O2 (and BE) connection useless, 30 days cooling off

terra_ferma

Hello
I've done some research and I have found that O2 (and BE) are having terrible DNS problems. My connection is useless between 6 and 12am, I phoned them and they did not resolve it, so I'm planning to terminate my contract as I'm still just within the 30 days cooling off period.
I can't risk being stuck with this rubbish connection!
(I might phone them again tonight threatening to leave if they don't solve it, but it sounds to me it's a big problem for them at the moment as lots of people are complaining!).

I am really ennoyed because I joined them after doing a lot of research and hearing a lot of positive comments! I had to leave Sky very reluctantly, as I stopped the TV service.
It seems things have gone downhill fast in the last few weeks, maybe they have been oversubscribed?

Is it worth switching?
Can anyone suggest who whould be a better ISP?
Will it be a big hassle to get the MAC code and switch?

Any advice is very welcome.

kwikbreaks

I'm on O2 and strangely don't have any DNS problems at the moment.

Having ruled out sky if you jump ship now you will be either going to the real dross LLU ISPs or ISPs reselling the BT IPstream product. Either way you'll very soon wish you hadn't jumped ship.

If your DNS is what is causing the problem then try http://www.opendns.com/ first.

It is possible to add their DNS servers to the O2Box but only through telnet so for simplicity follow the instructions at OPenDNS for coding their DNS into your machine(s).

Alternately install Treewalk DNS - http://ntcanuck.com/ for XP or older versions of windows

terra_ferma

kwikbreaks wrote: »

I'm on O2 and strangely don't have any DNS problems at the moment.

Having ruled out sky if you jump ship now you will be either going to the real dross LLU ISPs or ISPs reselling the BT IPstream product. Either way you'll very soon wish you hadn't jumped ship.

If your DNS is what is causing the problem then try http://www.opendns.com/ first.

It is possible to add their DNS servers to the O2Box but only through telnet so for simplicity follow the instructions at OPenDNS for coding their DNS into your machine(s).

Alternately install Treewalk DNS - http://ntcanuck.com/ for XP or older versions of windows

Sorry kwik, but I can't follow your argument.
Why would I go to a worse ISP? My plan is to go to a better, more reliable one. Unless you are saying that O2 are the best and everyone else is crxp? I've found too many complaints on various forums to really believe that now.
I hear lots of good things buy nothing has materialised!
And I'm not sure why I would have to go through the hassle of using a proxy if they can't make my BB work?

PS I forgot: they give you a crxp router....

macman

Are you on O2 LLU or O2 Access? Lots of problems on Access, but the LLU products are good. Two very different things, and 99% of the forum woes relate to Access.

ACDeag

terra_ferma wrote: »

Hello
I've done some research and I have found that O2 (and BE) are having terrible DNS problems. My connection is useless between 6 and 12am, I phoned them and they did not resolve it, so I'm planning to terminate my contract as I'm still just within the 30 days cooling off period.
I can't risk being stuck with this rubbish connection!
(I might phone them again tonight threatening to leave if they don't solve it, but it sounds to me it's a big problem for them at the moment as lots of people are complaining!).

I am really ennoyed because I joined them after doing a lot of research and hearing a lot of positive comments! I had to leave Sky very reluctantly, as I stopped the TV service.
It seems things have gone downhill fast in the last few weeks, maybe they have been oversubscribed?

Is it worth switching?
Can anyone suggest who whould be a better ISP?
Will it be a big hassle to get the MAC code and switch?

Any advice is very welcome.

What exchange are you on? As said earlier it could be that you are using O2 Access which is really the BT service being resold, if you don't have any LLU suppliers you may find the same problem with all the other ISPs.

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php will tell you which LLU suppliers are available on your exchange.

DatabaseError

There are 2 O2 broadbands, LLU which is reputedly excellent, alongside sky LLU as the UKs best non-cable providers, and Access which is a rebranded BT product and a bit rubbish...well, a LOT rubbish!
Whichever you're on, OpenDNS is a good idea, I've used it with every ISP.

terra_ferma

macman wrote: »

Are you on O2 LLU or O2 Access? Lots of problems on Access, but the LLU products are good. Two very different things, and 99% of the forum woes relate to Access.

I have LLU.
The problems apply to both. There are posts on the o2 and thinkbroadband forums about the increase in DNS problems for LLU users very recently:
http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/o2/3744474-dns-troubles-again.html

Also:
http://forum.o2.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=30960&highlight=dns
http://forum.o2.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=28727&highlight=dns
http://forum.o2.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=30700&highlight=dns

kwikbreaks

terra_ferma wrote: »

Unless you are saying that O2 are the best and everyone else is crxp?

That's precisely what I'm saying. The only two halfway decent cheap ADSL products are Sky and O2/Be LLU

If you are on Access as others have suggested then by all means try your luck elsewhere (all you'll need to do is ask for a MAC) but I'd assumed you actually knew what you were talking about when you said you'd researched it and included Be in your post topic.

Access is poor as are the majoity of resold BT products unless they have small download caps or use packet shaping technologies.

By the way alternate DNS servers are not the same thing as a proxy and O2 don't force you to use the router they supply which works reasonably well anyway.

terra_ferma

kwikbreaks wrote: »

That's precisely what I'm saying. The only two halfway decent cheap ADSL products are Sky and O2/Be LLU

If you are on Access as others have suggested then by all means try your luck elsewhere but I'd assumed you actually knew what you were talking about when you said you'd researched it and included Be in your post topic.

Access is poor as are the majoity of resold BT products unless they have small download caps or use packet shaping technologies.

By the way alternate DNS servers are not the same thing as a proxy and O2 don't force you to use the router they supply which works reasonably well anyway.

I won't bother commenting on the LLU/Access and not knowing what I'm talking about bit.... :rolleyes:

I think you used the right word here CHEAP, and probably you get what you pay for....
I was with Sky and never had serious problems, but the great offers from O2 must have attracted a lot of new customers and they may be struggling a bit...

It's nice to have £75 in your pocket and month free, but if the service does not work then it's a false economy.
It's their responsibility to provide a decent service, not mine to buy a new box or use a DNS 'whatever' (I don't know what it is, I'm not interested, I want a reliable BB and that's it!).

I don't know why some people react so aggressively, bordering on being insulting, when someone criticizes O2, I've seen it in several threads and it puzzles me.....

terra_ferma

I will give openDNS a go, as several people recommend it, it may help my problem.

Hope it works, but I'm still inclined to leave O2 before the 30days are up as I don't want to risk being without internet for the next 11 months.

kwikbreaks

If you are on Access (the ~ £17 a monthupto 8Mbps package which is not available from Be) then OpenDNS won't help and you may as well request your MAC now. I'm guessing you probably are because as I said in my first post I have no DNS issues using the standard O2 DNS.