Full fibre 500 & 910 no longer available to me

[Stickotron]

Hi there,

Wondering if anyone can help with this.

Last October I was checking what upgrade packages were available to me and I was able to get the full range of full fibre up to the 910mbps package but decided against it at the time.

I have now just gone to check what was still available to me and finally upgrade but it appears now I am only able to get up to 200mbps as the maximum when I was looking to order the 500 package.

Thank you for your time

[imgoingtobt]

Hello Stickotron,

I was wondering if you had any answers for your topic?

I'm also having the same issue, although I actually made the leap on May 2nd and ordered the 500 package. The Pro II tech was delivered 2 weeks later but then the Engineer failed to arrive on the day arranged. However, the order had apparently failed somewhere along the line (Vodafone issue) so a new order needed to be completed, by Vodafone. However all they can offer me now is the 200 package!! that I am refusing.

One of the 4 people I spoke to yesterday on my 4 hour call, said they only have a limited number of connections, and once they're used that's it. Not sure if this is correct as I don't trust the info I'm getting. I can get full Gigabit with BT or Sky today, it's available, but this issue will/has cost me hundreds a year for the foreseeable future, as far as I can tell.

Oh, and I've been with them for 6+years, so it's extremely disappointing.....

Hopefully someone has some more knowledge about this.....

[Stickotron]

Hi there.

Sorry to hear you're having trouble. With my issue it seemed to resolve after a few days and started displaying the full range of packages available again and I was able to upgrade to the 500mb package which was installed and set up a few weeks ago.

Bt openreach did not install it and it was done by a bt openreach outsourced company called Mj Quinn.

I don't know if at times Vodafone have some internal issues with not displaying correct speeds as in the past I've had another issue with my coper line being broken and although I could receive 80/20 Vodafone would only provide their smaller package, after using that for a while and then Vodafone showing I was able to get the higher speed I upgraded and then they had to send an engineer to fix my line to get me back to that speed. Relatively new build past 10 years but my line got broken I assume by another install.

I have read in the past that in some areas Vodafone reduce capacity to 200mb speeds as max if they reach their capacity so perhaps that is potentially an issue in your area.

Don't really know what to suggest other than maybe keep checking or trying to speak on live chat/call and see what they are able to offer as an upgrade again.

Hope it gets sorted for you 👍

[Stickotron]

Couldn't see how to edit my previous message but here is a link

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/03/vodafone-explains-why-some-fttp-areas-only-offered-200...

To follow up, when you search on availability checker on the Vodafone broadband section does it display all of the packages now or only up to 200mbps?

[Cynric]

Thanks @Stickotron that does make an interesting read. 

[imgoingtobt]

Thanks a lot Stickotron. The comments on that link are quite eye-opening. We are pretty rural in North Wales. We've got a 1.7km line to our house, copper was replaced 3 years ago, arranged by Vodafone, and maintained really well ever since. It bumped our 2Mb to around 12. Just last week I was praising how good they were, etc etc. and when the FTTP was installed up to our house last month I had no doubts I would continue with them. Only to be left extremely annoyed and at one point yesterday was looking at a £400+ cancellation charge, a box of useless Pro II equipment sitting beside me and the realisation that maybe none of the ISPs claiming they could offer me 500Mb were even true or correct! I now have to wait another 7 days for the complaints team to contact me (complaint started by the 'wifi tech' team about their own 'Retention' teams handling of it. Truly unbelievable. 

I'm still baffled though... should I be expecting BT or Sky to fail on their 500 or 900 offers? As some of those replies in the link state, they're stuck in contracts they simply don't want to be in anymore....

[Stickotron]

I believe you have 14 days of your service going live to cancel in which case it didn't go live. Unless the charges are the extra added onto your current contract, Obviously not privvy to your contract with Vodafone as to when it expires or if they've tried to tie you into a new 24month contract that they are unable to provide. I would look further into this in your situation and check your rights on cancellation if needed.

I'm not sure how accurate this information is but back when I first signed up with Vodafone about 5/6 years ago, an electrician I know told me some of the guys he spoke to on a new build housing estate doing all the phone lines etc told him that Vodafone use some of their own equipment which is why they were able to provide the cheaper broadband deals without needing people to pay line rental like all the providers were at that point in time. This is something I've not looked into really but the article in the link above seems to suggest this is accurate.

I am based in south Wales and didn't go for the pro deal, my original older contract (80/20) I just moved off actually had a lot of the pro features included and a higher speed gaurantee to what they are currently offering since the introduction of the pro service. I use my own router and didn't want their new equipment as I wouldn't have used it.

If its anything like my situation it may reappear in a few days that the services are available again hopefully.

I'm fairly certain if you went with a different provider you mentioned they would provide the speed they are stating as they all rent from openreach equipment. I don't want to bash any companies but I had a nightmare with bt. My line got broken and they refused to fix it, even when they acknowledged I was getting only 38mbps down which was below their speed gaurantee, tech support refused to speak with me and the girl I was talking with on the phone just kept getting told by them I had to pay £60 for their new router before they would even consider doing anything. I laughed and changed to Vodafone and saved close to £25 per month (no line rental fees etc) at the time. Can't comment on their current services.

[Stickotron]

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/

On this page you're able to see which cabinet you are connected to via openreach and the full status of the cabinet and the services that can be provided through it. Don't know if it'd be helpful in your situation but at least it may verify that the speeds are possible through other provides and/or Vodafone

Definitely check vodafones availability checker again to see what packages are available to you as a potential new customer. Esp as when I upgraded I checked as a new customer and the earliest they could install was 2nd May, through the upgrade link it was about 2 weeks later roughly 14th may. I used live chat to do the upgrade and had it installed on star wars day may 4th as they were able to offer the sooner dates compared to the upgrade link.

[imgoingtobt]

Thanks so much for your info. If I was optimistic I’d take the 200 and hope I could upgrade later.  In fact when I arranged the 500, via web chat then phone, I asked about future upgrade to 900 and they confirmed that would be possible after 6 months. Seems laughable how hopeful I was! EE just got back to me too, with the higher speed offer, but are very cautious to open a new contract until Vodafone have rectified my current situation. We currently pay a total of £64 a month for the FTTC contract and a separate 4G router setup with a mesh. 50/50 costs. Has kept us all connected over the last couple of years of working from home and kids online for gaming and degree courses, but it’s time for a boost and we’ve been waiting 2 years for the full fibre to make the final 1km to our house… failure at the last hurdle. Annoying.

enjoy your good speeds 😉. Have they been reliable?

[Stickotron]

Sounds like quite a set up you have there.

So far speeds have been consistently good, 520mbps down and 72mbps up. You can see where it hits the cap that Vodafone has put on and the speed flicks back down a few mbps when doing the speed tests and then goes back up to the cap.

Can't actually fault the service I've had off them over the years in terms of consistent speed and reliability/uptime.

Hopefully they get it sorted for you. If the equipment and lines are in place hopefully it's just a technical fault somewhere and they are able to get you hooked up