I've had a very busy few days, I mentioned a certain bank dragging their feet, well all is forgiven they've got into gear and are getting on with things. However, not before I've been accused by the party on the other side of this transaction - a transaction wholly out of my hands - of being a time wasting bastard. Hey ho.
I'm also investigating issues with the in-laws ADSL, now I hate ADSL, I hated it when it was ISDN and I hated dial-up even more before that. I have, since 2000, exclusively used cable internet services, they're faster and for the most part more reliable, for instance cable in my area has been fiber optic since around 1996 when it was laid. Not like the Johnny Come Lately British Telecom offering of "Fiber has arrived".. yeah, well I've had fiber a long long time slow coach.
The issue with the in-laws connection though is a case of the utter diabolical service from Sky, their provider, Sky's service just piggy backs on BT's infrastructure, and its ADSL based... I hate ADSL... I don't have spare routers for them to try, and I don't have filters or anything like that... so I'm struggling to fix the issue, and the reason is that Sky simply put the burden of proving the fault on the customer. Its not a case of calling customer services and getting actual customer service.
No, its a case of calling Sky customer services and being told to fiddle with wires, filter and even wall sockets like some giant rubix cube and their telling you how expensive it is to involve BT Open Reach into this situation...
Now, luckily Sky customer services were not telling these tales of woe and foreboding to the technofeeble in-laws, they were telling me, and I batted them out the ball park as the bull shit they are. Though Sky insist the issue is not their end, its with "your" router.
The router which is sat in their home says "Property of British Sky Broadcasting"... yet sky say it "belongs to you" and "you have to buy a new router"... yet the label on the router says "property of sky, do not dispose, not for resale"... its like... erm.. this is your kit, I'm just a customer paying for a service.
I'm tempted to lay the whole statutory rights on Sky here, because in essence the in-laws have been without a service they pay for, for over a fortnight, and all because Sky are arguing, or trying to rope the in-laws into being stuck with them for a further 12 months contract on the internet...
Anyway, I have an ADSL router to try, and I'm going to strongly advise the in-laws to move to a cable internet provider in the area. Sky suck, their customer service is the worst I've come across - whilst actually sounding legit - they are so full of shit its untrue, they may as well just let this guy do their support...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byFhCC2pUEU
UPDATE 30/9/2013 - I finally got them to admit a line fault, I did this by borrowing $1000 worth of Cisco professional grade routing kit from work and setting it all up and running my own reverse line test, when the guy (who, give him his due was helpful) on the phone then tried to argue I had them by the short and curlies because I could see them just try to PING the line... Some line test... and I could see the carrier wave of the ADSL coming and going with no more than a 12% peak it was unacceptably low. Explaining all this worked (well i think pointing out I had Cisco testing kit attached worked) and now an engineer appointment is booked.
But, not before four very technical phone conversations, not before proving absolutely everything in the house was in order and having to borrow professional kit to prove the point, an unacceptably high level of entry just to get a support call booked me thinks.
So I stand by my statement, Sky customer service, your bar to entry is too high, so you suck! Support shout be "Have you turned it off and on again?"... "yes".... "Right, we'll come see", even it there is then say a £10 call out charge or whatever.
But to blanket say "no" and then only offer to send out a new router IF they sign up to 12 months more contract. If it were me, I'd tell you to get stuffed after already having been a customer for 10 years. I don't need to sign up for 12 more months to prove loyal and worthy of support, I already pay my monthy service fee to be worthy of help!
UPDATE 30/9/2013 - I finally got them to admit a line fault, I did this by borrowing $1000 worth of Cisco professional grade routing kit from work and setting it all up and running my own reverse line test, when the guy (who, give him his due was helpful) on the phone then tried to argue I had them by the short and curlies because I could see them just try to PING the line... Some line test... and I could see the carrier wave of the ADSL coming and going with no more than a 12% peak it was unacceptably low. Explaining all this worked (well i think pointing out I had Cisco testing kit attached worked) and now an engineer appointment is booked.
But, not before four very technical phone conversations, not before proving absolutely everything in the house was in order and having to borrow professional kit to prove the point, an unacceptably high level of entry just to get a support call booked me thinks.
So I stand by my statement, Sky customer service, your bar to entry is too high, so you suck! Support shout be "Have you turned it off and on again?"... "yes".... "Right, we'll come see", even it there is then say a £10 call out charge or whatever.
But to blanket say "no" and then only offer to send out a new router IF they sign up to 12 months more contract. If it were me, I'd tell you to get stuffed after already having been a customer for 10 years. I don't need to sign up for 12 more months to prove loyal and worthy of support, I already pay my monthy service fee to be worthy of help!
