Virgin Media win at uSwitch awards

Originally Posted by Qtx

If they use top speeds as an indicator of how good a broadband is, then these awards are not worth the paper/webserver they are printed on. If they went by quality of the broadband, in regard to latency and jitter which make a difference to gaming, VOIP, streaming etc then I would expect Virgin would have been near the bottom.

However most customers don't use their services in that way and thats probably why its not a factor when they vote?

[Itshim]

Not sure how many voters change from one to another, So that means that have little experience of other suppliers they are happy ( I guess VERY) that they wish/want to vote. As stated I don`t use the services that QTX mentioned - In fact I have no idea what he is referring to. Given that my son & daughter have both in recent times come over to use my BB due to problems with theirs I can see why Virgin won. One is on Infinity & one Sky

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Top banana

However most customers don't use their services in that way and thats probably why its not a factor when they vote?

based on a combination of customer votes and speed test data from uSwitch.com

From the info given one could assume that they would not have won this on customer votes alone and the fact a uswitch judge had to decide this winner backs that up. My comment about speed was due to that being used in combination with votes by the judge. Ofcoms own independent findings are another indication that VM wouldnt have won this on customer votes.

I am sure there are many that value more speed in a quantity over quality type way. It would be good to see some numbers as there are plenty that have been brainwashed by adverts or sales departments into thinking faster is better, or that they need above 40Mpbs at this point in time.

I'm sure many just check the odd email and google a few things and are currently a big proportion of customers but that is changing rapidly with all the new services. Without knowing it they could be using VOIP (Think new mobile apps to make calls over wireless/broadband) or streaming Video on Demand. Not everyone understands how it all works but as they start using these and notice problems, that is when they will understand the quality part. Might take a year or two to happen, so maybe Virgin would have sorted out their broadband issues by then.

---------- Post added at 22:28 ---------- Previous post was at 22:21 ----------

Originally Posted by Itshim

Not sure how many voters change from one to another, So that means that have little experience of other suppliers they are happy ( I guess VERY) that they wish/want to vote. As stated I don`t use the services that QTX mentioned - In fact I have no idea what he is referring to. Given that my son & daughter have both in recent times come over to use my BB due to problems with theirs I can see why Virgin won. One is on Infinity & one Sky

I see a lot of people switching from VM fibre lines to adsl lines with other providers, simply to get a better broadband connection. Obviously slower but it shows that quality is getting more important than speed to some.

Originally Posted by Qtx

From the info given one could assume that they would not have won this on customer votes alone and the fact a uswitch judge had to decide this winner backs that up. My comment about speed was due to that being used in combination with votes by the judge. Ofcoms own independent findings are another indication that VM wouldnt have won this on customer votes.

I am sure there are many that value more speed in a quantity over quality type way. It would be good to see some numbers as there are plenty that have been brainwashed by adverts or sales departments into thinking faster is better, or that they need above 40Mpbs at this point in time.

I'm sure many just check the odd email and google a few things and are currently a big proportion of customers but that is changing rapidly with all the new services. Without knowing it they could be using VOIP (Think new mobile apps to make calls over wireless/broadband) or streaming Video on Demand. Not everyone understands how it all works but as they start using these and notice problems, that is when they will understand the quality part. Might take a year or two to happen, so maybe Virgin would have sorted out their broadband issues by then.

---------- Post added at 22:28 ---------- Previous post was at 22:21 ----------



I see a lot of people switching from VM fibre lines to adsl lines with other providers, simply to get a better broadband connection. Obviously slower but it shows that quality is getting more important than speed to some.

I agree with you on some points but why do other organisations make positive remarks about their service? Here is Netflix's view of how they rate VM in providing a service that delivers their product.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/49318/netflix-reveals-top-isps-virgin-media

[Qtx]

Originally Posted by Top banana

I agree with you on some points but why do other organisations make positive remarks about their service?

It's down to the sheer amount of fibre connected homes compared to other isp's. As the openreach rollout continues and more are switched from adsl to fibre, there will be less customers with silly slow speeds due to living miles from an exchange. Those fibre customers will be split across multiple providers though. Its a numbers game...

[craigj2k12]

Originally Posted by Top banana

However most customers don't use their services in that way and thats probably why its not a factor when they vote?

Most customers don't browse websites?

Originally Posted by craigj2k12

Most customers don't browse websites?

No, gaming etc

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Qtx

If they use top speeds as an indicator of how good a broadband is, then these awards are not worth the paper/webserver they are printed on. If they went by quality of the broadband, in regard to latency and jitter which make a difference to gaming, VOIP, streaming etc then I would expect Virgin would have been near the bottom.

"Strong cumulative showings in a number of categories - including a win for fastest home broadband and a strong showing in the Judges' Choice awards, has resulted in Virgin Media gaining the overall crown."

So winning one category, plus "judges' choice" meant they won best "provider"

---------- Post added at 17:22 ---------- Previous post was at 17:20 ----------

Originally Posted by Top banana

However most customers don't use their services in that way and thats probably why its not a factor when they vote?

So most users don't use any of:

Skype,
Youtube,
iPlayer,
Netflix,
iTunes,
Spotify,
Xbox Live,
In-game chat,
Facebook calling,
Steam,
etc.

then?

Funny how VM are also pushing their own VOIP app...

[craigj2k12]

Originally Posted by Top banana

No, gaming etc

Latency affects web browsing, thats the main use of the internet

Originally Posted by craigj2k12

Latency affects web browsing, thats the main use of the internet

May I suggest all you Sky customers crying foul, mail u switch pointing out the error they have made.

[craigj2k12]

Originally Posted by Top banana

May I suggest all you Sky customers crying foul, mail u switch pointing out the error they have made.

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

[Qtx]

Uswitch has a vested interest in making many providers look equally attractive except for a few distinguishing areas as no doubt they get paid for those switching provider through their site.

So in that respect I wouldn't trust any results that were not direct from customers votes.

Originally Posted by craigj2k12

Er, of what exactly?

---------- Post added at 21:27 ---------- Previous post was at 19:47 ----------

Originally Posted by Qtx

Uswitch has a vested interest in making many providers look equally attractive except for a few distinguishing areas as no doubt they get paid for those switching provider through their site.

So in that respect I wouldn't trust any results that were not direct from customers votes.

Wonder what u switch will make of your comments??

[tweetiepooh]

Trouble with customer ratings is there can be bias. Especially as people tend to complain more than praise and those who are OK remain silent.

This means that larger companies are often rated lower than good small ones. Things do even out a little so comparing equal sized customer bases will indicate rating better.

It's good to be on the winning side though. We just need to keep improving all aspects of the service and that does include latency and jitter. Focus will though remain on what most people (currently) measure which is download speed. As people utilise cloud services more then a more even experience will come to the fore.