NTL BB Problems

[andy06]

To update from a previous point in this thread:

I rang NTL CS - well I got someone to ring for me from a landline - they checked the modem at their end and said it was malfunctioning; no response etc. Which I was rather perplexed about as the connection, at least for the first few days, was never constantly dead, it was merely fluctual. Anyway, I arrange a technician to come around in a couple of days, put the phone down and come back to my PC and surprisingly the modem is back on and the internet is working again. I think I'll have the engineer come around regardless because after being told the modem was knackered, it's a tad strange.

The net was still working fine when the engineer came around today. He checked the frequency/signal strength (I forget which) and says it is a little low and changes something in the brown box (on the outside of the property) from a three pin/baud to a seven pin/baud (it was a bit technical). Basically, there are 3 separate BB internet connections in the same property so 3 separate modems all passing via the 3 pin/baud/whatever thing, so he said changing it would help and after his tests he said my signal strength had improved. I was dubious, however, as the Internet of the other two people in the house had never been affected, yet as the net was back on, and had been for quite a while, I was happy.

Within an hour of him leaving the internet goes back down; fluctuating from the RDY light being permanently off and merely the DS light flashing, to the RDY light flashing with the others, but never staying on. So after having an engineer around the same problem that has cost me an internet surface from Monday has reoccurred. As I was just about to leave for home for the Easter weekend I leave phoning up CS until I'm home where I have access to a landline. I ring CS and receive a £10 credit on my account for the week's lost service - which is acceptable - and they tell me to ring technical support for the problems with the modem.

I subsequently ring tech support, they do a test and again say the signal isn't strong enough (something along those lines) and so I attempt to book another engineer appointment. Curiously, they ask me for not only my account number - which is all I was asked for previously to book the previous engineer - but for "added security measures" my MAC address. As I wasn't at that property that was unavailable he asked me for my DOB, subsequently stating that what I provided him was incorrect, he then tried to ask me for my email address password (which I refused to give and became a tad ... suspicious). Accordingly, he cannot book an engineer appointment until I have at least given him a MAC address, which means going back to the property which is a considerable distance away (being home for Easter), and having to once again ring Tech support. Is this 'added security' normal bearing in mind only yesterday I rang for the previous appointment of an engineer and wasn't asked for anything other than the account number?

Consequently, I have decided to cancel the BB service a month earlier than I was intending to, as the service, in both internet and support, this past week has been dire to put it lightly. But now, as I need to give 30 days notice of cancellation I will not have any internet service unless I once again ring tech support and attempt to arrange an engineer's visit around my study, subsequently wasting more money on the mobile, and I very much doubt they'd credit me the final month's lack of service.

Do any of you know what the problem could be, and is it normal for tech support to not be satisfied with merely the account number once address etc has been confirmed?