OFCOM Automatic Compensation Payments - and lack thereof !
I'm attempting to tie up a whole boxful of long-outstanding loose ends in respect of unresolved PN issues various ... before BT actually manage to get their wicked way and pull the plug on this forum if not on PN completely !
Firstly, I need confirmation regarding the OFCOM compensation payments for prolonged loss of service plus a complete failure to attend the customer's premises after being informed that an engineer's appointment was absolutely essential and making one. This, rather suspiciously with much hindsight, was the very first thing PN mentioned when I called to report the problem and was repeated often. I believe that it was as below:
Secondly, I need a formal response from PN as to whether they intend to fulfil their obligations under OFCOM rules above in respect of the following (lack of) service issue together with a full explanation as to why they haven't already done so:
It should be noted that full and very comprehensive data is available to prove beyond doubt that the issue was entirely a BT/PN problem. PN and some forum users were provided with most of this data at the time. I will fully populate all the various data and graphs on the table at the following link in due course once I know if and exactly how PN intend to deal with this matter:
Irrefutable evidence this was a BT/PN problem will be made available: HERE
It is entirely clear to me (and no doubt others) that contrary to all the lies and BS various, this problem was due solely to planned maintenance. It is unlikely in the extreme to have been a genuine random fault or even an unforeseen technical issue of some kind. In short, it was absolutely guaranteed to happen due to work being undertaken at the exchange with no consideration whatsoever for any customer(s) likely to be adversely affected during the work and/or by any issues that may arise from the work.
I would strongly suggest that the work was most likely moving ADSL wiring from a DSLAM located within the exchange to similar equipment located elsewhere. In addition to the very obvious peak time bandwidth issues, several relatively short duration interruptions had also been seen and fully recovered from. HOWEVER, the service was ultimately left in a condition where it was 100% impossible to obtain a PPP connection. The modem/router negotiated and maintained a stable synch with whatever equipment was now at the exchange end of the line almost the entire time but simply could not establish a usable PPP connection. Several different modems/routers all known to be fully working and configured correctly were tried. All achieved a 'normal' fully stable line synch but none could successfully obtain a PPP connection.
It was always abundantly clear that this was a problem within equipment at the exchange end of the line or a BT/PN RADIUS server issue and not in any way a customer equipment issue or line issue. The problem was without doubt a connectivity issue with the equipment at the exchange end of the line or somewhere between it and PN. There cannot be any other plausible explanation for having a stable line synch at almost all times but a complete inability to obtain a PPP connection and thus a usable internet service can there ?
Unfortunately, PN repeatedly chose to completely ignore the bleedin' obvious and continued to demand an engineer's visit ... despite being fully aware that I was several hundred miles away from my home address and was expecting to be so for several weeks/months. In fact PN were fully aware that I would be several hundred miles away in just a few hours right from the start because this nonsense began the day before I left. I was assured everything was in hand and that it could and would be sorted quickly. OK, so I stupidly believed PN, but I didn't really have any alternative option.
After the relatively short interruption circa 0900 hours 30/04 the morning before I left, all looked OK again until everything went totally titsup at exactly 1800 hours in the evening. It subsequently remained that way for a dog's age thereafter apart from a tiny little 'blip' of full connectivity between 1400 and 1430 hours on 10/05 when someone was known to be tinkering around with the equipment/wiring at the exchange end of the line 
Needless to say, the problem wasn't resolved fully even then. I had no phone access at my location only an occasional cranky and unreliable wifi signal to a tablet PC which I could barely see let alone actually use. A ticket and this forum were being used for comms as that was all I could actually do from where I was. I requested the ticket be left open until the problem was fully resolved but PN closed it, presumably due to inactivity. The forum thread should still be around somewhere as well but I can't find it at the mo. Whilst the 'usual suspects' on here provided much help, advice, comments and suggestions etc at the time via the forum and PMs ( thanks guys, you know who you are 
) PN did b*gger all other than continue to insist that an engineer's visit to the premises was the only possible solution. Everyone just completely ignored all available documentary evidence to the contrary.
I couldn't mention on the public forum thread the fact that I was several hundred miles away from home for obvious reasons. However, everyone at PN and those who I was providing info to via PM were fully aware of my situation. i.e. The premises were currently unoccupied and would remain so for some considerable period of time. All security systems were totally disabled due to loss of ADSL. Ditto all CCTV, remote monitoring, servers, email collection & distribution systems etc. Everything was down and with no one at home or anywhere even remotely nearby 
In the end I had no choice but to make a several hundred mile journey by foot and public transport just to satisfy PN by calling them to make an appointment for a completely unnecessary engineer's visit. This I did within minutes of walking through the very fortunately still locked and secured front door. Despite remaining within 2m of said front door and ADSL equipment for the entire following day as per the appointment made for an engineer to visit, needless to say, no one actually turned up of course with no further contact from BT/PN.
So, bottom line, lots of days total loss of usable service due solely to BT/PN incompetence. No line fault. No exchange fault. No customer equipment fault. Just incompetence, poor planning, deliberate abuse of the customer's predicament and so on rather than examining the actual and totally irrefutable evidence then acting accordingly and in an at least remotely professional manner. BT/PN are allegedly professionals in the IT business ... whereas I am most certainly not !
This was a problem caused entirely by BT/PN which should never even have happened. Whilst I quite obviously do fully understand that mistakes and other unfortunate things do sometimes occur, it could and should have been fully resolved solely by BT/PN in a very short period of time instead of effectively blaming the customer and trying to make it their responsibility. It was 100% obvious what the problem was, what needed to be done and exactly where it needed to be done. It was also by definition 100% obvious that the problem was NOT in any way related to the internal/external wiring or customer equipment.
It's now way past time for BT/PN to cough up for the incompetence, gross stupidity and/or negligence of all those personnel involved in this sorry saga. Any proposed settlement needs to include appropriate compensation for:
1) Intentional and foreseeable 100% loss of ADSL service
2) ADSL Service not being restored in a remotely timely manner
3) Missed engineer's appointment which was deemed mandatory by PN
4) Totally unprofessional attitude and general abuse of the customer
5) All travel expenses and subsistence necessary to make appointment
6) 1 week wasted fees for accommodation etc unable to used
7) All return travel expenses and subsistence
Now, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. I don't much care which now TBH but it will be sorted one way or another. So while BT/PN are thinking about it and no doubt trying to find some way to wriggle out and/or ignore the issue, I shall be drafting an OFCOM/Ombudsman complaint and legal paperwork to resolve the matter formally via a third party. I trust that this will not be necessary of course but make no mistake, that is exactly what will be happening if BT/PN chose to do nothing even remotely reasonable to deal with this matter properly and cover the expenses incurred as a direct result of the negligence/incompetence that has quite clearly been demonstrated.
Thank you @198kHz for finding the link to Ye Old Thread for historic reference if needed. It's been a very long time since I went past your masts at Droitwich, hope all is well and they're still standing 
However, I also really do need a formal response to this matter from @plusnettony or indeed anyone else on behalf on PN
Sorry for delay but I woke up to yet another unannounced PN/Greenby partial migration nightmare to try to sort out on Friday 
However, I have now fully populated the previously linked empty table and enabled the redirect to display all 300+ images/charts which fully documents exactly what was going on over these 2 months:
You can now view all the relevant documentary evidence: HERE
NB: If your browser has cached the previous unpopulated table then you might need to force a page refresh in order to see the actual data.
In addition, the image below (when someone eventually approves it) fully documents the precise moment that BT/PN quite intentionally disabled my access at (almost) exactly 1800 hours by remotely terminating the PPP connection and subsequently ignoring all further attempts to establish a new one. This data was extracted from the comprehensive modem/router logs and documents all of the LCP activity routinely used to establish, monitor, manage and terminate a PPP connection. There can be no doubt whatsoever as to what was going on. It quite simply couldn't be any clearer. A fully functional and responsive PPP connection was intentionally terminated and then all attempts to start a new one were subsequently ignored.
From this point onwards, it became fundamentally impossible to establish a PPP connection using any modem/router known to be fully working and correctly configured ... despite a 'normal' fully stable synch always being quickly established with whatever equipment was now present at the exchange end of the line.
These are conclusive and irrefutable FACTS and not the lies, BS or mis-information various provided by BT/PN at the time. PN were made fully aware of exactly what was actually going on at the time of course but they apparently either did not understand or simply chose to ignore it. In addition, it should also be noted that the landline was not only fully functional but was actually being used on several occasions to contact PN initially. The landline call(s) only disconnected due to finger-trouble on my part when swapping modem/routers around. PN were also able to call me back on the landline almost immediately. The only significant issue at all times was being completely unable to establish a PPP connection after 1800 hours on 30/04 when an existing fully functional PPP connection was remotely terminated by BT/PN for reason or reasons unknown.
