The Poultry Keeper

Clucky · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 2049 Location: Shropshire

This is so not amusing!

protest

We have been using Tiscali for the internet for a number of years now and recently also included their telephone package. A while ago we noticed that our bandwith dropped off (here's the techno bit for techno people like Nigel and Steph Smile

) and connection for a while poor but at least that bit has improved...

28.8 kbps dial-up
33.6 kbps dial-up
53.3 kbps dial-up
56 kbps ISDN
128 kbps ISDN
150 kbps DSL
256 kbps DSL
352 KBPS YOU
512 kbps DSL

We pay for 2 Mb of bandwidth. We have emailed and telephoned Technical Services (somewhere over in their Far East division of Tiscali - Hey, I'm not being racist here!) with complaints and the last one sent was on the middle of March, which we got a response 2 days ago, which was inadequate so we responded again and got this.....its staggering!

debcat · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 8:03 pm Post subject:

I upgraded my tiscali to 8mb basicaly because it was cheaper to upgrade than pay for what I originally signed on for Confused

I must admit that it has got faster since, just checked and at the moment it's running at 7.7mb
if it hadn't been cheaper I wouldn't have bothered and would have shopped around instead

jaydee67 · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

What Deb said!

Clucky · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 2049 Location: Shropshire

Problem we have on top is that even if we go for the 8mb we won't get it or anything near it due to the local exchange being a couple of miles away too, thats what is so irksome, we pay for 8 and get 2!

nigel · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 6:20 am Post subject:

We're literally miles from our exchange [the local town is around 12km away and is the size of Bakewell just a lot less pretty and a lot more boring] and we get up to 24Mbs, on average around 19. We're considered slow in Swedish terms and Telia our ISP apologised we couldn't get the high speed connection. Later on this year they are rolling out 100Mbs into our area and we can join civilisation again.

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1122 Location: Clawddnewydd

100 mbs!!!!!!!!!!!! Why is it that we're supposed to be European (when it suits) and yet we lag sooooo far behind them in this type of thing!! Paris is on fibre optic cables and I think London is lucky to have 20mbs (I stand to be corrected if its faster!!)
I'm with Clucky on this Sad

I pay for 2mbs and am lucky if I get 1mb Twisted Evil

my computer has been so slow recently, it was quicker on dial up Twisted Evil

Here, its not a matter of upgrading, I'm with Sky and was told I couldnt have any faster Confused

Not green-eyed really Laughing

stephen · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 7:25 am Post subject:

If your telephone line is only capable of 1Mbps stable connection, I can't see how on earth it is going to be any faster when you pay more. If your telephone line is only capable of 1Mbps that's it's limit. The line you have just isn't a good enough quality!

There are a number of reasons why this may be. It may be a distance thing - you can't do anything about that. You can check that here. Sam Knows will then tell you the status of your exchange.

If your modem or router gives you some technical info, you can use the page here to work out what the maximum speed your line is capable of, and see if they are talking out of their hat about upgrading the line.

If your line is pants, then there is a magic word to use when talking to BT about problems with your line.

Fax machine.

You are having problems with your fax machine... BT have no service obligations for the line used for ADSL, but they do for fax. So if you have a problem with sending or receiving faxes *cough* then BT have to fix the line, which may involve them changing the copper pair they use.

If your ISP is talking pants, then it may be worth shopping around.

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1122 Location: Clawddnewydd

You know, its worth being a member just for this post alone Cool

Thanks Steph, what would us technophobes do without your technical genius Very Happy

NannyP · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 8:54 am Post subject:

Okay, first of all.....I HATE YOU ALL Evil or Very Mad

I am on dial up, too far from the nearest ADSL exchange, and no sign of that in the future Evil or Very Mad

I get 32Kbps Download, and 33Kbps Upload.
Okay, having got that off my chest.....

Tiscali also known as Alice (here en France) and I have a very difficult history. Their customer service is the crappest I have come across, they don't answer letters, but send letters with no connection to your enquiry, and carry on charging you when not providing a service.
Long story short....they didn't supply a service, I stopped paying, and after months of me writing to them in French and then English, they sent my "debt" to a collection agency and threatened bailiffs Shocked

Luckily, here in France, there is a Tribunal system, and we took all the documents to the Tribunal, and they sent off their paperwork to Alice inviting them to a tribunal 2 weeks away. 5 days before the said date, I got a letter from Alice signing off the "debt" and saying they wouldn't persue it. Oh, and they told me not to tell anyone Laughing

So, I immediately posted this news on the 10,000 strong French forum Laughing

Oh dear, and now I've told you....... Embarassed

Moral of this story.....do nothing with Tiscali (Alice, Telecom Italia), and if you have done something with them, keep all your correspondence and make sure they don't rip you off further Evil or Very Mad

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1122 Location: Clawddnewydd

Right, I have done some checking and I'm supposed to be on 8mb. I did a speed test and it came back as 1348kbps Confused

can someone please put this into English for me? I have no idea if this is good, bad or indifferent Embarassed

NannyP · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 9:30 am Post subject:

?1.3 Mbs

bronskibeat · Joined: 09 Sep 2007 Posts: 1122 Location: Clawddnewydd

that simple............. Embarassed

Clucky · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 2049 Location: Shropshire

Henwife · Joined: 31 Jan 2006 Posts: 2434 Location: Monmouthshire

I've read this thread with total bemusement and incomprehension. All I know is that sometimes my machine responds quickly and other times it does a mega sulk. Periodically a son appears and gives the whole thing an enema which invariably removes stuff I want, but what I really need is a book for the technologically incompetent which I can understand.

CP · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 12:24 pm Post subject:

I've been considering changing ISP after a problem I had recently.

I'm happy now Stephen has organised my own domain & I now have control over my emails again. But still considering which ISP to change to & it's a minefield out there, trying to compare like with like.

Our current ISP has a 1 month rolling contract (I think that's what you call it) but others make you sign your life away on 6, 12 or even 18 month contracts! What if they're rubbish after you sign on the dotted line? You're stuck!
I know there's usually a 'cooling off' period but how many problems make themselves know during this time?

One I've been looking at is The Post Office, as we also have our phone with our current one. Has anyone got anything good or bad to say about them?