how many idnet users

lukester · Nov 14, 2006, 13:45:37

Hi all, new member here

Ive been with idnet for around four months now and have recently need some support with problems on connection, dropouts etc. I was surprised to find out that idnet only have 2 telephone support staff who everyone seems to know by first names.

What is wondered were how many users (residential) to idnet actually have, I assume not many as i always seem to get straight through to a member of support staff (normally Miriam) straight away?

cavillas · Nov 14, 2006, 14:42:38

They have quite a few members and are increasing all the time. The reason you get through quickly is that IDNet care fro their customers and by answering quickly they get things sorted faster.

The main people are Simon, Tim and Miriam.
Another reason you get through fast is that there are very few problems for their customers in the first place.

This ISP is a breath of fresh air and deserves its reputation.

Rik · Nov 15, 2006, 12:04:37

Hey, you forgot Adam!

lukester · Nov 15, 2006, 15:21:25

i cant imagine them having many users given they only have a couple and a half of staff for support, what really annoys me is that they can only be contacted (by phone) during works time, when im obviously not sitting in front of my home pc.

I had to take a days holiday last week to find out why i was losing my connection, all for a five minute chat with Miriam who identified that my passwords had been reset for some reason.

Rik · Nov 15, 2006, 15:34:04

You can leave a message out of hours. I've had phone calls from Simon at weekends, and an email at 4:34am.

Support is there, it's good, you don't have to queue, it's just not done the same way as a mass-market ISP. An email to support would probably have got a call to any number you gave them within a few hours.

maxping · Nov 15, 2006, 21:23:23

Quote from: lukester on Nov 15, 2006, 15:21:25
i cant imagine them having many users given they only have a couple and a half of staff for support.

They have more than you think and to be honest why would they need 50 support staff when the majority of users never use CS?

Quotewhat really annoys me is that they can only be contacted (by phone) during works time, when im obviously not sitting in front of my home pc.

Did you look at the support hours before signing up?
They make no secret of their office hours.
If you wanted a ISP with 24/7 support then "YOU" chose the wrong one.

QuoteI had to take a days holiday last week to find out why i was losing my connection, all for a five minute chat with Miriam who identified that my passwords had been reset for some reason.

Could you not have asked to leave early or taken half a days holiday?

lukester · Nov 16, 2006, 08:21:52

Quote from: maxping on Nov 15, 2006, 21:23:23

If you wanted a ISP with 24/7 support then "YOU" chose the wrong one.
Could you not have asked to leave early or taken half a days holiday?

thats absolutely right, I did choose the wrong one, thats why im asking for my mac code shortly,

is it possible to find an isp that actually delivers what it says it does,....or am i living in utopia

, at least theres no 12 month contract to get out off. I got my fingers burnt from tiscali and as a result would never sign to another isp who stipulated such a tie.

Lance · Nov 16, 2006, 08:29:58

Quote from: lukester on Nov 16, 2006, 08:21:52
is it possible to find an isp that actually delivers what it says it does

Yes! This one! It says what packages it will deliver and what support hours it will deliver. Maybe its just that you can't find an ISP that delivers what you want it too?

Rik · Nov 16, 2006, 08:37:54

Quote from: lukester on Nov 16, 2006, 08:21:52
or am i living in utopia

Possibly, it depends what you want to pay each month. If you pay enough, you can get all the bandwidth and support hours you want. More importantly, you can get good quality support, as we do here. I'm sorry you don't find the hours sufficient, but once your connection is sorted, you will find that most people here will tell you they don't find the need to contact support.

Inactive · Nov 16, 2006, 09:10:01

Better to have limited time support that works than 24/7 that doesn't.

Nerval · Nov 16, 2006, 09:34:43

@lukester

Looks like you may well be better suited with an ISP with a large Indian call centre if you want to get hold of them 24/7.

I wonder, though, why you think you need 24/7 support? If the service is OK, you shouldn't need to contact support, and if it isn't and consistently isn't, then I'd go elsewhere (which is what I did to come here).

It's a little harsh to criticise IDNet for not being what they never claimed to be.

You may also find that much of the offered 24/7 support with other ISPs gives you somebody to talk to, but no solution to your problem. The IDNet people do seem to know what they are doing, which is quite a rarity these days.

But if you're not happy, then so be it.

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

lukester · Nov 16, 2006, 10:22:43

The problem for me has really been when there has been a problem i can only sort it during the working week between nine and 5.30, which is when i am at work which results in taking a day off to sort it. Lately i have had loads of problems with disconnections, pages failing to display, not being able to get connected at all. That was the reason i walked away from tiscali and joined a provider with no contract. Maybes a previous poster was right when they said i am expecteding to much, maybes im just to much of a perfectionist and expect flawless connections, consistent speeds for a bargain price, maybes i have to resign myself to spending twice or three times the amount i currently pay to get a guaranteed and top rate service. At the end of the day, the old adage is 'you get what you pay for'

Having said all this customer support are excellent when i ring and sort the problem out straight away but then when the same problem re-occurs the next day, i have to wait for another available slot to be off from work to try and get it sorted again. A service which only offers customer assistance between 9 and 5.30 monday to friday is something from the eighties really, if only it would be extended until say 6.30 or 7.00pm then that would be great. I also admit that customer support always get back in touch straight away by email, but cant resolve the problem unless your sitting in front of your pc which isnt possible unless your either on the dole or a housewife (which i aint).

Sorry to sound overly harsh or critical but its frustrating when you get home from work on a night to try and use the internet only to be met with constant connection issues which keep re-occuring.

My opening post of wondering how many users IDnet have was trying to allude to the fact that maybe idnet has become too popular with too many members?

Nerval · Nov 16, 2006, 10:45:05

@luke
No I don't think it's too much to expect a constant good-quality connection, even at IDNet prices.

My line never goes down, and operates at 4Mb plus without any problem, and yours should be able to stay connected at a decent speed, depending of course on the line quality and exchange status, whoever you are with.

It sounds to me as though your line could be the problem, especially if you had exactly the same at Tiscali. And if that is so, then moving to another ISP will not help you. If your exchange is shown as red for VP capacity, then it may affect your speeds, but shouldn't cause line drops.

Have you tried asking the advice of IDNet support, say in your lunch hour, to find a solution - which could well be getting BT off their bums to do something about your line?
You may find this more profitable than talking to an automaton in another ISP's call centre.

But no, it's not expecting too much to get a decent stable connection.

stevelondon · Nov 16, 2006, 11:03:38

Luke
By reading your posts it sounds like its something do do with your line if you had the same problem with Tiscali changing ISP's again or paying more would be pointless i fully understand your frustration as i had a similar experience with the farce that is Orange they have so called 24/7 support except they know absolutely nothing and was no help whatsover couldn't care less and the calls cost a fortune after waiting an hour for an answer and going by the forums most of the larger companys are all the same IDNet are the total opposite of and im sure there will be a solution to sorting it somehow it is just awkward for you time wise but if you do end up leaving to get an ISP with 24/7 support choose carefully.

lukester · Nov 16, 2006, 11:17:37

thanks for the advice steve, I will choose carefully, i always do a lot of research before i would consider changing, this time Ill be even more careful and not only look for a highly rated isp with no contract but also with extended support .....if there is such a beast!

Inactive · Nov 16, 2006, 12:12:00

Quote from: lukester on Nov 16, 2006, 11:17:37
I will choose carefully, i always do a lot of research before i would consider changing, this time Ill be even more careful and not only look for a highly rated isp with no contract but also with extended support .....if there is such a beast!

If you have been a customer of Tiscali, you obviously didn't research them before signing up, neither it would appear IDNet, as their support hours are clear for all to see.

Under normal circumstances you shouldn't even need support anyway, I suspect .. like others.. that you have a fault on your line or with your own equipment. I have only joined IDNet today after much research, trust me, they seem to offer the best support of any ISP within their stated times.

Having just left Plusnet that did have 24/7 support, it was futile because you can never get through on the phone, and if you could, you are answered by some incompetent fool.

I would think very seriously about moving away from ID Net.

lukester · Nov 16, 2006, 12:56:45

Your right, with tiscali i jumped in at the deep end and got bitten, i then researched throughly and identified idnet as a top provider without any issues, i was aware that the support was during office hours but obviously never thought it would be an issue as their ranking appeard to be so high.

As i said in a previous post i will ensure now that my future isp provider has extended hours support as well as ranking highly and having no contract, it goes to show though that you should only just take customers reviews as being the only measure of a good service. Customer service should be something that is rarely needed, but when it is needed, it should be available and effective. As i have already said, customer support is excellent with idnet, however it is not provided as widely as could be IMO.

How many people would be happy is say your local garage, bank, shops etc were only open for the standard 'office hours' for gods sake, even my local authority has extended hours customer support for complaints and queries. I assume Idnet obviously dont see it as an issue.

On another note....my line is fine, its been tested by BT and Miriam who could not give an explantion why my password and user id were being reset every time i swtiched off. I was told my another member of the team that the reason why i couldnt connect (the server failed to respond message) was that they were waiting for a 'part' for the server. Must admit, could never imagine hearing that a part failure being used as an excuse for inability to connect...thought at first Id rang my garage by mistake

Simon_idnet · Nov 16, 2006, 13:06:33

Hi lukester

We are always happy to arrange an out-of-hours telephone appointment where possible. And you are welcome to call our out-of-hours Emergency Line to leave a message which will be answered as soon as possible.

Regards
Simon

Rik · Nov 16, 2006, 13:09:26

Just a small point, but I don't know of any ISP which doesn't have a contract (not to mention terms & conditions and, often, a FUP or AUP). The difference is between those that offer 30-day contracts and those that want to tie you in for anything up to 3 years.

If you haven't already done so, pop over to ADSLguide and ask in the WhichISP forum. You'll get a lot of suggestions, but weight them carefully yourself, since people's judgement on issues such as customer service is always subjective.

If you don't mind traffic management, you could consider Nildram, they do have 24/7 support, but it's sometimes a long queue (despite their queue-buster). Do not email support, they never answer...

However, as you can see from Simon's post, IDNet are flexible, and I'll guarantee you will get to talk to someone knowledgeable who can get things done quickly. To give you an example, Wanadoo took three days to do what Miriam did in a five minute call. Script jockey or real support? I know which I prefer.

lukester · Nov 16, 2006, 13:30:11

thanks for the advice Rik, I should have said a 1 month contract rather than 12 months

Your right about customer service comments being subjective, i will have to carefully consider my options.

Simon...thanks for that too, however myself and the rest of my family are beyond their tether with failure to connect and disconnection issues. Ive allowed customer support to attempt to get things right on 4 occasions so far and still no further forward, although i have to say idnet has been far more enjoyable experience than my previous provider.

cheers all.

stevelondon · Nov 16, 2006, 14:03:05

Pmsl @ script jockey i second that.

Rik · Nov 16, 2006, 14:15:48

Quote from: lukester on Nov 16, 2006, 13:30:11however myself and the rest of my family are beyond their tether with failure to connect and disconnection issues. Ive allowed customer support to attempt to get things right on 4 occasions so far and still no further forward, although i have to say idnet has been far more enjoyable experience than my previous provider.

Lukester, I'm sure everyone here sympathises with your plight and your frustration. I know how I feel if I lose my connection for more than a few minutes.

However, if you've already had the same problem (which is how I read your posts) with a different ISP, then the issue must be local, ie between the exchange equipment and yours, including all the wire along the way. I would urge you to give IDNet more time to try and solve your problem - not because they pay me to say that, but because I know they'll try harder and with greater knowledge than most ISPs.

How much basic trouble-shooting have you tried for yourself? From this post, I can't see what you have tried? If you have an NTE5 master socket, have you tried connecting from the test socket behind the faceplate? Using that eliminates any other phone wiring in your house (unless you have a hard-wired alarm), so if it cures your problem, you know exactly where it is. Have you monitored your noise margin to see when your connection drops? Can it be linked to some electrical event, eg CH boiler coming on? Have you tried removing the ring-wire (terminal three) at the master socket. This can dramatically improve your noise margin, and thus stability.

If you can post some line stats, we can try to help you solve the problem, rather than just move it.

Simon_idnet · Nov 16, 2006, 15:15:17

lukester

Please could email or PM me your username so that I can investigate for you?
Thanks
Simon

MoHux · Nov 16, 2006, 16:18:13

Quote from: lukester....... On another note....my line is fine, its been tested by BT and Miriam who could not give an explantion why my password and user id were being reset every time i swtiched off. I was told my another member of the team that the reason why i couldnt connect (the server failed to respond message) was that they were waiting for a 'part' for the server. Must admit, could never imagine hearing that a part failure being used as an excuse for inability to connect...thought at first Id rang my garage by mistake

I am surprised no-one else has picked this up, but to me the above explains at least most of your troubles!
You obviously joined just as IDNet had the first 'problem' it reportedly had had in at least 12 months. If you look through these threads for the three or four weks up to last week you will see that a good number of us were experiencing the same troubles you had.
It was solved by IDNets owner (Simon) travelling to London and supervising the replacement of faulty equipment (the 'part failure' you refer to!!).
Since then I've had no further problem, and haven't seen that anyone else has.
I can see why you have been p'd off, joining when you did from where you did, but do as Simon asks and send the info' requested, they will crack it if they can.

HTH and you decide to stay, but be warned everyone on this forum is crackers!!

........ 'cept me of course!!

maxping · Nov 16, 2006, 18:31:54

Quote from: lukester on Nov 16, 2006, 10:22:43

My opening post of wondering how many users IDnet have was trying to allude to the fact that maybe idnet has become too popular with too many members?

Why do you think this?
You are saying your only gripe with IDNet is that you cannot contact them during the day.
They have sufficient support staff its not their fault you cannot contact them.
It may have Been better if you had posted "is there any chance CS may extend their office hours" instead of saying "I'm off"
F2S extended the CS office hours until 7:30 (if memory serves) 2 nights a week and it was a godsend as a lot of us were having problems.
It may be something IDNet could introduce but i bet they are all sick to the back teeth of us moaning come home time and wouldn't want to work longer hours