Probably the worst ISP - in the world!

annc · Jun 07, 2011, 14:24:39

I have just spoken to IDNET support and I think have spoken to the rudest most unhelpful tech support I have ever encountered. My daughter lives on her own, does not know anyone in the area and yet was told she had to borrow a different computer to try speedtests. She has tried to run a BT test but it is so slow that it would not work, she has therefore run speednet tests which IDNET won't consider. (They are well under 1mbs) I was told today by rude nasty tech support that the profile for her line is 7mbs therefore she must have 7mbs. When I said that the line profile has no bearing on actual speed he got nasty and just told me that they could call out BT but I would end up paying £195 because there is nothing wrong.

Support are never open when she is at home so she can't get any support - which given the 'support' I just encountered is probably just as well. She is considering going over to Sky, which given the service she has received from IDNET for the past 18 months (yes terrible speed for the first 6months she was with them which they refused to acknowledge) can't be any worse.

I am still feeling shell shocked from my encounter with IDNET which I would now never ever consider.

pctech · Jun 07, 2011, 15:20:29

Hi

I think she may have been told to try a different router but yes I see your point.

I'm sure that one of the mods will pick this up soon and try and liaise with IDNet for you.

jameshurrell · Jun 07, 2011, 15:34:53

IDNet won't accept any speedtests other than the BT one (http://speedtester.bt.com/)... this is because BT themselves won't accept any other speedtests as evidence of connection problems.

The BT speedtest is uniformly acknowledged to be one of the worst designed and performing websites around... There are other recent threads about it on this forum (http://www.idnetters.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,25965.0.html).

Unfortunately until you can get a BT speed test across to IDNet (which will include the line profile (which does affect speed) and the download speed achieved) all they can see (I guess) is that the line profile is showing a 7MB profile - which indicates that in theory the potential download speed should be just that.

Looking back at your posts, your daughter has had a quite a list of troubles - to me it sounds like some local issue...

Simon_idnet · Jun 07, 2011, 15:39:33

Hi Annc

We've run all the tests that we can from our end and everything checks out fine with no obvious faults identified. If you are unable to carry-out any further diagnostics (such as trying a different pc) then our only next course of action would be to send an engineer. If that engineer then finds that there is a fault with either your daughters PC or router or cabling etc then BT will levy a call-out charge of around £200 (depending on actions carried-out by the engineer). This is why we urge you to carry out the diagnostics that we recommend - to try to eliminate the possiility of you being charged for an engineer visit.

Steve · Jun 07, 2011, 15:48:31

Any ideas what fault the engineer found last time?

annc · Jun 07, 2011, 17:07:36

Quote from: Steve on Jun 07, 2011, 15:48:31
Any ideas what fault the engineer found last time?

Hi Steve - sorry about initial post, but I was a bit put out to say the least by the initial response I got from tech support.

Previously the problem wasn't at the exchange it was at a BT hub where the wiring was found to be faulty. It was put right and everything was fine until last week. Her internet is now unusable. Unfortunately, she is not very tech savvy, doesn't know anyone locally that can help so the only way would be to pay an IT company to come out and help her with settings in order to run a BT speedtest, which seems a little extreme.

She is talking of migrating to Sky, but I have warned her that if it is a BT line problem she will be no better off.

Again, apology for initial rant but I was feeling pretty furious at the time, especially since I am the one paying for her phone line and broadband

Glenn · Jun 07, 2011, 17:13:52

The attachment shows how to run the speedtest, but it can take a few attempts to get it to run.

.Griff. · Jun 07, 2011, 17:15:39

In addition to Glenn's attachment here's a video showing your daughter how to use the Bt Speedtester - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq7W6BIuiig

Simon · Jun 07, 2011, 17:17:28

Ann, is there any reason why your daughter can't join the forum herself, so that we can try to advise her directly? We can walk even the most tech-phobic through most things. It does sound as though IDNet have done everything they can from their end.

annc · Jun 07, 2011, 17:19:25

Quote from: Glenn on Jun 07, 2011, 17:13:52
The attachment shows how to run the speedtest, but it can take a few attempts to get it to run.

Hi Glenn

She knows how to run a BT speedtest and tried several times but it just wouldn't run. On the third attempt it told her to change her user name and password and she was a bit freaked out and didn't know what to do. Not sure I would know what to do either :S

.Griff. · Jun 07, 2011, 17:23:32

Quote from: annc on Jun 07, 2011, 17:19:25
Hi Glenn

She knows how to run a BT speedtest and tried several times but it just wouldn't run. On the third attempt it told her to change her user name and password and she was a bit freaked out and didn't know what to do. Not sure I would know what to do either :S

The only reason it would prompt her to change her username and password is if the test had run all the way through and the throughput was found to be below the threshold set by BT.

I can only echo the other comments. She should create her own account on Idnetters. It's a lot easier dealing directly with someone rather than passing a series of messages through an intermediary.

D-Dan · Jun 07, 2011, 20:30:54

It may also be worthwhile letting us know what area she is in. Perhaps one of the good folk here is close enough to offer some assistance (such as another computer to try the BT Speed Test, a different router, etc).

Steve

annc · Jun 07, 2011, 22:03:30

Right, got daughter to do a ping test, seems she has a packet loss of -150% , pings of 53ms and jitter of 29ms. The result said grade F Very poor, Realtime Internet application performance will suffer greatly on such a connection. I suggested she join this forum but she is out all night and asked me to post the results to see what others make of this.

Thanks Steve - she is in the Horsham area.

Thanks

zappaDPJ · Jun 07, 2011, 22:19:48

I assume that these tests were conducted via the speedtest.net website? Could you post a link to the actual test? There will be a link that copies it directly to your clipboard which will allow you to paste it here.

The reason I ask is that it's giving a very strange result. 100% packet loss would mean no throughput at all and therefore no test result so 150% seems to be a bit of an anomaly.

annc · Jun 07, 2011, 22:28:55

Hi Zappa yes it was through pingtest.net - I sent her the link. She just sent me a screen shot before she went out but unfortunately the image won't copy. I forgot to say that it also said the line quality was B* so doesn't seem to be a line problem?

I could forward the e-mail if that would help

zappaDPJ · Jun 07, 2011, 22:58:56

Hard to say where the problem is. If the tests IDNet have done suggest the line is sound but there's still low throughput and packet loss, it's likely that the packet loss is affecting the throughput. That could be caused by something your side of the socket e.g. a WiFi connection can do this if not set up correctly. I had that very issue myself recently, full throughput with a cable (32 Mb/s) and less than 1 Mb/s because of a WiFi problem. I could also be a line problem though.

What I'd suggest is typing the following command into a DOS window and posting back the results.

ping www.idnet.net -n 50

.Griff. · Jun 08, 2011, 00:25:10

Quote from: annc on Jun 07, 2011, 22:03:30
Right, got daughter to do a ping test, seems she has a packet loss of -150%

QuoteThe result said grade F Very poor

Quotethe line quality was B*

Hi Ann,

This is another example of why it's so important that your daughter posts on here herself rather than passing information through a third party. Packet loss of "-150%" makes no sense at all and all we can assume is something has been confused along the way. That added to the contradictory "Pingtest.net" line quality results only further increase the importance that she signs up and is able to post direct results herself.

Tacitus · Jun 08, 2011, 08:11:08

Quote from: zappaDPJ on Jun 07, 2011, 22:58:56
ping www.ident.net -n 50

Hi Zap:

To avoid confusion did you mean: ping www.idnet.net -n 50 ? Note idNET

Ardua · Jun 08, 2011, 11:22:09

Quote from: pctech on Jun 07, 2011, 15:20:29
Hi

I think she may have been told to try a different router but yes I see your point.

I'm sure that one of the mods will pick this up soon and try and liaise with IDNet for you.

As usual, posters are doing their collective best to help out a fellow IDNet customer. Surely though it is up to IDNet Support to dig themselves out of this particular hole by offering - as in fairness to them they usually do - the loan of a configured test router that the customer just has to plug in. For what it is worth, I think that my OH would run a mile if she was asked to run ping tests unless our 12 year old grandson was at hand to help.

Most of us know just how 'unfriendly' the BT Speedtester is. Surely, if the customer runs, say 3 tests, and each time the tester asks for a change of username/password then this in itself should be sufficient evidence for IDNet support to be proactive with BT.

Simon · Jun 08, 2011, 11:37:29

I believe IDNet did offer a test router on a previous occasion.

annc · Jun 08, 2011, 11:46:39

Hi Simon - yes it was used and made no difference at all - it was found to be faulty wiring on the BT hub. Can't believe that it took so long to sort out though.

annc · Jun 08, 2011, 11:55:36

Quote from: Ardua on Jun 08, 2011, 11:22:09
As usual, posters are doing their collective best to help out a fellow IDNet customer. Surely though it is up to IDNet Support to dig themselves out of this particular hole by offering - as in fairness to them they usually do - the loan of a configured test router that the customer just has to plug in. For what it is worth, I think that my OH would run a mile if she was asked to run ping tests unless our 12 year old grandson was at hand to help.

Most of us know just how 'unfriendly' the BT Speedtester is. Surely, if the customer runs, say 3 tests, and each time the tester asks for a change of username/password then this in itself should be sufficient evidence for IDNet support to be proactive with BT.

Hi Ardua

IDNET now want her to do the following:
The -150 may mean there was a problem with the tester at the time. it may be worth trying to test latency using the Windows command prompt. Please boot the PC into safe mode with networking support and send us the results of the tests below using the windows command prompt:

ping 212.69.36.3
tracert 212.69.36.3
pathping 212.69.36.3
ping www.google.co.uk
tracert www.google.co.uk
pathping www.google.co.uk
netstat -b

Think she will have ten kittens on the spot while throwing her laptop out of the window!!!!

In my experience, not just with IDNET but with various ISP's over the years it seems that the customer is always at fault unless they can prove that they aren't. 100% of the time I have had problems it has always been either BT or the ISP itself experiencing problems that they don't want you to know about. Most ISPs are extremely reluctant to get BT involved hence the threatening of £200 payments etc.

Steve · Jun 08, 2011, 12:02:46

I'll take issue with your last comment as more than often BT find nothing wrong their side of the master socket so any reasonable ISP will try to ensure that you're are not throwing £200 away.

Technical Ben · Jun 08, 2011, 12:07:37

The request from IDNet is not blaming anyone. They are only asking "what has gone wrong" so they can then go "Oh, that's what it is, we will do [this] to fix it!"

As to booting into safe mode. This can be as easy as 2 or 3 steps.
If you can post which operating system she uses, we can write a list, and you can print it off. It would be similar to;

1) Press "F8" key when the computer is turning on, but before the windows loads up. You may need to hold it down. Then a message will come up asking how you wish to proceed.
2) Choose "Safe Mode With Networking"
3) Once windows has loaded, and you have logged on if needed, go to "start".
4) In the box for searching and typing under the "start" menu, type "Command Prompt".
5) Type the requests from IDNet one at a time. Each time, right click "select all" then press enter. Make a new text document on the desktop and paste the results into it (Ctrl-V). Then go onto the next request from IDNet in the list.

Might seem a lot, but it's much more helpful than "reset the router" from BT or Sky support. :/

Simon · Jun 08, 2011, 12:27:18

IDNet are trying everything to avoid a BT callout charge, and unfortunately, this imvolves some work from the customer, to try to eliminate the fault being with their own wiring or equipment. If the customer is unable, or not prepared to carry out the tests, or has no one locally who can help them to do so, then there really isn't anything else IDNet can do, other than arrange a BT engineer visit, at a potential cost to the customer.