Need a different broadband provider

wildwestfan

This evening my internet access vanished. I have BT Infinity. I did the usual turning off the home reach box and modem, leaving them for a few minutes then turning back on. Nothing. So I phone BT simply to find out if there is a known problem and when I could expect service to be resumed.

The chap denied totally there was anything wrong with the BT equipment telling me it must be my device. All 4 of them failing at the same moment??

He wanted to change settings on my ipad, insisted this had to be done to get my service back. Now I am very untechy but how can changing the wi-fi settings on my ipad restore internet access to my wife's laptop and my PC?

Eventually I gave up and just waited for service to be restored, which it was without my changing or touching anything.

I can't have Virgin as no cabling but we do have Sky TV. i will phone Sky in the morning I think but I am a bit hesitant to have all my eggs in one basket.

macman

You can't switch providers without penalty just because you have lost connectivity for a few hours!
Firstly, is your landline still working for voice calls? Of not, then report it to BT as a line fault. Then retest the connection from the test socket behind the BT master socket split faceplate.
Don't waste your time asking BT for any meaningful tech support.
If it's a line or exchange fault, then switching to Sky would make no difference at all, since it's the same line and the same service (Sky fibre is just a resold BT Wholesale product).

duchy

Are all you devices connecting wirelessly or is your wife's desktop connected with an ethernet cable ?

If all are wireless try one with a cabled connection to confirm it is a problem with the connection and not (as the agent was implying) with the wireless. Then yep change the microfilter and go into the test socket (assuming the house phone does have a dialing tone)

Frankly though any BB service will go down if there is a fault at the exchange - as it is all working now I'd wait to see if it happens again before doing anything.

If you still want to move (and my biased opinion is that Sky's support is better than BTs ) you would only be able to without penalty if you are not in contract with BT so a lot will depend how long you have had Infinity for -however as you already have Sky TV odds are there will be a saving to be made in having an all in package so depending on how long you have left on your contract with BT (if any) it may be cheaper to swap without waiting.

Cycrow

wildwestfan wrote: »

The chap denied totally there was anything wrong with the BT equipment telling me it must be my device. All 4 of them failing at the same moment??

He wanted to change settings on my ipad, insisted this had to be done to get my service back. Now I am very untechy but how can changing the wi-fi settings on my ipad restore internet access to my wife's laptop and my PC?

this is pretty standard practice for technical support.
but 9 times out of 10, it is a problem with the user/device.

of course it doesn't really help if thats not what the problem is.

wildwestfan

I agree changing to SKY will still use the same line and be subject to the same problems but it is all in the support services.

The last 3 times I have tried to use the BT techy support I have given up as i am sure they don't actually know what they are doing and just reading from a checklist.

Normal internet service resumed eventually last night without doing anything to any device. Although this morning there seems to be a problem with the BT email service. there is a thread started in the forum about this so I am reassured that it is not just me.

ETA: I am out of contract with BT

JJ_Egan

You move lets say to Sky fibre and have a problem .
Who are they going to call out BT OR .
If you start from best CS then its Zen at a higher price .

I am going around in circles with a fibre fault Plus Net CS not that good . BT Open Reach who come out to fix the problem twice + 2 fail to show are suffering the age old different guy turns up with different knowledge .
Problem has multiple points of possible failure as well .
My next ISP will be choosen the way i used to pick them CS service first price and speed last .
But that gave me brilliant F2S sadly bought out then poor service followed by the brilliant Be sadly sold to Sky

macman

If you have Infinity, I rather doubt that you are out of minimum term. All the early Infinity contract were (IIRC) 18 months.
When you had Infinity installed you would have commenced a new 18m or 12m minimum term.
But if you need regular tech support, (as you seem to imply), why would you sign up with one of the worst providers in this respect?

wildwestfan

macman wrote: »

If you have Infinity, I rather doubt that you are out of minimum term. All the early Infinity contract were (IIRC) 18 months.
When you had Infinity installed you would have commenced a new 18m or 12m minimum term.
But if you need regular tech support, (as you seem to imply), why would you sign up with one of the worst providers in this respect?

I phoned BT and am out of contract. i have actually needed tech support about 3 times in the 2 years I have had BT broadband. Each time it was a problem with their equipment. Twice it was a faulty hub. I have had 3 of them now.

I have decided to give SKY a go. Contract is for a year so if I am not happy I will change again. IT seems very easy to do.They have really tried hard to give me a good package. BT offered me a decrease of under £4 a month as an inducement to stay with them.

Before BT I had broadband with Pipex or whoever they are now...they seemed to go through regular reincarnations.

macman

It's usually not possible to go direct from one LLU provider to another (i.e. TT to Sky). So let us know if the transfer is successful.

wildwestfan

macman wrote: »

It's usually not possible to go direct from one LLU provider to another (i.e. TT to Sky). So let us know if the transfer is successful.

will do. Hope it all goes smoothly otherwise I will have to camp out in MacDonalds:rotfl: