I want to be an IDNetter and escape from O2 Access Broadband package!

[T_M_D]

I currently get my broadband through o2 via BT Wholesale and I am on the Access package. I am very unhappy on this package as it has gone from bad to worse. It has deteriorated severely over the last three weeks and I am having to put up with speeds that at their worst (regularly in the evenings and at weekends) are 0.2Mb/s - 0.3Mb/s. I get 5Mb/s at 7:00am in the morning and after 8:00am it drops a little to 4Mb/s and then it runs between 3Mb/s - 4Mb/s. Once it gets to 6:00pm it deteriorates dramatically until it more often than not only operates at between 0.2Mb/s - 0.3Mb/s and when it does rise above this in the evenings and weekends I am lucky if it ever gets much beyond 0.5Mb/s and even when it does, it does not stay for longer than a few minutes at that speed, often only a few seconds before it goes right down again.

o2 recently sent an email to all Access broadband customers saying they are introducing traffic management in October, however, they have said nothing more since and have given no information as to when this will actually happen and calls to o2 customer services are useless as the advisers are now just giving stock answers saying 'we are aware of this issues and we are working on them'. I asked when I can expect traffic management to be implemented and they said 'sometime in October', they say it is being done in stages and it 'should' be completed by the end of October. There will be no proof traffic management will work until they actually implement it.

I find it is totally unacceptable that we are expected to just put up with this degraded service at least until the end of October and that o2 has not been more specific about it all and seem to just be ignoring its Access users. Access broadband users are really angry about this shoddy treatment and the arrogance of o2 that they think they can just send out one email then just expect us all to put up and shut up

My contract with o2 ends in January and I am looking for a new provider who values its customers (even the BT Wholesale ones), and believes in customer retention. I want a provider who is happy to give its BT Wholesale customers as good a service as its other broadband users. I know broadband via BT Wholesale has its limitations, but that is no excuse to give a second-rate service and providers should not offer any service if they are not prepared to commit to providing a good and consistent one.

My son did some research and he happened upon you band of happy campers! I would be grateful and happy if anyone can let me know if they think having IDNet as my broadband provider will make me a happy camper too. I would be particularly pleased to hear from anyone who is with IDNet through BT Wholesale...?

PS - the forum is very nicely put together and attractive.

[RA-1972]

24 / 7 max connection what else can you say !

[Simon]

Hi TMD,   

I assume your exchange is not WBC enabled, and this isn't in sight?  I think the difference you'll find with IDNet is that they don't use traffic shaping or port throttling, and try to ensure no contention within their own networks, so you should get the same speeds at any time of the day or night.  It's a UK based call centre, which you can call free, with a small friendly team, who know their stuff, and won't keep you waiting in a call queue for hours.  If there's a problem, they will do all they can to sort it out for you.  There are many happy customers here, and the service will be improved further, in the coming weeks, with the launch of the new IPStream Connect hostlink.  I'm sure others will verify that IDNet is, for the majority, a happy place to be. 

[Lance]

Welcome to the forum, TMD!

As has been said, if you are looking for a ISP which will let you exploit your line to it's maximum potential.

I won't try and kid you by saying that Idnet are perfect. BT have delayed the new link which Simon mentioned above by 13 months but that is being installed before the end of the month so come January it will be nicely settled.

Because of this 13 month delay, some users have noticed high pings at times (only makes a difference for gaming) but support have been able to do a good job of balancing the traffic accross their centrals.

Again as Simon has said, the small team in support are very knowledgable and a absolute pleasure to deal with should you need to. 

[Sebby]

[davej99]

Been with IDNET 20 months. Moved because of similar dire speed problems. Terminated last contract early through the ISPA due to service not fit for purpose. Would certainly dump O2 right now if they are not performing.

Now get max speed 6500 (BT Test) most of the time. Occasionally 5000 due to local exchange congestion. I do not speed check any more. IDNET do not shape/throttle. Users pay for their bandwith so shaping/throttling is not needed. All you can eat bandwith providers always seem to shape/throttle, or put another way, run out of capacity at peak times.

Contract is ONE MONTH; what does that tell you? Companies that perform do not need to tie in their customers. There are lots of handy extras. IDNET is wholly a BT reseller so we are not secondary to an LLU business.

Tech support is UK based, known by name and pick up after a few rings, unless there is a major down. I have never really needed them, but I have called to check a couple of things and they seem very capable indeed. IDNET help customers resolve non-IDNET related problems and seem to handle BT very well.

Management uses the forum to update users and explain themselves when problems arise and they sometimes call customers. They seem to take their lumps and level with users about problems and solutions, which I admire. There are some current issues as mentioned elsewhere. Fixes seem to be in hand.

IDNET would have to fail big time before I would consider a move. Definite

[Ray]

  I can't add any more to what the others have said, I've been with Idnet for over 3 years now and have had a very good service during that period.   

[jrboden]

Hi TMD - I have only been on IDNET for a couple of weeks, I left SKY connect for same sort of hell  All I can say is my change over to IDNET was very quick and problem free and since the change over I have been very pleased with 24x7 full connection speed 

I am on the home Max package which is about £24 - I was paying £17 with SKY but the extra you pay here you get what you pay for and get service - every time I have emailed IDNET I have had a reply within 10mins!!! takes a week with SKY !!!

Anyway best of luck but    from me

Cheers

Jon

[talos]

Hello and    Idnet may not be the cheapest but in my 10+ years of broadband they have been the best, come and join us , you wont regret it

[T_M_D]

My many thanks to all you IDNetters for answering my question so well! 

I am now totally sold on moving over to IDNet. I will definitely do so in January and sooner if I can afford to do it. I did think about trying to get out of the contract sooner without penalty, but to be honest, I can't face the hassle of it.

Even if o2 get their act together on the Access package, I am still committed to leaving them as I will not forget the shoddy way they are treating us Access users.

Thanks again all! 

[T_M_D]

Hi TMD,    

I assume your exchange is not WBC enabled, and this isn't in sight?

Hi Simon,

I don't really understand what WBC means...?   I am not very technical with many of the terms and I get a tad confused about the difference between LLU and non-LLU. I grasp the upload/download speed tests and that the lower a ping the better and I understand what is a good connection speed and what definitely isn't,  but not much else really. I am trying to learn a bit more though!

I know that I can only be on o2's Access package with them as I am 'outside the area' as they put it on their web site. My postcode is LE7 9YE and I think that my exchange is Tugby, via Billesdon (these are villages in Leicester) and I think that there are approx 298 people on the exchange...




Quote fixed, Glenn

[Glenn]

No WBC on that exchange http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/EMTGGBY WBC is BT's latest ADSL System

[T_M_D]

Thanks Glenn 

[davej99]

I did think about trying to get out of the contract sooner without penalty, but to be honest, I can't face the hassle of it.

Using the Internet Service Providers Association complaints proceedure here is quite hassle free. O2 have to respond to you and you can ask for early termination and a MAC to give to IDNET. I know what you mean about hassle, but collectively we have to make a stand and say enough is enough.

[T_M_D]

Well, thanks to you spurring me on davej99, I have indeed used the link you supplied me and made my complaint  I wasn't going to spend any more of my precious time on this with o2 and was just going to count down the months until I have finished my contract with them, but you are right and your encouragement has meant I have used up another (well-spent) 30 minutes making my complaint. I feel better for it

I will keep you posted, and thanks. 

[Sebby]

A company as large as O2 should just let you out of the contract with no hassle I'd have thought.

[Lance]

Good luck!

[Technical Ben]

Hope it goes well T_M_D. I was with O2, but thankfully cancelled within the "happiness" garuntee of 30 days.
With IDnet, they use the same connection, but just better. You pay a little extra, and have a capped bandwidth. But that means near perfect connection and usage, because it is not over crowded. I get about 6mb to 6.5mb speeds. And only have an occasional drop in ping times on games, but that is mainly the servers, not me.
I had one day of the internet disconnecting, but I blame the BT van parked outside! 

O2 should be fined/kicked/closed down for lying to customers and failing to provide the service. Or at least let customers outof the contract. You may have a case to talk your way out, as the traffic shaping is coming into force, it will change the contract.

[T_M_D]

Thanks!

I know I am coming across as obsessed, but for anyone who is interested, look at my stats on speedtest.net (ping test, beta version) attached. Same story on Coventry and Birmingham servers. I don't fully understand the results, but I am sure someone can enlighten me if they can be bothered...? I would like to understand the packets thing a bit more!



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Simon]

I'm not really qualified to comment, but to state what might be the bleeding obvious, it looks like you have a cr*p line!  Do you get a lot of background noise when you talk on the phone?  If you'd like to post your router stats (come back to us if you need help with that - we'll need to know what router you have), someone might be able to shed some light on your connection.

[D-Dan]

Here's how the same test looks with IDNet:

[T_M_D]

I'm not really qualified to comment, but to state what might be the bleeding obvious, it looks like you have a cr*p line!  Do you get a lot of background noise when you talk on the phone?  If you'd like to post your router stats (come back to us if you need help with that - we'll need to know what router you have), someone might be able to shed some light on your connection.

It was a noisy line once a few months back, I reported it to BT and they found a fault on the line - this area has been pretty problematic with noisy lines -they fixed the line (though the engineer kept getting error reports saying the lines were 'unbalanced', which apparently means one cable running between telegraph poles was longer than the other one). I do believe that was fixed as well as BT were out in force and up the telegraph pole, they even had temporary traffic lights in place. The noise problem turned out to be due to water logging underground, but there was major work done for weeks and the line has been quiet for months now - it was very crackly before. The other thing is that if it was a problem with the line or cables, I don't think I would get consistent good speeds and pings (particularly in the morning) and only have the awful deterioration evenings and weekends - for example, this morning at 7:22am my download speed was over 4Mb/s, upload over 0.3Mb/s and ping 39ms - compare that with last night - 0.328 Mb/s download,  286 Kbps upload and ping test of 157ms. Will do my router stats now.

[T_M_D]

Here are my router stats.

This is the last 20 mins or so speed tests also.

[attachment deleted by admin]