MSE News: Broadband speeds not up to advertising claims

devilchef

Would these companies be in breach of their terms and conditions and if so would the consumer be able to claim compensation?

Paul_Herring

devilchef wrote: »

Would these companies be in breach of their terms and conditions and if so would the consumer be able to claim compensation?

No, and no.

kwikbreaks

devilchef wrote: »

Would these companies be in breach of their terms and conditions and if so would the consumer be able to claim compensation?

There is never an SLA on consumer broadband so you won't be able to get compensation. Some ISPs will let a customer leave while still in contract without paying any penalty if given enough grief - it works out cheaper for them. Of course moving ISP doesn't improve the line or internal wiring so frequently the problem just moves with the customer to the new ISP.

The ISP has no control over what sync speed a phone line can deliver. If there actually is a fault then a good one will be better at getting BT OpenReach to fix it. A good one will also deliver actual downloads closer to what the sync speed can support.

The most frequent cause of problems is the internal telephone wiring and spending a little time researching how to improve it would benefit lots of people. It would probably take less of their time than phoning the generally useless ISP support departments too.

mike_phillips_3

I am 'orchestrating' an effort to improve broadband in a rural 'slow with not-spots' county location, with good support from the county council and our MP, and indeed the fibre man at BTOpenreach.

Some observations:

OfCom apparently are thinking of asking the ASA to 'investigate' broadband contract selling. I wish then luck. When I asked the ASA over a year ago they told me I needed to contact OfCom:(

I liken our situation to someone paying a coal merchant for 10 bags of coal but being told he can only deliver 2 because "The track to your house is too small for my lorry. "You need to speak to your track owner". Track owner says "You need to speak to your coalman"

In my opinion the whole telephone system was badly privatised and the fixed network SHOULD have been kept as a national asset so that the badly needed improvements could have been 'directed' instead of relying on commercial returns which is what BT and any other provider looks for.

I have had a rant at OfCom who have only a 'Voluntary Code' for ISPs which to me seems a nonsense as they are supposed to regulate, and not rely on goodwill. My suggestion was that ISPs should only be allowed to charge a reduced price for the speed they can deliver - this is simply determined by them through the customer's phone number. With the threatened loss of income this should drive them to insist BT do the same to them and thus provide the incentive for BT to do something. OfCom's initial reply (a standard 'boilerplate' letter) did not address my points at all so I have written again.

We, like many, are plagued by 'copper' distance from an 8mb exchange and one of the things I was sorry to hear was that even if our 'parent' exchange went to ADSL2+ at 20mb, the line drop is such that after about 3-4km the received speeds here will be almost the same as from the 8mb supply.

I really do not think that the coalition have actually got their electronic ducks in a row on their 'new' broadband initiative and unless they actually grip BT and force some action, a vast swathe of rural areas will suffer for years while densely populated (and therefore profitable) areas speed steadily onwards and villages like ours will have to seek alternative fragmented solutions which will merely clutter and complicate any eventual national network.