Change of Minimum Guaranteed Speed

[#1]

Hi All,

I signed up for PlusNet in July and got an estimated speed of 11-16 mbps and a minimum guaranteed speed of 10.2 mbps.

Over the past month I have been getting significantly less than this and have gone to check my plan on my account and PlusNet have reduced my overall speeds. I am now on 6.71 mbps as a minimum speed. 

Has anyone else had this? And is it grounds for ombudsman complaint?

Thanks for your help.

[#2]

Hi Stragolore

Same happened for me last year.

I was told that  (as of November 2021) "From now on, we'll be using Openreach's "observed speeds" as a measure as it's far more accurate than the way it was calculated before. ".

I suspect it's something that gets adjusted once your line has been running for a while. Not sure that you ever get officially informed that your guranteed speed has been amendeded tho.

John

[#3]

@Stragolore  Welcome to the Community forums

If your contract guaranteed speed is 10.2 then that stands. However if the line can’t support that speed then you are stuck with it.

Complaining to the Ombudsman will get you nowhere. However if Plusnet are unable to meet the MGS within a month of you formally reporting a speed issue then you are probably able to leave without incurring cancellation charges. Having said that any other ISP using the same network are unlikely to be able to improve on it.

Your first move should be to report a fault. https://www.plus.net/help/report-a-problem/

P.S.

Plusnet do not ‘reduce overall speeds’ within the upper limit of the product to which you have subscribed. You get the maximum available from the Openreach infrastructure.

[#4]

Hey there @Stragolore I hope you are having a good festive period.

As @Baldrick1 has said, we stick with the contract speeds and if Openreach have stated we are unable to reach that speed or you have an ongoing fault for 30 days you are able to leave free of charge. I can see you are getting below the MGS and the speed is 8 at the minute. What checks have you done from your side?

[#5]

Morning @willcutforth, 

Sorry I missed your call.

I have been checking speeds from BTWholesale, Speedchecker.co.uk and Google's own built in speedtester. I have attached PDF copies of my checks.

I am using an ethernet connection to my hub which is connected to the only active telephone socket in the property. Also Speed tests are run without any Wi-Fi devices connected.

I have looked at other companies to see what they would quote and it appears they are operating on the same BT Performance Tester report. 

There was a major system outage a few days ago and it has gotten significantly worse since then however the speed was still slow before the outage (but by only 1 or 2 mbps).

Thanks

[#6]

@Stragolore 

From your attachments it looks like you have FTTP available to you. To check put your phone number in here and look for WBC FTTP. https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL
If it is ring the Customer Options Team on 0800 013 2632 and see what an upgrade would cost.

[#7]

Just as one last check, there's no damage to the socket at all is there? Also, are you able to get it into the test socket at all?

[#8]

@willcutforth no damage to the socket and I don't know where my tester socket is but when the engineer came last time because of slow speed he deactivated my other sockets anyway.

[#9]

That's absolutely fine. When would you be free for an engineer to pop out and look at it for you?

[#10]

Any day this week. However If there is availability for tomorrow that is perfect.

[#11]

Couldn't sort out for tomorrow unfortunately but managed to book in between 8am and 1pm tomorrow, is that alright with you?

[#12]

Yes thanks. Got the confirmation text message.

[#13]

Awesome, I will get back to you on Friday to see how the appointment went

[#14]

---

@JohnofYork wrote:

I was told that  (as of November 2021) "From now on, we'll be using Openreach's "observed speeds" as a measure as it's far more accurate than the way it was calculated before. ".

---

@Stragolore & @JohnofYork 

There is something of a catch 22 and BT Openreach moving of the goal posts around the MGS metric.

The MGS metric used to be calculated on known physical and electrical characteristics of the line - its length, thickness and material (copper or aluminium).  Then on the basis of it being fault free and well maintained BTOR calculated the MGS.  Such has been the basis of all of the speed estimation models. See kitz.co.uk

In a paradigm of poor maintenance, lines are not performing to specification and calculated MGS are not being attained, giving rise to a significant maintenance work load.  Instead of fixing the issues, BT Openreach have moved the MGS goalposts, leaving ISPs to carry the can.

MGS is now based on the observed speed, not because it is "far more accurate", but because it removes the onus on BT Openreach to address issues in their infrastructure.  If a line has a fault and operates at a reduced speed for long enough to become observed then clearly that "speed observed in the presence of a fault" is likely to become the (now lower) MGS.

Having fallen below the MGS and not being capable of rectification (if BT OR engineers try hard enough), the ISP carries the can for the issue (looks like the ISP changed the contract metrics) and is obliged to let the user depart without ETCs.  The stupidity of that Ofcom inspired nonsense is this does not help the consumer in the slightest, as the next ISP's service supplied over the same BT circuit is not going to be able to offer any assurance better than the last observed speed for their MGS.  Ofcom needs to force BTOR to revert to calculating MGS based on what the physical circuit should attain, not what (in the presence of faults and poor maintenance) it is observed to be doing.

As ever BT Openreach plays with loaded dice which disadvantages their customers (the ISPs) and the end consumer alike.

It is to be hoped that once full fibre has been rolled out everywhere are the old metal based network has been decommissioned, that this MGS observed speed metric will be dispensed with.  Light travels at the speed of light ... or does not travel at all!