Switching woes

[redkite]

I am a new customer to IDNet (home user) and my broadband connection was supposed to have been switched to IDnet on Friday 1st October. I could connect to my old ISP until at least 2.00pm on that day.

I noticed that no connection was possible at around 4.00pm. I assumed that the switchover would take some time. When I still could not connect to anything at 5.30 I rang the IDNet customer support since I wanted to alert them of a potential problem before they left for the weekend at 6.00. The person I spoke to was friendly, reported that tests of my line did not show anything wrong with it, suggested I try plugging my router straight into the main socket (it is usually on an extension cord) which did not improve results. He told me he would raise the matter with BT.

With the weekend coming up I did not expect much to happen at first. On Monday when I returned from work my router still showed no ADSL line being available. I rang customer support again who told me the matter was still with BT, but that they would probably `kick it back to IDnet early on Tuesday morning'. In all likelihood BT would want to send out an engineer to my propert in order to rule out any issues with my equipment. IDNet would contact me to give me an update.

It is now Wednesday morning, I have not heard from IDNet, and I am still without an ADSL line that my router can recognize. On the advice given by the IDNet support staff I did take my router over to the neighbours and asked them to let me plug it into their phone line to rule out an equipment failure. Plugging the router in there had it show ADSL as available within a few seconds. However, I do not have the kind of relation with my neighbours that would let me take over their home office to connect to my router and see whether it can actually log onto my IDNet broadband account, and if not, why not. (My router deletes logs every time it is unplugged from the mains.) Back home the led showing an ADSL line is staying unlit.

I have also arranged borrowing a spare router from a colleague that I will take home today just to see what might happen.

I am on the Mottram exchange which is comparatively small. ADSL2+ is not available through that exchange, nor are there any unbundled operators. Not having Broadband available is quite a hardship for me, in part because I cannot work from home if I cannot check my email.

My questions are:

1. How long is this outage likely to continue?

2. What can I expect IDNet to do for me? Will I have to nag customer support with daily calls to check on what's happening?

3. I note that the invoice on my account bills me for services from 29th September (joint Broadband and phone). If the Broadband was not to be switched over until the 1st, why am I being billed from the 29th? And since I don't actually have Broadband available am I likely to at least not have to pay for it?

Right now I'm pretty frustrated although I acknowledge that the problem as such is not IDNet's fault.

[Gary]

Have you double checked you password and user name, I know that's basic but you may have mistyped it? IDNet are pretty on the ball, if you cannot connect they will deal with it, call back as soon as you can and let them know the situation. If you have issues with billing and the time you have not got service talk to them and they will be very helpful and see what they can do.

Can you post the logs from the router thats plugged in now?

[Lance]

IDNet will phone you when they've got more information. Unfortunately, that means waiting on BT and support do not have a habit of phoning the customer to give no update. Hopefully, you will hear something back today.

[Steve]

Obviously it looks like BT screwed up the migration if you've no exchange sync, I think it unlikely the router is at fault since you managed to sync with the exchange on another line. All I can suggest is to keep in contact with support although if they've had no further information from BT there's not a lot more they can tell you.

[Simon]

As above.   

[Ray]

 

[Rik]

Sorry to hear you're having problems. IDNet will be calling you shortly. BT want to send an engineer out, but it would be wise to check a different router on your line first, just to be on the safe side. A migration involves no physical work at the exchange so this feels like an unfortunate coincidence, a piece of equipment has failed at one end of the line or the other on the day you were due to migrate. If the router you're trying today does sync and you still have problems, double check the username and password.

Good luck and welcome to the forum.

[redkite]

Well, I'm delighted to report that the problem appears to have been resolved.

I was able to borrow a spare modem/router from a colleague yesterday, and not only did it achieve ADSL synch straight away, I also managed to configure it to log onto my IDNet broadband account.

It will presumably always remain a mystery why my own existing router, which never had a problem getting ADSL synch in the past, and which can still do so on my neighbour's phone line, is unable to do so on my own line after the migration to IDNet.

Now I just need to buy a new router and that should be the end of it.

[DorsetBoy]

Darn techno bits    Glad things are sorted for you 

[Steve]

How odd but glad it's sorted.

[pctech]

Before you junk it try a reset using the reset switch (on most routers this is a small hole on the back panel) make sure it is connected to power when you do this and hold it in with a pin or straightened paper clip for about 10-15 seconds.