Rain sucks

[jbroo]

Fast.com is Netflix servers so yes, that is effectively throttled. They do throttle Netflix on 4G, and in general.

Which 4G package did you get? For mobile or all devices?

They probably won't love your new site

 

[Duiasto]

That sucks, maybe their 5G service is better, they give you a free 5G router on the 5G packages.

LMAO....Yeah I considered upgrading because they have a special on 5G...but with this service even Telkom
looks like a 200% better option. They have a 1TB prepaid for R999. I will cap the speed for the kids via my mikrotik. RAIN can wrap those round 5G routers in sanding paper and insert them where the sun doesn't shine! This level of service is not acceptable. I just canceled the service.

 

[Duiasto]

Fast.com is Netflix servers so yes, that is effectively throttled. They do throttle Netflix on 4G, and in general.

Which 4G package did you get? For mobile or all devices?

They probably won't love your new site

I got for all devices.

I suppose they will try and do what a previous corporate did with me and send me lawyer letters claiming IP and brand defamation. I will make them buy the domain for an insane amount to get a refund for my frustration because last time I checked I have freedom on speech. Hell they should refund everyone that is upset with their poor service delivery.

The engineer could have just called and told me how their shaping works, I might have considered their 5g package. It is so bad that if I am not performing a speedtest I am seldom seeing my MikroTik reporting speeds above 1Mbps. If you are going to "throttle" me that badly can't you just advertise the service more honestly? Isn't your clients and brand reputaion valuable enough?

 

[rain_mobile]

rainsucks.co.za

So there I was in a hurry after being forced to relocate. Didn't do any research first just signed up with RAIN...What a pleasure the sales team was to deal with and delivery was quick. I used it for a day or two in my phone as a hot spot and it seemed ok. When I was settled in my new location I inserted the sim card in my 4G router, craving the pure euphoria from being connected to the internet properly again.
But wait.... the devil corporation turned from a peaceful hot summers eve RAIN to a demonic drought straight from hell where all my digital needs shriveled and died a starvation death!!!

Being only 0.2KM away from the tower and armed with my vast knowledge of networks. I checked my router for firmware versions. Speedtest.net reported speeds "Out of this world" for the package I am on...Above 10Mbps. I checked the routers signal (that reported great) but relocated it anyway to a line of sight at a window facing the tower.

All my efforts was in vain, pages timed out and it felt like is was back on a 1Mbps DSL package with an SNR issue. I connected directly to the 4G router as I have a complex Home Lab and started to test...First a ping...40% loss. Then a traceroute in order to test other IP's response along the route...Same thing. I swapped the sim to a different provider and once again the internet was usable. (not my equipment or firewall rules) I logged a ticket on the RAIN website that I could now reach with detailed information.

I only got a response late the following business day requesting 50% of the information I already supplied. Frustrated because my request was not properly read, I supplied the remainder and stuck back the cursed RAIN sim card....and waited....Called them and requested an updated..."Sorry sir we can only comment on the ticket and ask that the engineer assigned contacts you".....I waited....Frustration turned into anger....

I started testing again...Only about 2 percent packet loss and an average 22ms response time. Speedtest.net again reported above 10Mbps...But browsing the internet felt more responsive on 28K dailup. I stopped believing this above speed test result and started to suspect shaping/QoS of traffic. I proceeded to fast.com and they reported my speed as 670Kbps...WTF!!! I went to google speedtest...It reported I had connection issues and test could not complete. I emailed RAIN back with all the screenshots...Called for an update...
Only chirping of crickets could be heard....

SO NOW RAIN (PTY) Ltd.... Meet me...I AM THE STORM... Keep an eye on this link rainsucks.co.za and regret not cutting my connection completely because I managed to register the domain using your almost entirely useless service.

Please refer to your Legal terms point 1.19 and then explain why speedtest.net reports good speeds while other tests reports poorly because to me it seems you are "Cooking the books" to make your Brand appear what it is not!!!!

Hi @Duiasto

Please provide me with your email via PM.

 

[SolidState]

Look - not to be negative or nasty - best move on, based on my experience.

I got my RAIN premium back early 2020 - and speed was good.
1 moth later the trouble started but I made contact with some of the more senior staff members there, and they made me believe it will all be sorted out.
But it was an endless back and forth between rain and myself - as things never stayed constant - towers is adjusted and work, then the towers is optimized and everything goes for a ball again.
The technicians was here a total of 8 times - 6 of these they spent time adjusting and optimizing everything - and it would work and then just go for a ball again.

So for a total 16 months that I was with them, think there was maybe 2 moths that I did not have any issues.

So I personally think their network is flawed in some way, so don't fool yourself in thinking they can sort your connection out and it will be perfect - it won't, or it won't be for long.

I cant recommend any other wireless ISP's as I have no experience with them.

All I can say it, its been 3 months on fiber now - not a single issue - and I am still on the same network equipment, I was with rain.

 

[airborne]

My experience with MTN and mobile internet over the last 5yrs has been near flawless, and you can roam anywhere with it, their coverage is enormous.

 

[Duiasto]

Hi @Duiasto

Please provide me with your email via PM.

@rain_mobile - Why afraid of openly showing how much your service sucks?! I know you are just doing your job so please don't take it personally but please feel free to share my attacks on your company with your management because guess what #rainsucks.co.za - Site soon to follow...

I can't even provide remote support to perform my job via Anydesk or any other platform except if I create a VPN and use Remote Desktop.

Why not get more staff and work through your tickets as the case has been logged already on Tuesday evening 11:00 PM with nothing but a useless response. So effectively you have left me without service for more than 48 hours.

I will PM you my details.

 

[Rouxenator]

I would still be OK with that if I could still have Pay as you use. But no. Can't have that.

 

[Duiasto]

Look - not to be negative or nasty - best move on, based on my experience.

I got my RAIN premium back early 2020 - and speed was good.
1 moth later the trouble started but I made contact with some of the more senior staff members there, and they made me believe it will all be sorted out.
But it was an endless back and forth between rain and myself - as things never stayed constant - towers is adjusted and work, then the towers is optimized and everything goes for a ball again.
The technicians was here a total of 8 times - 6 of these they spent time adjusting and optimizing everything - and it would work and then just go for a ball again.

So for a total 16 months that I was with them, think there was maybe 2 moths that I did not have any issues.

So I personally think their network is flawed in some way, so don't fool yourself in thinking they can sort your connection out and it will be perfect - it won't, or it won't be for long.

I cant recommend any other wireless ISP's as I have no experience with them.

All I can say it, its been 3 months on fiber now - not a single issue - and I am still on the same network equipment, I was with rain.

Thank you for your honest feedback. I already canceled the service and searching for the best option going forward in the mean time as I wait for fibre. @rain_mobile - Any comments on this users experience? Doesn't seem like I should even bother sending you my email address. You crappy connection doesn't even allow me to respond to posts half the time.

 

[Duiasto]

My experience with MTN and mobile internet over the last 5yrs has been near flawless, and you can roam anywhere with it, their coverage is enormous.

Thanks will look into that. I just don't want contracts as I am possibly not staying at these premises for longer than 6 months.

 

[Duiasto]

I would still be OK with that if I could still have Pay as you use. But no. Can't have that.

RAIN should consider offering that because even with failed packets being resent the service is so crap and slow you will probably pay half. Just don't do speed tests to ookla because that will chow your data.

 

[Herakles]

LMAO....Yeah I considered upgrading because they have a special on 5G...but with this service even Telkom
looks like a 200% better option. They have a 1TB prepaid for R999. I will cap the speed for the kids via my mikrotik. RAIN can wrap those round 5G routers in sanding paper and insert them where the sun doesn't shine! This level of service is not acceptable. I just canceled the service.

I am from Odendaalsrus in the Free State Goldfields.

We ordered a 4 G Rain SIM card in May 2020 and received it 3 to 4 days later - delivered at our front door. The initial download speed was up to 15Mbs but never went below the 10Mbs they refer to in their advertisement. (Our home is 700m from their tower.) We were very happy and promoted Rain locally and in the social media as an affordable, reliable option.

Slowly but surely the download speed got lower until in May this year it regularly went below 1Mbs - with the connection dropping all the time. Rain doesn't have a call centre so I forwarded them a mail, airing my frustration. To their credit, a female consultant called me back the next day. After explaining the problem, she responded as follows:
1) She had a look at their system and said that there was unfortunately a "over-subscription" in the Odendaalsrus-area;
2) There wasn't any prospect of an improvement in the foreseeable future due to "third-party issues";
3) She suggested that I solve the problem by moving to another service provider!

We are still using Rain as we are waiting for the fibre connection that is currently being installed in town to be activated - as we understand will happen within the next month or so. We will be their first new customers. (Currently the Rain download mostly fluctuates between 0,1 and 0,2Mbs. Often I cannot even open the Rain Speed test and if it opens, it just shows a flat line of 0Mbs.)

However, what really pisses me off is that I recently visited family in Linden, Jhb. With the same device and sim card, the download speed suddenly fluctuated between 15 to 17Mbs. So our R479 per month subscription is literally worth more than a hundred times less in Odendaalsrus than in Linden!

I can understand why the value of their company is now almost R800 million less than a year ago.

 

[rain_mobile]

I am from Odendaalsrus in the Free State Goldfields.

We ordered a 4 G Rain SIM card in May 2020 and received it 3 to 4 days later - delivered at our front door. The initial download speed was up to 15Mbs but never went below the 10Mbs they refer to in their advertisement. (Our home is 700m from their tower.) We were very happy and promoted Rain locally and in the social media as an affordable, reliable option.

Slowly but surely the download speed got lower until in May this year it regularly went below 1Mbs - with the connection dropping all the time. Rain doesn't have a call centre so I forwarded them a mail, airing my frustration. To their credit, a female consultant called me back the next day. After explaining the problem, she responded as follows:
1) She had a look at their system and said that there was unfortunately a "over-subscription" in the Odendaalsrus-area;
2) There wasn't any prospect of an improvement in the foreseeable future due to "third-party issues";
3) She suggested that I solve the problem by moving to another service provider!

We are still using Rain as we are waiting for the fibre connection that is currently being installed in town to be activated - as we understand will happen within the next month or so. We will be their first new customers. (Currently the Rain download mostly fluctuates between 0,1 and 0,2Mbs. Often I cannot even open the Rain Speed test and if it opens, it just shows a flat line of 0Mbs.)

However, what really pisses me off is that I recently visited family in Linden, Jhb. With the same device and sim card, the download speed suddenly fluctuated between 15 to 17Mbs. So our R479 per month subscription is literally worth more than a hundred times less in Odendaalsrus than in Linden!

I can understand why the value of their company is now almost R800 million less than a year ago.

Hi @Herakles

Please provide me with your email via Private Message

 

[Duiasto]

I am from Odendaalsrus in the Free State Goldfields.

We ordered a 4 G Rain SIM card in May 2020 and received it 3 to 4 days later - delivered at our front door. The initial download speed was up to 15Mbs but never went below the 10Mbs they refer to in their advertisement. (Our home is 700m from their tower.) We were very happy and promoted Rain locally and in the social media as an affordable, reliable option.

Slowly but surely the download speed got lower until in May this year it regularly went below 1Mbs - with the connection dropping all the time. Rain doesn't have a call centre so I forwarded them a mail, airing my frustration. To their credit, a female consultant called me back the next day. After explaining the problem, she responded as follows:
1) She had a look at their system and said that there was unfortunately a "over-subscription" in the Odendaalsrus-area;
2) There wasn't any prospect of an improvement in the foreseeable future due to "third-party issues";
3) She suggested that I solve the problem by moving to another service provider!

We are still using Rain as we are waiting for the fibre connection that is currently being installed in town to be activated - as we understand will happen within the next month or so. We will be their first new customers. (Currently the Rain download mostly fluctuates between 0,1 and 0,2Mbs. Often I cannot even open the Rain Speed test and if it opens, it just shows a flat line of 0Mbs.)

However, what really pisses me off is that I recently visited family in Linden, Jhb. With the same device and sim card, the download speed suddenly fluctuated between 15 to 17Mbs. So our R479 per month subscription is literally worth more than a hundred times less in Odendaalsrus than in Linden!

I can understand why the value of their company is now almost R800 million less than a year ago.

Thank you for sharing your frustration. At least you got an honest response from the rep that contacted you.

 

[Kiemo]

Geez this thread is full of sadness just because a ISP isn’t up to your standards come on guys … there are thousands of other ISPs available move on …

rain works for some and for others it don’t …

So what’s next ?

I mean cellc sucks … to me it’s bad …

MTN sucks … to me it’s bad … Telkom … not to bad works for me … Rains … Perfect … works for me …

what else … Fibre … uhm they busy but I’ll not go there … 399 for 20 megs no thank you …

what else … i can’t think anymore …

my point is … there is nothing wrong with giving your experience a picture and explaining what’s the problem but we need to learn if it doesn’t work for us then we need to look at the next option plain and simple … No one or anything will be perfect in this world … not even the iPhone 13 Pro

 

[Duiasto]

Geez this thread is full of sadness just because a ISP isn’t up to your standards come on guys … there are thousands of other ISPs available move on …

rain works for some and for others it don’t …

So what’s next ?

I mean cellc sucks … to me it’s bad …

MTN sucks … to me it’s bad … Telkom … not to bad works for me … Rains … Perfect … works for me …

what else … Fibre … uhm they busy but I’ll not go there … 399 for 20 megs no thank you …

what else … i can’t think anymore …

my point is … there is nothing wrong with giving your experience a picture and explaining what’s the problem but we need to learn if it doesn’t work for us then we need to look at the next option plain and simple … No one or anything will be perfect in this world … not even the iPhone 13 Pro

Hi Kiemo,

Every service provider has given me bad service at some point and unfortunately in our country it has become the norm. There are several challenges running an ISP and granted and it takes a lot more than most people realize.

The issue at hand is not moving ISP's I have done that and I am up and running. The issue from my experience is the following:

1.> RAINS sales service is brilliant....It makes you feel like a king! The after sales service might as well not have existed.
2.> Speedtest.net traffic is being highly prioritized to make the service seem what it is not. THIS IS DISHONEST AND UNETHICAL!!! I have seen other ISP's do this and understand the need to shape and throttle. I have even done it myself in a corporate network because proving speed on speedtest.net was more important to an executive than receiving company wide emails and VoIP calls.
3.> This weekend the RAIN service was down again for a couple of hours. Maybe they just disconnected me out of spite (Just kidding)...but non the less I could not work when I needed to do so. I monitor a critical production system and got some alerts late.
4.> Information given to me by the Technical team makes me think they either don't know what they are doing or they didn't expect me to actually be a technical person.
5.> I am a client that is paying for a service I am not recieving and so is other people. Yes the service I chose doesn't cost a grand per month, however you can't promote a Chocolate cookie and give me dog Sh!+ that is covered in sugar! I am glad it works for some people(...and you), IT BLOODY HELL SHOULD, YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE SERVICE!!!

In closing...
My new LTE service provider has a 5% WORSE signal and has been much faster and more reliable. I started commenting on this thread to warn potential new customers about RAIN's practices and to get RAINS attention to resolve their issues.

Good luck to you when that tower gets over saturated and you actually need support. Maybe you should start hunting for that fibre.

 

[Kiemo]

Hi Kiemo,

Every service provider has given me bad service at some point and unfortunately in our country it has become the norm. There are several challenges running an ISP and granted and it takes a lot more than most people realize.

The issue at hand is not moving ISP's I have done that and I am up and running. The issue from my experience is the following:

1.> RAINS sales service is brilliant....It makes you feel like a king! The after sales service might as well not have existed.
2.> Speedtest.net traffic is being highly prioritized to make the service seem what it is not. THIS IS DISHONEST AND UNETHICAL!!! I have seen other ISP's do this and understand the need to shape and throttle. I have even done it myself in a corporate network because proving speed on speedtest.net was more important to an executive than receiving company wide emails and VoIP calls.
3.> This weekend the RAIN service was down again for a couple of hours. Maybe they just disconnected me out of spite (Just kidding)...but non the less I could not work when I needed to do so. I monitor a critical production system and got some alerts late.
4.> Information given to me by the Technical team makes me think they either don't know what they are doing or they didn't expect me to actually be a technical person.
5.> I am a client that is paying for a service I am not recieving and so is other people. Yes the service I chose doesn't cost a grand per month, however you can't promote a Chocolate cookie and give me dog Sh!+ that is covered in sugar! I am glad it works for some people(...and you), IT BLOODY HELL SHOULD, YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE SERVICE!!!

In closing...
My new LTE service provider has a 5% WORSE signal and has been much faster and more reliable. I started commenting on this thread to warn potential new customers about RAIN's practices and to get RAINS attention to resolve their issues.

Good luck to you when that tower gets over saturated and you actually need support. Maybe you should start hunting for that fibre.

Thanks buddy … I appreciate this and yes you are 100 percent right and I’m not against anyone here honestly I’m just trying to say look what other options are out there than focusing on something that’s not working for you … I was there and struggled myself I’m not saying rain is the best but what I came to understand is that rain works for some and others not …

so I wanted to be part of those that actually have no problem with rain … and I got to know things and what to do with the help of the smart guys on here … hopefully I’m planning to stay on rain for now … there is fibre in the road so if I get to that point then I’ll consider but for now it’s working for me … I’m not a gamer I’m just a normal internet user most of my people steams and watch whatever they wanna I download most of the time …

but I had my days that it wasn’t working for me and I got less than what I payed for … I just kept trying to make it work … that’s all and asked for help but I fully respect you guys on here no harm I promise

 

[Kiemo]

And yes I’ll need help where it matters and I think this place or forum is the best option I could find to get that help from … I know but I always try making it work ans testing and jumping towers … locking to different once … testing and testing … it’s what I love doing so I honestly don’t mind … I’m just here to help where I can with what I came to learn here … and giving that knowledge Back to those who seek it …

 

[Duiasto]

And yes I’ll need help where it matters and I think this place or forum is the best option I could find to get that help from … I know but I always try making it work ans testing and jumping towers … locking to different once … testing and testing … it’s what I love doing so I honestly don’t mind … I’m just here to help where I can with what I came to learn here … and giving that knowledge Back to those who seek it …

If I may ask, what package are you on? I presume 5G?

 

[Kiemo]

If I may ask, what package are you on? I presume 5G?

Yes I am …

tower isn’t to far I can see it … but that’s at my inlaw house

at home where I stay … the tower is like 2.6 Km away I think … the house isn’t covered but with testing and doing all the small things signal seems solid … and it wasn’t easy …