Broadband - superhighway or dead end
I've used the internet now for a number of years both at home and at work and have been waiting for the day when I can have an 'always on' high speed broadband at home at a relatively low cost.
The choice of this type of service is fairly slim and most people will be limited to either ADSL or Cable modems. British Telecom remains the major provider for ADSL and NTL are responsible for most cable modem installations in the UK. Whilst this is all very well if you live in a major city or densely populated area, many of us who live in rural parts do not have as many options for broadband available to us, if any at all.
I first signed up for ADSL with BT nearly two years ago when they first announced openworld and at the same time indicated interest in cable modems with NTL. Since then I have had no joy in obtaining either and currently use BT Internet as my service provider with a basic 56K modem. Although this is acceptable for occasional usage I would really like to be able to work from home, download software and generally use the Internet in a more productive manner.
My gripe is not with the actual service that these companies provide, rather with the poor coverage of the country and extremely slow rollout of broadband that we are currently facing.
In a recent conversation with NTL when I finally got through their telephone exchange to speak to a real person, I was told that there was a problem in my area and I would not be able to receive digital services yet. This was 5 weeks after I originally placed my order and was told by the sales person that someone would contact me within the next few days to arrange the installation. Friends who have either ADSL or cable modems assure me that it is well worthwhile and makes a big difference when surfing and downloading files. I now wait with baited breath to find out when I can join this exclusive club.
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Ever since BT installed the fibre optics in my area my regular broadband has been playing up which I believe to be a ruse to persuade me to pay more for that service. I was perfectly happy with what I had and do not want to pay extra. Of course it would be impossible to ever prove and the BT Infinity marketing material and sales calls will continue until they force me to update. Seriously unfair sales techniques!
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I have had major problems with bt broadband since 6th February..........numerous phone calls re the dropping speed. Seems BT wholesale are choking connections. Question I have asked them is "who cares" beacuase they don't. Always feel I am intruding on BT when I complain...as they have more important things to do than keep customers happy.
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gez, no disrespect, you are talking total tosh. the green distribution boxes owned by BT/Openreach are not overloaded and the engineers do not disconnect any to connect others (not on purpose anyway ). Unless of course you're talking about Virgin, then I wouldn't be surprised.
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the problem with broadband connection is the green distrubtion boxes are over loaded with to many connections so engineers are disconecting one to install one as thy are paid by different companys they dont care as long as thier job is done the reason I know this the engineer told me after my daughter had been disconnnected three times and changed supplier twice so who upgrades the green distribution boxes if these are not upgraded the problem will only get worse
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BTs higher Level complaints contact is Rosary Turner. She is the executive level complaints and complaint review service centre manager. Direct number Tel.07501 232023
Fax +44(0)1925444978 email rosary.turner@bt.com
postal address is... PPV Warrington Contact Centre,
110 Europa Boulevard, Warrington WA5 7FZ
You could also contact Jay.Clements @bt.com. direct number is Tel 01277326147.
He is one of the higher level complaints team based at Bt's new offices.
The postal address is
1 London Road, Brentwood,CMT14 4QP
The offices can be viewed at www.bt-officespace.com
I wish you all luck in your pursuit of justice
Fax +44(0)1925444978 email rosary.turner@bt.com
postal address is... PPV Warrington Contact Centre,
110 Europa Boulevard, Warrington WA5 7FZ
You could also contact Jay.Clements @bt.com. direct number is Tel 01277326147.
He is one of the higher level complaints team based at Bt's new offices.
The postal address is
1 London Road, Brentwood,CMT14 4QP
The offices can be viewed at www.bt-officespace.com
I wish you all luck in your pursuit of justice
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Sounds a nightmare but please lend an ear (or an eye) to those in the Outer Hebrides. We have a very expensive service that frequently has problems. It costs me over £25 for a 1 mb connection which often does not even reach the 1 mb level. I can't use I player as it's not powerful enough and if I wanted to go up to 2 mb it would cost me well over £80 a month. Yep, that's not a mistype, this is what it costs to use Hebrides.net - an innovative service that those that can't get BT have to use if you want broadband.
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Disgruntled of drimsdale - 14-Mar-11 08:42
Went over to BT Broadband at the end of December. Since mid-February have had continual 'on-off' problems with Broadband connection (Home Hub light flashing orange): in all have not been able to connect to the internet for 9 full days connection, plus numerous partial days (anything from a few minutes to a few hours). BT have been absolutely useless in resolving this issue! When problem first reported I was told the problem was with my mastersocket (it was not!); then a BT engineer came out (I had to take a day's holiday off work) and he said it was the connections from the telegraph pole to the cable or in the local green street cabinet (he re-soldered them issue not resolved). I have now been told by BT that it is 'definitely' a problem at the exchange and an engineer will be looking at it tomorrow (12 March 2011). However, they still want me to take a day off work next week so that they can again have access to my property to (again) check the internal cabling/socket. Wish I had stayed with my previous ISP - I only left them because of continual billing problems, at least I never lost my broadband connection with them. In short avoid BT as a Broadband ISP - they are totally useless!
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Apologies for adding to my earlier comment but I couldn't not mention a BT policy that I have just discovered. Believe it or not, they proclaim a Right First Time (RFT) policy .....a key part of our journey to being number one for customer service.
See http://www.btplc.com/Careercentre/WhyjoinBT/Ourfuture/Ourfuture.htm and remind them of it when you next deal with them.
See http://www.btplc.com/Careercentre/WhyjoinBT/Ourfuture/Ourfuture.htm and remind them of it when you next deal with them.
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Just a word of encouragement to those with BT accounts. Check, check and check them again for accuracy. I've been 'debating' some of the charges they have made and doing so for months now. Every time they insist they have it right yet, when I keep pushing, they find an error in my favour. This is not just the lower rungs I am talking about, even several 'escalations' up the UK offices assure me that the matter is now resolved- only for someone else to discover yet another mistake. Never give up arguing with them, demand escalation after escalation if you think you are right- chances are that you are. Good luck with it.
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In our area bt are installing Fibre optic cabling before they started I was getting 6MB download speeds since the cable installation has been completed they have been calling me to upgrade and currently iam only getting 300KB download speeds.
I think they have strangled my connection so I pay for the fibre optic broadband or infinity as they call it.
I think they have strangled my connection so I pay for the fibre optic broadband or infinity as they call it.
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Have broad band suppliers become the dodgy motor salemen of yesterday year? They sell you the moon when you sign up, but around about the second bill it is almost twice as much as you anticipated.Service is rotten painfully slow. You can't email them easily they all have multi choice 'we are wonderful websites'.I think the govt should start taking a good long hard look at how these shysters are working.
Step forward Talk Talk the pariah and now Plusnet who used to be reliable and rock solid on their costs. Rip off Britain - well lads the money is running out hopefully it does for you too.
Step forward Talk Talk the pariah and now Plusnet who used to be reliable and rock solid on their costs. Rip off Britain - well lads the money is running out hopefully it does for you too.
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Hi Nikki - anymore updates on the issue with UK online. We are another business in the same position. We were not notified that the UK online service was to be disconnected and are now left without!
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bt total broadband is absolute crap keeps dropping connection for the first month broadband was working on two laptops really quick then after that we can only run one and its super slow my 3 network dongle works quicker than the home broadband what the hell is wrong with bt they keep saying their broadband is award winning dont know how this happened has o2 home broadband before running on two laptops in a village and that runs 4 times faster than the bt broadband on a 12 month contract wont put up with it for long
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Nikki, even if you had been able to get a MAC, you would still be unable to move until you get the tag removed.
Whoever you are moving to should help you as , under Ofcom guidelines, you new supplier is supposed to do all they can to help . ( I wish I could underline supposed and should!).
If you were once with BT you may be able to get a "reverse migration" to go back to them which is sometimes quicker than getting a new ISP. They should be better places than Sky to get something done about the tag.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/new/complain/common_isp_complaints_tag.php?comments_page=3
Whoever you are moving to should help you as , under Ofcom guidelines, you new supplier is supposed to do all they can to help . ( I wish I could underline supposed and should!).
If you were once with BT you may be able to get a "reverse migration" to go back to them which is sometimes quicker than getting a new ISP. They should be better places than Sky to get something done about the tag.
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/new/complain/common_isp_complaints_tag.php?comments_page=3
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Has anyone had problems with UKOnline shutting down this week. I am a business broadband customer and I was not notified about the closure. The first I knew was when my broadband stopped working on Tuesday. Anyway, Sky, who took over UKOnline, still have a tag on my line so I need a MAC code to migrate to an alternative supplier. However I can't get a MAC code from UKOnline as they no longer exist, and Sky tell me I am not a customer so they can't give me a MAC. No supplier can help me without a MAC. BT suggested I put in a whole new additional phoneline to allow a new connection........ 6-8 weeks wait! I'll be out of business by then!! Any suggestions.
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Indeed we live in a klepto-corporatocracy! I have a broadband contract with an ISP for free UK 24 x 7 telephones calls. But when I have to call the broadband company's help desk because of a fault belonging to their service, they use an 0871 number, for which they charge me at 5p per minute. Rip-off!
To call any telephone number in the USA via Skype from UK is 1.6p per minute. So why does calling a commercial telephone number here in the UK cost more than 3 times as much?
"Free UK 24 x 7 telephones calls" is a huge commercial lie.
To call any telephone number in the USA via Skype from UK is 1.6p per minute. So why does calling a commercial telephone number here in the UK cost more than 3 times as much?
"Free UK 24 x 7 telephones calls" is a huge commercial lie.
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As soon as I can Im getting out of BT contract India as a call cntre and help is useless
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BT internet is really unreliable, almost useless. My phone's 3G connection is much faster and constant. Bt's service comes and goes. The service is frequently unavailable, day and night, often for hours. And there's no information. Solution: switch to Sky, which I have in my other properties.
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I too am having horrendous problems - when it is at its best I get 2.8Mb/s but like this weekend and frequently during last week it could be anything from .6Mb/x to 1.8Mb/s. Last weekend I was told that because of the problem my profile was being deleted and I was being put on a higher bandwidth which I was told would give me over 3 Mb/s - naturally I was delighted - but obviously it was just a con. Now I need to get a better ISP but how do I get out of an 18 month contract with BT<
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Peter Hebden Bridge - 15-Jan-11 20:19
I am sick and tired of BT's network management system reducing my bandwith to 0.13Mb/s from normally 3 to 5 Mb/s. I m paying through the nose for this disgusting service and am looking around for a better ISP ( I would think everyone is better than BT)
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