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Standard User Ripley
(committed) Tue 03-Apr-12 22:21:55
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Squirrel] [link to this post]
 
I have never been traffic shaped


So how do you work this out?! Surely your not the only user on BT Infinity that can avoid traffic shaping.... or maybe you have a little secret to share

Freeserve Dial-Up --> BTopenworld --> <n>ildram -->Talk Talk LLU --> ZeN
DrayTek 2850 VN

My Broadband Speed Test
Standard User Squirrel
(knowledge is power) Tue 03-Apr-12 22:55:20
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Ripley] [link to this post]
 
Gosh I learn somthing every day. I'm disappointed to learn that I am being traffic shaped. Any chance you could tell me what I might get with Zen as they are not doing traffic shaping.

My current stats can be seen in the linked image

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kOkT-zeJ4HE/T3twT...

Standard User Ripley
(committed) Wed 04-Apr-12 07:13:47
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Squirrel] [link to this post]
 
Yup every days a school day!

BT Infinity state on their website they impose traffic shaping on P2P traffic during peak hours

Freeserve Dial-Up --> BTopenworld --> <n>ildram -->Talk Talk LLU --> ZeN
DrayTek 2850 VN

My Broadband Speed Test


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Standard User Squirrel
(knowledge is power) Wed 04-Apr-12 15:26:32
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Ripley] [link to this post]
 
I get it now - I see why I'm not traffic shaped - I don't use P2P !!! Thanks for the enlightement.;

Standard User Ripley
(committed) Wed 04-Apr-12 20:47:23
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Squirrel] [link to this post]
 
just out of interest it would be good to see your speed test results at 9pm on a week day evening, just to see how it compares with the speed test done in you previous post at around 11.30am

Freeserve Dial-Up --> BTopenworld --> <n>ildram -->Talk Talk LLU --> ZeN
DrayTek 2850 VN

My Broadband Speed Test
Standard User Squirrel
(knowledge is power) Wed 04-Apr-12 21:38:19
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Ripley] [link to this post]
 
I couldn't manage 9:00pm as I only just read the post. Why are you doing this to me - you are forcing me to use up more of my unlimited allowance smile

Will these do you - even faster tonight than it was last time !!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qWoYgNRdMSo/T3ywF...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XMau41KvmQc/T3ywF...

Standard User dewi
(learned) Thu 05-Apr-12 12:00:27
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Squirrel] [link to this post]
 
In reply to a post by Squirrel:
Zen can't be that good seeing as you're worried by having to have a long term contract with them. I have never been traffic shaped nor have I ever got through to a scripted person - never had to phone support you see.


1. I don't understand why you feel the need to drop in on a Zen forum to boast about BT.

2. If you do ever need to contact BT technical support, you'll have plenty to complain about. I moved from BT to Zen because I got fed up with dealing with BT's call centre. I was so relieved to get to the end of my 12-month contract with BT.
Standard User Squirrel
(knowledge is power) Thu 05-Apr-12 12:26:28
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: dewi] [link to this post]
 
If your broadband has problems that often I'd give up with it and go and watch the TV instead.

However let me get this right - you are happy to pay the earth for a very small allowance on the off chance that if you ever have a problem you'll get good support. Your choice.

The two times I had problems when I was with Zen I didn't get a great deal of help at all - the helpline was closed both times. In fact today must be the 10th or 11th anniversary of one of those incidents - I remember it was after 6:00pm on the Thursday before Easter and I had to wait until the following Tuesday to even report it. Do Zen do 24hr support yet ?

Standard User dewi
(learned) Thu 05-Apr-12 16:16:10
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: Squirrel] [link to this post]
 
I'm very happy to pay extra knowing that if I ever have a problem I'll get excellent support. Yes, it's my choice, both for my home and my business.

My experience of BT technical support was extremely poor. BT may be able to answer your calls 24 hours a day, but it used to take them days to solve even the simplest problem. What would happen would be that someone would ask me a list of irrelevant questions (such as what web browser do I use), then they would say that my problem needed to be escalated and that someone would call me back within 24 hours (which they never did). Sometimes, I'd get escalated 4-5 times before I could speak to someone who wasn't reading from a script.

When the happy day arrived that my 12-month contract with BT Broadband expired, I telephoned to ask for my MAC code. They asked me how much I was saving with my new ISP. They seemed shocked when I said that I was going to be paying more. They asked if I would stay if they offered me a discount. I said the only thing that would make me stay would be if they could offer me a decent level of technical support. They said, "How about if we put you on the same UK-based technical support as our business customers?". I said, "That sounds very interesting. Would I get a different telephone number to call". They said, "No. You'd call the regular number and you'd ask our Indian call centre to get someone from the UK call centre to call you back. They'd call you back within 24 hours". Needless to say, I said, "No thanks".

I've only had reason to call Zen technical support twice (once for my home connection and one for my office connection). One time, my home connection dropped. The person who answered my call quickly diagnosed a line fault (they didn't even want to know what web browser I used). I was very impressed that he phoned back after BT had cleared the fault to check that everything was working OK. I telephoned Zen technical support immediately after I had an ADSL connection installed at my office because I was experiencing difficulty accessing some websites. The person who answered the phone quickly diagnosed that I needed to change the MTU value on my firewall appliance, which resolved the problem.

I'm very happy with Zen, and I think they offer good value for money. I'm happy for you that you like BT Infinity so much, but I still don't see why you felt the need to brag about it to a Zen forum.
Standard User techguy
(committed) Fri 06-Apr-12 21:45:20
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Re: Doubling of usage allowances


[re: dewi] [link to this post]
 
Probably because he's got very little else to do.

I don't know whether they advertise on local regional TV but the only time I ever saw an advertisement for Zen was in PC Magazine in the mid 90s a little while after they'd just started.

I've not read such magazines since getting on the Internet as I read the tech news sites.

On the flipside BT spend millions on TV advertising.

If a service spreads by good reviews and word of mouth and the other by way of limited offers and heavy advertising does that not say something about the quality of the service?

While traffic shaping isn't yet widespread on BT Retail's FTTC/FTTP product marketed as 'Infinity' as more and more ISPs get tough on those abusing 'unlimited' products by the introduction pf traffic shaping on other protocols, regularly contacting customers about their excessive usage (as has happened to my colleague) or being served with their MAC and being told to leave (as also happened with my colleague on three ISPs) then it will become a magnet for those type of people and things will start to slow and BT will go through a stage of upgrades and then will just get fed up and slap on the traffic shaping.

Zen customers know that they have to pay for what they use above their allowance and can buy blocks of allowance that stay on the account until they are used up but in return the company regularly upgrades its network instead of traffic shaping to keep it ahead of demand.


Hmmm, a high capacity network with no traffic shaping and good support but I have to pay a little more for or a service which is good for the moment but has lowsy outsourced support and has to use gimmicks to acquire customers.

tough choice but think I've made the right one by choosing Zen.

Virgin (ADSL) => Namesco => Newnet => O2 => Plusnet => Zen => Newnet => Zen Lite 8000
Note: I don't lay turf for anyone. astro or otherwise, all views and opinions expressed are my own based on experience.
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