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[waltergmw]

Gentlefolk,

I know I've only been talking to BT's call centre scriptwriters, but I am quite astonished that they are authorised to propagate completely false statements.

I was helping yet another unfortunate this afternoon and discovered from the BT Speedtester that the line was capped as the resulting text window just provided the text:-

".... downloaded a 1.7 Mb file at a speed of 451 kilo bits per second, .....

Rather than the green coloured worm and the data on IP profile etc.

I confirmed that the line was capped using my 2Wire 2700 HGV modem showing the Downstream rate cap as 576 Kbps and a Max 1 rate of 872 Kbps.

I then spent the next 45 minutes, including TWO cut-offs, talking to four different BT Operatives.
I carefully explained to one that I wanted the rate cap removed but was told that BT do not cap speed rates and the speed achieved was the maximum which the line will support.
This statement is blatantly untrue. I can accept in a few cases that capping an unstable line can achieve a more reliable connection but why are BT still making such statements ?

Having plenty of examples nearby that are performing better we shall book a BT Broadband fault and have the line investigated.
I shall ask the field engineer to remove the rate cap after the line has been improved.
If that won't work I'm afraid I have no other option than to ask for a MAC so the user and I can talk to O2's LLU faultfinding team.

Kind regards,
Walter

[UncleUB]

BT's (no doubt Indian) call centres.......this was why I left BT,totally useless.They haven't a clue what to do once they are removed from the comfort of their scripted support pages. 

I'm now with O2 LLU and very happy.......UK support staff that know their stuff. 

[waltergmw]

@ Unc,

I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments but perhaps we need to allow for the differences in world cultures.

Shall we say that I had a very robust conversation with a gentleman who was probably of Caucasian origin.
All the other operatives had accents that were not Caucasian and might probably have been of Asian origin.
However they were all extremely polite and were doing their best to be helpful.
I believe that some of the latter have a little difficulty in admitting that they do not understand the question and insist on going through a fault tracing procedure.
One actually insisted that I talk with BT's business fault-finding team as I had a BT Business hub connected !
I.e. his modem crib-sheet listed the 2Wire 2700 with the instruction to tell the caller to re-dial the business fault-finding team.
Knowing that would be futile I had to re-connect the Belkin FSD8633 in order to continue the conversation with him.
We achieved the only end result possible which was for him to state that he was unable to diagnose the fault and that we needed a site visit.
I live in hope that I can speak to the BT O engineer face to face to demonstrate that indeed the line is capped and ask that he instructs his BT W colleagues to remove the cap if he is not permitted to do so himself.

I have a very strong suspicion that the Caucasian knew he was lying through his teeth and indeed told me his supervisor would make the same statement again !

(I also believe that some of the BT broadband domestic fault-finding teams are UK located, but that in itself does not change the dynamics !)

The end result of all these procedures is a gross waste of BT's resources and my time and patience which is a most unsatisfactory situation.
Very sadly this situation will not be changed before BT's arcane procedures are given a radical review and restructuring.
If you want to study the subject just try to comprehend how a Communications Provider has to interface with this Juggernaut when attempting to install a FTTC system !

Here endeth, with apologies, one of the first lessons in dealing with our guardians of the local access network and their wholesale and retail colleagues !

For more examples just try reading

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/home.do

and compare that with the real situation.

Kind regards,
Walter

[waltergmw]

I'm sorry to report the whole exercise was completely futile. The line still has some noise on it and BT have not removed the rate cap.

We now have little option but to MAC to an O2 service.

I am baffled by this approach on a BT retail broadband line when a BT wholesale line (Via Zen) can be changed in under 12 hours and returned immediately if necessary.
We did precisely that when trying to improve the Zen line by requesting a capped ADSL Max service. The modem refused to sync at all so we returned to the status quo ante.

Kind regards,
Walter