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[mjuk]

Theres very few lines still on fixed rate as nearly all ISPs have moved over to the BTw product set which has the capped rate.
A decent ISP would be able to identify a line that has been shifted to capped rate 'by mistake' by looking at the current stats and contacting the right dept in BTw to get it moved back.  Weve seen a few ISP reps on this forum do just that for their customers (Zen and Plusnet are ones that spring to mind).

Just coming back to you on this one; when I have been on the phone with VM in the past,  they have run off to their second line team to look at my 'current stats' and then coming to the conclusion that the line is not able to be moved/resolved - do they see something/more information that I cannot see?  I did notice at roughly 9.45am I lost connection for a split second on the graph so noise margin plummets to 0db otherwise stable at 31db - could this sort of thing have anything to do with it?  I would imagine it would have to be for an extended time but don't know enough about it? 

[billy171]

Billy171 - thanks for your feedback on BT... sounds promising

BT support is Indian based and is awful,that was the reason I left BT BB.

I am currently considering O2

snip //

I won't disagree there UncleUB ... BT first level support is run by contractors in India ... avoid them like the plague.
However the moderators on BT Care forum are all British and have all the necessary tools and escalation processes to hand, to deal with BTw .... and promptly.
I have used them personally on more than one occasion, with various issues, even changing vp's.  They are efficient. BT support does have a bad name, simply because of the Indian issues ... but an email to the mods from the BT care forum .... puts you straight in at level 2 support.   

[mjuk]

Good to know, billy171 - although now like the sound of 30 day contract so not locked in if not happy with the service.

On another note - My router stats arey going mental the past hour- my noise margin & connection keeps plummeting to 0... after being pretty much stable at 31db - it is currently pouring with rain and can hear machinery (perhaps lawnmower but surely not in this weather) - could it just be this & nothing to worry about or does this sudden movement mean I really do have an unstable line?? 

[coolsnakeman]

Well if you are on a DSL max circuit and it is capped it would be capped for that reason cause DLM has noticed a large amount of errors building and instability on the line resulting in the line automatically being capped. Question is have you EVER had a speed over half a meg since you have been with VM. If you have then your def on a max circuit which is capped if you have not then it is def a fixed line rate. Rain can cause problems with broadband do you know if you are underground cabling or overhead cabling?

Regards
Gary

[coolsnakeman]

And further on on that topic if it is a max circuit which has been automatically capped then there is a problem there that needs resolved by your SP. I am pretty surprised from an earlier comment on the high SNR. If that agent knew what he or she was doing they will know the router will read an SNR over 300 when it is just switched on or just come back into sync. If they had of run that DSL status check about 10 seconds after they would of seen it all go back to normal. Think VM should just stick to the fibre there tech support for ADSL sounds a little terrible if you ask me.

Regards
Gary

[mjuk]

I cannot say with 100%  certainty if I have always had 0.5meg as never looked into it in great detail before now but line has always been slow - been on their ADSL three years.  We have overhead cable and still pouring with rain. But wouldn't other people in the neighbourhood experience the same fluctuations if rain induced who happily have un-capped ADSL max?  Could it possibly be a router issue as the VM guy mentioned if i get the odd intermittent cut out (sorry just clutching at straws to understand why might be fixed/capped)? 

Whatever the issue may be it should be (hope it is) rectifiable and VM are not willing to help.

[HPsauce]

VM are not willing to help.

It sounds more like they are lacking in skills/knowledge.

Personally I'd suggest moving to PlusNet as they are fairly cheap (with short contracts) and quite good at such issues, though you will probably need to be patient and may have to open a discussion in their customer forums to get to the bottom of it.

Alternatively, if you want a serious quick fix and are prepared to pay then AAISP is a good place to go. If it is fixable they are not going to give up!

Other ISP's are available ......... (as they say)  

PS Did you say what router you use and who owns it?

[mjuk]

PS Did you say what router you use and who owns it?

My router is Netgear DG834G v. 3 and provided by Virgin

[roseway]

That's a perfectly reasonable router, although it's been around a few years.

[coolsnakeman]

My router is Netgear DG834G v. 3 and provided by Virgin

Good router and used for long lines also. I honestly don't  believe you should move provider cause your going to have the hassle of waiting on that being activated and going through there 10 day training period also so it may take you longer to get to the bottom of this as opposed to just annoying the hell out of VM. Get on the phone to VM one last time and demand to speak to a manager and have your case escalated. If you are capped on those line stats there is either a mistake that has been made or you have a problem with your connection. Also if you are not on a max circuit and a fixed line rate DEMAND they regrade you to a max circuit and DEMAND it to be done in 24 hours. Don't be soft with them this is how all other customers get there way and get things fixed you just need to apply some pressure.

Regards
Gary

[HPsauce]

don't  believe you should move provider cause your going to have the hassle of waiting on that being activated and going through there 10 day training period

I don't think any of that will happen on a normal (non-LLU) MAC transfer, but if it does it will by definition solve the problem! 

[roseway]

That's right, on a normal BT to BT transfer, the account moves with no delay at all. There isn't normally even a new training period; all that happens is that BT switch the link from the old ISP to the new one, and there's often an overlap period of a few hours, during which the customer can connect to either ISP.

[mjuk]

Well, good news (for now).  I called VM one more time last night as I am a sucker for punishment &  to get the facts straight so if I moved would exactly understand the issue. ie am I on ADSL MAX and capped OR Std ADSL & fixed etc.

As per ususal, he categorically told me I would not be able to be un-capped (as he just  read from previous notes).  I had confirmation that I was on ADSL MAX and capped & the guy then actually logged a ticket with BTw to look at & said would get back within 24-48hours.  Logged on this morning to find my internet surprisingly a bit faster... I have finally been un-capped!
  
I have been getting speeds from 1.7-3.0ish megs - couple of times up to 5.8 - 6.0megs. Does this now mean, I am on the 10day training?  I am noticing everytime there is heavy rain (a coincidence?) I lose Sync Speed & NM plummets to 0db momentarily so concerned may be capped again? Are my concerns valid or am I misunderstanding?

Current Stats:
ADSL Link Downstream Upstream
Connection Speed 8128 kbps 448 kbps
Line Attenuation 28 db 7 db
Noise Margin 8 db 24 db
 

[HPsauce]

Run a BT speed test and report back (erasing your phone number).
Leave your router on 24*7.

[BritBrat]

I would guess you will be on 10 day training, just leave router on and leave it alone.

Next time it rains dial 17070 (option2) and listen for noise, if it is noisy contact BT voice and report a fault but do not mention anything about broadband.

And if it is noisy while you are talking to them you are 90% there to getting it fixed.  Maybe you were on a fixed speed because of line issues/problems.