long standing UBR overload

[john coley]

I've been a customer since 2001. I have, in theory at least the 20 mbps package. Over the last few years I've noticed my speed dropping alarmingly. The only explanation I've been given whenever I've raised the matter has been network traffic. No further investigations were carried out until the 22nd October, when I was lucky enough to get a tech who did investigate thoroughly, together with second line, and not only identified the problem as a UBR overload, but looked back through databases and logs to trace the history of the problem. It was, they said, a long standing problem. I asked how long, and the tech said quite possibly a number of years. She also said that 28 other customers were likewise affected. An order was issued to have the problem rectified. The order when I last checked, this evening, is still open. My current connection speed is 1.5 mbps. My speed during the day averages between 3 and 4 mbps. Only at night, after about 2 AM does the average get into double figures.
I've entered a complaint to CEO, but haven't, nearly three weeks later had a written response. I managed to speak with someone in CEO, who said that what the techs had said was rubbish, and that the overload, which she said only went back to September was caused by the rise in traffic levels when students went back to university. I asked her if she had any evidence for that, and she said no. She said that it was no use asking her about broadband, as she didn't know about it. I suggested to her that given that in her own admission she wasn't technically trained she wasn't qualified to say that second line techs were talking rubbish.
I really would have thought that Virgin Media would have taken a problem of this magnitude a lot more seriously. Not only are 29 people paying for a service they're not getting, but those in authority, in the Chief Executive's office can't be bothered to investigate.
I'd be interested to hear from anyone else on UBR01.camd.blueyonder.co.uk.
John.

[xspeedyx]

First things first downgrade and save yourself some money

[Noggo]

Why not ask for a part monthly refund until the issue is rectified, plus a little compensation to the cover previous months from when you first reported the problem. Then if you do manage to get more than 2mb it's a bonus, but you're only paying equivalent to the 2mb price until the problem is fixed.

[peterjohno]

I feel your pain john. Im having the same issues. Cant see an end to it at all.

[john coley]

Hi, I have, until last night with no success, sympathy but no offer of a refund. The guy I'm in touch with in retentions said they'd wait to see how long the problem took to get resolved. Last night I had a partial success, when one of the techs in india looked at the performance of the UBR and refunded me a month. Retentions, who the tech who had originally pinpointed the problem referred me to say they're limited to crediting six months. I've reported slow speed issues for a very long time. A second factor had been my modem. Until the 24th of September I had an old modem, but hadn't been told modems had been upgraded. The tech who brought my attention to the modem issue said that the modem I had, which was the original one given to me by telewest in 2001 wasn't capable of 20 megs.
I've covered both these issues in my official complaint, but haven't had so much as an acknowledgement. The problem is that the ones with technical knowledge, tech support don't have the authority to credit my account, and customer services, who can credit my account haven't got the technical knowledge. I read a post on the forum last night from someone who said that customer services didn't even know what a UBR is. I've had similar experiences with them.
John.