Painful download speeds - suspect BT - any BT gurus out there?

[#1]

This may be a long one, it has been so far. I'll give a bit of background. I've been a Cisco engineer for longer than I care to remember, so I've got a fair bit of knowledge but almost nothing in the ISP space.
In September last year I was with Freedom2surf, which is actually Tiscali/Carphone Warehouse or whoever buys them this week. I'd been with them for years and they had provided fairly solid bandwidth, but normally around the 3Mbps mark.  In September, all of a sudden my bandwidth dropped to around 375kbps down and 50kbps up.I was pretty patient with them, but gave up with them ever escalating the problem and moved to plusnet as I'd heard good things.
Moving to plusnet I had the same bandwidth problems so now I'm either looking at my own kit, or something within BT.
I've been with plusnet since 18th Dec and been trying to find the issue since. I'm on a plusnet pro package, to "guarantee" some quality of service.
During this troubleshooting I've done the following:
Removed everything except the master socket, and just moved to DECT phones for the rest of the house
Gone from wireless to wired to remove any doubt
Disconnected all but one PC connected to the router
Found another router and configured that up.
Rebuilt one PC, real basic, next to nothing on it.
Replaced DSL filters
Replaced BT master socket and installed i-plate.
BT router connects at 6200kbps
BT IP profile settles at around 4500kbps
Speedtest from PC shows around 375kbps download and 30-50kbps upload
I'll cut to the question, and then if anybody still thinks they need to look at speedtests etc, I'll paste that info up.
Plusnet support escalated this to a specialist team within BT and that team stated that they can see my VP running hot.
Mixed messages at the moment as to what can be done about it, as one email said there were no plans to increase bandwidth at the moment, but they'll keep me updated, and another said BT would try to move me to another VP.
My questions:
1. If a VP was running HOT, would you expect this to fluctuate throughout the day? For months now, I've had a fairly constant 350-400k, even at 3 or 4 in the morning. Seems more like rate limiting than contention?
2. Where does the BT vp exist? I just want to clarify exactly where within the BT network the problem could be. Is this likely to be local exchange to London?
3. Anybody know how difficult it should be to move a customer to a different vp, and is it a regular occurrence.
4. I find it hard to believe there's not a few hundred other people in the same situation in my area, or have they just not noticed, or followed it through.
5. Can anyone think of another way round this? I've been banging on for a few months now. Potential idea is drop to plusnet basic for home access and get a 3g dongle to give me speed as well as mobility. Talk talk have local loop unbundled at my exchange, does that  potentially avoid the BT vp and its associated problems?
Sorry, it's a long list - any info/suggestions appreciated.
Thanks,
Gaz

[#2]

Welcome to the Forums
We have a nice Lady PN customer that has a fabulous web site have a look what she says about your exchange http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/adslchecker.php
you can get your exchange status here http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/, you can get the history for the past year by adding to the end of the url  heres mine http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/?exchange=Braintree&exact=146&plugin=vp&full=1  Jelv is the expert on that

[#3]

The one thing you haven't posted is what https://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=data_transfer_speed says for you current line speed.
I'd agree with you, if your VP is running hot I'd expect to see some fluctuation.

[#4]

Thanks for replies.
Hmmm...not too sure what the estimated line speed means - 5 with no units is a bit of a strange reply 🙂
Telephone number:
01691655***
Phone exchange:
OSWESTRY
Estimated line speed:
5 - Checked on 2009-12-09 22:26:09
Current line speed:
6500

The red VP information was what I gave to plusnet a while ago to try to convince them that I might actually have a problem. Originally I think the ETA date was november, then moved to 24th Dec, now moved to 29th Jan. This could go on for ever. What I'm worried about is my constant rate doesn't really seem like contention.
Looking at the most searched for sites, Oswestry is number 3 so I'm realising there probably is a few hundred of us struggling with this useless service from BT.

[#5]

I suppose all I can do is wait on this one and hope that BT sort something out with their bottleneck. In the mean time I continue with near dial up speeds paying for pro package, hoping that the BT vp problems really are my problem and either BT manage to move me off to another vp, or they fix the problem before this time next year 

[#6]

Looking at the history of the exchange I'd say your best hope is to move!
http://usertools.plus.net/exchanges/?exchange=Oswestry&exact=741&plugin=vp&etashow=yes&full=1
Edit: Just done a search
http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/notspot/3776671-oswestry-exchange.html

[#7]

Quote from: jelv

Looking at the history of the exchange I'd say your best hope is to move!

LOL - I think you're right, packing my bags now, wife will be so annoyed when she gets home 🙂
I have to laugh otherwise I'd cry 
The major thing is I can work from home but not with this connection, so I commute 60 miles a day instead 😞

[#8]

It might be worth trying Max Premium which as well as faster uploads gives you higher priority on the BT network. £8 per month has got to be worth a go if it saves you a daily 60 mile commute.

[#9]

Welcome, bikespace. Sorry I can't offer anything practical, but I have to say that your initial post is one of the clearest, well thought out pleas for help I've seen on these forums. As you've seen, this is the place to come for help and advice, and I hope your problems are soon sorted.
Just to say that as a BT retiree, I can empathise with your situation. Ironic, isn't it, that BT's flagship National Network Management Centre is in Oswestry! I seem to recall that it's said that the worst pipework is to be found in a plumber's home...

[#10]

Thanks Jelv, I've had a look at Max Premium, I'm going to ask if plusnet can find out whether it is likely to gain me anything.
The 3G dongle is another potential to get me round it. I'm loathed to throw money at something I should have anyway, but I know what you mean.
And yep 4candles, I can almost see Whittington House from here, but still planted well in the 20th century it seems 

[#11]

Thought I'd just re-post this question as it was fairly hidden amongst the rest of my garb and it's probably my main query now:
Talk talk (and orange) have local loop unbundled at my exchange, does that  potentially avoid the BT vp and its associated problems?
Cheers,
Gaz

[#12]

Yes it would.... but you'd probably get another whole heap of problems

[#13]

I'm getting to the stage where a whole heap of different problems would be a refreshing change. At the moment I've had one problem for 4 months out ot the last errrrrrrr4 months.
I now dream of a connection that would work most of the time with intermittent problems  
I was with freedom2surf for years, who got bought out by pipex who got bought out by .......who got.....Tiscali...Talk Talk...Carphone Warehouse etc
They're service was pretty damned good, I just hit a blank wall when I came up against this fault, and their technical people couldn't find it.
Plusnet has found that problem in half the time that F2S wasted, but if I'm stuffed because BT is ropey on our exchange, then I may have to go back to Talk Talk and see how we get on.
Edit: when i say back to talk talk, they're the same company as f2s, but I hadn't been moved to LLU
adie:quote

[#14]

I wouldn't recommend TalkTalk to my worst enemy. If you'd said O2/Be were available at your exchange that would have been a different matter!

[#15]

Not that its much help but i have a very similar problem that is running into the third week so I'm gonna keep an eye on this post. although my local exchange in the checker seems to be listed in burnham market (which i believe is norfolk over a few hundred miles away) from my exchange.