O2 broadband - Any good?

carlessj

I'm considering switching my ISP to O2 as I have had an O2 mobile for over two years and they are offering their broadband packages at half price for 12 months (the length of the contract). They also say downloads are truly unlimited and say the speed will be as fast as my line can handle.

I spoke to one of their sales guys, who told me that with there "the works" package there is no throttling of speeds at all but with the other packages any p2p and torrent downloading is heavily restricted.

I would like some feedback form anybody who is on this package as to whether their promises about speed and unlimited downloads are true and how easy the switch over from current provider was if switched.

cheers
Jim

spike7451

I'm on O2 Works package & it is like they say,I've unlimited download/usage & a stable 7.6Mbps.
Been with them on the old Legacy package & switched over last year to the Works.
Only outage I've had is for a day & that was a BT line fault,although the Wireless box 4 is carp & I've gone back to using the Wireless Box 3.Other than that I can't fault it,although if you don't pay the bill within 7 days of payment due,they'll cut you off.They're very quick to do that,as I found out during the Ulster Bank fiasco.

macman

O2 LLU is a good service (though not as great as on the original legacy tariffs). 02 Access is dire-just a resold BT service.
Switching will depend which provider you aready with, and on what kind of service-it's usually not possible to go LLU to LLU without doing a
return to donor back to BT first.

yangptangkipperbang

I have been on a 16mbs O2 package for about 4 years - up until the end of last year I would have given them 11 out of 10.
Since then my download speeds have dropped from averaging around 12mbs to less than half that - at times it stops altogether. I cannot even listen to BBC radio in the evenings without getting "insufficient bandwidth" coming up.

I have a "samknows" whitebox which shows enormous variations in my speeds - but O2 deny there is a problem and do nothing. They NEVER phone back when they say they will - they just don't bother.
Their laughingly called Customer Service and Tech Support has to be the worst I have ever come across anywhere - if you think your bank/energy supplier is bad - try this bunch. Stick a red hot poker in both your eyes - it will be less painful than dealing with this lot.

Their attitude appears to be: "if it works, fine; if it doesn't work why should we bother?".

I note that many companies have a "company rep" on this site - why am I not surprised that O2 don't ?

macman

Is this an LLU or Access service?
Have you run the normal line tests from the master socket's test socket using ethernet?
If it's a line problem then it's down to your line rental provider, not 02.

carlessj

Thanks for the replies.
I'm not sure what LLU means, can anybody explain without getting to technical?
I've done a check on samknows and it says that I can get LLU at my exchange. I currently get my broadband from Plusnet but I'm not sure if this is LLU or not, I suspect not from looking at my account.

macman

Local Loop Unbundled.
What you neeed to advise is who the LLU providers are at your exchange, as shown under "LLU Operator Presence' on samknows.
Plusnet are non LLU, they are just a BT reseller (and a BT Group company).

yangptangkipperbang

macman wrote: »

Is this an LLU or Access service?
Have you run the normal line tests from the master socket's test socket using ethernet?
If it's a line problem then it's down to your line rental provider, not 02.

Sorry macman - I do not wish to sound ungrateful or b****y minded to you, but - I am sick to death of hearing the same thing - time after time after time -especially from the "script readers" that O2 employ as customer service agents. Please don't wind me up .............:D:D:D

I have reported my problem umpteen times, I go through the same procedure everytime, I get promised a call back which never happens. I start all over again - even though I have a "case" number I have to go through the same procedure again.............before they will pass it to their non-existent tech support - and give me yet another case number - I now have more numbers than ERNIE !

I do have telecomms experience - I know the problem is NOT in my house, it is NOT on my line. Other local O2 victims have the same problem, it happens at busy times, the same times every day. At 3 in the morning I can get 15mbs - at 6 in the evening, often zilch. Up until last November everything worked fine - then following 3 outages over a few days, which O2 acknowledged, it has been a shambles.

The last moron (I can think of no better word for him) asked me to disconnect my microfilter,
ME: I don't have a microfilter.
HIM: I want you to disconnect your microfilter.
ME: I DON'T have a microfilter.
HIM: I want you to disconnect your microfilter.
ME: I DO NOT HAVE A MICROFILTER.
HIM: (after a pause) You should have - if you don't, that is your problem.
ME: I have a filtered faceplate.
HIM: Oh !...........long pause..............

Stalemate - his script didn't cover that..............

I won't continue on that one - except to say that he said someone would call me back that evening - that was 26 days ago.

I really understand why people do OTT things at times when they receive "service" like this - My favourite was the farmer who covered his local bank with 4 tons of the same substance that he said his bank had been giving him for years !

...........anyone got a muck spreader I can borrow ?

ps: I am looking elsewhere - but they all seem to be pretty much the same, promise the earth and deliver nothing :(............

macman

So is it LLU or Access?

carlessj

thanks macman

Samknows shows that O2 is LLU enabled at my exchange.

So if i was to sign up with O2 this would be an LLU package, correct? and you seem to think this is better than access.

spike7451

carlessj wrote: »

thanks macman

Samknows shows that O2 is LLU enabled at my exchange.

So if i was to sign up with O2 this would be an LLU package, correct? and you seem to think this is better than access.

OOOOHHHHHH YEESSSSS......!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've worked in Second Line Tech Support for Sky,and we had nearly 3/4's MORE 'Off Net' (what Sky call 'Access' faults than LLU.
Thing is,at Sky (and I assume the same with O2) their second line tech support can log into the exchange,adjust profiles,speeds ect whereas with Off Net or Access,you have to rely on BT to fix the fault & do all the stuff we could do on LLU.