On going problems since switching

[#1]

Hi,
I've now been with PN since January and so far the reliability and stability of the BB connection has been terrible. I'm now upto at least 5 different support requests. The latest one was logged at 8.25am on the 9th October which is nealry 6 days ago and is still awaiting a support team answer! Eventaully I'll be sent a long list of questions to fill in which always seems to ba a way of making you think you are progressing through to a resolution, then test will be done, as before for the next week or so, the profile will eventually be reset, as before, and over the course of the next few weeks the speed will begin to drop, the line will disconnect more frequently and i'll be back to the base 300k profile. repeat every 6 weeks.
I go over the same thing again and again. The bright side is I'm 3/4 the way through the contract. I've never had any connection issues at this address with by previous 2 ISPs. Maybe you do get what you pay for and will be happy to move to a more reliable ISP even if it is at a premium. How so many awards have been won is beyond me.
Regards

[#2]

Hi blogs,
It seems that your router may not be ADSL2+ compatible and our faults team have sent you a new router which may confirm this. I'm sorry to hear that you feel you've not had a satisfactory service but hopefully this may be something that could resolve it once and for all. The full communication has been responded to you via the ticketing system.
Jojo

[#3]

Hi,
well a new router arrived very quickly (thanks) but it still doesn't stay connected for more than 48hrs,  often much less. The support ticket was updated by PN asking for 3 suitable times for a BT visit, which I did. After more than 72hrs of having no response  I phoned only to find out the ticket had been closed and had to be manually re-opened. If I hadn't phoned it would have been ignored entirely. EVENTUALLY  an engineer visit was arranged and confirmed by phone AND support ticket update. My partner took a day off work for the appointment 1/11/10 AM and guess what, no BT show. After a disgruntled call to PN they said they would look into the no show. I got a call today from a member of PN to say that NO BT visit had been arranged even though an operator had called to confirm and documented it via support ticket. What a waste of 1 days unpaid holiday due to PNs incompetence. And now we have to take another unpaid day off work for the re-arranged visit. WIll they come this time? Who knows? PN don't seem able to communicate internally so how they can arrange a 3rd party visit I don't know. Pot luck maybe?. I don't know why I'm the slightest bit surprised, it's the level and quality of service I have come to expect since I mistakenly moved to PN. PN seem to be involved in a race to the bottom in price with the TV ads, seems like they've already won the race to the bottom in term of quality of service. Appalling.
What are the channels to reclaim lost income due to PN incompetence and failure to provide the service advertised?
Blogs

[#4]

Quote from: blogs

What are the channels to reclaim lost income due to PN incompetence and failure to provide the service advertised?

The law courts.

[#5]

Well at the 2nd attempt a BT engineer finally came out, did a line test which didn't find anything other than the speed was fluctuating and got permission form the supplier to change something in the exchange. This seems not to have helped as the line still disconnects. The DSL connection seems more stable than the internet connection, but neither stay connected via test socket for 72hrs. To add to the general problems I tried to move the router back to the where the main computer lives so I could connect via ethernet rather than wireless but it would seem that the BT engineer whilst fiddling with the grey box outside the house he has dislodged something because that socket no longer works. ARRRRRGGGHHHH. I 'll now have to contact PN AGAIN, arrange a BT visit AGAIN, take a day off work AGAIN, just to fix something which wasn't even broken. I dispare. I don't know where to go from here.....
Blogs

[#6]

Hi blogs,
The engineer notes state that we requested he investigate an SSFP (service specific front plate) - this has a built in microfilter and a separate socket for the ADSL. However the down side is that it disconnects the broadband signal from all extension sockets - this is to eliminate any possible interference from those, anything plugged into them and also the wiring itself.
Unfortunately therefore you'll need to have the router in the master socket and either run an ethernet cable up to the computer room or use the wireless connection. If the router is in the master socket, do you still get the drops in connection?

[#7]

Hi Matt,Thanks for the reply.
The router remained plugged into the test socket until the evening of Wednesday 10th Nov (engineer came on the Monday) but because it was continuing to drop at least daily (dsl + internet drop but internet drops more often) I was going to move it back to where it lives and ethernet it until the next step was decided. It is now plugged into the master socket (not the test socket with the faceplate removed) and the internet has gone down once since yesterday evening. It isn't' just the BB that doesn't work from the upstairs socket, the socket is completely dead because I have tried a phone in it. The socket in another upstairs room still works (phone, haven't tried router). It would have been good if BT had said what they were doing and explained that the socket would be completely disconnected because we would never have agreed to this unless on completion of the tests it would be reinstated. Surely the point of connecting via the test socket is to exclude the internal wiring from the equation so I dont understand why this has been done. Seeing as this hasn't helped what happens now? I still have a dropping connection and now am also a phone socket down which we use and can't use a game console online without buying a wireless adaptor at £50. To suggest running an ethernet cable is ridiculous quite frankly. Whilst the speed has been much better in the last month I presume I'm never going reach the lines max when having daily reconnects and I am concerned that it will deteriorate over time like it has in the past. We seem to going backwards not forwards.
Uptime: 0 days, 22:54:11
DSL Type: G.992.3 annex A
Bandwidth (Up/Down) [kbps/kbps]: 440 / 2,486
Data Transferred (Sent/Received) [kB/kB]: 0.00 / 0.00
Output Power (Up/Down) [dBm]: 13.0 / 0.0
Line Attenuation (Up/Down) [dB]: 26.5 / 49.0
SN Margin (Up/Down) [dB]: 21.5 / 12.5
Vendor ID (Local/Remote): TMMB / IFTN
Loss of Framing (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Signal (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Power (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
Loss of Link (Remote): 0
Error Seconds (Local/Remote): 0 / 0
FEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 6,749
CRC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 153
HEC Errors (Up/Down): 0 / 144
Blogs

[#8]

Hi blogs,
I'm going to try to get one of our faults guys to pick this up and have a fresh look at it for you. As for the socket that no longer works, you can call 0800 671130.and log your claim for the damage.
Jojo

[#9]

Thanks Jojo.
Blogs

[#10]

Hi,
I would post this under the original topic but I can no longer find it. It could be me not finding it or maybe it's been deleted for some reason? How would I find my previous posts? I have a copy stored locally so i guess I can always repost the thread at some point. To cut a very long story short I've been having connection/speed problems since switching to PN in January 2010. 9 month in since my first support ticket and the connection isuues remain and now the phone socket where the router usually lives has been disconnected because PN asked for 'SSFP (service specific front plate)'.
My latest problem is the lack of return phonecalls when I have been told I will be called. I called support yesterday (Wednesday 17th) for an yet another update and was told I would be called back which I was but I was driving so couldnt chat. I was told, and the PN staff updated the support ticket, to say I would be called back at 8pm. This didnt happen. I called again this morning (Thursday 18th) and was told one of the people 'dealing' with the ticket would call back. AGAIN no phone call. It's all so frustrating. I dread to think how much of my time I have spent trying to resolve these isuues.
Regards
Blogs

[#11]

Blogs;
I'm sorry you've been having problems with your connection, and haven't received a call back from the team.  I'll make sure someone picks this up and gives you a call back.
Thanks,
Fletch

[#12]

Merged with original topic for continuity
For reference - to find your earlier posts - click on Profile in the top menu and then Show Posts in the left hand menu

[#13]

Hi Blogs,
It looks like James has picked this one up for you, I can see the ticket has been updated and there's an engineer booked for the 22nd. Hopefully this should sort things out for you, we'll get you an update as soon as there's one available.

[#14]

Hi Blogs,
Thanks for your time on the phone this afternoon.
As per our chat, there's an engineer due out on Monday afternoon, with a request to check the e-side at your cabinet and also to look into the possibility of doing a lift and shift at your exchange.
Like I said, if you've got a decent stash of tea and biscuits, they might be able to sort out that socket of yours too.
I'll give you another ring on Tuesday.

[#15]

Hi James,
fingers crossed for Monday.
With regards the upstairs socket, this should be the very minimum that BT should correct, without the bribary of tea and biscuits, as it worked until they visited and as was stated by another PN member in an earlier response, it will have been disconnected at the request of PN as part of the SSFP and shouldn't require me to phone the 0800 671130 BT damage claim line to get it reconnected when it was done at PN request.
As a final point, I find it a shame that airing problems on this forum seems to be the way to get action/progress on issues rather than the support tickets (72hrs min) or phone calls where messages are either not passed on or not actioned.
Heres hoping........
Blogs