Awaiting engineer visit, been sent the crappy mini hub........

[copthis1]

I find BT's claim about keeping us connected a bit of an exaggeration.  I have an engineer visit to repair my broken broadband. In the mean time I've been sent a mini hub linked to EE.  Having done speed tests, the speed fluctuates between 1.9 and 4.1 (That's when the poxy thing isn't disconnecting)., basically it's good for next to nothing.  I don't live on the moon, I reside in a large town close to Gatwick airport.

The help desk were as useful as a blow up dartboard and advised that 'I put it by a window'.......I then got an email saying my case was closed.

Just venting my frustration.  For the first time in donkey's years I'm researching Virgin broadband as a potential replacement.  😶

[rbz5416]

I do find the whole "unbreakable" thing totally bizarre. I can't think of another product ever that has advertised itself as being so unreliable that it needs a backup. "Buy the new BMW XYZ. It comes with a bicycle for when it breaks down!" 🤔

Then as you've found, the EE signal is a lottery anyway. In my area they'd be better sending a pen & paper...

[copthis1]

Another stupid advertising gimmick......Reminds me of the '72hr deodorant' claim......pointless and probably a slight exaggeration at best.

Mind you, I am 'connected' to the internet, It's so slow I just can't do f**k all with it............

[DavidM]

Hi @copthis1 and welcome back.

It's good to see you again. I'm sorry the mini hub isn't performing as you might have liked. Hopefully the engineer will get you sorted but if you're still having problems please let me know and I'll be happy to step in.

Cheers

David

[copthis1]

Broadband repaired at last.  Bit of a disaster, the first engineer wasn't qualified to sort out the problem.  They arranged to send another engineer the following day and three turned up.  After four hours our service came back on.  It drops connection about four or five times a day but is better than nothing.

The original fault was caused by an engineer who was working in the street the 'day the internet died' and who (according to the last engineer) had done a terrible job and left a few people with no broadband.

I need to return the cruddy hub now, does anyone have a link to where I order a returns bag as I've hunted high and low on the BT site and cannot find anything.

[Carlusha]

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@copthis1

I need to return the cruddy hub now, does anyone have a link to where I order a returns bag as I've hunted high and low on the BT site and cannot find anything.

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 It is my understanding that the "cruddy" hub is yours to keep for next time anything goes belly up. You must be really isolated to challenge the mini-hub so severely. 

My experience was superb - 2 TVs, 2 iPads, 2 iPhones, a desktop, a laptop and a ThinkPad all working flawlessly. In fact, I was so impressed I actually made a point of saying how good it was. We ended up with the mini-hub during a home move that was a little challenging.

Three cheers for the mini-hub from me!

[copthis1]

My 'well cruddy' EE hub arrived promptly.  Having no broadband, I plugged it in and eagerly awaited being able to get back online.  Imagine my disappointment to find that a speed test came up with a download speed between 1.7 and 4.1 and regular drop outs.  I called BT and was advised by the technical guru to 'stick it by a window mate' (Imagine a broad scouse accent).

I don't live in the back of beyond, I reside in a very large town three miles from Gatwick airport.

Furthermore, I fully charged the battery and found it lasted no more than an hour, so I believe this unit has been returned before and the battery well used.

There was a leaflet in the package advising the need to return it once I had finished with it. 

[Carlusha]

4g signal strength for Crawley is reported as excellent. 

By the way, leave the mini-hub plugged in and only unplug it for the night. You might try different areas of your home to see whether the signal strength is better in some locations.

Weird that you are expected to return the "cruddy" thing.  In our case, we were told to keep it. It is now disabled by BT and will be re-enabled in the unlikely event that our internet experiences a problem.

[PaddyB]

Hi @copthis1,

Thank you for posting. If you take a look at What to do with the Mini Hub once the fault has been repaired. 

"The Mini Hub is yours to keep as a Halo customer, so keep it somewhere safe. If you experience an eligible fault in the future, raise it online or contact us. We'll be ready to reactivate your Mini Hub straightaway."

Thanks,

Paddy