Am I expecting too much here?

Hi All

I've been following some of the forums for a short time and also have tn a lot of useful advice from the site.

Here's my Plusnet issues.

(1) The product was an old "fixed 2Mb" one, with I think 2Gb bandwidth per month, and latterly graded as Option 1. However, needs here changed, and bandwidth is an issue now - I've been adding on an extra 4Gb each month and am paying ow around £15 each month.

(2) There was, about two or three weeks ago, a connection issue, whereupon the router would drop, connect, drop, and so on without warning. This was reported, although it doesn't seems as though the problem has yet resolved, as more of this has been happening the past few days. I did all the usual things - different filters, different router, master socket, yada, yada - no difference. All extension wiring in the house is properly terminated CW1308 grade cable. The router and microfilter plug directly into the master socket.

(3) In (slow) conversation in a currently open ticket, it was established that we could be moved to the ADSL Max service, at no cost, which was completed a week ago. Since then, my upload snyc and rate have both increased, but while my dow sync has increased (variably between 6624 and 8128Mb) my actual upspeed has not reported over 2200Mb - at best only very marginally over the 1900 or so I'd normally get on the "old" product. Typically the download speed has been around 1800Mb - slower overall.

(4) We are around 69m - cable distance - from the exchange! It is a backwater, floating in an island of about 3 subscribers, and 300 cows. Cooden if anyone is interested. So LLU has never been heard of, and C21 is unlikely to make it here until C25 at the earliest. However, it is definitely Max enabled.

(5) - So the technical issue is that my connection is slower now than before moving - and I'm kind of puzzled - I know Max takes a little time to do it's thing, but after a week, I'd have expected to see something nearer the expected 6.5Meg.

(6) I mentioned an open ticket - I have been adding information to this all week, and NOT ONE WORD from Plusnet. My last comment in that ticket concerned my desire not to have to move by connection to someone else, and also the fact that £15 a month for this connection issue/bandwidth limitation seems suddenly uneconomical - given some of the (limited) competition even on BTw.

My questions really, then, are what can I do to establish why I'm only averaging 1.8Mb on a max connection ever speed checkers says should be doing at least 6.5Mb, am I expecting too much out of Plusnet (even *a* response would be good) in terms of bandwidth/cost, and are there better options available, even for such a lowly, almost forgotten exchange.

Ideally, I guess I'd like a package like that on Tiscali - yes, I've read the threads, and no, I don't want the hassles - where I can combine my landline, broadband and call costs - altogether, the budget to beat would be about £40 - £45 a month inclusive of calls.

Do Plusnet not value people's business any longer? I guess that's the BT effect, but I have been with them over five years.

Thanks.

Could you post your Router Stats and a BT Speedtest result.

Hi

From Router:

Line Status - SHOWTIME

Link Type - Interleaved Path

Actual Data Rate

Up Stream - 448 (Kbps.)

Down Stream - 7360 (Kbps.)

Upstream Downstream Noise Margin Attenuation
27 dB 13 dB 4dB 3dB


From BT Speedtest:

Test1 comprises of Best Effort Test: -provides background information.
Your DSL connection rate: 7360 kbps(DOWN-STREAM), 448 kbps(UP-STREAM)
IP profile for your line is - 6000 kbps
Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1720 kbps

If you wish to discuss these results please contact your ISP.

Not, to my somewhat limited intelligence, very impressive.

The other thing I did was adjusted the router MTU down to about 1428, which was the highest setting I could obtain without packet fragmentation.

OK

Do you understand the stats you posted?

IP Profile = 6000 kbps ..... thats good

Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1720 kbps ..........thats bad

try the TBB speed tester as it is more reliable here http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

if that still shows less tha 5000 kbps then it could be your plus net profile stuck

look here https://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=data_transfer... ..... you will need to supply your login details.

This will show your plusnet IP profile, it follows the BT profile after about 12 hours but can become stuck.

If it is stuck you will need to raise a ticket, or post on the community forum here http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/board,4.0.... or pehaps a plus net rep will see this Post and CURE it for you.

Ian

In reply to a post by ian007jen:

OK

Do you understand the stats you posted?

IP Profile = 6000 kbps ..... thats good

Actual IP throughput achieved during the test was - 1720 kbps ..........thats bad

Yes, sadly I do understand all the stats. And no, am not impressed. 1720 is terrible. The throughput was marginally faster on the "fixed" product than it has been so far on Max.

try the TBB speed tester as it is more reliable here http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest.html

if that still shows less tha 5000 kbps then it could be your plus net profile stuck

Speed Test Results
Date 15/08/09 21:12:11
Speed Down 1769.85 Kbps ( 1.7 Mbps )
Speed Up 378.73 Kbps ( 0.4 Mbps )
Port 8095
Server speedtest1.thinkbroadband.com

I don't think the BT tester lied, somehow........this is fairly typical with what has been experienced over the last week, with some results far lower - in the hundreds!

look here https://portal.plus.net/my.html?action=data_transfer... ..... you will need to supply your login details.

This will show your plusnet IP profile, it follows the BT profile after about 12 hours but can become stuck.

If it is stuck you will need to raise a ticket, or post on the community forum here http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/board,4.0.... or pehaps a plus net rep will see this Post and CURE it for you.

Ian

{moan}
Yeah - this page only ever shows me "no estimate (service introduced before we introduced estimates)" kind of thing. However it does state current line speed is 2000.

This would, I suspect, be indicative of a "stuck" profile on Plusnet?

I hope someone from Plus Net here DOES read this. As said in OP, I'm now kind of fed up awaiting a response from a ticket that's been open for over three weeks. I find their stats pages currently laughable, since they claim to respond and close tickets in 4 days!

And can I find an email address to complain to about ANY of this? Nope.

I'm beginning to think, seriously, that it is too much to expect service in return for an ongoing monthly fee. It seems to be an old fashioned concept these days. Oh for one ISP that does what it says on the tin, puts the customer first (reasonably), and makes its fortune in the process.......never mind brand loyalty, if they don't want it - but what about customer loyalty, or can Plusnet afford high churn and attrition now they have the "support" of BT?

{/moan}

Bill.

Find a post by a rep on this forum then PM then, or look here somebody can sort it out

http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,7860...

pm Chris PArr

Ian

In reply to a post by ian007jen:

Find a post by a rep on this forum then PM then, or look here somebody can sort it out

http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,7860...

pm Chris PArr

Ian

Thanks Ian

Will try both of these - seems like a mis-profile at Plusnet after all.

Still eight days with no response from their ticket system, plus the cost/bandwidth matter is also weighing on my mind. Wonder if they'll be prepared to do anything about that, assuming I do get a response.

Perhaps they should add ouija board to their contact methods????

Bill.

In reply to a post by DirectFS:

Perhaps they should add ouija board to their contact methods????

I thought ouija was something that basically happened in the mind. Apart from the very good Plusnet reps we see on this forum, minds seem to be sadly lacking from Plusnet support.

Seriously, it does very much look like the Plusnet copy of the BT IP Profile is stuck at 2000. This is quite common both on Plusnet and the only other ISP (so far as I know) that takes copies of it and uses them.

There is an automatic system whereby the BT systems notify the ISP of a change. This seems to fail fairly often. It is a BT system ....

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by DirectFS:

Perhaps they should add ouija board to their contact methods????

I thought ouija was something that basically happened in the mind. Apart from the very good Plusnet reps we see on this forum, minds seem to be sadly lacking from Plusnet support.

Seriously, it does very much look like the Plusnet copy of the BT IP Profile is stuck at 2000. This is quite common both on Plusnet and the only other ISP (so far as I know) that takes copies of it and uses them.

There is an automatic system whereby the BT systems notify the ISP of a change. This seems to fail fairly often. It is a BT system ....

Yes, good ol' BT!

Have raised a support ticket, and hopefully will bring some joy on all scores. If not, the back up of PMing the guy mentioned will swing in tomorrow!

Oh the joys of a connected (!) world!!!!

I'd definately post on the Community Site forum http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/board,4.0.... put your heading as profile stuck, there are other posts with that heading but if I were you I start a new one, put all your stats in the post together with your speedtest results it'll save time as they will only ask you for them, they're usually pretty quick on there at sorting things out, better than customer support, if you have a ticket number you could also include that in the post