Help please before I get a huge BT bill re internet problems

pseudopensioner

Brief as I can

Been a BT internet customer for 11 yrs for internet, various guises, BT Yahoo Plus dial up broadband is the current connection.

No real problems till I moved house in May -200 miles-, since the move I can access (connect ) during the hrs 7am to 7pm with minimal problems, beyond that, it is virtually impossible to connect between 7pm and 7am.

Emailed BT and explained situation, at their request I have run all checks possible, connected ADSL Router to main socket as suggested by BT which showed no connection posssible at that time ( different evening times).

One thing which made me laugh, rather cynically I admit,

BT Lady Teccie person.."Can we clean up your computer by remote access?"

Me "Not really cos I CANNOT CONNECT to the internet" :mad:

Telephone not a problem at any time!

SOooooo, BT Engineer to come on Monday.

How do I ensure I don't get 'ripped' off and billed uneccessarily?

Any help appreciated.

Conor_3

You shouldn't get billed for any work on their network. Sadly, you'll still have to pay the monthly subscription as all ISPs have a "get out" clause in the Terms and Conditions which basically says they cannot guarantee service levels.

pseudopensioner

I haven't a problem with paying the subscription, althought the service at present is very poor.

What I do not want is a bill for the telephone connection, which is fine!! to enable me to have a decent internet connection.

gorblimeyguvnor

Would check here http://www.dslzoneuk.net/distance.php and see how far from your exchange you are. My "crow flies" is 1.44 km but actual is 4.4 km, much over 5km and expect problems.

pseudopensioner

3.5km according to that site gorblimey which I think is about right.

Will watch on here until the green light on the modem starts flickering and then, no access! LOL

pseudopensioner

Very nice BT engineer came this am.

Apparently exchange is approx 4.5kms away and that distance will only support a 1Mb service not the 2Mb that I am on?.

So, they will reduce the service to 1Mb or a variable rate which will give me more stability.

Don't know if that means 1 glass of wine instead of 3

He says I shouldn't notice the system working any slower, but I SHOULD have internet access between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

And most importantly, no charge for him coming to see me:j

gorblimeyguvnor

Putting you on a fixed rate service is what would happen if your line is very long, it does increase stability at the cost of speed. I have seen it mentioned elsewhere that you would get a free visit from bt in the case of long lines - the system works!
At least you have a working service of sorts.

pseudopensioner

Thanks corblimeyguvnor,

I will much prefer a system where I can access the internet at 'most' times, albet with a slower speed.

My question now, is worth upgrading to BT Total Broadband (daughter's company will be paying!)?

Will there be any benefits at all?

gorblimeyguvnor

Don't know for sure but as bt total broadband is an upto 8 meg service you might end up back at square one with dropping connections. You would have to confirm that your "fixed rate" service is compatible and/or what options are open to you.
Try here and see what you get for starters.

amonra

If you are about 4Km to 5Km from the exchange then you should manage to get a 2MB service, depends on the state of the line. It wont matter if you are "Up to 8Mb" or not, you still wont get more than about 2 Mb on a good day with the wind behind you.
I speak from experience, I'm about the same distance as you from my exchange and get a fairly dependable 2Mb. If you are losing it after 7pm then something local is affecting your service. Check for street lights coming on, central heating boiler firing up, look for ANYTHING electrical that switches in at that time. (including your neighbours). Good luck.

gorblimeyguvnor

Irrespective of the upto 8 meg bit the OP might get the other bt total broadband stuff like router, bt vision, free calls etc. but with his fixed rate service instead.
What he doesn't want to happen is being put back on the adslmax service again and suffer the evening disconnections for the sake of the add-ons.
Fixed rate adsl less susceptable to noise/interference than rate adaptive adslmax, more suited to longer lines albeit the fastest speed is 2 meg.