[Grewer9]

Over Utilisation, the truth for the layman (I’m one of them)…..

VM technician just left my property after my reports of poor speed issues, especially during peak hours…What are peak hours ? Well, from my experience these are between 3pm to midnight.
I have been experiencing speeds up to approx 0.5MB if I'm lucky (supposed to be upto 20MB)

I can accept lesser speeds during these peak hours to an extent, but when the low speeds render it impossible to open web pages & impossible to play games on Xbox Live, then this becomes unacceptable,but not according to VM.

Before VM will escalate the issue further, speeds have to fall into their “unacceptable” bracket….Now, from what I have been experiencing, their “unacceptable” limit is no service at all, as according to my readings (the technician saw my low speeds) the inability to open web pages & the inability to play games over Xbox live is still (just) within VM “acceptable” limits.

If you fall into their “unacceptable” band, your issue will then be escalated higher up the ladder to a team with a new set of excuses & stock responses to keep you hooked…..The truth as I see it is that regardless how high up the VM ladder you go it is irrelevant….there is nothing they can do to give you the speeds you want during peak hours because their systems & infrastructure is simply overloaded…..Because “your issue” has been escalated to the highest echelons within VM, the customer believes that they are now being “looked after”….but you’re not…You’re simply being dumped into their “time buying” trap…being left “on hold” until they upgrade their systems & infrastructure.

We can’t have high speed trains running at the high speeds they are capable of and designed for in the UK because the rail network & infrastructure is too old and not capable of handling these modern high speed trains….well, guess what, it’s exactly the same with VM broadband.

The service I & you pay for was never advertised as upto 20MB, 30MB, 50MB, 100MB between the hours of midnight to 3PM & upto 0.5MB at all other times (you know, the times when you actually need it).

Simply put, the “servers” that we use are overloaded with customers and cannot cope with the amount of bandwith being demanded of them.

Customers using the older 10MB service seem to be relatively unaffected in the majority of cases, as these “servers” are being utilised within their usable limits, as the majority of VM broadband users are using the 20/30MB servers. VM are reluctant (will not) shift users back onto the 10MB “servers” as these are due to be “closed down” in due course, and of course because they are cheaper. Then in due course everybody will be shifted up to the higher bandwith servers (currently totally overloaded already)

VM advertise and sell us the higher speeds, we buy into it thinking we are getting a higher speed but in fact although your new package now states 20/30MB broadband, we pay more, but the service actually goes down instead of up !! We quite happily buy into the "bigger/ faster is better" idea, but in the vast majority of cases, us users simply do not need these speeds for what we actually use the internet for.....4 to 5mB would be more than sufficient....It's like wanting a Ferrari on the driveway, but only ever driving to the the supermarket and back. Bigger / faster is not necessarily better, certainly not in the case of VM broadband anyway.

VM seem quite happy though to keep accepting new customers and putting them on the already overloaded “servers”…then as the complaints of slow speed roll in, respond with their overly used stock of excuses & “time buying” answers.

“send us your ping tests”, “send us your speed tests”, “we apologise for the slow speeds, these are due to blah blah whatever whatever…”

Enough VM……just tell the truth, then let your customers decide whether to stay with you or not….You’ll probably find that a little honesty will buy you a little more customer loyalty…Your continuous stream of lies will not.

These “time buying” stock answers are doing one thing and one thing only…keeping the customer tied in to paying for a service that they are not receiving and hopefully placating the customer for one more week, one more month, until the “new infrastructure” is in place……

Things will be OK by Dec 2011 we hear, then Jan 2012, then Feb 2012.…the latest is now March 2012.…VM are hoping that all their stock answers & excuses will keep customers paying for their services until the new infrastructure is ready, then all users will be shifted to 50 & 100MB….but there are no official dates being offered, in the meantime its just excuse after excuse to keep customers tied in…paying through the nose for an “unacceptable service”.

Your choices…..well, you can stick with it and hope that one day you will receive the service you are paying for but currently not receiving, or you can move providers, although there are no guarantees that the whole merry go round will not start again, but this time with a new Internet Service Provider.

But please, please, for your own sake & sanity…..stop simply accepting the stock excuses being given….stop sending your “ping” & “speed test” results to VM…. You’re completely wasting your time….you’re simply falling into the “time buying” trap.

Detail you fault (response in 7 days)
Send your test results (response in 7 days)
Give it a few days to look for improvement & complain again (response in 7 days)
Send more test results (response in 7 days)
See, that’s another month VM have bought themselves….another payment from you, yet your service is the same or worse, more than likely worse as in this past month VM have signed up another 50 customers and dumped them on the servers, thus degrading your service even further….

And the “not so” merry go round keeps spinning & spinning…..No wonder we are all dizzy with it.

Anyway…. BT Infinity about to be ordered. This is one merry go round I no longer wish to ride on.

These are my personal views only .