The Lemon Fool

My broadband of late ... isn't. This is below 1% of what I pay for: http://www.speedtest.net/result/6991612663 . It's so slow as to be a problem with the phone!

Anyone else on Virgin cable? Are you getting decent performance, or similar issues?

Virgin's fine with me http://www.speedtest.net/result/6992895061 It's often faster than this, nearer 100Mbps. My computer connects through a 100Mbps switch so I'll never see faster, though the cable and router is capable of more.

Yours is so slow I'd log it as a fault.

Scott.

UncleEbenezer wrote:My broadband of late ... isn't. This is below 1% of what I pay for: http://www.speedtest.net/result/6991612663 . It's so slow as to be a problem with the phone!

Anyone else on Virgin cable? Are you getting decent performance, or similar issues?

Over 200 for me on Virgin

http://www.speedtest.net/result/6993143804

John

No problems here with Virgin Media or at least not with the speed. I have a lot of problems with Virgin Media for non-speed reasons but that is another issue.

Also Virgin cable. Just run your test and it is showing 10Mbps. I'm paying for 100. And in the past it has always been spot on. But very slow at the moment. Will keep you updated

Gryff

50Mbps today

gryffron wrote:50Mbps today

I think the fastest I ever clocked was fortysomething. Which was more than ample for my usage when I could get it.

Slight improvement today, but still short of 1% of your speed: http://www.speedtest.net/result/7004521118 . And it's so uneven that many things are timing out.

Funny thing is, the upload speed is actually faster than the 2Mb/s max I used to get when I had download at broadband speeds.

Download speed being a tenth of upload speed is simply wrong. Have you complained to Virgin yet?

Scott.

This is no longer really a DAK, rather it's become a desperate plea for suggestions. Posting here because it belongs in this thread.

I have now made some considerable efforts to complain to Virgin.

First through the contacts available on their website.

• There is no mechanism to file a ticket with them. Only supposedly-interactive options.
• There's web chat, which just tells me their operators are unavailable (this is firmly within their advertised opening hours, and on most attempted occasions also within regular Mon-Fri 9-5 hours).
• There's a phone number, which I tried from my mobile (the broadband service being too poor to use VOIP). It started off promising: they identified me from my mobile number, which then claimed to run tests on my connection, including an apology for taking longer than expected. But once that test had apparently failed to reveal the problem, it put me on hold, with the promise of speaking to a human "in two minutes". The on-hold "music" is some yob screaming aggressively: the kind of thing you move rapidly away from if you hear it from the next street on a Friday night in the roughest part of town. After ten minutes (against a promise of two minutes, and with no interruptions to the "f*** off" noise for updates) I can stand it no longer. I recollect a previous occasion when after a long time on hold it finally put me through to an extension that merely played a recorded message and hung up.

So on Jan 30th I get soaked going in person to a Virgin shop. No, they can't deal with faults, I can't file a ticket with them, I can't even try to call customer service from the shop. From his very firm manner, the man I spoke to is clearly used to frustrated customers, and ready for those who might get abusive.

So getting home that afternoon and finding no change with either the phone or the web chat, I reluctantly sign up with their "community", a process probably no more longwinded than signing up for Lemonfool, but it certainly feels it when all you're trying to do is make contact! I then post a question about contacting Virgin, and get a near-instant reply telling me that posting there is probably the best way to make contact, but that it'll be about a week. Someone else suggests 7-10 days.

At the same time, I cancel my direct debit to them, pending at least contact if not resolution.

It's now two and a half weeks from that post, and I still haven't been able to speak to a human. Not even a call centre droid. Any suggestions?

You'll need a Twitter account for this of course, but posting a tweet describing how unhappy you are and including '@virginmedia' should result in a prompt response and resolution.

Apparently this worked for owners of those inflammable tumble driers!

Watis

Watis wrote:You'll need a Twitter account for this of course,
Watis

Aaargh! Suggesting a twitter account is like buying a pint for an alcoholic!

You're probably right, of course. But the last thing I need is yet another temptation to waste time online.

UncleEbenezer wrote:

Watis wrote:You'll need a Twitter account for this of course,
Watis

Aaargh! Suggesting a twitter account is like buying a pint for an alcoholic!

You're probably right, of course. But the last thing I need is yet another temptation to waste time online.

Go on - you know you want to.

And this gives you the perfect excuse!

Watis

My download speed as of now is 85, I’m paying for up to 100 so happy with that.

Also a generally happy VM customer, if ever there’s a fault their service line explains what’s happening, I can usually get 5hrough to them by phone easily enough. Only concern is the cost increases.

Leither.

Perhaps Ofcom should insist on a fairer pricing system for broadband - why should someone getting 12mbps pay the same as someone getting 25mbps on the same network?

The whole "up to" nonsense only exists because the ASA in their wisdom allowed ISPs to advertise this way - possibly to encourage faster rollout and adoption of ADSL. Now that technology has moved on and fibre or cable to the home, the undoubted gold standard, is becoming commonplace in many areas, wouldn't it make sense to change the way speeds are advertised? It would be laughable if shopkeepers tried to justify selling "up to" a pound of sugar in a bag, so why do we put up with this from ISPs?

It would incentivise providers to up their game if those whose internet consistently runs slower than advertised only had to pay pro rata.

if you dont like TWITTER (understandable in view the ** who use it) try Facebook
it worked for me with TAP!

Sorry to revive an ancient thread, but I thought this was relevant.

So my internet has been getting worse. Sometimes really slow, sometimes dropping altogether. From Saturday (the big thaw) to Tuesday it was shocking. Wouldn't stay connected for more than about 5 minutes. So I finally cracked and rang 150. Auto-test... "We'll put you through to an operator". [thinks: Wow that sounds serious!]. Had to wait a couple of minutes but not bad.

So, Engineer has just visited. Apparently I'm missing several of the carrier frequencies on my cable. Must be cable damage. They're sending a team to dig up the garden and replace it.

Suggestion. If you having problems. Ring when it is worse. More chance of the auto test spotting a fault. Damaged cables this is usually when the ground is wet.

Gryff

gryffron wrote: So I finally cracked and rang 150. Auto-test... "We'll put you through to an operator". [thinks: Wow that sounds serious!]. Had to wait a couple of minutes but not bad.
Gryff

Sounds like your experience 'phoning was a lot better than mine (my 'phone service was unusable, so I had to try from the mobile).

Having visited the Ofcom site, I see there's an Ombudsman, but I have to wait 8 weeks for a resolution before turning to them. I'm counting from Jan.30th when I first posted to their "community" forum after other means failed to contact them. Meanwhile they're now harassing me for money: I cancelled my direct debit at the same time as I posted on Jan 30th, originally expecting to solve the problem and reinstate it in the two weeks before they tried to take another payment.