I've been with Orange since the Freeserve and Wanadoo days. I'm on an old £17.99 package which should be at max speed (Orange have told me this is 7.5 Meg) with a 2 GB cap. My speed at present is 0.5 Meg on average (thinkbroadband results) and I have been trying to find out from Orange why it is so low (no answers yet - I get the usual very polite Indian gentlemen on the phone promising the world but delivering very little). I know I exceeded my 2 GB cap last month, so is this why my speed has been so low recently? Now I'm into the new billing period, will it pick up? I noticed in my Livebox settings that the Attainable Download Rate increased from 1056 to 1824 kbps two days ago, which sort of ties in with my new billing period starting, but the Downstream Rate figure remains at 608 kbps.
I have considered upgrading to one of Orange's unlimited download packages, but on the page on their website which lists these, it states:
"Your current speed is 7.5Meg. If you move to Home Max or Home Select your speed will be changed to 1Meg"
This doesn't seem to make any sense as these packages should be "up to 8 Meg". Why would my speed reduce if I upgrade? Surely this is a downgrade!
I may leave Orange if these problems persist. If I obtain a MAC code, do I have to pay Orange for any months remaining in the year? I don't know if they work on an automatically renewed contract basis, or just tie new customers down for the first year.
My exchange is Chipping Sodbury and I think I am on the LLU system.
Well if the attainable was 1056 that pretty much explains it. You can't get much speed for the line and at that potential speed (which you can't actually get) it's not fast enough to get 1 meg. It'll have been locked at 1/2 to try and keep it stable.
My neighbour Three houses up is getting a consistent rate of 5 Meg with Sky Broadband. All our houses were built at the same time 15 years ago by Crest homes, presumably with the same make and quality of phone cable, connected to the same street cabinet, connected to the same exchange in Chipping Sodbury. Therefore, why am I not also getting 5 Meg speed? Tests on various websites tell me that I should be getting 4 Meg on my line given the distance of 2 km from my exchange. It seems to me that Orange are to blame - should I leave them and join Sky because of this?
I would be grateful if you could also comment on the mystifying statement on the Orange website that I can "upgrade" from 7.5 Meg to 1 Meg! Also, why would my Attainable Download Rate suddenly almost double?
Firstly with phone lines BT can sometimes do some very funny routing. Maybe half the houses there are connected one way and the others another, it can be very hard to tell.
Could there be a fault, sure but right now you have broadband that's working, showing the best it can get is under 2 meg with nothing to really indicate there's a fault. However the line stats may possibly hint at problems so if you can post them it would help.
Just remember all the speeds advised are estimates and there's no guarantee you'd get them until it's actually put on the line, which from the details posted is unlikely to be much faster even on Sky's ADSL 2+.
So many people, including myself, have left Orange and posted back on here since.
The story is always the same - faster and more stable connections.
I got 608 KBs with Orange (when it worked) and moved to Idnet who gave me 3.8 MB and now o2 (now Sky) who give me 5 MB.
Fair enough they do use ADSL 2+ technology but I am a fair way from the exchange and still achieve these fast speeds.
After loads of empty promises, half-truths and lies I've just about had enough and have decided to leave Orange because I am stuck on 0.5 Meg speed while paying for "up to 7.5 Meg". I formally applied for my MAC code on 22nd Feb and was expecting it yesterday (5 working days) but, you guessed it, it didn't come. I emailed Orange reminding them that they are now breaking the law and received this:
"Hello David,
Thank you for your email.
We understand your concern.
We are really sorry, but we have had some trouble creating a MAC for
you. A specialised team is looking into the problem and we will get the
code sent out to you as soon as we can. We usually aim to send the MAC
within 5 working days, but in your case this may take slightly longer.
We will be in touch.
If you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to get in
contact with us again.
Kind Regards,
Shveta
Broadband Support
REF:WOOBB"
Are they messing me about yet again? Who should I complain to about this? Also, when (if!) I leave Orange, will I have to return the Livebox? Lastly, does anyone know if I can keep my Freeserve email address and free web space when I leave?
I sent yet another complaining email to Orange last night and received my third "fobbing off" email today saying yet again that they were having problems generating my MAC and that I would have it within five days. Is this just a stalling tactic? I thought they obtained the MAC from BT Wholesale, so why would Orange have problems generating it? I complained to Ofcom on Thursday 6th March by phone and the helpful lady I spoke to said she would email Orange to remind them of their legal obligation to supply a MAC within five working days and to contact me that day to explain why they had not yet supplied it. You guessed it - no contact from Orange!
On Thusday I was told by BT Wholesale that a MAC from Orange wouldn't work anyway as my Exchange was LLU. They said I would have to request a "Cease and Reprovide" from Orange and lose broadband until I was up and running with my new ISP. Is this true? I though this was only the case if the exchange was "Full LLU". I still get my voice service from BT, so surely I am on "Shared LLU"? If BT Wholesale are correct, why are Orange trying to generate a MAC if it won't work? My new ISP will be BE Unlimited and they have told me that a MAC will work. This is all very confusing and stress-creating. I would appreciate any advice from more knowledgeable people on this forum.
Well assuming you're on LLU it's not full LLU, which would make what BTW said true. Unless they don't accept LLU MAC's in your area, no idea why they wouldn't as I thought BT have been accepting them for quite sometime. Orange have to generate their MAC's through a system that goes to BT, etc.
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