Fault fixing (split from 'ultimatum' thread)

[#1]

Quote from: Oldjim

I moved my phone to Plusnet because I had an intermittent line fault and it worked - when I reported it they bounced it between departments and fixed it - imagine trying to do that with BT retail on one side and Plusnet on the other

Wow. Well aren't you the lucky one? I'm still with BT. I HAD considered moving my phoneline to Plusnet but caller display was extra making it uneconomic. I also have an intermittent telephone line problem which decimated my broadband speeds. Plusnet TWICE failed to resolve it and caused me months of inconvenience. I took up the matter with BT directly (as I could since I was still a customer) and got much more sense. THEY can only find it whilst it is happening apparently.
My best guess is that you were extremely lucky and Plusnet, via Openreach, could isolate the problem because it was happening at the time. I wasn't so lucky and the intermittency has disappeared - for now.
Since Plusnet still rents the lines from BT then only BT can solve the problems - maybe Plusnet can exert MORE pressure when they rent the lines at wholesale prices but  that seems unlikely.Their service ALWAYS depends on BT lines rented or not? As I say you were lucky and very soon the much heralded Plusnet will be losing my custom. Someone else said "I've had enough". Well so have I.

[#2]

Hi Bewick,
Are you saying that there was a problem with the voice side of your telephone line that was causing your broadband speeds to plummet?
If so, that would always be the responsibility of the voice supplier.
If I've read that wrong, I'm sorry, but I wouldn't want to think that you were leaving us based on a voice fault that we have no control over.

[#3]

an afterthought. It seems that many people suffer "intermittent line problems". They certainly do in my village, and in the nearby town in the north east, and at friends and relatives in Lincolnshire and Derbyshire and, apparently many other places. The common thread is the BT infrastructure.
I may be railing against Plusnet but I also read people railing against Talktalk, BT broadband, and most ISPs. The ONLY common thread is the BT infrastructure. Just a thought and one which the ISP industry seems too thick to replicate.

Quote from: Jameseh

Hi Bewick, Are you saying that there was a problem with the voice side of your telephone line that was causing your broadband speeds to plummet? If so, that would always be the responsibility of the voice supplier. If I've read that wrong, I'm sorry, but I wouldn't want to think that you were leaving us based on a voice fault that we have no control over.

Yes JamesH that is EXACTLY what I am saying. Better I REPEATEDLY told Plusnet that I had intermittent "noise" (crackling and occasional lost calls) on my voice line but all to no avail.
The BT engineer who telephoned me after my direct complaint to BT totally confirmed that such a fault WOULD seriously affect my broadband speeds since the software would interpret it (correctly) as a bad line. Plusnet seemed oblivious to that fact.. The engineer told me that water and/or overhead lines brushed by trees  (and there ARE some overhead lines brushed by trees in my village) could affect my telephone line but they could only isolate the fault WHILST IT WAS HAPPENING - and it  really was "intermittent" so it would be pure chance to find it. I have been advised to ring 151 immediately when I next have "noise" on my line. That, apparently, is the only way they can find the problem. IF that is they are quick enough.
Be clear James, Plusnet, and all other ISPs ask upfront if there is a problem with the voice line. I answered properly.  Unfortunately your attempt to shift the blame just angers me more. The quality of the "voice" line affects the quality of the broadband. I HAVE researched this and the BT engineer most definitely told me that that was the case.
[Moderator's note by Thomas (Be3G): quoting fixed.]

[#4]

It's obvious to anyone that a poor line isn't going give a wonderful ADSL service.
It's only electrons trying to travel along bits of wire.

[#5]

Hi Bewick,
Angering you or blameshifting was never my intention, I'm very sorry if it came across that way.  Nor am I trying to suggest that we will have been completely without blame.
My entirely point was that if you were experiencing varying levels of noise on your telephone service, this would directly impact your broadband and if the fault lay with the voice side of the line and we did not supply the voice service, then we just wouldn't have been able to fix it.

[#6]

and did you ever make a voice complaint ot BT telephone, and if you did and mentioned Broadband, BT who are responsibel will try an wriggle out of it.  - they are the ones to take action if you have a noise problem, No ISP can do anything if the Phone supplier is BT.
I get my phone from PN, who rent the line of BT Wholesale, I route any phone errors through PN and would expect rapid results

[#7]

Quote from: Jameseh

Hi Bewick, Angering you or blameshifting was never my intention, I'm very sorry if it came across that way.  Nor am I trying to suggest that we will have been completely without blame. My entirely point was that if you were experiencing varying levels of noise on your telephone service, this would directly impact your broadband and if the fault lay with the voice side of the line and we did not supply the voice service, then we just wouldn't have been able to fix it.

Well that is very interesting James. You appear to be telling me that had I shifted my telephony services to Plusnet then everything would have been fixed more quickly. Given that BT told me that finding such an intermittent fault (all their, and your, checks said "no problem") depended on tracing it as it happened then I find your claim intriguing. Are you able to insist with BT wholesale and their contractor Openreach for telephony customers but not broadband customers I don't think so and I'm sure you didn't intend to imply that - but you did.
Oh Pierre - please READ the previous posts. I have been very clear.

[#8]

Yes you have made it clear, you reported a broadband falt to BT phone, your problem is a noisy telephone speech line problem, get them to sort it out and dont say anything about broadband

[#9]

Don't want to flame but you are talking RUBBISH. I complained to Plusnet about a degraded broadband service (like dial-up speeds or not much more) . I correcty answered the question about telephone line problems. Those were intermittent and not a main problem but clearly affected my broadband although, at the start, I didn't know that.
I spent WEEKS, two NEW broadband routers (one borrowed), and cables, with everything disconnected. the problem was still not solved. It improved after Plusnet arranged for a BT engineer visit. He replaced my master socket  (only 18 months old) and Plusnet and BT "tweaked" my settings remotely to improve speeds.
My speeds improved (but didn't match earlier settings) for two weeks and then plummeted again. I complained again to Plusnet and they started the whole tedious ineffective process yet again. I opted out.
At NO TIME did I ever complain to BT about my broadband speeds and if you bothered to read properly then you wouldn't find any syggestion that I did..
I did complain to BT about my then present "noise" on the line because by then it had briefly returned and I knew by then that a line fault affected my broadband. Plusnet failed to tell me that.
So Pierre BUTT OUT
adie:quote

[#10]

Bewick, two things:
1. I've moved that last post of yours from my ultimatum thread to this thread; I guess you must have posted whilst I was splitting out your posts.
2. If you continue talking to other forum users in that manner then this thread will be locked.

[#11]

Thank you Thomas. I realised that I had gone off topic but was following a previous poster
On the 2nd point. Well fine. Pierre is apparently allowed to totally misrepresent what I said and subtly call me an idiot but I am not allowed to respond.  Fine - I won't be posting again and with luck I shall shortly be with a more reliable supplier so will have no need anyway
dick:quote

[#12]

I did not call you an idiot, but in your second post you said

Quote

he BT engineer who telephoned me after my direct complaint to BT totally confirmed that such a fault WOULD seriously affect my broadband speeds since the software would interpret it (correctly) as a bad line. Plusnet seemed oblivious to that fact.. The engineer told me that water and/or overhead lines brushed by trees  (and there ARE some overhead lines brushed by trees in my village) could affect my telephone line but they could only isolate the fault WHILST IT WAS HAPPENING - and it  really was "intermittent" so it would be pure chance to find it. I have been advised to ring 151 immediately when I next have "noise" on my line. That, apparently, is the only way they can find the problem. IF that is they are quick enough. Be clear James, Plusnet, and all other ISPs ask upfront if there is a problem with the voice line. I answered properly.  Unfortunately your attempt to shift the blame just angers me more. The quality of the "voice" line affects the quality of the broadband. I HAVE researched this and the BT engineer most definitely told me that that was the case.

[#13]

I think I get what bewick is stating.
He reported an adsl fault to us. Despite indicating that he had voice problems, we appear to have failed to point bewick towards his telephony provider and continued investigating the adsl aspect without getting the voice problem resolved first. When bewick raised the voice aspect to BTR, the telephony provider, the issue was resolved. Thats what should have happened in the first place and if this is the case then we got that bit wrong.
I'm at home currently and not in a position to check the fault history, the initial report and our subsequent actions. Without those I cant comment further other than to say sorry to bewick for not delivering the standard of service we would normally expect.
I'll look into this in the morning and ensure any learning or retraining opportunities are delivered where appropriate.