Loss of service reports

[Den]

I have read this thread with interest and I must say I am amazed at the attitude by some posters. If you use your computer for gaming and social then it is a inconvenience at most. If you use the computer for business (as I do) then it can be very annoying but in the end the problem is effecting Idnet but is caused by BT. So ask your self why would you leave a company that does it's best to look after you and does not tie you up with a long contract. In the end thats like saying "I'm not going to use my local petrol station because the tanker driver crashed and they run out of fuel for a whole day" So think before you leap or you could be in the fire.  

[Steve]

Perhaps I'm wrong but I'm not expecting latency to recover until the primary hostlink is up again.

[silverblade]

Still no service here in Newbury. I have rebooted the modem a couple of times but ADSL sync light has just been flashing at me since around 7PM. Prior to this it was sync'ing but getting that 172.x IP.

Am I the only one with this particular problem?

[psp83]

Have you tried powering down for 30 mins silverblade?

[esh]

I think people are just saying they can move to an ISP without BT dependence -- and think that perhaps a lesser ISP without BT might be as good as IDNet with BT, or better. It sounds harsh, and it's obviously very hard to determine if such an assumption is true.

The long and short of it is: this is still less hassle than my last ISP and I have guaranteed support. I am not going to move. People who have had more trouble have every right to move. I would be surprised if IDNet expect everyone to stay with these issues; this is life. People have priorities, and limits. I trust them enough to give the truth as it is about these issues. It seems to be that a decent home router is now more reliable than the BT ones, and this is a troublesome state to be in for anyone.

In the end, IDNet have this one month contract to allow people to try other ISPs, and people who have a tendency to move might try another and come back again -- it's not so much an issue to move ISP these days (with luck). It's a hard position to be in, and very sad. No matter what BT say, it really doesn't matter at this point. They can give excuses, and if they say there is something in there to avoid this happening again, do we really believe them?

It's a personal choice, based upon personal experience and feelings on these issues. Trying to influence people one way or the other I think is utterly irrelevant here. If IDNet give us the facts, that's good enough for me. Unfortunately for BT, the facts look rather embarrassing.

[Simon]

Please see this post, from Tim:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=22651.0

[lozcart]

I have read this thread with interest and I must say I am amazed at the attitude by some posters. If you use your computer for gaming and social then it is a inconvenience at most. If you use the computer for business (as I do) then it can be very annoying but in the end the problem is effecting Idnet but is caused by BT. So ask your self why would you leave a company that does it's best to look after you and does not tie you up with a long contract. In the end thats like saying "I'm not going to use my local petrol station because the tanker driver crashed and they run out of fuel for a whole day" So think before you leap or you could be in the fire.  

I agree Den, I was with Orange before Idnet and know how bad connection problems can get. I also had problems with script monkeys telling me my router/computer must be at fault when I knew it was their service. What I like about Idnet is they tell you they have a problem and then endeavour to sort it out.

I have no intention of moving to another provider.

[esh]

Yes, lozcart. My last provider had my DSL down for a *week*, after a very long phonecall they claimed it was my equipment and then it suddenly started working again shortly after the call. Hard to not suspect gross incompetence there.

Anyway, this is how it looks today right now:


Pretty ugly right now as far as lag goes. I'll see how it pans out.

[Ted]

From Tim_IDNet

We have requested a meeting with BT Management for these reassurances and we will keep you posted on our discussions. However, it's clear now that we can't rely on BT alone - the risk to our business is too great. Therefore we are in the process of opening discussions with additional suppliers and we will keep you posted on how these discussions progress.

Now that sounds interesting! 

[Fish]

I have read this thread with interest and I must say I am amazed at the attitude by some posters. If you use your computer for gaming and social then it is a inconvenience at most. If you use the computer for business (as I do) then it can be very annoying but in the end the problem is effecting Idnet but is caused by BT. So ask your self why would you leave a company that does it's best to look after you and does not tie you up with a long contract. In the end thats like saying "I'm not going to use my local petrol station because the tanker driver crashed and they run out of fuel for a whole day" So think before you leap or you could be in the fire. 

Yes, it's hardly the worst that could happen. However, I think you underestimate three things. First, the ease with which people can move provider means the market as a whole is a lot less forgiving these days regardless of who may or may not be at fault when a problem occurs. Second, people have twigged that using an ISP locked into BT is using a potential hostage. Third, I was a customer of Demon Internet a few years ago. The discussions on their mailing lists over constant service failures would have filled hundreds of pages, not twenty. In the end, sometimes the only way to stop it is simply to go elsewhere because the whole system is borked (organizationally, not only or not even technically) and tinkering around doesn't fix it. I'm not suggesting IDNet's system is borked at all, either, as they've always struck me as an excellent outift. However, a system elsewhere in which an engineer can flick a switch and wipe out entire company configurations or disconnect tens or hundreds of thousands of users, with apparently no checks and balances and no financial consequences for their employer, strikes me as a mightily borked system. Imagine if that switch was connected to a missile instead of a telephone line. Would you consider such a system a robust and secure arrangement?

[zappaDPJ]

I'm getting the bloody "BT Wholesale Service Information" on some websites now.  

(Yes I have restarted the modem/router and yes I have flushed DNS)

After the initial problems that occurred a couple of months ago I had the same issue from time to time. After last week's problems I had it all the time (every URL hijacked to to BT Wholesale. The only way I could resolve it was to enter the DNS addresses into the TCP/IP setting on every device connected to my network.

[g7pkf]

Imagine if that switch was connected to a missile instead of a telephone line. Would you consider it a robust and secure arrangement?

As long as the connection wasnt with BT i would consider it to be more robust and secure

[zappaDPJ]

Message: The outage this evening was caused by an Openreach engineer testing the wrong circuit - he took the live circuit off line, tested it and declared it operational! We're sending them back to fix the circuit that is still down.

Words fail me. Wouldn't it be better NOT to send them back at all?

[sobranie]

Please see this post, from Tim:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=22651.0

Part of Tim' post
Quote////Moreover, on each occasion we have given them timely and accurate synopses of the likely root of the fault which has been ignored in favour of following pre-set procedures. In our opinion valuable time was wasted in following unintelligent fault flow-charts fruitlessly. We want to make them listen to us!
Unquote////

The script monkeys are taking over the world methinks.  How absolutely soul destroying for the staff at IDNet.

[esh]

Please see this post, from Tim:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=22651.0

I certainly applaud any effort on behalf of IDNet to expand or provide alternate lines and services. I'm sure it must be costly, but I for one sincerely hope it is something that will pay off -- or perhaps, as Tim indicates, it's more a matter of paying some hard cash now to avoid disaster.

Will wait with anticipation anyway.

[karvala]

Please see this post, from Tim:

http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=22651.0

Good to see this; that's exactly the response I'd hope to see at this stage.  Let's hope they have some success in knocking down some of the BT walls, and getting some worthwhile reassurances from them, or else finding better alternatives from other suppliers.  If I were them, I'd certainly be tempted to talk to the regulator as well about BT's failure to live up to the performance responsibilities of their monopoly situation; even if they don't get anywhere it will serve as a notice of serious intent and act as a warning shot.

[sobranie]

Perhaps a few thousand emails from members to Ian Livingstone would help buck BT's ideas up a little.

[g7pkf]

At the end of the day yes downtime is inconvenient but most (apx 70%) of you have option of LLU or Virgin as either a replacement or backup.

if i had the choice i would have a cable (virgin) as a backup or LLU, I do not have a choice and am stuck with an antiquated exchange supplied by BT and IDnet as my provider, i like IDnet as they at least care and have a good package line up, Yes dearer than some but at least in my opinion the pipes are genrally congestion free.

I am looking at a router that supports 3G as a back up as internet for me is a critical tool (i am a remote engineer for a telecommunications company (no not BT or Virgin))

If I am on-call i need internet, at present i have a 3G dongle i can stick in my laptop, mess around with the software for 20 minutes (it is that unreliable) discover my credits expired, top it up and then finally actually get on the net. Or i drive 5 miles to my local McDonalds and nick there wi-fi-thats what i did on the last outage.

Router with 3G backup seems the way forward to make it more reliable and easier (and will help to keep my weight down)

ADSL I am at the Mercy of BT (althougth both phone lines and internet are with IDnet).


I would just like to say thank you to Simon & Tim, I expect they are now having sleepless night's and i know they are doing what they can for us there customer's.

And before anyone say's anything i have no connection with IDnet or any of it's staff apart from being a standard customer.

Dean

[dlorde]

Having suffered far worse under Pipex (who were also very good when they started), I will be staying with IDNet for now - but I'm surprised they don't seem to have an adequate SLA with BT. Where I used to work, we had SLAs with all customers that specified the various levels of compensation for failures - levels of potential penalties that made it financially necessary for our systems to be secure, multiply redundant, with transparent offsite hardware failover, and no-one, but no-one, who wasn't fully trained and competent and on the production support team, was allowed anywhere near the production system and its network links.

Is it just that BT won't agree to SLAs that could inconvenience them?

[kinmel]

I have read this thread with interest and I must say I am amazed at the attitude by some posters. If you use your computer for gaming and social then it is a inconvenience at most. If you use the computer for business (as I do) then it can be very annoying but in the end the problem is effecting Idnet but is caused by BT. So ask your self why would you leave a company that does it's best to look after you and does not tie you up with a long contract. In the end thats like saying "I'm not going to use my local petrol station because the tanker driver crashed and they run out of fuel for a whole day" So think before you leap or you could be in the fire.  

It is becoming apparent to me that, for whatever reason, Idnet's relationship with BT is not working.

Apart from the recent major system failures with BT's poor response to them, similar cracks are appearing in Support's ability to get BT to repair line faults.

I have had a line fault and a 750 profile since 4th October and after wasting a week while the line was "tweaked", I requested that the fault be reported to BT on 11th, it was not reported to BT until the next day.

On 15th I chased up Idnet Support and was told that BT could find no fault on the line and a Technician's visit to my home was necessary, but no-one had processed that requirement.

An appointment was made for a BT visit on 20th between 8am and 1pm, no-one turned up and so at 2pm I asked Idnet to give BT a nudge and learnt that BT's systems had rejected the appointment, but had not told Idnet.

Everyone tells me how sorry they are, I accept Idnet are doing their very damn-est to help me and that attempts to get a visit are being escalated, BUT I still do not have an appointment.

A friend elsewhere had a line fault in August and reported it to his ISP ( AAISP ).  BT messed up his visit too, but AAISP seem to have contacts at BT that got his repair done next day.

BT are not interested in Idnet and like everyone else I have been with fantastic small ISPs ( such as Pipex ) who I would not touch with a barge pole now. I certainly don't want to leave Idnet, but I won't stay if failures continue, just because they are "Idnet"

Idnet are right to seriously look for additional infrastructure outside BT.


Idnet's biggest worry should be that it's customer base is not price sensitive.  

If you are happy with Idnet's pricing then you can afford to move to any other decent ISP and all these now have 30 day contracts too.

[silverblade]

Still nothing here, modem is showing "DSL carrier is down" in logs. Have left it off overnight.

[pctech]

Power down your router for about 20 minutes and then reconnect, it should log onto the working connection.

[Steve]

I think you need to talk to support as you have no sync with the exchange.

[silverblade]

I have turned it off for 30 mins as suggested and then overnight. Also left message with support last night. Whatever is wrong happened at the same time as connection drop yesterday evening that affected everyone.

[Steve]

As far as I am away your log report shows that no dsl signal was identified by your modem, when we all lost connection yesterday no one should have lost sync with the exchange as you have.