Poor service from Post Off Broadband

[Yesideez]

Hi,

 

A friend is with Post Office for his broadband and his line started dropping at random times for random lengths of time, often for hours.

 

He was using one of those cheap phone cable extension sets so to eliminate this I wired in a dedicated extension line - I used to be an installation engineer so I know what I'm doing yet he's getting exactly the same.

 

We've been on the phone to them several times and they've admitted they can see the line isn't synchronised when the connection drops yet they're refusing to do anything about it.

 

The wiring in the street was replaced by BT a couple years ago so that should be fine. I've checked the wiring inside his property (from the master socket to where the line enters his property) and the cabling looks fine.

 

Any help on this would be gratefully appreciated and if we have to put something in writing if someone would be kind enough to give me a basic outline of what needs to be said I'd be even more grateful.

[locutus]

OK 1st thing is to be 100% certain it is not the router you are using or the internal wireing. If you have a spare router, set that up with your friends configuration, plug the router into a microfilter, microfilter into the master socket and test it this way. (probably be messy to do with power extentions everywhere, however it is necessary as if you get engineers involved and it is inside the property they will want to charge your friend!)

 

Now if the internet still keeps cutting out, you can be sure it is from the phone line, which is the post-office and BT's responsability.

 

Can I also ask, when your friend connects what speed he gets?

[Yesideez]

Thanks but we've already done all that, even had the router plugged directly into the test socket on the wall and the connection still drops randomly. I know it's not Windows as I've re-installed it after wiping the hard drive.

 

Just wanting to know what procedure we should follow to try and get something done as he's losing out on many bids on eBay (he's an avid record collector)

 

EDIT: Inside the property (or "on your property" as BT say) is slightly misleading as "your property" is everything AFTER the master socket. If it's the line coming in up to and including the master socket it's their responsibility. I think they word it like this to scare people into not getting engineers called out as easily to save them (BT) some cash.

Edited April 21, 2011 by Yesideez

[locutus]

Yes, everything after the master socket is your friends responsibility, Just double checking, have you tried a different router?

 

If the router LED that indicates the connection goes out, it is nothing to do with the PC side of things so defiantly to do with the supplier.

 

If he is connecting at a much slower speed than he should (check his phone number here and compare the speed he should get on his line with the speed he actually gets) then that indicates a fault on the line. Dial 151 for BT to investigate this.

 

If he syncs at a fast speed he may need the profile on his line changing for more stability (your friends supplier can balance speed and stability, this is called his "profile"), You need to contact Post Office tech support to sort this 0845 600 3210.

 

This is the Post office's "Code of practice" here which includes how to complain.

[Yesideez]

Awesome stuff - greatly appreciated

 

Only hardware we've not managed to swap out is the router as I don't have a spare one. I'm going to replace the connectors in the box outside when I go around with some new jelly clips as the current ones do look a bit old.

 

Fingers crossed...