Guys I really could use some help with my service :o(

[sniper007]

Hi all. I used to be with NTL and have been with Virgin for years. I have been on broadband size L package or equivalent package since 2002. Never had a problem. My 10mb has always been solid and consistent. Other day I got upgraded to 20mb. For the first 24 hours it was ok. Then the speeds dropped. I've tried all different speed test sites including downloading from Virgin test servers as recommended by support line and speeds vary from 2mb to 12mb sometimes it goes up to about 18mb. Now, all yesterday it was at 20mb.

I phoned support and they said that they can see that my area has had very high network utilization since midday today, which I agree with. I'm now worried my area is oversubcribed, but surely I would have noticed this on 10mb? Or not? He said it should improve after peak time, but I'm writing this now at 21:45 and it's not.

Anyway, I have some concerns about what to do as I have just upgraded and entered a new 12 month contract but I want to opt out if I don't get the speed reliably. Can someone tell me if this is likely to be a one off, oversubscribed area or an issue with my line? Details below.

Currently as I type this I am getting 6mbps and I am NOT being capped. I am also connected directly to the modem. If I download 2 files at once from reliable test sites I get for example 400kbps and 600kbps on each. Other day I would get 1.2mbps on each file respectively or about 2.4mbps on one. My upstream seems to stay fairly constant at 0.7mbps which is fine. My ping used to be much better as well, it's now sometimes twice as much latency.




Ex NTL
Area: GU12
Modem is the little black one with 256 on the back

Cable Modem : DOCSIS 1.0/1.1/2.0 Compliant MAC Address : XXXXXXXXXXXXX Serial Number : XXXXXXXXXXX Boot Code Version : 1.1.2c Software Version : 2.111.1002 Hardware Version : 1.9



Item
Status
Comments Acquire a Downstream Channel
402750000 Hz
Locked Connectivity State
OK
Operational Boot State
OK
Operational



Cable Modem Downstream
Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Channel Id : 7
Downstream Frequency : 402750000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Symbol Rate : 5360.537 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps32Increment4
Downstream Receive Power Level : 2.2 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 41.8 dB

Cable Modem Upstream Upstream Lock : Locked
Upstream Channel ID : 3
Upstream Frequency : 34000000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QAM16
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 52.0 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2




C:\>tracert bbc.co.uk

Tracing route to bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 23 ms 23 ms 23 ms XXXXXXXXXX
2 23 ms 17 ms 35 ms glfd-XXXXXXXXX.network.virginmedia.net XXXXXXXXXXX
3 22 ms 30 ms 32 ms glfd-XXXXXXXXXX.network.virginmedia.net XXXXXXXXXXXX
4 20 ms 9 ms 18 ms glfd-XXXXXXXXXX.network.virginmedia.net XXXXXXXXXXXXX
5 40 ms 23 ms 14 ms redb-ic-XXXXXXX.network.virginmedia.net XXXXXXXXXXXXX
6 61 ms 59 ms 64 ms 212.58.239.249
7 29 ms 23 ms 27 ms 212.58.238.133
8 50 ms 33 ms 12 ms virtual-vip.thdo.bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138]

Trace complete.




C:\>ping bbc.co.uk

Pinging bbc.co.uk [212.58.224.138] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=19ms TTL=119
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=119
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=47ms TTL=119
Reply from 212.58.224.138: bytes=32 time=36ms TTL=119

Ping statistics for 212.58.224.138:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 19ms, Maximum = 47ms, Average = 35ms




(apologies if I stared out too much info in traceroute, but I wanted to be careful about Ips etc. If you need more tell me.


Thanks guys, appreciate the help.

[sniper007]

This morning things are back to normal currently so this looks like it might be an over subscription thing with high usage over the weekend?

monday 08th march

10am
speedtest london 19.79mb 23ms
speedtest milton k 18.87mb 9ms
speedtest manchest 19.57mb 10ms
cable forum 19.01mb
ping google.com 34ms 23ms 19ms 20ms
ping bbc.co.uk 10ms 9ms 9ms 10ms
file downloads totaling 2.4mb down average

[Welshchris]

Could have been a number of things, over subscription or an outage affecting the connection.

Just keep a diary if u can see what times and dates u have issues if it happens regular and see if theres a pattern.

[pip08456]

TBF you were told by support that it was a high utilisation problem at the time. Just hope they keep n eye on it an if necessary do the required upgrades if it continues.

Could be a flash in the pan but doubtful.

[sniper007]

Cheers guys. Are my power levels ok etc? I just checked again now 16:45 and it's happily flying along at around 20mbps. Will keep an eye on it.....

[sniper007]

Hi all. I'll keep this short and sweet. Basically I've been with VM for years and never had a problem. Upgraded to 20mb a few weeks ago and that's when my problems started. I now am concerned that I have just started a new 12 month contract and might not be able to get out. I just made another call to support tonight and got through to a lady that went through the usual checks. She spent a while talking to "networks" and said that they would be monitoring my area for 24 hours and will fix it if they find an issue.

I phoned a week ago as well and the guy said there was high network utilization in my area and that it may go down and to keep an eye on it for a few days and call back if it's a problem.

I'm getting a bit miffed with this. I don't want to pay for a service I am not getting and just want it to be solid like it was.

Currently I am getting about 1.9mbps down with occasional timeouts. It's not my power levels as they checked that and she said she could not see a problem there. I started to list all my stats in THIS OTHER THREAD (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12/33662446-just-upgraded-10mb-20mb-problems-have.html) if you want detailed info.

I currently have a ticket open with support number is 2455289


If any of you guys on here that have VM staff or contacts can look into this for me then I would be eternally grateful as I want to get this sorted. I don't want to move to sky as I like VM and my package. But I will be forced to if this continues.


Many many thanks in advance for help.

[MovedGoalPosts]

Threads merged, no need for two on the same issue.

[Ignitionnet]

People may be able to assist with things like part refunds for degraded service but if there's a ticket open there's nothing that can be done to get things resolved quicker and no amount of contacts will be able to get the remedial work done faster I'm afraid.

[sniper007]

People may be able to assist with things like part refunds for degraded service but if there's a ticket open there's nothing that can be done to get things resolved quicker and no amount of contacts will be able to get the remedial work done faster I'm afraid.

Well I've seen some threads on here where by VM staff or Cable forum people have stepped in and assisted people with problems they are having with their service by looking into it for them. I'm only asking. I'm not even that bothered about part refunds, I just want it to either work at 20mb, or if it doesn't get me off of my new contract and put me back on 10mb and make that be solid and 10mb all the time.
If I go back to 10mb, would I be more likely to find these same problems now with even 10mb? Ir is this likely to be an issue only for me since running 20mb?

[sniper007]

I raised this as an issue on newsgroups (first time I have needed to use them) and they have looked into it and admitted there is load and that they will monitor it. Then tonight they post back after me reporting speeds of about 6mbps (should be 20) saying that:

"The load has not yet reached a level that will allow us to raise this as an issue."

I'm going to have to phone retentions tomorrow and start talks of cancellation costs and if there is a way to just keep the TV and at what cost to me etc. I really really don't want to go to ADSL and/or Sky but it's not looking good at all. Really had enough.

[Ben B]

I raised this as an issue on newsgroups (first time I have needed to use them) and they have looked into it and admitted there is load and that they will monitor it. Then tonight they post back after me reporting speeds of about 6mbps (should be 20) saying that:

"The load has not yet reached a level that will allow us to raise this as an issue."

I'm going to have to phone retentions tomorrow and start talks of cancellation costs and if there is a way to just keep the TV and at what cost to me etc. I really really don't want to go to ADSL and/or Sky but it's not looking good at all. Really had enough.
Surely you are out of contract now since you reverted to 10mb??

[sniper007]

I have not reverted to 10mb yet. It has been more than 7 days but less than 28 days. Can I still revert back to 10mb? Are they likely to then be funny about me getting my old retention deal back and up the cost to a "new customer" as well?
The thing is, if I go back to 10mb, at peak times in the evening the speed is just going to be even worse surely. i.e. Say 20mb I would get 5mb. 10mb might mean I get 2.5mb.

BenB any thoughts how I can get this escalated and fixed? Realistically, are we really talking never since it looks like a general over subscription thing?

[sniper007]

Just to update this issue. I have a thread on virgin media support forums and had an issue open on newsgroups. Same response every few days is "I can see high load on your area and if it worsens it will be looked into". Same everytime. It can't get any worse, it's already bad enough. Poor service. I'm not happy.

[sniper007]

Anyone any thoughts?

[Chrysalis]

my own diagnosis is the area is congested, I will use that word instead of another word.

the tell tale signs are the jitter on the tracert and pings, whether or not its downstream or upstream I dont know, someone like ignition will be able to tell you more on that.

a quick route to get the ceo office involved is emailing the ceo firstname.lastname@virginmedia.co.uk, I did that yesterday and got a call back after an hour.

[sniper007]

my own diagnosis is the area is congested, I will use that word instead of another word.

the tell tale signs are the jitter on the tracert and pings, whether or not its downstream or upstream I dont know, someone like ignition will be able to tell you more on that.

a quick route to get the ceo office involved is emailing the ceo firstname.lastname@virginmedia.co.uk, I did that yesterday and got a call back after an hour.

Hi there, would you mind sending me a template email you sent him? Was it Neil Berkett? and yes, ping test shows up jitter during peak times.

[Chrysalis]

is it only during peak times?

I have jitter even at 3am which is a clear sign of excessive congestion.

If I only had jitter during peak times I would be more forgiving, ideally there should be no congestion at all but if its only during peak then I expect your local ubr will be within parameters.

[sniper007]

is it only during peak times?

I have jitter even at 3am which is a clear sign of excessive congestion.

If I only had jitter during peak times I would be more forgiving, ideally there should be no congestion at all but if its only during peak then I expect your local ubr will be within parameters.

My 10mb line in my old house used to rock solid 24/7. Is this just what the network is like nowadays everywhere or are there still areas around where people get the full speed 24/7? My problem is, I don't want to pay for 20mb when at peak time I get less than 10mb speeds.

[Chrysalis]

As I understand it now days the variance between different areas is huge.

I have seen people post pings with no jitter at 8pm, likewise speeds that are maxed out at 8pm.

My speeds and pings at 3am are worse than those 8pm postings which would suggest my area at 3am has higher load than some areas do at 8pm.

I dont know what VM's targer utilisation is per area, I expect if an area runs full speed at peak without signs of congestion then as far as VM are concerned it is probably under utilised (ie. they want more customers), my reasoning is I have seen posts on the VM community forums from people about congestion and VM have stated that their UBR's are below the thresholds required for upgrade's. My area I expect when the upgrade work is done will still be congested, it is so severe that is quite obvious but the uncongested hours will probably increase and the congestion will be less. From all this my guess and it is a guess that if an area only slows down in the evenings but is full speed all day then VM may well consider it acceptable, as a comparison you get 10mbit at peak I get under 1mbit at peak, both of us on 20mbit. I am not defending VM but just trying to tell you your situation compared to others isnt that bad.

With all this said tho there is no harm in contacting the ceo office with your complaint and see what they say, it may well be that your area will be classed as congested and in need of an upgrade.

[sniper007]

Just wanted to add to this thread. It's now been months since I have been experiencing this issue and posted on this forum as well as having previously opened issues on newsgroups. I know this is a cliche thing to say, but I have honestly been on the phone to support countless times about this. Probably 10 different phone calls. Everytime the foreign call center worker asks me to ensure I have no wireless router plugged in and check I'm running on Windows XP. Then they perform some tests and get me to reboot etc etc. The usual poor service I have come to expect :o(
I phoned again tonight and spent half an hour on the phone. She even ignored everything I said about the fact this has been an ongoing issue with poor speeds in my area. I explained that I have had an engineer out before who basically said to me at my front door that yes I was right, it's poor in my area on 20mb and that I should move on to 50mb if I want good speeds at peak times. Tonight I am getting 2mbps. I pay for 20mbps. I now have an engineer booked taking up more of my time. I am sick of this issue and it's really getting me down. I want a solution but don't even know who to phone. I even emailed Virgin media complaints before, and they were just as bad. The below email shows the concludiing final email they sent me when I had the exchange with them before after which I gave up....




Hi XXXXXXXX

KANA EMAIL REF: xxxxx

Thanks for getting in touch with the Virgin Media Support team.

Again we are really sorry about the problems that you are having but I have rechecked the network and although there is one spike for a couple of minutes, over the whole 72 hours on average the part of the network you are on is under 50% utilised which is an acceptable level.

This is not to say that there has not been networks issues in the past just at the moment there is no reason on the network or with your modem that you should be getting slow speeds.

This is why we would need to do some tests, connect directly to the modem so we can pin point what is causing the problem.

If there's anything else we can help with, please let us know.

Kind regards,

Admin edit (Chris): Please don't post the full names of Virgin Media staff without their permission. Especially when you have obviously taken steps to remove your own name from the correspondence.
Econtact Support Team
Virgin Media
KANA EMAIL REF:xxxx












I'm really not happy with this service and want to either get moved on to 50mb for free (I don't even care if I'm capped at 20mb but still on the 50mb UBR if this is even possible) or put back down to 10mb, but for it to actually be 10mb. Currently I get 2mbps tonight. I'm tired of the excuses. My modems signal levels are fine. My TV service and phone work fine. My broadband is not a local issue to my house. It's clearly a service issue that needs resolving. Can somebody please help me or put me in touch with someone that can help me? :(

[pip08456]

You were given that info months ago (see posts 15, and 16 when you gave yourself the answer).

[sniper007]

You were given that info months ago (see posts 15, and 16 when you gave yourself the answer).

Sorry? I'm not sure I understand.

[pip08456]

a quick route to get the ceo office involved is emailing the ceo firstname.lastname@virginmedia.co.uk, I did that yesterday and got a call back after an hour.

Is contained in post 15. Look at your post 16 and you will have the full email addy you need.