Earl of Bronze
17-06-2009, 23:39
I've had it since broadband was first introduced to the Belfast Franchise 6 or 7 years ago, and I've finally decided enough is enough with VM's internet service.
For the last 12 - 14 months I've been suffering an slowly increasing disconnect problem, and tonights fiasco with tech support has iced my cake ! In the last couple of months I've called tech support on numerous occasions, ass with the same recurring issue....
At any random hour of the day or night. I'll get a massive lag spike, followed shortly by a cycle of disconnects for anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes. Followed by a reconnect to net, for a similar ammount of time. This disconnect, reconnect will repeat for hours at a time, then normal service resumes....
For months, any time I'm online I have had command prompt open, with either a tracert to the VM website or an extended ping -n 500 to the same location. To say that some of the results of the extended ping tests have been horrifying would be an understatement. I'll copy/paste the last couple of lines from one such test below.....
Ping statistics for 212.250.162.12:
Packets: Sent = 500, Received = 371, Lost = 129 (25% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 17ms, Maximum = 93ms, Average = 22ms
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxx xxxxxx>
test completed at 11.03 am 14/16/2009
The only times I've received any real help from tech support was when they agreed my old Ambit 100 modem was faulty, and needed replaced (which was done the next day by an installer buddy of mine). The second occasion was when a lovely lady in tech support stepped up to the plate, and talked her manager to escalating my disconnect issue to 2nd line tech support. I should alos mention, that this lovely, and helpful lady let slip that I was on a 90:1 contention ratio, which left me speechless, as thats 180% of the 50:1 it should be.... Unfortunately the promiced return call never materialised, which did nothing except make a liar of one of the few compitent tech support people I've talked to over the last 14 or so months. Since then I've called on a number of other occasions, and they eventually agreed to send out a faults tech to look at the cabling. Again, my mate I used to install with back in the old ntl days called out. Checked all the signal levels, checked the f-connectors, checked the splitter in the ETB and the isolator at the computer.... All perfect, as can be expected when an installer does his own install. ;)
I talked to the tech, explained the problem, and he agreed to have his supervisor call me back that afternoon.... Shame that call never came....
Two weeks on, and the problem persists. Which is very bad for all concerned. In the last 2 weeks I've been unable to complete 5 Ulduar (heroic) raids where we have been making attempts on Algalon (the Raid Breaker). To say I take my WoW raiding seriously would be a major understatement, and for me to be getting disconnected every 3 - 5 minutes, on a summoned Raid Boss thats only available for 1 hour per night ammounts to level 10 frustration....
Anyway!
The disconnects start again tonight, causing me to be booted from yet another Ulduar raid. So I decided to call tech support....
After ten minutes on hold I got through and talked to an agent, who unfortunatley had no idea what and extended ping test was, nor what the results ment....
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxx xxxxxx>ping -n 500 www.virginmedia.com
Ping request could not find host www.virginmedia.com. Please check the name and try again.
Nor did he think
Ping statistics for 212.250.162.12:
Packets: Sent = 300, Received = 263, Lost = 37 (12% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 18ms, Maximum = 63ms, Average = 27ms
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxx xxxxxx>
test completed 21.34 on 17/06/2009
was relevent to my constant disconnest - reconnect lasting over an 90 minutes this evening. He decided what I needed to do was phone Advanced Tech Support on 090 69910 001 and speak to them.... I thought Result ! I finally get to speak to tier 2 tech suppot, so imagine my frustration when it turned out I had been given the £1/minute PC Helpline number.... I called straight back to tech support, and after a frustration 10 minutes on the phone trying to explain what my problem was, and what actions I had taken to identify possible reasons for this problem. I was told by the tech support agent she had no idea what an extended ping test was, or what it did. I asked her if she could check the contention ratio for my BB, to which she replied she couldn't. Strange that a previous agent could do that, but hey.... I asked if she could escalate my problem to second line tech support ? To which she replied that it was company policy not to do this.... I asked if she could inform second line tech support of my ongoing issues and get them to phone me.... Reply.... It is not company policy to do any form of callback with regards to any fault, or broadband problem.
In the end I informed the lady in India that seeing as it was company policy to give no real tech support to customers trying to do tech supports jobs, I felt I had no other recourse but to cancel my Broadband and phone services from VM. In addition to this, I would be making a formal complaint not only to VM, but also to Ofcom and Trading Standards.
Tomorrow VM looses a customer of 8+ years, so much for tech support and customer care....
For the last 12 - 14 months I've been suffering an slowly increasing disconnect problem, and tonights fiasco with tech support has iced my cake ! In the last couple of months I've called tech support on numerous occasions, ass with the same recurring issue....
At any random hour of the day or night. I'll get a massive lag spike, followed shortly by a cycle of disconnects for anywhere between 3 and 5 minutes. Followed by a reconnect to net, for a similar ammount of time. This disconnect, reconnect will repeat for hours at a time, then normal service resumes....
For months, any time I'm online I have had command prompt open, with either a tracert to the VM website or an extended ping -n 500 to the same location. To say that some of the results of the extended ping tests have been horrifying would be an understatement. I'll copy/paste the last couple of lines from one such test below.....
Ping statistics for 212.250.162.12:
Packets: Sent = 500, Received = 371, Lost = 129 (25% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 17ms, Maximum = 93ms, Average = 22ms
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxx xxxxxx>
test completed at 11.03 am 14/16/2009
The only times I've received any real help from tech support was when they agreed my old Ambit 100 modem was faulty, and needed replaced (which was done the next day by an installer buddy of mine). The second occasion was when a lovely lady in tech support stepped up to the plate, and talked her manager to escalating my disconnect issue to 2nd line tech support. I should alos mention, that this lovely, and helpful lady let slip that I was on a 90:1 contention ratio, which left me speechless, as thats 180% of the 50:1 it should be.... Unfortunately the promiced return call never materialised, which did nothing except make a liar of one of the few compitent tech support people I've talked to over the last 14 or so months. Since then I've called on a number of other occasions, and they eventually agreed to send out a faults tech to look at the cabling. Again, my mate I used to install with back in the old ntl days called out. Checked all the signal levels, checked the f-connectors, checked the splitter in the ETB and the isolator at the computer.... All perfect, as can be expected when an installer does his own install. ;)
I talked to the tech, explained the problem, and he agreed to have his supervisor call me back that afternoon.... Shame that call never came....
Two weeks on, and the problem persists. Which is very bad for all concerned. In the last 2 weeks I've been unable to complete 5 Ulduar (heroic) raids where we have been making attempts on Algalon (the Raid Breaker). To say I take my WoW raiding seriously would be a major understatement, and for me to be getting disconnected every 3 - 5 minutes, on a summoned Raid Boss thats only available for 1 hour per night ammounts to level 10 frustration....
Anyway!
The disconnects start again tonight, causing me to be booted from yet another Ulduar raid. So I decided to call tech support....
After ten minutes on hold I got through and talked to an agent, who unfortunatley had no idea what and extended ping test was, nor what the results ment....
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxx xxxxxx>ping -n 500 www.virginmedia.com
Ping request could not find host www.virginmedia.com. Please check the name and try again.
Nor did he think
Ping statistics for 212.250.162.12:
Packets: Sent = 300, Received = 263, Lost = 37 (12% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 18ms, Maximum = 63ms, Average = 27ms
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxx xxxxxx>
test completed 21.34 on 17/06/2009
was relevent to my constant disconnest - reconnect lasting over an 90 minutes this evening. He decided what I needed to do was phone Advanced Tech Support on 090 69910 001 and speak to them.... I thought Result ! I finally get to speak to tier 2 tech suppot, so imagine my frustration when it turned out I had been given the £1/minute PC Helpline number.... I called straight back to tech support, and after a frustration 10 minutes on the phone trying to explain what my problem was, and what actions I had taken to identify possible reasons for this problem. I was told by the tech support agent she had no idea what an extended ping test was, or what it did. I asked her if she could check the contention ratio for my BB, to which she replied she couldn't. Strange that a previous agent could do that, but hey.... I asked if she could escalate my problem to second line tech support ? To which she replied that it was company policy not to do this.... I asked if she could inform second line tech support of my ongoing issues and get them to phone me.... Reply.... It is not company policy to do any form of callback with regards to any fault, or broadband problem.
In the end I informed the lady in India that seeing as it was company policy to give no real tech support to customers trying to do tech supports jobs, I felt I had no other recourse but to cancel my Broadband and phone services from VM. In addition to this, I would be making a formal complaint not only to VM, but also to Ofcom and Trading Standards.
Tomorrow VM looses a customer of 8+ years, so much for tech support and customer care....