Fibre REALLY slow in the evenings

[davidg77]

I'm posting this because I'm required to do so prior to contacting support on social media as per instructions from a moderator elsewhere on this forum.

I am on an unlimited fibre + phone package @£30 per month. I am based in Tenby, Pembrokeshire. For the last four days I've had extremely slow download speeds in the evenings, from around 6pm till midnight. I have a guaranteed minimum rate of 51.5mbps; currently in the evenings I am lucky to get 3-4mbps.

This has been tested each evening at various times using the Ookla speedtest site on a MacBook Pro connected directly to the router via ethernet cable. Each day the initial reading shows 15mbps, rapidly slowing to 3-4mpbs. Subsequent readings just show the slower speed.

I am also connected to the router via WPS / Android app, and have run the 'Broadband Service Test' that reports no issues. Clicking on 'Further Support' generates an error.

I have logged into the router management page on my Macbook and completed a factory reset and restart - this made no difference.

It is clear that there is either congestion on the line or Vodafone are throttling the speed at their end. Please could Vodafone recitify this ASAP.

[andrewff27]

I had another attempt with "Level 2" Tech Support on Friday afternoon, wasted another 30 mins on the phone going over all of the same things as per previous. This time they did say they could see my line was not getting the designated speeds and they would need to send an engineer. At this point I gave up and agreed to it, if Vodafone want to waste their money on Openreach that's up to them. Sending out an engineer seems to be the only tool they have.

They do not seem to be able to grasp this is almost certainly a much wider issue, I once again tired to explain there are multiple people complaining throughout our area but this didn't seem to go anywhere. And I cannot comprehend how they think my line is at fault when it is reasonable in the morning and dies every evening. It is a faulty line, but only at night....

This coupled with the fact that the jitter is extremely high when at its worst further indicates this is a congestion / network capacity issue. But then I don't think their second line support had a clue what jitter was.

It has been slightly better this evening, we are at the dizzy lights of 12mbps and just about able to stream iPlayer but still know where near where it should be.

I am humouring them with the Openreach engineer as I think this is the only way I am going to be able to take this further with complaints and OfCom should this continue much longer.

@Amanda we are now well over a week where every evening our speeds have been well below the "Speed Guarantee" is there any update on the investigation please. As I am sure you are aware the complete lack of any information from Vodafone is causing immense frustration.

[Swine]

@andrewff27 

Don't bother with the level 1,2,3 support. Or the social media team. Absolutely no help whatsoever, as all they can do is run off their script and ask the same questions over and over.

They won't take into consideration multiple reports in the same area no matter what. They are in complete denial.

Log a complaint right away and speak to the director's office only (they'll call you back) and explain the situation. Refer to forum here. And ask them to run CableLink on your line. 

[Jayach]

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@Swine wrote:

Log a complaint right away and speak to the director's office only (they'll call you back) and explain the situation. Refer to forum here. And ask them to run CableLink on your line. 

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Definitely get the complaint logged right away. At least if they don't get it fixed in 8 weeks you will be able to go to CISAS. (Possibly even sooner, if you can reach deadlock) But I suspect you will be given the option to leave penalty free before then.

Complaints Code of Practice | Vodafone UK

[El_Capitan]

For the record; I'm near Newport, Pembrokeshire. This is a wider issue, not something that cannot be fixed at the local cabinet.

Since the afternoon of November 2nd, I have been running a speed test every 10 minutes. The test was run from a wired machine, with the Vodafone router connected directly to the master socket. Other devices were present on the network.

@Amanda as requested, I will send this data to 2lhsupport@vodafone.com. I have been told that once this has been reviewed you will finally accept that the issue is not my equipment. I will provide screenshots from speedtest.net, the charts (see below), and all the raw data. After talking to support at around 2pm on November 4th, I was asked to change the target speedtest.net server from Edinburgh to either Bracknell or Manchester (selected at random). There is a notable difference in the data after the 4th, but it still tells the same story. We all know it shouldn't matter which server I test against, but you insist that we play these games; yet another stalling tactic. Support failed to understand the packet loss screenshots and speed test data that I sent them about a week ago, so they rejected it.
@Amanda, you have said that this issue is being investigated, can you please provide an update on the investigation? 

I will now contact your complaints team to seek a refund/exception to the exit fee you have asked me to pay. I will continue to chase this complaint even after my Vodafone service has been switched over later this month. 

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I have attached graphs for November 3rd-6th to illustrate the problem. Each graph is one day. The blue line is download, red is upload.

[ryan_anthony]

@El_Capitan Mate the engineer I spoke too has no idea what an RJ45 cable was and this was level 2,  as a PC builder and small music studio owner I sometimes refer to cables, connectors, devices by their actual given names, I was not trying to be clever but when he asked are u connected via Ethernet or WIFI and I said yes I am hard wired using the RJ45 cable from PC to router he was at a loss hahahaha, my mate that works for BT was in stitches laughing when I told him... I know not funny really.
Just goes to show u are not actually speaking to an engineer at all, its just someone selecting answers from the screen in front, I think the actual engineers are rare to get in contact with as these are probably paid more for having technical knowledge as well as the more important 'common sense' in regards to eliminating the users equipment as being fault WHEN THE USER HAS EXPRESSED 5 TIMES HE HAS USED 2 DIFFERENT MODEMS AND CABLES..... eh good luck though, I just got a few weeks left on my contract.

[andrewff27]

I had an interesting conversation with an OpenReach engineer today, they told me engineers had been dealing with multiple reports of the exact same problem throughout Pembrokeshire. It was also suggested that Vodafone had admitted there is a problem which it described as "Load Balancing Issues".

@Amanda @Gemma we are still awaiting an update on the "investigation", it has now been 4 days since you advised this was being investigated.

For a so called communications company Vodafone is failing dismally at communication. We are getting no feedback here and your tech support will not listen to us (or is deliberately stalling). Please advise how we to escalate this to a senior engineering team and raise this as an official complaint. I have been a Vodafone mobile customer for about 16 years and I am feeling incredibly let down, the level of service is absolutely unacceptable.

[ryan_anthony]

@andrewff27 ah that is interesting, so you are saying Voda knows exactly what is going on but is giving us all the run around nothing to see here responses, it's your fault, your equipment, see ya lol.
I am in Cardigan (Ceredigion) having same issues then again technically Pembrokeshire begins within a 10 min walk from my house.

[Jayach]

@ryan_anthony 

That is exactly what @andrewff27 and many others are saying on the various threads about this problem.

[davidg77]

andrewff27 that's super helpful, thanks.

I logged a formal complaint on Sunday. Am no longer engaging with support because there is nothing more I can tell them beyond what I've already communicated, and they are draining hours of my time with different people asking me the same questions, none of which seem to address the actual problem (which has been clearly identified by everyone on this forum). I will wait 8 weeks and then forward to the ombudsman unless they agree to release me without penalty in the interim.

[Swine]

@davidg77 

Accept nothing less than exit fee removal from your contract. And perhaps reimbursement for their truly awful service.

You won't need to wait 8 weeks or speak to the ombudsman. Just go guns blazing and you will win 🙂