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-   -   120M : Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/showthread.php?t=33701583)

hedgie 13-10-2015 20:53

Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Normally I am a supporter of Vm and can see through some of the glitches, after all I have been a cable customer since Nynex. I have recently moved house, in my old house I paid for, and got, a good 150Mb connection. I have moved recently, about 3 miles, and was told by VM there would be no issues.

Utter garbage, paying for 150Mb getting between 3Mb and 10Mb between 16:00 and 22:00, it peaks at around 45Mb between 23:00 and 01:30. cant be bothered staying up any longer. This is with an ethernet cable direct to the superHub2.

I called faults who did a few tests and said I was lucky to be getting anything over 40Mb due to congestion in my area, this was a known fault and will be around for weeks if not months.

When I moved I could have gone to BT or SKY as the area is Infinity enabled, but I stayed with VM on the basis of past performance.

I am disgusted that VM know there is a capacity / oversubscription issue but they still choose to sell packages their own tech staff say they can't deliver. To me this is miss selling at best if not fraud.

So after six weeks of getting less tham 30% of what Vm are supposed to provide I managed to haggle a one off £30 payment, I only got this after almost an hour on the phone to cutomer services.

I have been emailed to say I am being upgraded to 200Mb in January. i dont care/ 150Mb is enough for the six of us in this house.

VM need to spend a bit less cash on advertising and sales and a lot more cash on maintaining their infrastructure.

Annoyed of Warrington....

japitts 14-10-2015 09:47

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
If you've got a fault reference for the congestion, you should be able to get a monthly credit until that's resolved. That's what some people on here have done, myself included.

I'd much rather VM fix the congestion, but it at least makes it a bit more bearable in the meantime!

broadbandking 15-10-2015 05:46

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
VM sales team don't know about congestion so they are selling you a product they assume will work fine, as for the congestion there should be a date for it been resolved but again take that date with a pinch of salt, they only issue with VM is they will always have congestion due to demand increasing and there speed upgrades.

As you stated the upgrade to 200Mb is due in your area shortly which could mean there will be some upgrades going on soon which might sort your connection out.

DaMac 15-10-2015 08:06

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Sales teams should be able to check existing known issues in an area and as such shouldn't confirm a quality of service until they check known issues in that area, anything else is just deceit.

jb66 15-10-2015 10:49

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by DaMac (Post 35803551)
Sales teams should be able to check existing known issues in an area and as such shouldn't confirm a quality of service until they check known issues in that area, anything else is just deceit.

I dont know why a salesman would do that, they might loose a sale, better for them to let it get installed and if its poor they can cancel under the virgin 28day guarantee

pip08456 15-10-2015 11:28

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
As with all sales people all they are interested in is meeting their targets.

Sephiroth 15-10-2015 18:05

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
I find it disreputable that VM don't tell customers the real peak timne speed they can expect.

Kushan 15-10-2015 18:51

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Does anyone else?

sollp 15-10-2015 19:16

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 35803632)
I find it disreputable that VM don't tell customers the real peak timne speed they can expect.

Same as BT with the UPTO Speed. You don't get what you think you should basically

---------- Post added at 20:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:57 ----------

http://store.virginmedia.com/broadband/speeds.html

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/d...a_id/37257/346

---------- Post added at 20:16 ---------- Previous post was at 20:10 ----------

And Like BT, when you ring and complain they will quote all the issues affecting the speed and as i found with MY bt Infinity 2 BB, that as long as the speed is between 50-68Mb, they DO NOT SEE AN ISSUE. So I pay for 76Mb, line is capable of 68Mb, router connects at 54Mb....

Unlike VM where the customer sees a massive reduction of 20Mb on there service and the Engineers are running around trying fix the issue.

Sephiroth 15-10-2015 20:22

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35803639)
Same as BT with the UPTO Speed. You don't get what you think you should basically

---------- Post added at 20:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:57 ----------

http://store.virginmedia.com/broadband/speeds.html

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/d...a_id/37257/346

---------- Post added at 20:16 ---------- Previous post was at 20:10 ----------

And Like BT, when you ring and complain they will quote all the issues affecting the speed and as i found with MY bt Infinity 2 BB, that as long as the speed is between 50-68Mb, they DO NOT SEE AN ISSUE. So I pay for 76Mb, line is capable of 68Mb, router connects at 54Mb....

Unlike VM where the customer sees a massive reduction of 20Mb on there service and the Engineers are running around trying fix the issue.

I have a bit of better luck than you. My Infinity2 was a free upgrade (they did that for the early users). So I pay for Infinity1, am on Infinity2, and get arround 55/11 because of aluminium cable under ground.

pip08456 15-10-2015 20:48

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35803639)
Same as BT with the UPTO Speed. You don't get what you think you should basically

---------- Post added at 20:10 ---------- Previous post was at 19:57 ----------

http://store.virginmedia.com/broadband/speeds.html

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/d...a_id/37257/346

---------- Post added at 20:16 ---------- Previous post was at 20:10 ----------

And Like BT, when you ring and complain they will quote all the issues affecting the speed and as i found with MY bt Infinity 2 BB, that as long as the speed is between 50-68Mb, they DO NOT SEE AN ISSUE. So I pay for 76Mb, line is capable of 68Mb, router connects at 54Mb....

Unlike VM where the customer sees a massive reduction of 20Mb on there service and the Engineers are running around trying fix the issue.

If you have a HH5, login to it Troubleshooting/helpdesk post lines 1-12 and I'll take a look at it.

Ignitionnet 15-10-2015 22:55

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35803639)
And Like BT, when you ring and complain they will quote all the issues affecting the speed and as i found with MY bt Infinity 2 BB, that as long as the speed is between 50-68Mb, they DO NOT SEE AN ISSUE. So I pay for 76Mb, line is capable of 68Mb, router connects at 54Mb....

Unlike VM where the customer sees a massive reduction of 20Mb on there service and the Engineers are running around trying fix the issue.

I find that last paragraph pretty astonishing. VM couldn't care less if customers on 152Mb are hitting 20Mb as long as they don't hit it for too long during a 7 day period, let alone dropping 20Mb. A quick look at the VM forum shows people hitting sub-10Mb at peak times being told that their area 'hasn't breached thresholds'. I can show you customers on VM that have been paying for 152Mb and been achieving less than 10Mb at peak periods for over a year. Hardly 'running around trying to fix the issue'.

When you, or I, order a service from an xDSL ISP they will quote a speed range. That is what we are paying for and what they commit to provide. Indeed Ofcom regulate this and if the speeds fall below estimate too much we can leave free of charge.

At least we have a low end and a high end, and if we don't like it there are usually 40Mb products available. For a VM customer 'up to' can mean less than 10Mb/s during peak periods for several months on a 152Mb service.

xDSL has distance limitations that are outside of the ISP's control, it's a symptom of the technology. Cable has issues that are most definitely within the cable operator's control. VM do not make any attempt to ensure that services are congestion free, and will openly admit to this.

Incidentally the speed ranges are intentionally wide. They don't mean that your line is definitely capable of the higher end speed at all. If that were the case you'd have a single figure given. The estimates are based on the line length between the cabinet and the distribution point that serves your, and other, properties. If you are further away than most from that distribution point your speeds will be at the lower end. If uptake of FTTC in your area is high that'll also have an impact on the speeds due to crosstalk.

You were given an estimated speed range, your line performs within that speed range. The laws of physics are pretty unforgiving and they are what govern these speeds. This is in contrast to speeds on VM, which are entirely down to the laws of profitability.

pip08456 15-10-2015 23:15

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Nice one Igni!

qasdfdsaq 16-10-2015 16:48

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by pip08456 (Post 35803660)
Nice one Igni!

I suspect this is going to be one of those wise posts I'll be quoting for many years to come.

DaMac 16-10-2015 18:49

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by jb66 (Post 35803562)
I dont know why a salesman would do that, they might loose a sale, better for them to let it get installed and if its poor they can cancel under the virgin 28day guarantee

Anything else is just deceit.
Deceit is fraud.
Do the banks regret selling ppi?
Probably not, but they would if people where sent to jail for it.
Fraud is a jailable offence and should be treated as such.

sollp 18-10-2015 20:44

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35803657)
I find that last paragraph pretty astonishing. VM couldn't care less if customers on 152Mb are hitting 20Mb as long as they don't hit it for too long during a 7 day period, let alone dropping 20Mb. A quick look at the VM forum shows people hitting sub-10Mb at peak times being told that their area 'hasn't breached thresholds'. I can show you customers on VM that have been paying for 152Mb and been achieving less than 10Mb at peak periods for over a year. Hardly 'running around trying to fix the issue'.

When you, or I, order a service from an xDSL ISP they will quote a speed range. That is what we are paying for and what they commit to provide. Indeed Ofcom regulate this and if the speeds fall below estimate too much we can leave free of charge.

At least we have a low end and a high end, and if we don't like it there are usually 40Mb products available. For a VM customer 'up to' can mean less than 10Mb/s during peak periods for several months on a 152Mb service.

xDSL has distance limitations that are outside of the ISP's control, it's a symptom of the technology. Cable has issues that are most definitely within the cable operator's control. VM do not make any attempt to ensure that services are congestion free, and will openly admit to this.

Incidentally the speed ranges are intentionally wide. They don't mean that your line is definitely capable of the higher end speed at all. If that were the case you'd have a single figure given. The estimates are based on the line length between the cabinet and the distribution point that serves your, and other, properties. If you are further away than most from that distribution point your speeds will be at the lower end. If uptake of FTTC in your area is high that'll also have an impact on the speeds due to crosstalk.

You were given an estimated speed range, your line performs within that speed range. The laws of physics are pretty unforgiving and they are what govern these speeds. This is in contrast to speeds on VM, which are entirely down to the laws of profitability.


I think most customers will not know this so as far as they are concerned are paying for a service of either 40Mb or 76Mb. My point is BT will say upto and gives some reason of distance from exchange ect for the reason your speed not being where it should be but its not until you look for yourself and then question why the speed is so low and could it be improved your again hit with the reasons why its slow is because of distance from cab...so your not getting anywhere near what you thought you would. I accept that there will be a loss, but How much? Which is what the OP was complaining about the,"miss selling at best if not fraud"
So what's the difference?

I'm fully aware of the reasons why but should this be an excuse for having such a dramatic loss of speed?? Your saying it's down to the technology limitations and distance but i'm paying for a 76Mb service, your saying well you don't get that because of the reasons given as somehow thats ok for BT and not for VM? astonishing thought.

And yes they do run around trying to get speeds and service resolved i can vouch for that.

Ignitionnet 18-10-2015 22:17

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35803979)
And yes they do run around trying to get speeds and service resolved i can vouch for that.

This doesn't.

Or this.

September 2015, VM-recorded download speeds via SamKnows panel, 8-10pm weekdays:

152Mb: 109.8Mb.
100Mb: 83.28Mb.
50Mb: 46.68Mb.

September 2014, VM-recorded download speeds via SamKnows panel, 8-10pm weekdays:

152Mb: 115.91Mb
100Mb: 88.39Mb
50Mb: 49.40Mb

Or how about this guy.

Issue reported 12th May. 2014. Due for review 16th December.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35803979)
I think most customers will not know this so as far as they are concerned are paying for a service of either 40Mb or 76Mb. My point is BT will say upto and gives some reason of distance from exchange ect for the reason your speed not being where it should be but its not until you look for yourself and then question why the speed is so low and could it be improved your again hit with the reasons why its slow is because of distance from cab...so your not getting anywhere near what you thought you would. I accept that there will be a loss, but How much? Which is what the OP was complaining about the,"miss selling at best if not fraud"
So what's the difference?

Easy. You sign up with BT you get a personalised estimate of your speed. That's what you're paying for, and most customers will know it as it forms part of the purchasing process. It has to, Ofcom require it.

BT give you this before you can even click 'order':

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2015/10/7.png

Quote:

BT always offers you the best speed possible on your line. Typically 80% of customers receive speeds within or above this range. The speed prediction we have given here is an estimate, however download speeds can vary and the actual download speed will fall within a range. The BT broadband range is an indication of the speed that other similar lines across the UK have achieved for their broadband service.
If you can point me to where Virgin Media give a speed range or a guaranteed minimum speed that'd be appreciated.

If you're interested in how to advertise it properly - excuse the Google Translate::

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2015/10/8.png

Quote:

Our clearer labeling

Com Hem, you always get the broadband speed you pay for.
For you as Com Hem customer really know what speed you'd expect, we have introduced a clearer labeling.

The label shows the minimum and maximum speed for each broadband when you have a wired connection between the modem and computer. For example, the download speed of the subscription Broadband 250 vary, and this we express with a so-called speed range: 250-100 Mbit / s. Such speed range available for all our subscriptions.

Our rate guarantee

Test us on the independent site Bredbandskollen.se. To get a fair idea of your actual speed is good if you are making three measurements at hourly intervals. Also note that the speed of the guarantee only applies to wired connection and not wireless (WiFi).

If you think the speed is lower than what you pay for, you just have to get in touch with our customer service at 90 222. We see if there might be something wrong with the modem or otherwise malfunctions on the way to your computer. There are some things you can do to increase the possibility of a faster broadband (see below), but if you want, you obviously downgrade you to the speed you come up in and not pay for more than that.
TL;DR you fall outside the speed range they lower your bill to the tier whose speeds you are achieving.

Might be tough for VM that one, there seem to be a fair few areas capable of the non-advertised 'S' tier and not much else at peak times.

Ignitionnet 19-10-2015 01:01

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...d/td-p/2543859

Reported in November. Took until June to add new channels, by which time even without any new customers demand would have gone up 20-30%. Unsurprisingly these didn't resolve the issue, so end of this month is a new review date.

My idea of running around is splitting nodes, this doubling capacity instantly, not taking 7 months to drip-feed apparently insufficient capacity to keep up with growth in demand, let alone relieve the oversubscription issue.

This knowing, too, that an uplift was planned for October.

qasdfdsaq 19-10-2015 02:20

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35803992)
BT give you this before you can even click 'order':

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2015/10/7.png


:shocked::shocked::shocked::shocked::shocked:

That's changed recently... Since when did they have a minimum guaranteed speed?

pip08456 19-10-2015 07:51

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/d...peed-explained

qasdfdsaq 19-10-2015 12:50

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
I know what it means, it just hasn't ever been shown. At least it wasn't shown two months ago.

pip08456 19-10-2015 12:58

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Yes, it is only recently that it has happened but offshore have been fully briefed and are using it.

sollp 19-10-2015 18:26

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35803997)
http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...d/td-p/2543859

Reported in November. Took until June to add new channels, by which time even without any new customers demand would have gone up 20-30%. Unsurprisingly these didn't resolve the issue, so end of this month is a new review date.

My idea of running around is splitting nodes, this doubling capacity instantly, not taking 7 months to drip-feed apparently insufficient capacity to keep up with growth in demand, let alone relieve the oversubscription issue.

This knowing, too, that an uplift was planned for October.

A few cases there can't argue with that but like i say the money is being spent, upgrades are constant, speeds issues dealt with. Sometimes not quickly enough yes

---------- Post added at 19:26 ---------- Previous post was at 19:23 ----------

It looks like you’ve already got BT Infinity, but you can still upgrade your speed or usage limit
FIBRE BROADBAND
You could get
51Mb-70Mb
Estimated download speed range*
You currently get
51Mb-70Mb
Estimated download speed range*
40Mb
Minimum guaranteed speed This speed
is an estimate, but it should be accurate to within 1 or 2Mb *

So now they are saying they will only guarantee 40Mb!! Get any lower and i might as well go for 40Mb.

So i won't get a discount unless it's below 40Mb, you seem to think thats ok, at least with VM you can complain to get the speed where it should be, maybe take a while for it to happen but at least they will do something about it unlike BT

pip08456 19-10-2015 19:17

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804119)
A few cases there can't argue with that but like i say the money is being spent, upgrades are constant, speeds issues dealt with. Sometimes not quickly enough yes

---------- Post added at 19:26 ---------- Previous post was at 19:23 ----------

It looks like you’ve already got BT Infinity, but you can still upgrade your speed or usage limit
FIBRE BROADBAND
You could get
51Mb-70Mb
Estimated download speed range*
You currently get
51Mb-70Mb
Estimated download speed range*
40Mb
Minimum guaranteed speed This speed
is an estimate, but it should be accurate to within 1 or 2Mb *

So now they are saying they will only guarantee 40Mb!! Get any lower and i might as well go for 40Mb.

So i won't get a discount unless it's below 40Mb, you seem to think thats ok, at least with VM you can complain to get the speed where it should be, maybe take a while for it to happen but at least they will do something about it unlike BT

BT will do something about it.

I offered to help you here but you obviously don't want any.

When you're ready head over to HERE where either I or one of the others will advise.

Sephiroth 19-10-2015 19:46

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
... where you can also read some my own wise musings!

pip08456 19-10-2015 20:15

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sephiroth (Post 35804133)
... where you can also read some my own wise musings!

I'd never noticed them Seph.:D:D:D:D

Sephiroth 19-10-2015 20:31

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
You can always click on my name and see the occasional musings - particularly in respect of the wretched HH5, the stupid HH5 advertising campaign, the aluminium cable situation and, whenever I can get away with it, the holier-than-though "Sages" who pontificate there worse than I do here!

pip08456 19-10-2015 20:43

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
I'm not a "Sage" and I do know where your musings are hence the grins at the end of my post.

I do agree that some of the "Sages" do have a "holier than thou" attitude but I just tend to ignore them most of the time. They can be "used" though as they are so gullible.

Both I and a few others who are helpful have direct means of contact with the Mods so we don't need the "Sages".

Sephiroth 19-10-2015 22:04

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
You know me, Pip. I love a bit of fun. The BT forums are the same as the VM forums in terms of people with the same class of problems; rubbish Homehubs; poor speed, poor SNR margin; rubbish offshore call centre. But those "sages" - they inspire the pixie in me.

Ignitionnet 19-10-2015 22:48

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804119)
A few cases there can't argue with that but like i say the money is being spent, upgrades are constant, speeds issues dealt with. Sometimes not quickly enough yes

So i won't get a discount unless it's below 40Mb, you seem to think thats ok, at least with VM you can complain to get the speed where it should be, maybe take a while for it to happen but at least they will do something about it unlike BT

The speed is where it should be, per the estimate. You aren't entitled to 76Mb and it's made very clear throughout the order process that speeds are subject to distance from cabinet.

You aren't entitled to a discount if your speeds drop below 40Mb, you are entitled, if they can't bring it back into range, to break contract and go elsewhere. This is as regulated by Ofcom, as is the need to provide speed estimates.

If you could show me the equivalent speed guarantee from VM that'd be appreciated. As far as I'm aware there isn't one; VM can sell incredibly congested services with no fear unless customers pursue legal remedies for failing to provide services that are fit for purpose.

VM are indeed upgrading constantly, however if the money is being spent and the work being done so completely why are there any speed issues, let alone ones that take several months and even upwards of a year to resolve? There are areas that have had issues for over two years bar a 3 month period.

It is, frankly, crap that customers get sub-5Mb/s at peak periods, VM take months to do the cheapest capacity upgrade they can, then a few months more to do the same again, and only spend any real money addressing the issues a year down the line.

I am aware there have been issues with deploying new Arris CMTS and downstream ports on Cisco kit, and it's run behind schedule in some cases. So why weren't nodes being split in advance, so that when the ports became available nodes could just be decombined ensuring that the capacity was there to relieve the issue in one hit?

I've read another couple of instances on the VM forum today where VM did nothing with issues for months waiting for ports to become available. They could have been planning and implementing node splits. There should've been no areas waiting an age for extra channels, then having to wait again for a Cat C because there should've been no Cat C required as the node had already been split and recombined.

You can't on the one hand point out that VM can deliver maximum speed to all customers regardless of distance from the cabinet, unlike BT, that they are constantly upgrading their network, then excuse their failure to keep pace with customer demands to the point where areas spend upwards of a year delivering less than 10% of customer's paid-for speeds at peak times.

Sadly you seem to want to ignore that there are valid reasons why your service isn't 76Mb, that the speeds you would get were made very clear to you at sign-up time, and that you are within that range, hence you are getting exactly what you were told you would get.

Virgin Media have one simple reason why they don't deliver full speed to all customers - they choose not to. They do not target full speed for all customers. The upgrades they undertake are not intended to achieve this aim, it's a pleasant bonus when it happens.

I've shown you what I consider to be a better approach, how Comhem advertise services and how they operate. To me this is a more transparent, fair and reasonable way of operating. It makes clear that Comhem do not attempt to provide full speeds all the time, and gives a very clear delineation as to what they consider to be acceptable and the remedies the customer is entitled to.

Per my earlier post, it's interesting that a company spending all this money and running around delivering capacity upgrades has lower peak speeds in September 2015 than in September 2014. Even more interesting that they see fit to do tier uplifts in this environment.

VM need to plough serious cash into capacity, and they need to stop trying to avoid splitting the nodes and simply do it as the very first step in capacity relief, with additional channels only either where needed for a tier uplift or to relieve the congestion somewhat while the split is being planned and executed.

You know, pretty much as the then-recently bankrupt ntl managed to in the early 2000s.

sollp 20-10-2015 19:24

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by pip08456 (Post 35804126)
BT will do something about it.

I offered to help you here but you obviously don't want any.

When you're ready head over to HERE where either I or one of the others will advise.

No help needed thanks. There are the limitations of the service causing the issue, hence my moan about those limitations as they seem acceptable to BT to give such low speeds and do nothing about as they have now lowered the spec to 40Mb. So as you can see not a very good service.

Sadly BT need to invest in there network to bring it antwhere closer to what VM are offering. The excuse of,"Thats the limitation of our service is frankly a rip off". I agree that only very recently they have now made it clearer when ordering the service what you actually get is not what is offered, this can then give an informed choice to the customer wanting to take up the service, but this has obviously come about due to the poor limitations of the BT network and must say is a smart move by BT. Now you have no room for complaint,(convenient).

---------- Post added at 20:24 ---------- Previous post was at 20:16 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35804165)
The speed is where it should be, per the estimate. You aren't entitled to 76Mb and it's made very clear throughout the order process that speeds are subject to distance from cabinet.

You aren't entitled to a discount if your speeds drop below 40Mb, you are entitled, if they can't bring it back into range, to break contract and go elsewhere. This is as regulated by Ofcom, as is the need to provide speed estimates.

If you could show me the equivalent speed guarantee from VM that'd be appreciated. As far as I'm aware there isn't one; VM can sell incredibly congested services with no fear unless customers pursue legal remedies for failing to provide services that are fit for purpose.

VM are indeed upgrading constantly, however if the money is being spent and the work being done so completely why are there any speed issues, let alone ones that take several months and even upwards of a year to resolve? There are areas that have had issues for over two years bar a 3 month period.

It is, frankly, crap that customers get sub-5Mb/s at peak periods, VM take months to do the cheapest capacity upgrade they can, then a few months more to do the same again, and only spend any real money addressing the issues a year down the line.

I am aware there have been issues with deploying new Arris CMTS and downstream ports on Cisco kit, and it's run behind schedule in some cases. So why weren't nodes being split in advance, so that when the ports became available nodes could just be decombined ensuring that the capacity was there to relieve the issue in one hit?

I've read another couple of instances on the VM forum today where VM did nothing with issues for months waiting for ports to become available. They could have been planning and implementing node splits. There should've been no areas waiting an age for extra channels, then having to wait again for a Cat C because there should've been no Cat C required as the node had already been split and recombined.

You can't on the one hand point out that VM can deliver maximum speed to all customers regardless of distance from the cabinet, unlike BT, that they are constantly upgrading their network, then excuse their failure to keep pace with customer demands to the point where areas spend upwards of a year delivering less than 10% of customer's paid-for speeds at peak times.

Sadly you seem to want to ignore that there are valid reasons why your service isn't 76Mb, that the speeds you would get were made very clear to you at sign-up time, and that you are within that range, hence you are getting exactly what you were told you would get.

Virgin Media have one simple reason why they don't deliver full speed to all customers - they choose not to. They do not target full speed for all customers. The upgrades they undertake are not intended to achieve this aim, it's a pleasant bonus when it happens.

I've shown you what I consider to be a better approach, how Comhem advertise services and how they operate. To me this is a more transparent, fair and reasonable way of operating. It makes clear that Comhem do not attempt to provide full speeds all the time, and gives a very clear delineation as to what they consider to be acceptable and the remedies the customer is entitled to.

Per my earlier post, it's interesting that a company spending all this money and running around delivering capacity upgrades has lower peak speeds in September 2015 than in September 2014. Even more interesting that they see fit to do tier uplifts in this environment.

VM need to plough serious cash into capacity, and they need to stop trying to avoid splitting the nodes and simply do it as the very first step in capacity relief, with additional channels only either where needed for a tier uplift or to relieve the congestion somewhat while the split is being planned and executed.

You know, pretty much as the then-recently bankrupt ntl managed to in the early 2000s.

The cash is being spent and there are massive programmes of investment in the network happening over the next few years as VM know the network will not fully support VOC,Docsi3.1 so have to invest to achieve it.

Ignitionnet 20-10-2015 20:56

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804318)
The cash is being spent and there are massive programmes of investment in the network happening over the next few years as VM know the network will not fully support VOC,Docsi3.1 so have to invest to achieve it.

Running VoIP needs changes either side of the physical plant rather than directly on it, and possibly some battery backups being installed. DOCSIS 3.1 will require some work.

None of this is any consolation to those suffering or changes the fact that VM couldn't give a crap whether or not their customers can reach their tier's maximum speeds as it's simply not a metric they measure.

The DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades don't, in themselves, add any extra capacity. That still needs nodes to be split and additional channels to be added.

If the cash is being spent why are the average speeds at peak times lower than they were a year ago? I'll answer my own question - because the rebuild budget, the one the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades come under, is not the same or has anything to do with the capacity budget. Those upgrades are worth nothing in terms of relieving congestion without extra fibre to split nodes, and extra CMTS ports to terminate those nodes on.

VoC/VoIP does nothing, at all, to resolve these capacity issues. The voice services will run on UGS, unsolicited grant, so even when a node's broadband customers can't even manage a megabit voice calls will run perfectly. They need zero additional capacity.

---------- Post added at 21:56 ---------- Previous post was at 21:53 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804318)
No help needed thanks. There are the limitations of the service causing the issue, hence my moan about those limitations as they seem acceptable to BT to give such low speeds and do nothing about as they have now lowered the spec to 40Mb. So as you can see not a very good service.

Sadly BT need to invest in there network to bring it antwhere closer to what VM are offering. The excuse of,"Thats the limitation of our service is frankly a rip off". I agree that only very recently they have now made it clearer when ordering the service what you actually get is not what is offered, this can then give an informed choice to the customer wanting to take up the service, but this has obviously come about due to the poor limitations of the BT network and must say is a smart move by BT. Now you have no room for complaint,(convenient).

From what I can see BT appear to be doing fine as far as sales go, despite these poor limitations, those such low speeds, and doing nothing about them.

Your comment on the lowering of the spec, given this is a comparison to VM, also doesn't take account of what the 'spec' of VM cable services is. Specifically that there isn't one, and people on 152Mb services can, and do, find themselves getting less than 1/20th of that performance at peak periods.

Is 40Mb really 'such a low speed'? Admittedly it's not much good as a cock replacement when discussing broadband speeds with nerds but it's fine for everything, up to and including a 4k stream and some activity on the side.

As far as investment in the network goes, all things being well BT will be delivering a gigabit to my property next year. Not that it's relevant of course.

VM, and Liberty Global, don't care about their customers' speeds as long as they pass some quality of experience metrics. That is the point I've made over and over again and you've not contradicted it. They try and spend as little as possible doing the bare minimum in capacity upgrades to ensure marketing can release tiers.

The symptoms of this are people spending months in oversubscribed areas, having received two sets of 'upgrades' and needing a third as the first two didn't cut it, and average speeds dropping 5% over the course of a year, just in time for a tier uplift.

sollp 20-10-2015 21:18

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35804338)
Running VoIP needs changes either side of the physical plant rather than directly on it, and possibly some battery backups being installed. DOCSIS 3.1 will require some work.

None of this is any consolation to those suffering or changes the fact that VM couldn't give a crap whether or not their customers can reach their tier's maximum speeds as it's simply not a metric they measure.

The DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades don't, in themselves, add any extra capacity. That still needs nodes to be split and additional channels to be added.

If the cash is being spent why are the average speeds at peak times lower than they were a year ago? I'll answer my own question - because the rebuild budget, the one the DOCSIS 3.1 upgrades come under, is not the same or has anything to do with the capacity budget. Those upgrades are worth nothing in terms of relieving congestion without extra fibre to split nodes, and extra CMTS ports to terminate those nodes on.

VoC/VoIP does nothing, at all, to resolve these capacity issues. The voice services will run on UGS, unsolicited grant, so even when a node's broadband customers can't even manage a megabit voice calls will run perfectly. They need zero additional capacity.

---------- Post added at 21:56 ---------- Previous post was at 21:53 ----------



So basically, you won't have it that the upgrades to the Access Network,,Headends VOC will happen over the next few years and your still not having it. BT suufer with issues as does VM. You need to realise that this will happen.

The access network will have a massive upgrade with newer amps and fibre nodes as already stated this HAS to happen to get Docsis 3.1 working. Arris E6000 UBR's are already being installed. Massive upgrades to air conditioning in buildings, consolidation of network centres, reducing the number of hub sites ect ect.

Re-segmentation projects have happened and will continue to, maybe not quick enough granted but there is money being invested over the next few years to get the network at the front. VOC will eventually get rid of the exchanges reducing power, introducing more services.



From what I can see BT appear to be doing fine as far as sales go, despite these poor limitations, those such low speeds, and doing nothing about them.

Your comment on the lowering of the spec, given this is a comparison to VM, also doesn't take account of what the 'spec' of VM cable services is. Specifically that there isn't one, and people on 152Mb services can, and do, find themselves getting less than 1/20th of that performance at peak periods.

Is 40Mb really 'such a low speed'? Admittedly it's not much good as a cock replacement when discussing broadband speeds with nerds but it's fine for everything, up to and including a 4k stream and some activity on the side.

Fine really?

As far as investment in the network goes, all things being well BT will be delivering a gigabit to my property next year. Not that it's relevant of course.

VM, and Liberty Global, don't care about their customers' speeds as long as they pass some quality of experience metrics. That is the point I've made over and over again and you've not contradicted it. They try and spend as little as possible doing the bare minimum in capacity upgrades to ensure marketing can release tiers.

The symptoms of this are people spending months in oversubscribed areas, having received two sets of 'upgrades' and needing a third as the first two didn't cut it, and average speeds dropping 5% over the course of a year, just in time for a tier uplift.

Sometimes you can be a victim of your own success, but like i have stated the money IS being spent

Kushan 21-10-2015 07:46

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
There's obviously money being invested, I don't think anyone can genuinely claim that there isn't, but the questions are really "is enough money being invested?" and "is the money being invested in the right places?"

We all measure quality by different standards. Virgin sadly measures their peak throughput and for many of us, that's not a particularly great metric but it's one that sells.

The only way the situation will change is to vote with your wallet. Sadly Virgin's average peak speeds are higher than what BT can offer me, though it's definitely getting worse in my area. I haven't seen 200mbit yet.

horseman 21-10-2015 10:58

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushan (Post 35804383)
.... Sadly Virgin's average peak speeds are higher than what BT can offer me, though it's definitely getting worse in my area. I haven't seen 200mbit yet.

FWIW Vivid200 appeared on my (already) congested BN3 (brig15 Cisco 10k provisioned)segment on 1October (and another brig18 segment I monitor) but Arris E6k and 16channels didn't appear till the 15October!

No sign of load rebalancing yet either?

Carl's right though that without node splits up-front then even with the later expenditure of D3.1 line amps then there will still be ongoing "congestion" for some considerable time. :(
Even re-aligning every new amp with diplex D3.1 compliant filters/padding may well generate home visits for legacy 8x4CPE customers that have retained inappropriate D3.0 line conditioning on their CPE hubs?

Despite the investment there must be a limit to the pool of skilled resource which will also help prolong the D3.1 rollout over several years?
Will be interesting to see how the D3.1 channel plans are mapped in each area to mitigate the effects on legacy CPE users in addition to (any) further utilisation relief.

pip08456 21-10-2015 16:13

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Oh come on horse, VM don't need to do that anymore, They have MAGIC in their cables surely.

At least that's what their ad says.:D

sollp 21-10-2015 18:29

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Kushan (Post 35804383)
There's obviously money being invested, I don't think anyone can genuinely claim that there isn't, but the questions are really "is enough money being invested?" and "is the money being invested in the right places?"

We all measure quality by different standards. Virgin sadly measures their peak throughput and for many of us, that's not a particularly great metric but it's one that sells.

The only way the situation will change is to vote with your wallet. Sadly Virgin's average peak speeds are higher than what BT can offer me, though it's definitely getting worse in my area. I haven't seen 200mbit yet.

Yes a point but they will and have to invest in all of the Access network, all of the network amps will have to be replaced for the Upstream and downstream for Docsis 3.1 otherwise they will not be able to progress. They have constantly been investing maybe not in the correct areas but i believe that maybe down to the fact that the Access network needs massive investment as it has vast areas of the original amps that have been in place since day 1 and these will not be able to provide the Downstream or upstream needed for Docsis 3.1 and the future

---------- Post added at 19:29 ---------- Previous post was at 19:17 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by horseman (Post 35804405)
FWIW Vivid200 appeared on my (already) congested BN3 (brig15 Cisco 10k provisioned)segment on 1October (and another brig18 segment I monitor) but Arris E6k and 16channels didn't appear till the 15October!

No sign of load rebalancing yet either?

Carl's right though that without node splits up-front then even with the later expenditure of D3.1 line amps then there will still be ongoing "congestion" for some considerable time. :(
Even re-aligning every new amp with diplex D3.1 compliant filters/padding may well generate home visits for legacy 8x4CPE customers that have retained inappropriate D3.0 line conditioning on their CPE hubs?

Despite the investment there must be a limit to the pool of skilled resource which will also help prolong the D3.1 rollout over several years?
Will be interesting to see how the D3.1 channel plans are mapped in each area to mitigate the effects on legacy CPE users in addition to (any) further utilisation relief.

Once the new amps are installed by the contractor they are handed over to the Access Engineers as they always have done. I'm sure there will be many contractors cashing in on the work over the foreseeable future:shocked:

Docsis 3.0 and 3.1 are be able to work side by side in fact 3.1 can work with 3.0 so really is down to the few Docsis 1.0-2.0 to be replaced.

As for congestion i think there are many legacy factors,(and cash at present) holding this up, there are lots of reasons why they do not happen or are cancelled.

pip08456 21-10-2015 20:19

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
I'll let Igni repy to 3.0 and 3.1 can work together, he knows much more than me.

sollp 21-10-2015 20:30

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by pip08456 (Post 35804495)
I'll let Igni repy to 3.0 and 3.1 can work together, he knows much more than me.

Listen to these guys THEY will answer your doubt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgxYoEnCUDY from 24mins

Ignitionnet 21-10-2015 21:16

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804476)
Yes a point but they will and have to invest in all of the Access network, all of the network amps will have to be replaced for the Upstream and downstream for Docsis 3.1 otherwise they will not be able to progress. They have constantly been investing maybe not in the correct areas but i believe that maybe down to the fact that the Access network needs massive investment as it has vast areas of the original amps that have been in place since day 1 and these will not be able to provide the Downstream or upstream needed for Docsis 3.1 and the future.

In what way does this prevent splitting of nodes or force VM to try using extra downstream channels in lieu of splitting nodes, though?

Quote:

As for congestion i think there are many legacy factors,(and cash at present) holding this up, there are lots of reasons why they do not happen or are cancelled.
I thought there was massive investment going on? :confused:

I see on the forums another case of congestion going on for a year. 6 months to add new channels and, surprise surprise, having taken that long to do it it not being adequate so, apparently reluctantly, going on to splitting the node.

So it seems from what you've said that it's not about VM not having the money, more about them not being bothered enough about congestion on their network to prioritise resources towards relieving it.

Good to know.

---------- Post added at 22:16 ---------- Previous post was at 22:15 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by pip08456 (Post 35804495)
I'll let Igni repy to 3.0 and 3.1 can work together, he knows much more than me.

All 3.1 CPE can use 3.0 channels in addition to 3.1 channels. They contain both 3.0 and 3.1 modem chipsets.

3.0 CPE cannot use 3.1 channels for obvious reasons.

sollp 21-10-2015 21:37

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35804507)
In what way does this prevent splitting of nodes or force VM to try using extra downstream channels in lieu of splitting nodes, though?



I thought there was massive investment going on? :confused:

I see on the forums another case of congestion going on for a year. 6 months to add new channels and, surprise surprise, having taken that long to do it it not being adequate so, apparently reluctantly, going on to splitting the node.

So it seems from what you've said that it's not about VM not having the money, more about them not being bothered enough about congestion on their network to prioritise resources towards relieving it.

Good to know.

---------- Post added at 22:16 ---------- Previous post was at 22:15 ----------



All 3.1 CPE can use 3.0 channels in addition to 3.1 channels. They contain both 3.0 and 3.1 modem chipsets.

3.0 CPE cannot use 3.1 channels for obvious reasons.

Thats what i said, your just repeating what i have already said regarding the Docsis 3.0/3.1.

Well not playing ping pong with you if in a few years time it dosent happen,(no doubt you be scouring around for examples).Then please re-ignite the thread.

Ignitionnet 21-10-2015 23:54

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804516)
Thats what i said, your just repeating what i have already said regarding the Docsis 3.0/3.1.

Well not playing ping pong with you if in a few years time it dosent happen,(no doubt you be scouring around for examples).Then please re-ignite the thread.

You have largely skirted around what I have said, choosing instead to talk about DOCSIS 3.1 overbuilds. I haven't in any way remarked on these beyond to point or that they don't help people with issues right now in any way, shape or form.

I haven't argued that overbuild and hub upgrades have been going on. I have explicitly mentioned both here and on VM's forum.

As far as the E6k goes these have been in for a while in many areas. The BSRs are an I-CMTS architecture and only capable of 12 downstreams. 'Upcoming' products VM want to install with 16 available, and I-CMTS are no good as VM are moving to a CCAP architecture.

The VoC project is behind a bit due to issues with Packetcable.

Writing in red doesn't change that without splitting nodes and adding extra channels all the work in the hubs does nothing to relieve congestion.

Go and tell someone who had been waiting over a year for a split that all this investment is being done.

The power and aircon upgrades had to be done as, without them, VM had Arris kit sitting there switched off. This isn't a good thing, someone missed that those were out of capacity and it put the E6k project a quarter and more behind.

No E6k, no capacity increases. Trouble is, these went in, took an she to get them turned up, then in some cases areas were migrated to them and still had no capacity as they were just that, migrated, with no node split.

Horseman has been moved to one but even with the advantage he had over others with test CPE he still sees congestion.

Right now I would far rather see splitting nodes twice and recombining them than the plant upgrades for D3.1 and higher channel count 3.0.

Ideally both at the same time while nodes are being swapped out and customers on downtime. 4 fibre in, 4 trunk out nodes are always cool.

---------- Post added at 00:54 ---------- Previous post was at 00:51 ----------

TL;DR a cock up was made, VM haven't caught up but released uplifts anyway, VM try to exhaust all cheaper options before splitting nodes despite usage projections indicating that will be inadequate, and VM still have a very relaxed attitude towards customer speeds at peak times.

ianch99 22-10-2015 16:50

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35804524)
Go and tell someone who had been waiting over a year for a split that all this investment is being done

Igni is spot on here. We have had a over utilised segment for 3 years and counting. Over utilised in this context is where the evening/weekend speeds can drop to 20% of the headline speed. Certainly not the worse example of over utilisation but wrong all the same.

I blame Ofcom here: they are not mandating any quality of service from VM. They should make VM reduce the service costs *automatically*, on a sliding scale, when baseline speed tests are not met over a rolling sample period. The pathetic advice "ring in and claim a rebate each month" is a joke. The rebate should be applied automatically until the associated fault ticket is resolved. That might give them some incentive to pull their finger out!

VM are also disingenuous is their remedial estimates given to users. They deliberately lie to customers in assigning fault resolution dates. The dates they set are strategic: not too soon to get your hopes up and not too late to make you leave. The dates are in no way linked to the actual engineering works needs to fix the over utilisation. This information is deliberately hidden from the end user and in fact, hidden from VM support in the cases I have had.

It is clear that with VM, the end user experience is not a priority. Their strategy is market led, not quality led.

sollp 22-10-2015 18:26

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Once more then, what you are saying is what will be happening as i have already stated, your repeating what i have been saying about investment, sure i haven't been so specific but it is happening and will continue to.

Ignitionnet 22-10-2015 19:17

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by sollp (Post 35804612)
Once more then, what you are saying is what will be happening as i have already stated, your repeating what i have been saying about investment, sure i haven't been so specific but it is happening and will continue to.

I'm sure the guy I saw post today on a fully ED 3.1 enabled area, 16 downstreams, high sub-split upstreams, enjoying sub-5Mb speeds at peak due to congestion, will be delighted to hear that.

I'll repeat what I have all along. The people who are experiencing congested services couldn't care less about upgrades for future services. Weirdly enough they just want their broadband to work decently at peak times and platitudes about massive investment are wasted on them.

I'm not sure which department in VM you work for but have you considered a move to PR?

sollp 22-10-2015 19:36

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet (Post 35804621)
I'm sure the guy I saw post today on a fully ED 3.1 enabled area, 16 downstreams, high sub-split upstreams, enjoying sub-5Mb speeds at peak due to congestion, will be delighted to hear that.

I'll repeat what I have all along. The people who are experiencing congested services couldn't care less about upgrades for future services. Weirdly enough they just want their broadband to work decently at peak times and platitudes about massive investment are wasted on them.

I'm not sure which department in VM you work for but have you considered a move to PR?

No thanks, happy what i do thanks get more pleasure from it

Rik 30-11-2015 21:09

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Hmm I don't have much of an option apart from VM looking at this lol :D

I don't fancy that guaranteed minimum speed much! :D

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2015/11/1.png

Ignitionnet 01-12-2015 03:21

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Well that was well worth resurrecting a thread silent for over a month for.

qasdfdsaq 01-12-2015 09:49

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
I personally was quite impressed by the audacity of BT to guarantee a minimum speed of zero.

ianch99 01-12-2015 10:52

Re: Sales/Oversubscription/Customer Service
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq (Post 35810909)
I personally was quite impressed by the audacity of BT to guarantee a minimum speed of zero.

Is it possible to have a provisioned line that cannot transfer data? :)


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