Broadband - superhighway or dead end

Our local Treforest exchange was down and listed for a 21CN upgrade and due to be completed a few months ago according to SamKnows and BT's upgrade programme. After recently checking our exchange is now no longer listed for the upgrade. Our neighbouring boroughs in Taffs Well and Caerphilly located just half a mile from us have had the new 21CN network enabled and they are getting upto 20Megs and 40Megs download speeds.

While we appreciate that not everyone is listed to have the new 21CN super fast broadband we are puzzled as to how this upgrade was listed as being down for upgrade and then stopped?? despite us receiving a letter on an increase in our line rental!!. This does seem unfair if we are being told we are to receive this 21CN upgrade and then it is stopped. What is BT playing at?

My sister would be thrilled to be able to get any Broadband from BT. She cannot even get the landline installed! Quotes have ranged from £20,000 to £13,000, to £235.00. She lives in a very rural area in Cumbria, to get her line it will entail digging up and through fields . The Engineer turned up yesterday after months of my sister talking to the various 'Heads' of departments and the last quote of £235.00 (which she jumped at), he scratched his head and then his chin after walking around the outside of the house for a few minutes, and then announced he had nothing to connect to.............................................

Update on mine. BT insisting 0.5 meg is the max they can give me, eventhough before my fault I was holding 1 meg nicely. New technology claiming 'up to 20 meg' mean old lines can't cope and speeds go down. Going to take this further as I dont feel its my fault that them upgrading means a down service for me.And also I'm going to bill them for all my wasted time and days off work. There's been at least 3 occasions when I was told and engineer would arrive at my house and didn't. What they owe me is building up lol.

I sent BT a letter over 2 weeks ago now and have been without broadband for over 2 months now. The company doesn't know what it's doing and I have been passed from advisor to advisor about a simple problem. And guess what... due to the amount of calls I've had to make to them about their fault my phone bill has gone up too! Beware BT, they are idiots and pick numbers out of thin air.

BT have had many problems with my on -off broadband, including having no phone line or broadband for two whole weeks, (it will take that long as we are connecting you to fibre optic (they didn't) and when I asked for a refund of my rental (they do not offer it unless you ask) I found that the broadband rental was not refunded "you'll have to talk to that department sir"
So I call broadband, who tell me that regrettably the phone department had not told them that my broadband was offline, so I can't have a refund. Have been on hold to India for an hour now trying to make them give back the money that they so readily Direct Debit every month from my bank.

Bt are crap whole service is a joke - engineers havent got a clue & the staff on the phone seem only to be able to say" I cant help with that its another department" - managers dont have phones! I asked for a manager to call me back and was told not possible as there is no phone number for the correct department?

Fault on my line for 8 weeks. Been sent 11 engineers who all try different things (numerous lift and shifts and exchange upgrades). The last chap gave me 1.94 meg and the next day BT had capped it back to 0.5 meg o_O All I want is to be able to get the 1 meg I had before the fault, but now BT are telling me they can only give me 0.5 meg tops and my connection STILL drops out when the phone rings, or just drops out on it's own. I'm not being beaten on this. All I would like is what I had before the fault and i'm gonna fight them all the way to get it back! Plus I am paying for 'up to 20meg'.
I do feel sorry for the engineers though. They have 2 hours to 'fix' your fault then have to leave it if its not fixed. I have even had the 'specialist' engineer who is allowed 6 hours to fix your fault, and if he doesnt manage it, it's up to you to ring back BT and tell them!! I've rang so often (at least once or twice a day) they have asked me now to wait for a call. I have complained and am taking this further.
Martin V- see if there is aluminium cabling around your area. It is in my town and some engineers say that is what may cause some of the problem. And BT know about it, but won't replace it until is breaks, so I was told.

It has just taken me 5mins. to get into my e-mails. Then it took 2mins to open one e-mail. What a sub-standard service. I will be looking at other Broadband networks, not BT.

Sorry another BT broadband issue, We had about 1mg speed ( waited 9 months for this I may add) but then Open Reach put in new wires and this reduced the speed to between 0.5 and 0.2 or zero. BT's response is to try various tests all of which confirm the aforementioned speed and then ( as is typical with BT) ignore the matter because it is too difficult to manage and as we have learnt already Open Reach are neither accountable for their actions ( cut through the water main whilst replacing telegrpah pole) or to the consumer. Total shambles and we are going to ask for free Broadbank upgrade and fixes to our serivce to allow this as it is BT fault the spped has delcined to zero. Wish me luck as I am sure it will all end in frustration and now BT want us to pay 3 months in advance for Broadband speed we are not receiving


Oh and I am trying to run a business-go figure

Liked Tiscali until taken over by TalkTalk and prices raised. Gave notice and tried to go to AOL but they messed up 5! times so went to BT for line and Orange for Broadband. My advice - stick to BT for line, even if a little more expoensive because at least you can change ISP at the drop of a hat without having no BB for 4 weeks. Anyway then TalkTalk really got going and charged me £380 on my credit card !! for cancellation of new contract which I had refused to go on, (even though they said charges wouldn't go up). TThey have admitted their mistake in writing twice and promised to refund but 3 months down the line and no money. Just given them 48 hours notice and then I'll issue a District Court Summons through the Government website (Money Claim Online) for the money, interest, my time, and court costs. My further advice - get away from TT and never pay these charges by credit card - card company not really interested as I had "authorised" the charge.

Had enjoyed excellent service with Tiscali for over 10 years until Talk Talk took over and introduced increased prices by stealth. On 17 June 2010 took out new contract with B T
New Broadband was scheduled for instalation on 5th July. Today 14th. July no Broadband from B T . In last week I have made 15 Telephone calls lasting on average 23mins. each,had 3 calls advising me A) Contract now cancelled B) MAC code required (this had been furnished on 17th.June at initial contract stage) C) May with a bit of luck be on line next week but B T are having problems getting lines from the main supplier in the U.K. which is B T Commercial.?
Without a shadow of doubt this Company are an absolute shower,please,please,please ignore the letters recieved from B T wishing you would come back like I did to my cost.

Dear All,

I was a customer of Wi-max Broad band internet connection of Tata Indicom. I had taken the connection in September 2009 and had discontinued (disconnected) it in February 2010. My Plan charge was Rs.1000/- as the user charge + taxes (as applicable) as per the Brochure. For getting it installed, I had payed installation charge of Rs.1000/- (non-refundable) and security amount of Rs.1000/- (re-fundable).

From the first bill, till the last bill, the bill amounts never were Rs.1000 + taxes, it was like Rs.5200+, Rs.3300+ and last one was Rs.1900+. Finally after long phone calls to their customer care, I decided to discontinue.

My connection was disconnected on 21st of February 2010. It took me another two months time to get it terminated (21st of April 2010) that too after long phone calls and e-mails. As per them, I should get back my security amount in next 60 days time (by 21st June), but, till today (14th July). I haven't received it

Best Regards

Govind