BT broadband...problems anyone?

[Mary]

I'm hoping I don't get disconnected as I'm typing this as at present we're having problems with out connection and can lose connection at any time

We've been with BT for more than a year now and on the whole it's been fine.  During the last 2 weeks though, we've lost connection time and time again.  Sometimes we can get connection back immediately, other times we've had days with no connection at all

BT technical support have been no help whatsoever   Firstly they told us it was probably our equipment and to try changing the filter.  Before we had a chance to change it connection was back.  Went again the next day so changed the filter.  No change, no connection.  A day later connection reappears.  Goes again and BT say there is a fault with our line and that they will get back to us within 48 hours.  In the meantime our connection reappears and we get no comeback from BT re. the so say fault on the line.  For a few days it's been fine but it's started playing up again today

Sometimes when I try to connect and it fails it gives me an error code.  If I ignore that and try again it will either give me a completely different error code or will connect immediately.  Then (sorry, this is very long winded ) one of two things will happen.  One is that all is ok and I have continuous connection or the other is that as soon is it connects and I try to open my browser it disconnects immediately

This is all so frustrating.  OH has not contacted BT since they said they would get back to us re. the fault on the line (which they didn't).  I don't think he can face them as he was so frustrated and angry with their response the last time

I'm just wondering if anyone else has been having problems

Oh...and just to add that if anyone responds to this, I may take a while responding as I may have been booted off again

[cazza]

Hi Mary

A girl I work with is having the same problem. I'm with BT also but have had only one problem where the ASDL (is that what it called the little box with the lights?) seemed to go off and even after re-setting had to do it twice more before it came back

That wwas week past sat - now I'm going to jinx myself and say it's not happened since

[Cob-Web]

OH works in IT, and he says that no-one who works with him touches BT if they can help it 

Your story sounds so familiar - we have heard it from friends and family who use BT lines for Broadband  Apparently, its to do with trying to run increasingly fast services over old lines - my parents had the whole line from their house to the road replaced a few months ago, and it was only put in 20 years ago 

[Jeeves]

Crikey - don't get me started on this subject!! 

We've had a very good connection with Freeserve/Wannadoo/Orange (keep changing their name!) on our home PC and hubby was to get a new broadband line installed by his work. It was to be a BT connection.

That was on August 3rd - and STILL the ADSL light merrily flashes away with no connection. 

They kept telling us it was our equipment (it was not), they checked the line and found a fault, fixed that but still no broadband.  The Broadband people kept saying that it was not down to them, but down to BT Wholesale who could not send anyone out as the problem has to be sent to outer Mongolia to sanction a repair, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Eventually, after much swearing at New Delhi calll centres and complete incompetents, I demanded to speak to a supervisor in the Broadband department who, I think., has finally got it fixed today.

The worst of it is that we live in Nortumberland (almost in Scotland) and because he's had no computer link, hubby had to go all the way to London a couple of times, just to get some work done 

So, word to the wise, NEVER, EVER, EVER get BT Broadband!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mollycuddles]

We've been having similar problems ... was trying to connect earlier so I could post something ... makes me so mad  ... am able to get connected now when I have to go out ... typical  ... but how long for I don't know...

This problem with ours started about 2 months ago

[Pammy]

Yup - ditto here. We're new to BT following the house move and the connection has been so unreliable. I spoke to one of the customer service reps who told me"it takes 30 days for your line to optimise" what a load of twaddle.

Today it seems OK - but come 6.00 I can almost guarantee we will keep losing service.

[Jeeves]

Funnily enough, that's what the supervisor chap I've been speaking to said - basically it will work OK when there are few people using it, i.e. during the day on a week day, but come evenings and weekends the connection is liable to disappear 

What a crap way to run an internet business! 

[Jane S]

We're having similar problems with Virgin (but using BT's lines) and they only really started when we had our speed upgraded. It's a waste of time contacting customer services who just send out bog standard emails or treat you like a 5 year old so I've researched a bit and come to the conclusion our problems are probably caused because we live too far from the exchange and/or the line can't cope with the increased speeds (probably both!). Not sure what the solution is as we can't get cable out here so we're apparently stuck with broadband that comes and goes when it feels like it unless we go back to the much slower speed we started with!

[Mary]

Well, in some ways it's nice to know that we're not the only ones but on the otherhand it probably means it's something we will have to live with or change yet again

We changed from Freeserve about 15 months ago.  We had a few problems then but they told us there was nothing wrong and that it was our telephone line.  BT said there was a fault on the line which they corrected but the problem persisted.  BT then said it was Freeserves problem

Moving to BT seemed the best thing to do at the time but we just don't get any answers from them.
 

They kept telling us it was our equipment (it was not), they checked the line and found a fault, fixed that but still no broadband. 

Sounds oh so familiar, they keep telling us it's our equipment

Eventually, after much swearing at New Delhi calll centres and complete incompetents, I demanded to speak to a supervisor in the Broadband department who, I think., has finally got it fixed today.

Mmmmm....I thought OH was going to throw the telephone at the PC the other night when he got so frustrated talking to someone in India who couldn't understand him and he couldn't understand her.  The only thing that became apparent was that she was saying it was our equipment

Not quite sure where to go from here

[Mary]

We're having similar problems with Virgin (but using BT's lines) and they only really started when we had our speed upgraded. It's a waste of time contacting customer services who just send out bog standard emails or treat you like a 5 year old so I've researched a bit and come to the conclusion our problems are probably caused because we live too far from the exchange and/or the line can't cope with the increased speeds (probably both!). Not sure what the solution is as we can't get cable out here so we're apparently stuck with broadband that comes and goes when it feels like it unless we go back to the much slower speed we started with!

We've only got BT ASDL 2mbps so surely that shouldn't be a problem  

Just out of a matter of interest I just took this Broadband speed test:

http://www.adslguide.org.uk/tools/speedtest.asp

My downstrem results are very low, a mere 0.7Mbps and Upstream 0.2Mbps

I was more than happy to rate BT in the survey too BT

Edited to add that I've been disconnected 4 times in the last 10 minutes No, 5, just pressed Save and it booted me again

[Jane S]

We've only got BT ASDL 2mbps so surely that shouldn't be a problem   No, 5, just pressed Save and it booted me again

Our initial speed when we signed up was 1mbps but we've had several automatic speed ugrades since then. We're now on "up to 8mbps" but "up to" are the operative words as we can't get anywhere near that speed, normally 2-3mbps is the best we get. I've been bumped off twice in the last 10 mins - you can tell it's past 5pm now Haven't tried the speed test for a while - might have a go now

[denisec]

I have noticed in the last couple of days that we keep getting kicked off line.  We are with Orange but BT lines. 

[Pammy]

I've not been able to get on for the past 40 min's 

[Mary]

I've not been able to get on for the past 40 min's 

Isn't it just SO annoying?

[Densil]

I had these problems when I moved house.  New house, new estate new, phone lines.  (So they cant blame the wires) Brought my computer to the new house with no change in setup and it took ages tp sort out.  It transpired that when I moved house they treated me as a new customer, upgraded me to the option 3 but hadnt sent me the necessary equipment.  I jumped up and down, was given a 2 month refund, a new wireless router, a new chordless phone and software.  Guess what...still experienced problems...connection kept dropping off etc.  I eventually got hold of a tech support guy who really helped.  He advised, and talked me through removing all the BT software and just allowing XP to do the connection thing.  I only use the XP browser (Binned the BT-yahoo one)  Guess what..trouble free surfing ever since.
The only problem I do have is when the battery on the laptop runs out.  I have trouble logging on again.  The guy from BT gave me this URL to type in.  http://192.168.1.254/   When I do, it connects stright away and gives some useful info.

It looks therfore like a software thing.  (Well in my case anyway)