changing provider and removing tags

Hi All
I seem to be getting conflicting messages about the whole MAC process and removal of tags.
Before I call OFCOM can anyone here give a definitive answer as to who should remove a tag on the line and at what point in the migration process this should occur and should it be done automatically once the new supplier has the MAC and has started the migration.

As far as I was aware from reading what OFCOM say it is the responsibility of the "losing provider" to help customers move and this includes removing any tag on the line.

This leads to another question which is how is the tag removed, is it a physical or electronic process, who does it and if BT, who instructs them to do so. Should this also be an automatic part of the migration process enabled by the provision of the MAC, ie does the MAC give BT (or whoever) the authorisation to remove the tag.

All this comes from my recent experience in changing providers and the nearly 2 weeks we were without any broadband. I was originally told it would be a virtually seamless process and broadband would only be down for a few minutes!

What provider are you talking about?

It is quite simple really:

If you move in to a property where you have had a new line connected in your name but still tagged as having ADSL; It is the new provider that must get this removed for you.

If you are simply changing broadband providers (i.e the name on the phone bill is staying the same), you will need a MAC or for the old provider to remove their tag from the line (usually by ceasing the service).

A tag is am electronic marker to show which ISP currently 'has' the the line and who provides the service.

Matt

Edited by uno (Tue 30-Nov-10 00:28:24)

A link to my page on The MAC Process.

Transfers to and from some ISPs, particularly LLU, seem to get screwed up now and then. Anything associated with TalkTalk seems to be risky these days - I gather your move was away from one of their companies. (Nildram).

If you had trouble getting a MAC, as it appears in your earlier thread, then a complaint to OfCom may help others in the future.

In the case of changing providers, it is still the gaining provider who should handle any problems, which makes sense, as they stand to make money from you, so would be sensible for them to have to do some chasing if its required.

A migration between two services should take an hour.

Thus your experience suggests an unusual combination e.g. back off FULL LLU onto a WLR/SMPF combination.

The devil is the detail, as there is a very big grid covering what the paths are, and often multiple options are available.

Thanks for the replies.
In my case I was migrating from partial (Tiscali) LLU ie broadband only, from Opal (Nildram) To Idnet. The new provider did all the chasing with BT which took nearly 2 weeks to complete during which time we had no broadband sync and obviously no service.

I cant fault Idnet, they escalated the problem within BT as much as they could and my experience with them was what could have once been expected from Nildram before they were taken over.

What was interesting was the sales call from Opal when they said they could reconnect me in minutes as the account was still shown as live on their system, Im assuming at this point it meant the tag was still on the line. This well over a week after the migration date and I feel they failed in their responsibilty to remove the tag (either directly or indirectly). if I were a cynic I may think they did this deliberately in attempt to reconnect me and get me to sign up to a new 2 year contract, but of course Im not cynical at all!

If migrating from any partial LLU to another provider then you should have used the MAC process.

Or did the tagging arise because you had no MAC from Nildram?

If you did not use a MAC, then the problems and delays you experienced are to be considered normal.

Alas Opal/CPW/TalkTalk inherited a mess in the Tiscali group, and sorting it all out is proving to be even messier.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

If migrating from any partial LLU to another provider then you should have used the MAC process.

Or did the tagging arise because you had no MAC from Nildram?

If you did not use a MAC, then the problems and delays you experienced are to be considered normal.

Alas Opal/CPW/TalkTalk inherited a mess in the Tiscali group, and sorting it all out is proving to be even messier.

Yes I used the MAC process altho obtaining it was a trial in itself! In the end I got a MAC by emailing someone at Opal direct rather than by their online support system.
After requesting a MAC I firstly received the standard auto acknowledgement to a support request then next day another email from support with the MAC....at least thats what it said in the title however there was no MAC in the email! Replies to this using their prescribed method went unanswered which was when I found someone to email in person and then got the MAC the same day.

About 2 weeks later the online suport system caught up and sent the MAC again (fortunately the same number).

In reply to a post by Jovin:

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

If migrating from any partial LLU to another provider then you should have used the MAC process.

Or did the tagging arise because you had no MAC from Nildram?

If you did not use a MAC, then the problems and delays you experienced are to be considered normal.

Alas Opal/CPW/TalkTalk inherited a mess in the Tiscali group, and sorting it all out is proving to be even messier.

Yes I used the MAC process altho obtaining it was a trial in itself! In the end I got a MAC by emailing someone at Opal direct rather than by their online support system.
After requesting a MAC I firstly received the standard auto acknowledgement to a support request then next day another email from support with the MAC....at least thats what it said in the title however there was no MAC in the email! Replies to this using their prescribed method went unanswered which was when I found someone to email in person and then got the MAC the same day.
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About 2 weeks later the online suport system caught up and sent the MAC again (fortunately the same number).

Hopefully that is going to be it.