Broadband "dropouts" make any service unusable

[MHatfull]

I've been with vodafone since august 2017. We have a problem where every few hours our connection becomes so slow that it will throw us out of a game or stop a stream or any service requireing a reasonable connection. It is so slow in fact that DNS won't even resolve and there will be 100 percent packet loss on pingtests. I ran pingtests every minute for a day and you can see spikes of this occuring.

In our area (the center of the capital city) we can only get ADSL.

I have spent so so many hours on the phone and chat systems that I know the scripts they are reading from and none of it helps. We have opened a few tickets through the support line for Tech 2 but they claim everything is fine (without asking us) and closed the tickets. We have (on many occasions) been promised a callback to discuss the findings of the tech 2 team and to follow up on the creation of a tickets about this issue but Vodafone just don't call back.

I really don't know what to do. I am an IT professional so I know how this all works and I can tell that nobody is listening to what the problem is, only saying what I want to hear.

I have once called the support team and was greeted by someone slurring their words and unable to type, they were pretty obviously drunk. The actions they took never actually came to anything and there was no trace he had done anything.

Today we were told that our problems are because our wifi devices are using the wrong channel when I told the man that the desktops are using ethernet. He then told me that I needed to only have 1 device connected to the internet at a time for 24 hours on each of the different wifi channels. In my line of work I need to be able to receive notifications to respond to situations when I am on call. I am also not living alone so we can't use both our computers. This sounds crazy!

Quite frankly I'm done with my routine of chasing vodafone and I will file a complaint with the ombudsman soon if it isn't resolved. 

[MHatfull]

#17993218

[MHatfull]

I've just discovered that an order I placed was messed up by our internet dropping out at the moment of purchase and it got placed multiple times, it's only thanks to an observant staff member at the shop I ordered from noticing the error that I was allowed a refund on the duplicated purchase. I'm really not very happy about this, I should be able to trust my connection!

[TJ]

@MHatfull I'm really sorry to hear this hasn't been resolved for you yet.

I've contacted the Broadband team on your behalf, asking them to get in touch with you as soon as possible. Continue to keep us updated and let us now what they advise once they've been in touch.

[MHatfull]

Thanks for trying to help, I appreciate it. haven't heard anything yet though.

I called them myself too and they said they'd call back the same day but did not. I called back again today after a few days and got the same message, maybe they will call me back?

I also got a disheartening message from tech 2 describing a completely different problem and saying I should be happy with the speeds I get and completely ignored the fact we have dropouts. Are the notes vodafone take just on post its or something?

[MHatfull]

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3567086/Stop-solving-problems-just-make-customer-hap...

So I found this article and it really seems that the customer service just want to get the approval click right there and then so make promises they can't and don't care to keep. Appauling. 

[TJ]

@MHatfull Apologies that the team haven't been in touch, I'll try and get this escalated for you again.

What have the Tech 2 team advised? Please continue to keep us updated and let us know when they've contacted you.

[MHatfull]

After a large amount of time on the phone we managed to get the fee to leave the contract removed, we went to plusnet and it's ALL fixed. No more dropouts, faster connection, lower latancy, no lies from the customer services. Anyone reading this should do the same. I know of several people who have been put off vodafone by this story, I'd imagine many others would benefit from this advice too.

[MHatfull]

Again, I was hung up on. Getting tired of this now, I'll try again tomorrow

[MHatfull]

05/02/2018
1/4
20:02, Feb 5
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20:04, Feb 5
Info: All agents are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 10 minutes and 54 seconds. Thank
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Info: All agents are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 2 minutes and 31 seconds. Thank
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Info: All agents are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 0 minutes and 44 seconds. Thank
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20:10, Feb 5
Info: All agents are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 0 minutes and 20 seconds. Thank
you for your patience.
20:10, Feb 5
Info: You're now chatting with Varun.
20:10, Feb 5
Varun: Hello Max, good evening
20:10, Feb 5
Varun: How may I assist you today?
20:10, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Broadband-Home-Phone/Broadband-quot-dropouts-quotmake-any-service-un...
20:11, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: 05/02/2018 1/2 19:42, Feb 5 Info: Thank you for choosing to chat with us. An agent will be
with you shortly. 19:44, Feb 5 Info: All agents are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 2
minutes and 19 seconds. Thank you for your patience. 19:46, Feb 5 Info: All agents are currently assisting
others. Your estimated wait time is 1 minutes and 6 seconds. Thank you for your patience. 19:48, Feb 5 Info:
All agents are currently assisting others. Your estimated wait time is 0 minutes and 47 seconds. Thank you
for your patience. 19:48, Feb 5 Info: You're now chatting with Nikhil. 19:49, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: Hi, I got a
text saying my tech 2 ticket was fixed but nothing has changed. This is the 3rd time this has happened. I have
spent at least 10 hours on the phone with you and you just waste my time. I want a letter of deadlock or the
problem resolved in 72 hours. I believe 6 months is a reasonable time for me to give you to fix the issue but
you have not. 19:48, Feb 5 Nikhil: Hello MAx. 19:49, Feb 5 Nikhil: Max* 19:49, Feb 5 Nikhil: i am sorry to
learn that 19:49, Feb 5 Nikhil: i will look into it and help you the best i can over the chat . 19:50, Feb 5 Max
Hatfull: thank you 19:50, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: so, what are you going to do? 19:50, Feb 5 Nikhil: i will look
into the account and fetch the details and help you further . 19:51, Feb 5 Nikhil: could you please help me
with your full name ? 19:51, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: Maxim Hatfull 19:52, Feb 5 Nikhil: thank you very much
for the information. please help me with 2nd and 3rd digit of your security pin ? 19:52, Feb 5 Max Hatfull:
24 19:52, Feb 5 Nikhil: Perfect ! that matches our records . 19:53, Feb 5 Nikhil: just to confirm you are
facing hassles with Speed over WiFi or Cable connection ? 19:53, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: Ethernet 19:53, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: cable 19:53, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: you have all these details in my account if you'd care to read
them 19:54, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: along with a LOT of data you've asked m
20:11, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: I have just been hung up on from that chat and would like to pick up where he left off please.
20:11, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: ah, it did not send fully
20:11, Feb 5
Varun: I will help you with it
20:11, Feb 5
Varun: Please send the whole chat transcript
20:12, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: you have all these details in my account if you'd care to read them 19:54, Feb 5 Max Hatfull:
along with a LOT of data you've asked me to provide about 10 times 19:54, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: I assume
you've saved it considering I've spent so many hours gathering it for you 19:54, Feb 5 05/02/2018 2/2 Max
Hatfull: you have, right? 19:55, Feb 5 Nikhil: yes, i have let me go through them and help you further .
19:55, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: ok 19:56, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: if you're reading those notes then you'll see the
05/02/2018
2/4
many callbacks you promised to keep but didn't, just saying 19:57, Feb 5 Nikhil: i am sorry to learn that , i
strongly apologies for the hassles caused to you . 19:57, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: I don't want apologies, I want
the service I paid for 19:57, Feb 5 Max Hatfull: but you'll sort that I'm sure 19:58, Feb 5 Max Hatfull:
interestingly I have started several forum posts and quite a few other people are planning to join me in
writting letters to the ombudsmann
20:12, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: that is the rest
20:14, Feb 5
Varun: Please confirm your email address
20:14, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: redacted
20:15, Feb 5
Varun: Thank you, let me pull up your account in my system
20:16, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: before we go further I would like you to promise to call me on my phone if we get
disconnected
20:17, Feb 5
Varun: I'd love to call you, however, as I am part of chat department thus my system will not let me make an
outbound call
20:17, Feb 5
Varun: However, I will fix your issue as soon as possible
20:17, Feb 5
Varun: Please do not worry
20:17, Feb 5
Varun: Please confirm your complete name
20:17, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: Maxim Hatfull
20:17, Feb 5
Varun: Thank you
20:18, Feb 5
Varun: Please confirm the 1st and 2nd digit of your security PIN
20:18, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: 12
20:19, Feb 5
Varun: Perfect!
20:19, Feb 5
Varun: Please bear with me, let me check some details and then I'll run a diagnose for you
20:19, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: if you run a test on my internet, you will * this chat
20:20, Feb 5
Varun: The chat won't end, and the diagnose would fix the line
20:20, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: you will break this chat
20:20, Feb 5
Varun: Please do not worry
20:20, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: do you promise?
20:20, Feb 5
Varun: Could you please confirm if you have a dial tone on your home phone?
20:20, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: I have no phone
20:20, Feb 5
Varun: Yes, it would fix the line
20:21, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: how come each of the other 30 odd times this has been run it has not fixed it if your test is
somehow special?
20:21, Feb 5
Varun: I will do my best for you. Will you trust me now?
05/02/2018
3/4
20:21, Feb 5
Varun: I will fix the line problem for you
20:22, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: you must have some method of getting back in touch when the internet breaks from too much
load from your test
20:23, Feb 5
Varun: I am running the test, in case we gets disconnect, I will not cut the window and we would connected
20:23, Feb 5
Varun: Please bear with me, I am running the diagnose for you
20:23, Feb 5
Varun: Could you please confirm if you tried swapping the micro-filter?
20:24, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: I have
20:24, Feb 5
Varun: Alright!
20:24, Feb 5
Varun: Have you tried connecting the router directly to the test socket inside the master socket?
20:24, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: I have
20:26, Feb 5
Varun: Were you ask to do a hard reset to the router?
20:26, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: tried that
20:27, Feb 5
Varun: Just to confirm, you mean "Pressing that button with a sharp pin"
20:27, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: I tried that and a whole new router
20:27, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: no change
20:27, Feb 5
Varun: Thank you for confirming
20:28, Feb 5
Varun: Let me check for the configuration settings and complete the diagnose.
20:28, Feb 5
Varun: It would take some time, please bear with me
20:29, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: ok
20:32, Feb 5
Varun: Sorry, I'll be right with you.
20:34, Feb 5
Varun: Could you please confirm if you are facing this issue just over the Wi-fi or with the Ethernet cable as
well?
20:34, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: Ethernet cable as I explained in the transcript earlier
20:34, Feb 5
Varun: Thank you for confirming
20:35, Feb 5
Varun: Have you tried a different Ethernet cable to connect your device?
20:35, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: yep
20:35, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: no change
20:36, Feb 5
Varun: As the diagnose is running, it shows a clean green graph and there aren't any red outages shown in the
system, due to which I can only assume that there's some fault with the lines in your premises
20:37, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: the problem only happens once an hour or so
20:37, Feb 5
05/02/2018
4/4
Max Hatfull: you are running your test at the wrong time
20:37, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: I am a software engineer and have investigated every possible part of our system
20:37, Feb 5
Varun: I can raise an engineer visit for you straight away, however, before that I'd suggest you to check the
lines if they are connected properly
20:37, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: please raise an engineer
20:38, Feb 5
Varun: Sure
20:38, Feb 5
Varun: Please bear with me
20:41, Feb 5
Varun: Sorry to keep you waiting, it would be a minute more
20:45, Feb 5
Max Hatfull: are you still there?