Can't upgrade to more than 1gb

[ecvej]

Have had a 1gb connection for two years.  It's renewal time so I looked to see whether I could get the higher speeds.

My road consists of just three houses with us in the middle house.  When they laid the cable they did all three houses at the same time so it's identical outside. The other two houses (not current vodafone customers) can buy the 1.8gb option. For my house, only 1gb appears as an option.

My guess is that when they installed the kit inside my house they went with a 1gb ONT and therefore don't show a higher speed as an option. Neighbours joining now would presumably get a new ONT that gives higher speeds.  Bit annoying as it's a disincentive for loyal customers. I could switch to another provider who will put their own ONT in at 2.5gb or I'd be happy to pay a fee for a new ONT with vodafone.

Does my guess sound right or can anyone think of another reason why upgrading above 1gb might not be available to a current customer?

[JB-21]

Hi, did you get this resolved?

Glad to see it’s not just me… I have the same issue, all properties around me and local estates served by the same exchange are offered 2.2 via VFs checker but I am only offered 910 - Other ISPs using CityFibre will offer me 2.2. I have the Calix 801G ONT which is only capable of 1Gb so as VF know this, suspect their systems are preventing the upgrade and they don’t seem to have a process to upgrade the ONT.

I currently have a complaint open to try and get a resolution, if anyone’s had, having or solved this issue, please comment? (I suspect it will start to happen more as the older contracts come up for renewal).

[ecvej]

No I didn't get it resolved.  Renewed at 1gbps.  Please let me know how you get on via the complaint route as maybe I'll give that a go.

[Cynric]

@ecvej What do you need this high speed for? If you are looking for lower latency this may not be the solution.

[ecvej]

A faster internet speed is useful for quickly transferring large amounts of data betweeen my home and other locations on the internet.

I’ve always been happy with latency on Vodafone, but I’m not gaming or day trading so my internet usage isn’t one where a few m/s here or there would make a difference.

[JB-21]

For me it's like having a fast car, whilst I may not want to go fast all the time, I know when overtaking or pulling away from a junction I have the power under my right foot when needed.

Additionally, whilst it may not be necessary now, anything can happen in the next two years, so when signing a new contract, personally, I don't want to be artificially restricted by VF's support / policies, especially as the price of 2.2 could well match 900 in the future (like 500/900 prices converged).

[JB-21]

I will update this with anything I discover. 

It’s been mentioned that they don’t offer 2.2 Gbps to existing customers, if anyone reading this has one of the newer 2.5GB or 10GB ONTs, likely installed for any Fibre connection in last 6-12 months, could you check if the 1.8 or 2.2 Gbps service is available to you as an upgrade option here ? https://www.vodafone.co.uk/broadband 

[JB-21]

Following ongoing discussions with Vodafone’s complaints team regarding the unavailability of the 2.2Gbps service at my property (despite it being offered to neighbouring properties and by other ISPs using CityFibre), here are my key findings:

• Vodafone claims 2.2Gbps is unavailable to existing customers as an upgrade:

Despite this, they also state it is not available at my property at all, even as a new connection. This directly contradicts the availability of the service from other ISPs and raises questions about whether Vodafone’s “system limitation” is simply a lack of willingness to address customer concerns.

• “System limitation” cited as the issue:

The complaints team confirmed there is no technical fault or infrastructure issue, but their systems cannot process an order for 2.2Gbps. This suggests Vodafone’s internal processes are the bottleneck, not the network infrastructure.

• Contradictions in responses:

Vodafone initially stated 2.2Gbps is only available for new customers but later added that they “cannot promise” it at my property even for a new line. This inconsistency undermines the credibility of their explanation.

• Complaints team unwilling to investigate further:

Despite my repeated requests for clarification on why my property is excluded, no effort has been made to escalate this to CityFibre or provide a timeline for resolving the issue. Their priority seems to be closing the complaint as quickly as possible rather than investigating or offering a solution.

• Alternative resolution offered:

Vodafone has suggested terminating my contract without penalty so I can switch providers. While this may seem helpful, it avoids addressing the core issue and leaves existing customers unsupported.

• Public concern:

If Vodafone’s “system limitation” prevents them from offering services that other ISPs can provide using the same infrastructure, is this anti-competitive? Are customers being misled about what Vodafone can deliver, especially when renewing contracts?

Conclusion:

The complaints process appears designed to avoid accountability rather than resolve customer concerns. I’m sharing this to inform other customers who may face similar issues and encourage Vodafone to address this publicly.

If anyone else has had similar issues with the 2.2Gbps service or lack of support from the complaints team, please share your experience. Vodafone, your customers deserve transparency and proper investigations—not excuses.

———————-
This post was generated by ChatGPT after providing it all correspondence to/from Vodafone on this matter. ChatGPT says it provides a clear summary of my findings, highlights the key contradictions, and applies pressure for a response while encouraging others to share their experiences. 

I concur fully with its summary.

[JB-21]

Wow, I just posted a ChatGPT summary, after feeding it everything I sent / received from the complaints team and someone has deleted it from this thread!!

Would a mod care to explain why? Do I need to post it more publicly elsewhere?

[JB-21]

ChatGPT suggests I should post it to Reddit, X and TrustPilot and will helpfully create the posts for me…