New issue - poor connection on smart hub2

[licquorice]

If the problem is at the PPP layer, it is not due to anything caused by Openreach at the physical layer

[DHC123]

Interesting as that is the message I have received too via the fault finder on re the previous hub and the current one.

There has been an internet company locally laying new cables and we’ve had mail shots through the door about a new service.  I do wonder whether they have somehow disturbed something.  Could just be coincidence of course.

I discovered today that my “landline” also doesn’t work.  I hardly use it but picked it up to use whilst I was waiting for Bt to call me back on my mobile.   I  was just getting an engaged tone .  Numerous attempts to re-pair it to the hub didn’t work.

I must now have spent at least 5 hours on the phone to BT since this problem started   They have now agreed to send an engineer but today’s problem was that their system was not letting them book engineer visits   Someone was supposed to have finally done it and he said I would receive a text in half an hour to confirm.   Which I haven’t received so I’m not convinced the visit has been booked  

Will wait and see what this week brings!   

[DHC123]

I’ve also been through the power cycle process numerous times with them and it makes no difference.  Today the operator told me he’d fixed the issue and told me to log on to a website.  I tried BT but couldn’t get to the page as the connection dropped again just after being told it was all fixed and fine!  

[JohnD416]

What is the best way to report the problem? Write the CEO?

[DHC123]

@JohnD416 

The problem I seem to have is worse than yours if that’s any comfort as my connection drops multiple times a day.  I would say at least 6 if not more.

I really don’t know how to complain in a way that would yield any results.  I’ve been told that complaining would be pointless as a manager would tell me I need boosters (which I haven’t received never previously needed in 10 years in the house).  However I have received an email with a complaint reference number so maybe something is happening…

I too paid for FTTP and now wondering why I bothered.  My neighbour who doesn’t have it says his internet is fine.

I’ve actually defended BT in the past and said I know it’s not the cheapest on the market but the support is there when needed   I’m having to revise my opinion after this painful experience.

I think as you say taking people through the same protocol numerous times when it demonstrably does not solve the problem is very poor .

[imjolly]

@DHC123   @JohnD416 

Try contacting customer resolution using email in link and that will get you to executive level complaints so take up your complaint

https://www.bt.com/content/dam/bt/help/complaints/Complaints_Code_of_Practice.pdf

[JohnD416]

Thank you @imjolly !  Executive Complaints put things right.  The trick is finding the route to them.  Thank you for the link!

Regards,  John

PS. The BT Diagnostic Bot is a useful - AND Speedy - facility to get your service back.

[DHC123]

@imjolly 

Thank you for providing the link to the complaints process.   

[universalrainbow1]

I have this exact issue from this exact date. Its ongoing / getting worse and have had engineers etc out but nothing improved. Did you find a resolution?

[DHC123]

@universalrainbow1 

It was a long saga.   An open reach engineer came out on 23/12.   At one point things got worse as he was on the phone to someone in their support team in India who actually did something to the hub that meant we had no internet at all.   He went and sat in his van on his mobile for ages.  Someone else in India had to rebuild the hub so we then had internet again.   Engineer said wiring in box outside “was a bit of a mess”.    Whatever he did has resulted in increased speeds and touch wood since his visit the dropping out has stopped.  However I haven’t run the diagnostic tool since as given I don’t have the problem at the moment I don’t want to stress myself any more if it still says the connection is poor  

I now think that the problem wasn’t caused by the other company laying cables.  That was probably just coincidence 

However I don’t really know what was the exact cause which is a bit frustrating as it seemed to start for no apparent reason   

For me what it has shown is this “disaggregated” service where the ISP and Open reach are separate companies doesn’t work for the customer as no-one “owns” the problem end-to-end.   At one point I was showing the engineer the result of the Smart Assistant and he was a bit dismissive and said we don’t look at that.  Which I get from a technical point of view in terms of what their area of responsibility is, but there’s a definite wall between who owns the problem inside the property and who owns the problem outside the property and it is left to the customer to fight every step of the way to get the right level and type  of help.

I had to start making notes of every call and the time each call took.   If I had done that since the start I think it wouldn’t have been short of 10 hours on the phone to BT  maybe more.  Some of that time was me being forced to repeat the same protocol with each new person I spoke to rebooting the hub which I’d done numerous times and made no difference.   A new hub made no difference (although I do think it was worth trying to see if a new hub would sort the problem as I imagine sometimes it may do).  

so in summary although I can’t pinpoint exactly why, since the open reach engineer visit it seems to have been more or less stable.  I am no longer seeing “internet restored” messages on my phone which showed it had dropped, and the same from my CCTV.   

I would look at the complaints link posted above and raise a formal complaint as that did seem to get things moving for me.   

I hope you manage to get it resolved as it is annoying and stressful.