Constant disconnects on Cool Ideas Octotel

PBCool said:
Have you confirmed if Openserve is not an option at your address?
Click to expand...
Openserve's response from just before lockdown:

"Octotel is installed in your area hence we do not see the need or feasibility to roll out FTTH in your area, it was planned as far as 2019 but we will not be doing so at the present time".

My main gripe is I keep getting kicked off the corporate VPN (I work from home) due to the packet loss, but I can work. I am also not going to expend too much effort on this because really, what for, in 8-12 months I won't be in SA anymore but I would like to be able to not have to apologise in every Microsoft Teams meeting to my prospective employers about why I keep leaving the meeting.

EDIT: As I typed this message I experienced a disconnect... 12:38:52.

But I will give inside info.
This equipment Octotel uses, is Korean junk provided by DASAN. Go search on Google as to how "stellar" that equipment performs.
 
zolly said:
Try joining the Octotel Southern Suburbs group and posting there? There are direct reps on the group who might be able to help you out. @PaulMurkin @phoenix99

Facebook

www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
Click to expand...
Thank you but I don't do social media unfortunately. However I can enlist the help of my wife to take care of that. Thanks very much.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zll
PaulMurkin said:
I have no feedback... waiting for 5PM then I get the ISPA involved. The deadline I gave Vox is fast approaching...
Click to expand...
Maybe ICASA can give a hand here instead of ISPA. Octotel has a licence with them, thus you can lodge a with them.
 
Snow11 said:
Maybe ICASA can give a hand here instead of ISPA. Octotel has a licence with them, thus you can lodge a with them.
Click to expand...
ICASA is basically a /dev/null also
 
PaulMurkin said:
Exactly
Well guess what, I was working while the line dropped... now the database table I was writing to is f**ked.
F**k this ****, packing up and going to go work at the office....
Click to expand...

Hi there. I have DM'd you :)
 
Snow11 said:
Quite ironic that the ombud is there to help, but does not help.
Is ICASA the only regulatory body FNO's answer to?
Click to expand...
ISPA generally works, the downfall is that it's member based. So if we get a case logged against us basically we have to provide proof we escalated it to the FNO accordingly, and if the FNO isn't a member then it's on us to clearly state it's a best effort service and that's where it ends for the consumer. Hence where there are alternative fibre providers that is the best course of action.

We usually end up having meetings with CEOs/CTOs and things improve, but in certain FNO cases this is an annual thing in the wake of a lot of upset customers.
 
Here's a bit of technical info for you. We investigated under instructions from my manager just to be 100% sure because due to covid I need clearance to go back to my desk at the office. Keep in mind I am connected to the LAN at the office via VPN... Forticlient is used, so its a Fortigate router.

The TCP packet left the office intact.... it went out that way on the SEACOM link, when it arrived on my laptop, the payload was ' ' i.e. empty
The HTTP header was intact but the rest of the packet was null.

Octofail is doing something with the packets... The problem doesn't happen on LTE on ANY service provider
 
PBCool said:
ISPA generally works, the downfall is that it's member based. So if we get a case logged against us basically we have to provide proof we escalated it to the FNO accordingly, and if the FNO isn't a member then it's on us to clearly state it's a best effort service and that's where it ends for the consumer. Hence where there are alternative fibre providers that is the best course of action.

We usually end up having meetings with CEOs/CTOs and things improve, but in certain FNO cases this is an annual thing in the wake of a lot of upset customers.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I think I will go to the office, take your advice and go back to LTE until my time is done in SA and we move to the EU. Then its easy I can just sell the LTE router on Carbonite or gumtree
 
PaulMurkin said:
Here's a bit of technical info for you. We investigated under instructions from my manager just to be 100% sure because due to covid I need clearance to go back to my desk at the office. Keep in mind I am connected to the LAN at the office via VPN... Forticlient is used, so its a Fortigate router.

The TCP packet left the office intact.... it went out that way on the SEACOM link, when it arrived on my laptop, the payload was ' ' i.e. empty
The HTTP header was intact but the rest of the packet was null.

Octofail is doing something with the packets... The problem doesn't happen on LTE on ANY service provider
Click to expand...
It's prolonged periods of complete loss that we are seeing hence the session drops.
 
You know what is so hilarious about this?
I phoned Vox, I shat on them from a dizzy height, and found out they haven't even reported this issue to Octotel, so I told them I am not going to put down the phone until they do it. I got a reference number from Octotel's side... then I went off and filed my ISPA complaint. Thereafter I headed home to get stuff I need for dinner.

Guess what, I come home, to find the line has no more packet loss and suddenly my download speed is 3.6Mbyte/sec and not the lousy 1.7 or less I could get maybe last night and the weekend and the week before.

Everything that was breaking i.e. my work VPN and applications I am developing, along with my desk phone now suddenly just work properly and my son has stopped complaining about Showmax "getting stuck".

So in other words, there is no doubt this is an Octotel problem. In the case of CISP I am sure there's no slack, but with Vox, service levels have been on the decline since at least mid-2020.

The fundamental issue here is that Octotel very clearly engineered their business to be insulated from clients. Sneaky sneaky, so they could offer p1sspoor service and not be held accountable. Its not right, and not acceptable, nor is it fair.

But my ISPA complaint stands.. maybe something changes
 
  • Like
Reactions: zll
PaulMurkin said:
You know what is so hilarious about this?
I phoned Vox, I shat on them from a dizzy height, and found out they haven't even reported this issue to Octotel, so I told them I am not going to put down the phone until they do it. I got a reference number from Octotel's side... then I went off and filed my ISPA complaint. Thereafter I headed home to get stuff I need for dinner.

Guess what, I come home, to find the line has no more packet loss and suddenly my download speed is 3.6Mbyte/sec and not the lousy 1.7 or less I could get maybe last night and the weekend and the week before.

Everything that was breaking i.e. my work VPN and applications I am developing, along with my desk phone now suddenly just work properly and my son has stopped complaining about Showmax "getting stuck".

So in other words, there is no doubt this is an Octotel problem. In the case of CISP I am sure there's no slack, but with Vox, service levels have been on the decline since at least mid-2020.

The fundamental issue here is that Octotel very clearly engineered their business to be insulated from clients. Sneaky sneaky, so they could offer p1sspoor service and not be held accountable. Its not right, and not acceptable, nor is it fair.

But my ISPA complaint stands.. maybe something changes
Click to expand...
Octotel are doing maintenance today and the next 2 days on that POP so could just happen that they actually fixed the issue this morning and it happened to fall in line with you complaining to Vox.
 
CrypticZA said:
Octotel are doing maintenance today and the next 2 days on that POP so could just happen that they actually fixed the issue this morning and it happened to fall in line with you complaining to Vox.
Click to expand...
Issue was certainly NOT FIXED this morning... this afternoon when I phoned Vox and shat all over them the line was dropping packets like a leaky bucket dripping water.
I am not on that POP either, I am on the Blouberg one
 
It has certainly not gotten any better for me. my outages from yesterday:

22:35-22:43
22:55-22:56
23:01-23:10
23:10-23:12
23:12-23:13
23:13-23:14
23:15-23:23
23:23-23:25
23:26-23:27
23:27-23:28
23:29-23:37
23:37-23:40

and again from 6:27-6:37 this morning.

Only empty promises from CI and getting told after the fact that Octotel was performing the umpteenth round of maintenance on the node. Whatever they're doing is NOT working.
 
This is what happened to me...
I kept the Vox consultant on the phone... endured his endless sighing and him not knowing what to do and told him I will not cut the call until he tells me what is going on. Kept him on the line for 20 minutes then got the Octotel ref # out of him. When I got off the phone I pushed SEND on my complaint to the ISPA and then went out to get groceries. When I got back, I found the internet was magically fixed... and it is still fixed. My download speed doubled and the disconnects to the office VPN went away as in it hasn't happened since yesterday afternoon.

This morning on my Microsoft Teams meeting my colleagues remarked they're getting HD video from my side and they said to me the last week or so my video was terrible. Also the VoIP phone is clear as can be.

To have to fight so much, to get a stupid internet connection fixed is not healthy for me, or anyone. But this is yet another fine example of the typical SLAPGAT South African way and attitude... everything to everyone is just a job... f**k the customer, he can go somewhere else.

The government is not the only reason why I hate living here so much, its more than that, my utter dislike is even more with the useless deadbeat people and culture here that doesn't sit well with me, and never has. You have to literally lick people's arses to get them to do a job they get paid to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X