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Really annoyed - broadband connection broken
Kirkfnw
Posts: 1,613 Forum Member
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Venting here to be honest, but really I just want to ask if anyone else has had a similar issue to me.
I moved into a new address in February and Orange Broadband did not work, only worked while I was on the phone and other times not at all, and the speed was pathetic. The connection was erratic when it worked eg. sometimes only worked for ten minutes, others two minutes. Orange customer services were so bad they still hadn't fixed the issue for over three months so I cancelled. BT line tests came back OK.
I recently signed with O2, set myself up yesterday and I now have THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. Yesterday O2 said it wasn't their issue and to talk to BT. So guess what? Line test happened today and the woman I spoke to at BT said the line was fine, no engineer would be asked to come out.
So now I go back to o2 and they tell me it is not their problem as the broadband is working. HONESTLY, why does no one take any responsibility?!?!? I don't understand why it's my job to call their customer service lines back and forth dictating some pathetic argument where neither side will take responsibility for the customer paying for a service.
I am getting more depressed with this nonsense, I just want someone to come round and take a look that I'm not making it up. I have all the connections set up properly. I have tried using the test socket. I have connected everything OK, so why can't one of them come round to see how I'm not lying about setting it up and actually help me?
I moved into a new address in February and Orange Broadband did not work, only worked while I was on the phone and other times not at all, and the speed was pathetic. The connection was erratic when it worked eg. sometimes only worked for ten minutes, others two minutes. Orange customer services were so bad they still hadn't fixed the issue for over three months so I cancelled. BT line tests came back OK.
I recently signed with O2, set myself up yesterday and I now have THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. Yesterday O2 said it wasn't their issue and to talk to BT. So guess what? Line test happened today and the woman I spoke to at BT said the line was fine, no engineer would be asked to come out.
So now I go back to o2 and they tell me it is not their problem as the broadband is working. HONESTLY, why does no one take any responsibility?!?!? I don't understand why it's my job to call their customer service lines back and forth dictating some pathetic argument where neither side will take responsibility for the customer paying for a service.
I am getting more depressed with this nonsense, I just want someone to come round and take a look that I'm not making it up. I have all the connections set up properly. I have tried using the test socket. I have connected everything OK, so why can't one of them come round to see how I'm not lying about setting it up and actually help me?
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Comments
Are you using the master socket?
Do you have any other sockets in the house which are in use?
Make sure you have filtered everything properly - ideally you should have the filter directly in the BT socket, then the phone in one side and broadband in the other. Any extension sockets in the house also need filtering even if the broadband is not connected to those sockets.
Try testing from the test socket if you have one to eliminate any internal issues and if it's still the same pester O2 and BT to get it sorted.
Testing from the test socket is absolutely normal and actually recommended by BT as in this article.
Having used the Test Socket to check that it isn't your Internal Wiring at fault (Lots of threads on these forums how to.) you should call O2 and demand that they get your Broadband fixed.
Well yesterday I applied two ADSL filters. Instead of using one for both modem and phone, modem is directly into the first ADSL filter and the phone is in a second ADSL filter into the first filters phone socket port.
I managed to keep broadband on all day, now the speed of the line is pathetically slow. My ping is really nice so looks like I may be able to play games, just the speed is crippling (1.42Mbps). Will call them tonight and be really arsey.
Also are you on O2 Access (IPStream) or O2 LLU.
As you had the same problem with Orange, the chances are that it's a problem within your property or, at best, between you and the exchange.
How do I find out?
I agree I shouldn't have to double-filter like that but it's the only way I've been able to get on the net for more than five thus far.
If it's the O2 supplied router then log on as SuperUser with the password either the router serial no. found on the underneath side and looks like AB1234CD56E or password O2Br0ad64nd.
Then click on Broadband Connection > DSL Connection > Details
Yep, tried the test socket more times than I've had hot dinners.
I used to work for Orange broadband actually and if it was no fault found 3 times we'd request an engineer appointment only if we were certain everything from the user's end was checked properly.
So, you need to check all this (most of which you will have done)
- Test with everything else unplugged except the filter and the router in the test socket (unplug all phones etc from all sockets)
- Make sure you have tested it on a wired connection and not a wireless one
- Make sure your BT line is working fine for calls (no crackling etc)
- A tedious one, but make sure you have tested more than 1 filter and make sure you aren't using the same RJ45 cable (the one from the router to the filter)
You can't really do more than that from your end. One annoying issue is that if the problem is with your end then you'll be charged for the call out!
Once you have checked everything from your end call O2 again and tell them. If the problem is the same with 2 ISPs it's obviously the line which is the issue.
Thanks. I called o2 tonight and OMG, we finally got somewhere. The issue is at their side, they changed a few settings and I noticed the speed ramp right up. I am on 3.3mbps and should be at 8mbps. The tech support guy has logged it with second line IT support. I am finally able to surf the net and do what I want, hopefully will be up to full speed tomorrow.
Will update you when I get a call back from them.
ISPs will try to avoid calling Openreach due to the costs involved but I don't see where BT come in to it.
I'm not sure what you're not agreeing with
What I was talking about is that customers are often stuck in a loop where the ISP says there's no fault from their end and the customer is told to call BT, but then BT say there's no fault with the telephone side of things and it's the ISPs issue and so on. I.e. neither side will take responsibility in getting the issue resolved, probably due to the costs involved.
Incidentally, how can Openreach charge if there is a fault? Surely it's their responsibility to fix such faults anyway?
If there is then you have a noisy line and will get bad broadband.
o2 engineer came round on Monday. He found something wrong with the phone exchange, the aerials were not connected properly and there was fungus growing inside it. He removed everything and applied new aerials and everything is now fine!
Thanks to all who advised.
I had a similar problem a few years back.
I was renting my phone service from BT and my internet from the appalling (can't emphasise that enough) Virgin adsl, a BT based service. For a few months after upgrading to their upto 8mbps adsl max service all was fine but things went gradually downhill.
I would get increasing disconnects, there would be crackling on the phone line which disappeared when the modem was disconnected, the internet would drop when the phone rang.
After convincing Virgin that I had done all the tests (plugging modem into test socket, changing filters etc) to eliminate a fault on my side of the BT socket they said they'll elevate it to BT Openreach. And that's the thing to remember, an isp supplying a BT based product will be reluctant to elevate to an Openreach investigation until they're sure it's an external fault.
A week later I get a call from Virgin saying no fault could be found, but, on the day of the call all the problems disappeared. I told them everything is fine now and was told if it happens again call BT and ask them to carry out a High Open Metallic Loop Test but don't mention anything about your internet.
A few days later the problems returned so I called BT to report a line fault, they could even hear the crackling whilst talking to them but I didn't mention the modem or internet aspect. I persuaded them to carry out a High Open Test (not sure what it means, I think it's a test to locate a poor connection/contact which allows internet and voice traffic to interfere with each other).
BT called back a few hours later saying they couldn't find a fault. But, as before, the problems disappeared. From what I understand the High Open test puts extra current through the circuits, heating up any poor contacts and temporarily sealing them, so the problems go away. A couple of days later the problems returned, I called BT asking for another High Open test, they called back saying no fault found but as usual the problems disappeared again. According to an Openreach engineer working in my neighbourhood, locating such a fault is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
This cycle went on for weeks. Virgin kept telling me it's a BT problem, BT kept saying so long as the voice service works that's all they're responsible for. I told BT and Virgin that I didn't want to call an engineer out because the fault was intermittent and if the fault was clear when they visited I would be charged. I complained that BT have a monopoly on the infrastructure maintenance, no one else is allowed to check whether their claims and repairs are competent or honest, no independent engineer is allowed a look in, they can say and do whatever they want. The BT customer service staff I was talking to claimed that Openreach was a completely separate company from BT as a phone service and just like the isp's all they can do is request Openreach to investigate any fault claims.
Is this (still) true? How does such a monopoly fit into today's free market economy?
Eventually the disconnects were so bad (several per hour), coupled with dial up speeds in the evenings, that I had enough and left for Sky LLU.
OMG what a revelation, after months of misery all my problems disappeared, together with a 4mbps speed increase. So the problem must have been with equipment at the exchange (unless Sky replaced the whole line to my house)
I will never ever go back to a BT based isp again.
Even if the fault was on the Local Loop, your ADSL service was their responsibility. Virgin should not have passed the problem back to you. They were trying to avoid Openreach charges.
Second, it really doesn't matter whether the service is BTW based or LLU, They all use BT's Local Loop and Openreach do the work and so an ISP has to call Openreach regardless of whether it is LLU or not.
Openreach is an arms length company as required by the regulator. There are required to treat all customers (That is to say the service providers - they do not talk to end-users.) equally and it has been my experience that that is the case.
Ultimately it would end up with Openreach whoever I went through. I didn't care who fixed it, I just wanted it fixed.
In the end it was only solved by swapping over to Sky's (Easynet's) equipment at the exchange.
I could have persisted with Virgin and/or BT, making endless phone calls and complaints, risking a hefty charge for a no fault found visit by Openreach, written letters to ISPA and Ofcom,
or,
I could just leave.
I think I made the right choice.
I hate to think what state we'd be in now if LLU was not introduced, allowing alternatives at the exchanges.