upstream is on fastpath, whilst the downstream is on interleave - why would this be? Surely it would make sense to have both the same.  Would this be impacting my speed?
Also, it seems strange that my upstream is connected at 20mbps, and I can get 19mbps when testing, so basically full speed.  Yet my downstream is Connected at 56.75mbps and I can see around 55mbps when testing.  I am still puzzled as to why I had the full hit (well 76mbps) for a week when I was first connected).  No-one has tried a new modem to date, despite this being suggested...
Whilst 55mbps is generally fast enough, my issue is that I signed up on the basis of the 78mbps estimate.  I appreciate this is an estimate, but there must be a good idea that the estimate is fairly accurate, otherwise it's into ASA and OFCOM territory.  If I had been told I would be looking at 70, sure, OK.  65, yes, but I want to pay less.  60, not so sure, why are you estimating 78mbps?  55, I don't think so, not for 18 months and not for what you're charging, given that it's a full 1/3 slower than the estimate.
So the question is, where do we go from here.  The speed I have now been told is my maximum is slower than both BT estimates and PlusNet estimates (don't worry, I did a screen capture  ), and I am tied in for another 17 months, paying for a 78mbps service that I am not receiving.  I understand a lot of people are having issues with these estimates, and I can see a storm brewing with either the ASA or OFCOM as to the use of these estimates.  This happened with ADSL andADSL2+, so nothing has been learned it appears.  Including something in the small print is not an acceptable 'get out' clause.
If you could let me know as soon as possible please where we go now, that would be appreciated.  I would like this resolved before the end of the week if possible, but it looks like that may not now be possible.
I am documenting this here rather than in the ticket so others are aware of what could happen, and that the speeds they get could be significantly lower than they believe. 

[#2]

Just checked my IP profile - this is now down to 55.84  
I also seem to have a fairly high amount of latency as standard, even before the Andes start to rise.  Most other on fibre hardly have a green bar, why is mine so tall?

[#3]

Another drop, and another drop in speed on my profile - new profile is 55.61.  This is getting out of hand now, I am losing bout 1 meg a day at the moment.  I SERIOUSLY want a refund and a rolling monthly contract as this is just too far away from the estimate to be acceptable.

[#4]

i feel for ya! i am around 12mb+ lower than expected and most of the time I am getting around half what I was estimated....
so how do you open a support ticket with plusnet? it seems to be buried in urls....

[#5]

@austinsom - I'm sorry you're still having problems. I've added the engineers notes to your Support Ticket that's with Adam at the moment. Adam's not in the office at the moment but I'd be happy to pick this up in his absence for you. The engineer has stated that around 58Mb is the maximum obtainable for your line.
This isn't something I agree with, given that your estimates are much higher! The only thing we can do is to look at getting a further engineer out to take another look at things for you. If you're happy to do this, if you could update ticket with your availability, I'll get something booked in for you.
@pantsman28 - You can raise a Support Ticket at http://contactus.plus.net or you can raise a fault online at http://faults.plus.net

[#6]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the update.  If you don't mind dealing with this for the time being, that would be appreciated. 
I have read through the notes on the ticket, and whilst I am not entirely sure I agree that the speed I am currently getting is the best I will see, I do wonder what good sending another engineer out will do.  So far I have had two visits (both the same engineer, who lives nearby), with a fault being fixed with connections on the pole on visit one, and nothing at all being discovered or fixed/changed on the second.  OR have already said they will not consider a 'lift and shift' as there are no faults with either my line or equipment.  I think it is also likely that I will get the same engineer again, and if that is the case it is very unlikely anything would get done, as no faults etc. were discovered the last time around.  On each visit he has queried the router I am using, but I have been using this since the install, and it is no different to the PN Technicolor router as it is merely acting as a bridge.  I had to change it as the wireless was poor on the Technicolor (think I wasted my money on that).
As I have said, I am struggling to believe that, after a week at pretty much max sync speed, I suddenly lose 20mbps of sync.  I doubt the line would have remained stable for so long if there was an issue that means its stable speed is around 50.  Something is wrong somewhere, probably in the ground, and it is easier to ignore it.  I am also surprised that no-one has tried to replace the modem.  This may not achieve much, but it would be the sensible and likely cheapest, option to try first.
I am not sure what else I can now do, and this has now been ongoing for almost a month, and I can see no end in sight.
I have sent a PM regarding engineer availability if that is the route that must be followed.
I hope this gets resolved soon.

[#7]

Thanks for the PM and for your post too - very helpful to have a summary to step into
It can't really be the router that's causing the issue as the Sync Rate is low so it has to be something between the Modem and the Cabinet. We could do with either:
- DLM Reset, to see if this makes any difference
- Try a different Modem, I think we could push for these two options without too many issues in my opinion

[#8]

Thanks Chris,
Having just moved the router back to its shelf, it once again switched on and off.  I moved it gently, so I think there is an issue with the power plug on the router, so it probably needs replacing anyway 
After the fault with the 'phone line was fixed, the line didn't clear, so a DLM reset was done then.  Within a day/36 hours the speed had dropped back to around 55mbps.  I am sure the engineer said that the fibre is leaving the cabinet at full speed, and arriving at my modem at the 58mbps mark that was mentioned in the ticket.  I don't understand how it could have been at 74mbps for a week before dropping before.  Perhaps there is a bad joint somewhere under the road somewhere (can't see them digging up the estate road to fix it for one customer to be honest).
Fingers crossed for visit 3 

[#9]

Perhaps. We'll keep on at them to get the modem replaced though as just moving the power cable shouldn't restart the modem - let's see how we get on with the next visit

[#10]

Fingers crossed, although it does seem something is wrong with the modem - I unplugged the Ethernet lead from the router, which knocked into the power cable like a falling feather, resulting in the modem switching itself off   It appears to take hardly any pressure to cause the power to fail, so it seems there is a dry joint on the power board or the jack is loose.  Either way it needs replacing.
This dropped my profile slightly.
Also added a screenshot of the poor evening speeds - this also needs attention.

[#11]

Thought so from the PM you sent me to be honest.
I can't see a problem with getting the engineer to swap the modem out, they carry spares with them anyway.

[#12]

Hi austinsom,
How are things following the engineer visit?

[#13]

I've just retrieved the engineers notes for you, I've added them to the ticket.

[#14]

Following my return from 2 weeks away, I find that it appears that this issue will never be resolved.  The engineer visit was frustrating to say the least, as whilst he was helpful, it would appear that there is no more that can be done to get anymore spped from my line.  This is doubly frustrating as:
1) I had experienced stable speeds of 73mbps for the first week and:
2) I was quoted a speed of 78mbps when I signed up for 18 months, at considerably more than I was paying for my previous service.
Having checked my line following my return this afternoon, I find my profile to be 60.93 and the actual throughput at 53.57.  Whilst this is a marginal improvement, it still shows as below acceptable on the BT system.
Whilst I can appreciate what the engineer says, and that an estimate is an estimate, surely technology now should allow for a reasonable degree of accuracy.  This is far below the estimated speed, and frankly not acceptable.  It is not my problem that whoever placed the estimate on this line got it so badly wrong, and if I have to I'll take this all the way to get it resolved (OFCOM, Small Claims, Trading Standards etc.), I have no problem doing this, and my patience is running out.  I am paying for what I was estimated, or something close (10% variance is acceptable, which is what I had for the first week).  What I am getting is neither.
In earlier posts compensation was talked about, and I feel that it is now at the stage where I should be both compensated and offered a reduced price for the remainder of my contract period, and the product has clearly been mis-sold.  I also appreciate that Plusnet merely use the information given to them by the supplier (in this case BTW), but as I pay PlusNet, the buck stops there, and that will have to be where any settlements are made.
I can see this whole issue escalating into the fiasco that followed ADSL2+ speed issues, and sadly the use of the term estimate is not a valid get out clause if speeds are not close to what is expected, otherwise any speed could be 'estimated' to sucker people into signing up.  So I am not closing the ticket, and this should now be regarded as a complaint.
I look forward to hearing your proposals for taking this matter forward.

[#15]

Did you ever end up trying a new modem?
There seemed to be a number of times where your speed changed slightly - which suggests that you re-synced with a slightly fluctuating SNR (which is perfectly normal). But what triggered the re-sync? ... Well, that feather-like touch to the power could suggest to me that you have had power problems, causing disconnections.
If you had enough disconnections in a day, then DLM would intervene, and either add FEC+interleaving (so slowing you down) or set banding (so slowing you down).
PN ought to be able to tell if you have had lots of disconnections, and ought to be able to tell you how DLM is treating your line too.