Madasafish Questions/answers (merged threads)

donglefan

Hi again Samara!
Sorry to hog the thread just now.
I am moving home tomorrow, BT new line activation tomorrow at 12noon.

Can I sign up for MAAF prior to activation, as the BT line is in the pipeline?
How many days between signing up to MAAF and activation of broadband?
Thank you for your time.

Madasafish_Customer_Care

Hi Ecologyemissions,

The info regarding the Premier account should go live on our website in early November. In the meantime, if you would like to move to the Premier (50GB product) please do PM me and I'll sort it out for you.

Kind regards,
Samara

Madasafish_Customer_Care

Hi Danielgodden,

Could you please PM me your username? I'm more than happy to review your account and try to get those speeds up!

Kind regards,
Samara

Madasafish_Customer_Care

Hi Donglefan,

You've raised some very good questions. Let me fully explain how this all works so you know what you're getting yourself into!

Please can you tell me whether you offer minimum speed guarantees on this service, as while I understand it's not always possible to get 8mb, I would not like to be locked into paying 8mb fees for a year at the speed daniel mentions above.

My answer is true for all ISPS that offer speeds up to 8Mb, so this will be applicable no matter who you go with!

The way that speeds up to 8Mb work is that the fastest speed that your line can carry (up to 8Mb) is provisioned on your line. On this service you should expect to get anywhere in the range of 256Kbps up to 8MB - however to get the 8Mb service you've got to have optimum conditions (ie. VERY VERY close to the exchange and a really good line).

Speeds up to 8Mb are a lot more sensitive to external factors then the previous 'fixed rate' packages. Things like not having microfilters fitted properly, the quality of your line and the physical length of your line from the exchange to your home will effect your speeds.

To maximise your speeds on up to 8Mb try to abide by the following:

1. Connect to the Internet via a microfilter plugged directly into master socket. Do not use extensions or extension cables.
2. Make sure that EVERY phone socket that is in use is fitted with a microfilter. Remember to include the sockets that you use for Sky TV boxes and FAX machines.
3. If you're using a Macintosh, please use an Ethernet connection and not a USB connection.

I understand there could be initial problems getting up to speed, but after that, do you guarantee a minimum speed on the 8mb service?

The first 10 days of the service there is a testing period where BT will test the line to try and determine what the optimum speed is for your line. During this time your speed should fluctuate and you may get intermittent disconnections. This should resolve itself by day 11 of the service. During the first 10 days I would advise leaving your router on as much as possible (your computer doesn't need to be on, just the router). We will guarantee a speed of at least a 256Kbps, most people get higher than this. If you are getting speeds of 256Kbps and you're not living far out in the sticks, I would seek troubleshooting.

The people who do get 256Kbps will most likely know this well in advance of signing up for the service, because this would have also been the max speed that they would've gotten on fixed rate products of speeds of 1Mb or 2Mb.

I am moving home tomorrow, BT new line activation tomorrow at 12noon.
Can I sign up for MAAF prior to activation, as the BT line is in the pipeline?
I believe that we can do a spontanous provision, but this has to be done at the same time as when the order for the new line is placed. As your line is going live tomorrow, we'll need to wait until after it's gone live and BT have updated their records to that effect until you'll be able to place an order online.

How many days between signing up to MAAF and activation of broadband?
For a new provision we say up to 7 working days.

Please do let me know if you have any further questions regarding our services or broadband in general and I'll be happy to help.

I hope your housemove goes smoothly!

Kind regards,
Samara

donglefan

Dear Samara

Thank you for your reply and kind wishes.

Having you here to help is a major reason to chose your company.

I understand that I might not get 8mb speed, but would not want to bother signing up for an 8mb service if all I can get there, owing to the situation on the ground is 256kb.

As it's a new area to me, I have no idea what the broadband provision is like in practice, but I have checked online that the exchange is enabled to 8mb and is located half a mile from my home.

Given the exchange is enabled to 8mb, are you able to guarantee a minimum speed on that basis?

Kind regards,

Dongle

Madasafish_Customer_Care

Hi Donglefan,

You'll need to wait for your telephone service to go live, but once it does:

To get a close idea of the speeds that you'll get have a look at the Sam Knows website. Enter your phone number or post code in one of the boxes and click Check.

On the next screen tick the BT ADSL box in the upper left. This will give you an idea of what speed it's estimated that you'll get.

Look for the text that says: According to BT Wholesale, your line should be able to support a [result for your line]Mbps or greater ADSL connection via ADSL Max.

Kind regards,
Samara

Quentin

You have discovered the MAAF "catch" - you have to sign up without knowing what the service will be like.

They only "guarantee" the 256 speed!

You could take AOL for a short while and see what speeds you get - they don't make you sign up to the contract until the cooling off period is over.

Then if you don't want AOL you can cancel without paying them anything, and go somewhere else.

They give 2 cooling off periods, and you can cancel during either of them.

They give you 7 working days from the day after the service starts and a further 7 working days after they deliver the modem to you to cancel.

Madasafish_Customer_Care

Hi Quentin,

On the first page of our sign ups, you enter your telephone number.

On the second page of sign ups, you'll get a reading of the speed that we think that your line can carry. If you get less than this speed after the first 10 day testing period contact us and we'll troubleshoot.

The irony with the AOL deal is that there is a 7 day get out clause, but you're still within the 10 day testing period during that time...so it's not really that helpful. Your speeds can be great for 9 days and then drop on day 10.

Also with AOL if you're getting 256Kbps and you cancel, there is nothing that indicates you'll get faster speeds with any other provider offering the ADSL MAX service. You'll just be switching providers for the sake of switching providers. It's a false economy.

With any ISP if you're not getting the speeds that you expect I would encourage you to contact your ISP directly to get them to troubleshoot before you switch providers.

Kind regards,
Samara

donglefan

Thank you for the replies Samara and Quentin

Although the BT phone line is not yet active, I have been able to use the checker.

ADSL is available in your area
Your exchange is also enabled for ADSL Max services

According to BT Wholesale, your line should be able to support a 6Mbps or greater ADSL connection via ADSL Max.

You are approximately 596 metres from the exchange (straight line distance).

Given this to be the case, what is MAAF willing to guarantee?

espresso

samara wrote:

On this service you should expect to get anywhere in the range of 256Kbps up to 8MB

Is this really correct? When I asked this question regarding a lower limit last month, the answer was 400kbps minimum. If this 256kbps figure is correct, then a 2Mb connection has a much higher minimum limit of 400kbps!

Does MAAF only offer ADSL max now, or can customers still have a 1Mb or 2Mb connection if they wish?