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"Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

dfunked
Grafter
Posts: 196
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎15-10-2011

"Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

I rang up for a cancellation earlier, but got talked into staying on DSL on an unlimited package... After an hour of using it this evening, I'm almost wishing I'd just gone ahead with the cancellation!!
The place I'm moving to should offer 7Mbps+ speeds (probably more like 9 or 10 with a bit of tweaking of my 7800N) which is a huge improvement over my current connection (3.2), so I thought I'd pass up on fibre for the time being, as I'd have to take unpaid leave for the fibre installation which I just can't afford to do right now...
Now my gripe with this is that at no point was I made aware of the ridiculous traffic shaping going on with this product (currently getting ~10KBps split between 3 torrents). I feel that if you're going to offer this as an incentive to stay with Plusnet, you should really highlight the cons that come with it. I use VPN connections for work, so would also rather not have that side of things severely limited when I get an out of hours call in the early hours of the morning!
Also pretty worrying is the limitation of Youtube to 2.5Mbps at some times according to the product comparison chart - I'm sick to death of having to pause 720p/1080p videos to allow them time to buffer on my 3.2Mbps connection, but on a 7Mbps connection, things are now going to be even worse!!
Which category do Steam downloads fall under? If gaming, then I'd be better off switching back to Plusnet Extra asap! (or making good my cancellation!)
17 REPLIES 17
ejs
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 5,442
Thanks: 631
Fixes: 25
Registered: ‎10-06-2010

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Quote from: dfunked
The place I'm moving to should offer 7Mbps+ speeds (probably more like 9 or 10 with a bit of tweaking of my 7800N)

I'm guessing they didn't mention the bit about only ADSL1 either then. Well, you can't have ADSL2/2+ if you ask nicely. If you kick up enough fuss you could probably have whatever you want.
dfunked
Grafter
Posts: 196
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎15-10-2011

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

There was no mention of that either, but I still seem to be on ADSL2 (if you can call it that!) in my old address, so I guess that part didn't need to be mentioned...
orbrey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 10,540
Registered: ‎18-07-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Hi there,
The order at your new premises has been placed on ADSL2+, I'm not sure what sort of speeds you'll get unfortunately as the number is a provisional one so there's no data for a line estimate but I hope it's an improvement.
We'd be more than happy to change your product if you wish, if you're not tempted by Extra then perhaps it'd be worth taking a look at the extra usage option at http://trials.plus.net?
Hope that helps.
dfunked
Grafter
Posts: 196
Thanks: 6
Registered: ‎15-10-2011

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Thanks Matt
I'm over the initial shock of barely beIng able to download in the evening (usually everything gets done overnight by my NAS or before work), so think I'll stick with unlimited for the time being... I still feel that the differences in traffic shaping should be pointed out when offering unlimited, though...
orbrey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 10,540
Registered: ‎18-07-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Well I believe the shaping on the Premier account (the one on the above link) is pretty much the same as it is on Extra, and I think it's the same price as the unlimited account you're on currently?
LukeAger
Grafter
Posts: 121
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎15-02-2012

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Traffic used to be the same on Extra and 120gb Premium but that isn't strictly the case now.
The 120gb premium product does however still have some advantages for some protocols at particular times. You can find the exact breakdown on the product comparison page. http://usergroup.plus.net/prodcomp1.php
The one we are suggesting is named "Legacy: Plusnet Premium".
Thanks.
Kelly
Hero
Posts: 5,497
Thanks: 380
Fixes: 9
Registered: ‎04-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

hang on.  I that's wrong I believe.  Extra and Premier (should) have identical management policies.  I'm checking...
Kelly Dorset
Ex-Broadband Service Manager
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

The Legacy Plusnet Premium figures in the UserGroup Product Comparison tool reflect what Plusnet publish on their Plusnet Premium Product Archive page. PUG's understanding is that in reality it is identical to Plusnet Extra. As has been stated previously if Plusnet change that archive page the tool will be updated accordingly.
David
David
jklondon
Dabbler
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎29-11-2012

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

In EXACTLY the same situation, was convinced to stay on my plus package for unlimited fix price access but it has worse shaping policies. Have put in a formal compliant, feel I have been misold. I did go through normal support route but got nothing. Expected more from a company that seems to pride itself on its customer service!
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Quote from: spraxyt
The Legacy Plusnet Premium figures in the UserGroup Product Comparison tool reflect what Plusnet publish on their Plusnet Premium Product Archive page. PUG's understanding is that in reality it is identical to Plusnet Extra. As has been stated previously if Plusnet change that archive page the tool will be updated accordingly.
David

David: Could I suggest that you put links on the prodcomp page to the sources of the information. That would put the onus firmly on Plusnet to make the changes so you can pick them up.
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)
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Jelv, the grey box box at the top of the product table labelled "Product Details" is a hotlink to appropriate information on Plusnet's website. This works best for legacy products since they generally to have their own all-embracing archive page. Information for current products often spreads over multiple pages - in this case the link is usually to the overview description page.
David
David
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Am I alone in not having discovered that "Product Details" is clickable?
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)
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

Making it "Link to Product Details" is rather verbose. We could perhaps change the text to "Website link". Can't really refer to it as "Source" or "Source link"; mostly it is for legacy products but only an overview for current ones because detailed information comes from several pages.
David
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: "Plusnet Unlimited" traffic shaping mini rant

What really fooled me was the cursor doesn't change to a finger on mouse-over - can you do anything about that?
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)