MWEB ADSL international down

Personally, I'd like to thank mweb for the well priced service. This month I think I've downloaded close to 250gb of data at the lowest price I've ever paid in SA. They're the first to do it so did I expect it to be perfect first time? No I didn't. So for those who want to cancel their account, please go ahead. You won't get a better deal.
 
It's fascinating how people want someone specific to blame. Think logically. No-one is blameless here. M-Web clearly bought a substantial international circuit from SEACOM, with no backup, because that's how to make it really cheap. When the SEACOM cable itself was down a while back, they had real problems for days. SEACOM could have provided more redundancy on the backhaul, also at some cost. Neotel should obviously aim to keep downtime to a minimum on its network. All telecoms networks have failures, more often than you think; what matters to end users is whether the service providers have built in sufficient backups and alternatives, which is clearly not the case here. It's a dead giveaway that it's only M-Web affected, and everyone else's international Internet (including Neotel's) is fine.
 
There are a few things that come to mind here...

1. Redundancy
Back the day when I worked for MWEB Network Ops there was ALWAYS redundacy - MWEB had 3 E3 connections running in a triangle between CTN, DBN and JHB and smaller E1 connections as back up to that. They also had back for International links between SA and US from both CTN and JHB. What's happened to all that? Did they become so "greedy" for profits that these basic principles have been forgotten?

2. Network Notices
These used to be updated with PROPER and SUFFICIENT information so we as the paying customers could understand and track the faults....now, you see a notice posted when the link is down and a resolution notice - if you lucky - which could be several days later.

3. Telkom / Seacom
I think they are as much to blame as the ISP, after all, it is their links that the ISP is renting from them? They should also ensure that ample redundancy is available especially if you want to guarantee uptime? These telco providers are also more focused on turnover and profit rather than fixing, stablising and improving current infrastructure.

4. Accountability / Responsibility
I think as a provider of services(in any business), your customer is your stakeholder and as a result you need to ensure that the communication is frequent, precise and HONEST. How do you expect to build a brand on lies ..or rather white lies? It only destroys confidence in your product and your brand. MWEB should be held accountable and should actually start taking the stakeholder more seriously as we are the ones who are adversely affected? They have a responsibility to us and I think that compensation should be something considered. Yes, the arguement is that this is "unforeseen" but there is DEFINITELY a trend here...and its appears to be over weekends or when usage is EXCEPTIONALLY high, so what should be done? Expose, exploit and resolve those "soft spots" and vulnerable areas of your network. Find the ROOT CAUSE and PROBLEM MANAGE it. Don't do a quick fix and leave it until it breaks again! It aint going to work!

5. Are we ready?
Is our Telecoms and ISP ready to deliver World Class connectivity for the SWC? Its about two weeks away? Are they also going to introduce "load shedding" in the form of dropping connections to allow their SWC broadcasts through....I mean, look at the awesome ads on the tele from Telkom about the "new era" of the internet as we have come to know it? Their "readiness" to broadcast the SWC...WHAT A FREAKIN JOKE!!!

I dont know about anyone here but I think right now... the internet as we know it has become a HUGE political game(wouldn't be suprised if Malema is involved) and its playing field is similar, if not the same to what we see happening in our Government at the moment?

Now that is been proven that MWEB SUX...who do we go to now? How can we be guaranteed that MWEB has not got some mechanism in place to ensure that when their service is down as bad and as often as it is now, that other ISPs are also "affected"?

Does anyone have advice on who the top ISP is at the moment in terms of Service Deliver, Offerings and Value For Money? Axxess, Web Africa, Afrihost, IS??

....downtime should become the EXCEPTION rather than the NORM...


....I've probably sent myself up for some flame throwing....but hey...BRING IT ON!!! Just voicing my opinion....agree ...or disagree...

...going to bed...not worth surfing tonite
 
Dunno why you are all putting the onus on neotel. Its Mweb that is at fault for only having a single international Point of presence. Other ISP's arnt suffering because they have backups on SAFE and SAT3.
 
AfricanTech said:
Hmm, I wonder if Mweb will agree to give me a R20 rebate (which is what it costs me to keep an "emergency" 1 Gig Axxeslite account going)
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Nope, you get zero refund, see your T&C's:

http://www.mweb.co.za/legalpolicies/tabid/1918/Default.aspx

9. Limitation of Liability

9.1 You subscribe to and use the ADSL Service at your own risk.

9.2 We are not liable to you or any third party for, and you hold us harmless and indemnify us against, any damages suffered by you or a third party howsoever arising from your Subscription to or use of the ADSL Service, including (without limitation) any damages suffered by you due to:-

9.2.1 any interruption of or error in the ADSL Service; or

9.2.2 our failure to fulfill our obligations as a result of uncontrollable events, including without limitation upstream provider’s neglect, failure or refusal to make, or to continue to make, the ADSL line available to us.

9.3 In this clause 9:

9.3.1 damages means all damages of whatsoever nature and includes (without limitation) all damages, loss, claims or costs, including (without limitation) loss of data, profits or custom, or loss of current or future business whether in contract, delict or otherwise, direct, indirect, special or consequential, foreseeable or not and we were advised of the damages in advance or not; and

9.3.2 uncontrollable events means any circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation, an act of God, of public enemy, fire, explosion, earthquake, perils of the sea, flood, storm or other adverse weather conditions, war declared or undeclared, civil war, revolution, civil commotion or other civil strife, riot, blockade, embargo, sanctions, epidemics, act of any government or other authority, compliance with government orders, demands or regulations, or any act or omission on the part of a third party’ including without limitation, Telkom.
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When my int. came back it seemed the shaping was off. A torrent was was going 400kb/s, then after about 15 minutes (300MB downloaded), shaping kicked in and its now going at 31kb/s :( lol

regardless, I'm on 150+ gigs this month and it's been more than enough.
 
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