First, a very short introduction, I've been a customer of Orange for many years, since my first mobile phone 12 years ago, and a Orange Broadband subscriber for Three years, at two properties, one in Great Dunmow (nice), and one in Haverhill. (I know…).
As a point of reference, I have changed all my RJ11 and RJ45 cables at least twice, filter Three times, I am using a wired connection, with the modem plugged into and filter, and that plugged directly into the master socket. I have no other devices on the line in my household, and no other extensions. I am approximately a stone’s throw from the exchange (about 30m). I’m running Windows XP, I have no Viruses or Adware, I run a lean system, and it’s defragged and cleaned regularly.
I have a fair technical knowledge of computers and networks, I have worked in Customer Services for 14 years, and I'm a dedicated gamer, both online and off.
This will be a tale of woe and frustration, but I’ll keep most of the technical bits until the end if you want to skip the boo hoo storey. Look for tl;dr: section.
My problems started around December last year, when I reported high ping and packet loss during peak hours. I reported this immediately, and was advised that since my connection speed (around 8mb at the time) was good, and the download rates I was achieving were high, there was no problem with my line.
I persevered past the normal jumping through hoops, various things were checked over the course of 3-4 weeks, but I didn’t see an improvement. I was eventually told my line was operating within parameters, and it was not an issue with Orange. By the end of these tests, my line had been downgraded to a 6mb line, and interleave had been turned on. I observed that throughout, my Noise Margin was in the region of ~16dB, and the Attenuation in the region of ~23dB I decided this wasn’t acceptable, and asked for my MAC code.
After reconsidering, to a degree due to cost, and some issues with changing my ISP to Titan ADSL, the MAC code expired, and I decided not to change. It was January by now.
Towards the end of January, I began to experience exceptionally high packet loss (around 30% to some servers) and very high pings, along with frequent disconnects at peak periods. I reported this immediately. They ran tests; I ran tests, night after night, for about two months. My Livebox reported downstream connection speeds of between 80kbps and 3000kbps, but averaging towards the lower end of the scale, and towards the end of this period, it rarely achieved above 150kbps. I also tested the connection on a Netgear DG834GT, which performed a little better, but the overall results were approximately the same.
Eventually I was contact by Orange Customer Services (as they introduced themselves, I know only that they sounded northern, perhaps from Manchester) and they agreed to send a BT engineer to take a look. I was told on each occasion that the engineer would call my mobile, and then call at my house during the agreed timeslot, so I kept each appointment slot and waited.
On the first occasion, there was no call. I called technical support after the allocated time, who advised me the BT engineer had visited, had found no issues, and closed the call. My line was working fine.
Performed more tests, 2 days later:
Customer Services contacted me to check my line was working. I advised I had had no visit, and no improvement. He arranged the second appointment for the following Saturday (I have to work :s). I stayed in, but got no call, and no visit. I called Orange technical support… déjà vu here… they did call! (right) And, they checked the exchange, and called by my house (uh huh), and there were no issues.
Great.
Performed more tests, jump through hoops. Confirmed same questions:
Customer Services contacted me to check my line was working. Advised I had had no visit, no call, and no improvement.
A third Saturday appointment was booked.
This one was kept. A BT engineer arrived at 0800, on the dot, and proceeded to perform tests.
- He found the connection speed at the entrance junction was 6mb, and there was a small amount of noise on the line.
- He tested the master socket, and found there was a small loss of speed. (6mb > 5.5mb)
- He checked the exchange, and found a gel crimp was decayed or not applied properly, and suspected this may have been cause of the noise on the line, he resolved this.
- He replaced the master socket, and this caused the speed at the master socket to be the same as the entrance junction (6mb).
After he had performed all his tests, he allowed me to connect my modem, and I checked the Livebox system information. I was connecting at ~6500kmps downstream. (\o/)
He informed me that I should see some immediate improvement, and the exchange would adjust over the course of 7-10 days, but it normally happens much sooner.
He left.
Now, when he left, I start running tests again, tracert’s, downloads, pingplotting, speed tests and monitoring my Livebox.
Since, it has remained at the same downstream connection speed (currently 6816), but I can’t download faster than 26kB/s. I still have high pings and packet loss, and the noise and attenuation hasn’t changed.
I have called Orange four times. Each time they wanted me to perform the speed tests, reset my internet explorer settings, check my other settings, and report back. I did this Saturday night, Sunday night, Monday night, and now tonight. I’m finally typing this as I have performed these tests each time, as asked, and called back dutifully to report my findings from various times per day.
As of now, I am expected to call back tomorrow night to report my findings; they are the same each time:
tl;dr:
Current stats:
http://www.speedtester.BT.com : The Performance Tester is now testing Broadband connection. Your configured download throughput speed for this service is 250 k
Please do not move away from this page and do not start any other download activity on your computer.
Then:
PT cannot perform Assured Rate throughput test , Please try again later.
I get this same result each time I try to run the test, regardless of time of day.
Code:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxxxxxxxx>tracert www.google.com
Tracing route to www.l.google.com [209.85.229.99]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
Reply from 209.85.229.99: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=247
Reply from 209.85.229.99: bytes=32 time=43ms TTL=247
Reply from 209.85.229.99: bytes=32 time=38ms TTL=247
Reply from 209.85.229.99: bytes=32 time=63ms TTL=247
Ping statistics for 209.85.229.99:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 38ms, Maximum = 63ms, Average = 46ms
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxxxxxxxx>ping www. Amazon.co.uk/?tag=orangeprobcou-21&camp=6&creative=6786&linkCode=ur1"> Amazon.com
Pinging www. Amazon.co.uk/?tag=orangeprobcou-21&camp=6&creative=6786&linkCode=ur1"> Amazon.com [207.171.166.252] with 32 bytes of data:
Pinging www.l.google.com [209.85.229.104] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 209.85.229.104: bytes=32 time=231ms TTL=247
Reply from 209.85.229.104: bytes=32 time=200ms TTL=247
Reply from 209.85.229.104: bytes=32 time=61ms TTL=247
Reply from 209.85.229.104: bytes=32 time=133ms TTL=247
Ping statistics for 209.85.229.104:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 61ms, Maximum = 231ms, Average = 156ms
C:\Documents and Settings\xxxxxxxxxxx>ping www. Amazon.co.uk/?tag=orangeprobcou-21&camp=6&creative=6786&linkCode=ur1"> Amazon.com
Pinging www. Amazon.co.uk/?tag=orangeprobcou-21&camp=6&creative=6786&linkCode=ur1"> Amazon.com [72.21.210.250] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 79.170.40.34: bytes=32 time=51ms TTL=55
Reply from 79.170.40.34: bytes=32 time=567ms TTL=55
Reply from 79.170.40.34: bytes=32 time=360ms TTL=55
Reply from 79.170.40.34: bytes=32 time=175ms TTL=55
Ping statistics for 79.170.40.34:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 51ms, Maximum = 567ms, Average = 288ms
At this stage, please request any further information you require.
I’m will clarify any points I haven’t made clear, or I may have overlooked (to my detriment). I’m pretty damn sure my internal wiring and hardware is good (as confirmed by the BT engineer), and suggestions are welcomed.
We have mostly all experience poor Customer Service from Orange, from broken English, poor voice lines to Technical Support, lack of commitment to improving their service, failed call backs, inability to read the notes on our accounts, repetitive request scenarios, obtuse attitudes and rude manners.
But I want to look past all that as: All I want [for last Christmas] is a working Broadband connection.
The floor, ladies and gentlemen is open:
Last edited by DISC0 on Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
I'm afraid I can't offer any help, but I think something similar has happened to my upstream.
Before a few days ago I could get a steady upload speed of around the region of 25-36kB/s, however, now I only achieve a maximum of 5kB/s. The system information page for my Livebox still reports I'm getting 36kB/s (288Kbps) upstream, but my PC gets nothing more then 5kB/s.
I'm on a wired connection to my Livebox and my PC was built from scratch just before last Christmas. My download speed has remain the same, peaking at around 57-58kB/s.
I can't understand your problem though, there is no logic to it. It appears Orange can screw up a completely flawless connection. I am amazed you seem so calm, I dare not think what I would do in your situation.
_________________ Orange = ISP
ISP = Internet Service Provider
No, Orange's ISP stands for:
Internet So Poor
Hi there, I work for Orange and might be able to help.
Please send an email to customer.services@orange.co.uk, including your personal contact details and username from this site, and I will give you a call to discuss.
In order that your email is forwarded to me quickly, please add "Jonathan Orange Response" in the subject field and also in the first line of your mail.
Hi there, I work for Orange and might be able to help.
Please send an email to customer.services@orange.co.uk, including your personal contact details and username from this site, and I will give you a call to discuss.
In order that your email is forwarded to me quickly, please add "Jonathan Orange Response" in the subject field and also in the first line of your mail.
Kind regards,
Jonathan
Orange Response Team
Thank you Jonathan, I will email you as soon as I get off the phone to technical support :s
Same problem and now told we have to live with it.
Really dont want to change from Orange as they were previously very good, but what can we do if there is no help from them
Hi West
I have since had my issues resolved. Let me fill you in:
I contact Jonathan by email, and he promptly contacted me by phone. I had in the meantime continued my Tech Support terrorism by calling them nightly and providing my speed test results as requested.
The day Jonathan called me; I received 4 calls from Orange, 1 from him, 2 from Customer Support and 1 from Tech support.
I explained on each occasion the conversations I had been having, what I was told each time, and what had been agreed.
I can't access times and dates, but in short, I spoke to Jonathan the day after I posted. We agreed the issue would be escalated.
Customer Support made 4 phone calls to me the day after; I was able to take 2 of them. I phoned Tech support in the evening the same day, at which point I was told it was no longer necessary for me to call, since it was being looked at by the engineers.
Next morning, I did my normal routine, and found everything was spot on. I swapped my god awful Livebox out and gained and extra 700kb/s.
Tech Support (UK call centre?) called me in the evening that day, and I informed them my internet connection seemed fine, and asked what the problem was, he informed me there was a network issue, and trailed off into something unintelligible (he was babbling, I couldn't make out what he said).
I asked him to say that again, and he told me he couldn't explain it properly, I'll try again to get some kind of explanation.
After this episode, I was told he would close the call and I would need to contact Customer Services. I waited a few days just in case there was any follow up, but:
My internet connection is fixed; I'll now be calling to recover service time lost.
Right now, I can't expect much more. I'm infuriated it's taken these lengths to get this issue resolved, but that’s what I set out to do, and this Christmas tale that ended with a degree of happiness.
I am slightly astounded at the moment as for the first night in I dont know how long I have not had loss and actually been able to go on an online game and play so I'm not sure whether they have changed something now or whether it was just a lucky night, I was on the night before and still had 20-30% loss. So I am waiting to see. But it would be nice to know what they have done to change things (if that is the case) So I look forward to hearing if you get any kind of explanation.
Hopefully this will be an end to the problems and things will be back to how they used to be and working.
OK, two weeks later, and I'm back to my original problem from December.
Packet loss coming in at 20-30% during the evening (much better during h day and small hours), line is stable and connected at 7k+, pings are amazingly s**t*.
I no longer have the energy to call "technical" support, Orange have had enough of my patience and time.
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