Speeds on 4mbps?

Oh holy ****ing cow...

08:30, I get phoned by what I assume is another Telkom technician. One that's definitely not quite as bright as the previous two that I've dealt with. I started getting a bit testy when he kept saying that he has to test my computer because it might be my computer or my settings!!!

I just said, "I'm sorry, but I have one computer and one laptop that use that line and both give the exact same results. The technician that was here yesterday got the same results. The technician that was here last month, got the same results!"

Then I told him that the tech that was here yesterday tested at the DSLAM and also got pitiful speeds there so it's not my line! Then the brightspark mentions that the speeds at the DSLAM were "fine" and that it could be my settings or my computer and that my "computer's speed might have to be upgraded!"

If this brightspark comes to my place today and he tries to spew that bull again I'm going to start throwing things. Specifically at him.

I am so sick of stupid people...
 
LOL, with my 4Mb line's sync issues I had the same problems of multiple people calling me and having to repeat my story 10 times over to all these guys, really annoying.

And then eventually when the techies come to my place, they know nothing about ADSL specifically, they just replace jacks, cables and fix phone line faults. None of them knew how to pin point where my line stats were being degraded or anything.

A couple of techies later and a crap load of calls to Telkom, my 4Mb line still loses sync a lot (albeit a bit better than it was initially).

I feel for you Lycanthrope.
 
Thanks, feo -.-' It's good to know someone has some empathy out there :D

I can't believe your line still loses synch :eek: You still bugging them about that or have you had enough?

Like I said before though, I doubt they'll fix my line fault because I "technically" get over 1000kbps on a good day and Telkom "does not guarantee 4mbps." Hell, even the tech that was here yesterday, when he was on the phone to the testing centre he said, "Yes, he shouldn't necessarily get 4megs, but it should be close." Unfortunately, if my dear techie comes through today, it'll be on a "good" day since the businesses aren't all using the DSLAM. I swear Telkom's out to get me... But I'm sorry, 300kbps "whenever" is just purely unacceptable, as is 1mbps! AAARGH!!!

That idiot that called me really ticked me off for exactly that reason - they have no idea what they're talking about, you repeat yourself a hundred times and the next thing you know they tell you, "I'm going to have to escalate it to a 'specialist'" which ends up stuffing someone on your case with about as much knowledge of a router as a chimpanzee on microbiology.

I've been incredibly lucky with the last two techs that have been out here because they've both been smart and both have been able to say, "Yeah, there's definitely something wrong with the DSLAM." Even when the previous one tested AT the DSLAM he got 2,200kbps, and when I tested at the same time, 1,600kbps, which obviously didn't last long. But as I said, since it's more than 1mbps, it's "officially" not Telkom's problem. I doubt the one that'll come through either today or tomorrow will understand any of that.

I can't believe I actually pay for this kind of abuse :(
 
Lycanthrope said:
Thanks, feo -.-' It's good to know someone has some empathy out there :D

I can't believe your line still loses synch :eek: You still bugging them about that or have you had enough?
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Well I've had 2 techies come out to have a look. The first guy replaced the phone jack (which I initially suspected was faulty) but that didn't solve my sync issues. The next guy untangled the mess of cables coming into my room (again, as per my instruction) but that still didn't fix it. I spoke to about 5 different guys over the phone (no "specialist" though :D) and for now, I've given up.

From next week, when I have a bit more time on my hands, I'll try getting hold of a "specialist" and I'm gonna push for the house to be rewired from scratch. There's 2 other phone jacks in different parts of the house so I'll hook up my router to both places and see if I can maybe isolate the problem by myself before getting a so-called expert to have a look.

Coming back to your problem though, have you checked if there other people near you who use ADSL and have the same problem as you?

(SIDE NOTE: Looky here, my router just lost sync while typing out this post)

*sigh*
 
Yeesh... It's like it never ends... Keep us/me informed - would like to know what was/is causing your trouble all along. Might be funny and be something really small... Might be a DSLAM fault :D

I tend to take a, "Don't bug the neighbours, they won't bug me" approach around here. But from what the first technician told me, one of the restaurants near here that uses the same DSLAM complained as well and about the same things. So I know it's not just me, I'm just one of the few that uses the line enough to know when it's not doing what it's supposed to.

Out of curiosity, what router do you have? I've been head-over-heels with my new NetGear DG834GT ever since I got it. My old router used to disconnect at least once a day, this one hasn't done it to me at all... AND it supports UPnP *swoon* :p :p :p
 
Lycanthrope said:
Yeesh... It's like it never ends... Keep us/me informed - would like to know what was/is causing your trouble all along. Might be funny and be something really small... Might be a DSLAM fault :D

I tend to take a, "Don't bug the neighbours, they won't bug me" approach around here. But from what the first technician told me, one of the restaurants near here that uses the same DSLAM complained as well and about the same things. So I know it's not just me, I'm just one of the few that uses the line enough to know when it's not doing what it's supposed to.

Out of curiosity, what router do you have? I've been head-over-heels with my new NetGear DG834GT ever since I got it. My old router used to disconnect at least once a day, this one hasn't done it to me at all... AND it supports UPnP *swoon* :p :p :p
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I've got the crappy Telkom Mega 100WR (it supports uPnP too :p) and I "attempted" updating the firmware on it to see if that'll help but for the life of me I can't get it right. And recently my router has been making a very high pitched sound as soon as it's synced with the exchange, which never used to happen before, so it might even be a faulty router.

When I have a bit of extra dosh, I'm gonna buy a Netgear or Billion.
 
I never had a "Telkom Mega 100WR" - I first had one of those vertical ones - I went through four of them in a year - 2006. Then I had a Telkom Premium Combo which worked, but kept making this high-pitched buzz that drove me nuts, and of course, it eventually started with it's once-a-day disconnects - which sounds a lot like what you mention :p So, could be, could be.

I'm guessing my new techie decided that today didn't fall into his schedule, so he'll likely come tomorrow... I can't wait to ask him why he got me out of bed at 08:30 just to piss on my batteries with his overwhelming intellect.
 
And another update... Friday morning I was phoned (but didn't answer) by a guy named Shane. He left a voice-message saying that my problem is a "general fault" and that they are attending to it. Friday was also the day where a number of people on the forum were complaining about getting 2Mbps speeds and ridiculous international connectivity. So I shrugged it off.

I was phoned again at around 16:00 on Friday and also missed this call, so I'm not sure if it was Telkom again, but there was no voice message.

Today, 07:40 I get called by a lady from Telkom suggesting that they reset my ports at the DSLAM... Basically - my problem's found its way back to the Stupid Department and nothing's being done about it.

The problem's the DSLAM, it's been verified twice by technicians as being the DSLAM.

The last brilliant tech that phoned on Wednesday suggesting I "upgrade [my] computer's speed" or that my "settings need to be changed" hasn't phoned or gotten back to me. Probably because I made him out to be an idiot. Ag shame.

So, my problem is still not resolved, and probably never will be. Happy, happy, happy.

Sidenote: Who the hell phones someone at 07:40 in the goddamned morning on a Sunday anyway?!

Edit: And while I'm at it... What the hell is the point of phoning someone once on their cellphones? I mean, I'm sorry, but if I'm busy and can't take the call, how the hell do you expect me to get back to you on an unknown number?!
 
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Sorry to hear it is still not sorted, Lycanthrope :( Are you (at least) synching at 4Mbps?

I'm with you on the phoning-someone-from-an-unknown-number-and-not-leaving-a-voicemail issue ;) If only I had R1 for each time that had happened to me...

Also, yeah, it's crazy they phoned you THAT early on a Sunday. But at least they are working weekends :p
 
Yeah, I'm still synching at 4mbps - I tend to throw a royal hissyfit when they touch my synch speed. Still no loss of connection whatsoever or any errors except for Friday when they took my line down at the DSLAM. At least that's what I suspect - "Shane" may have had something to do with it, but since I can't verify that, eh... No point pondering the unponderable ;)

I don't mind them working weekends. What I mind is when they waste my time (my precious SLEEPING time) to phone me to suggest something that has been done at least 6 times since last month when I FIRST complained instead of moving on and fixing the problem which has been pin pointed - the DSLAM!

I mean... when the DSLAM itself gets speeds of 2,200Kbps, then there's quite obviously something wrong with it... Isn't there? O.o And obviously the problem doesn't lie with me... So why do they still phone me with ridiculous BS "copy & paste fix-all" excuses?!
 
Lycanthrope said:
Yeah, I'm still synching at 4mbps - I tend to throw a royal hissyfit when they touch my synch speed. Still no loss of connection whatsoever or any errors except for Friday when they took my line down at the DSLAM. At least that's what I suspect - "Shane" may have had something to do with it, but since I can't verify that, eh... No point pondering the unponderable ;)

I don't mind them working weekends. What I mind is when they waste my time (my precious SLEEPING time) to phone me to suggest something that has been done at least 6 times since last month when I FIRST complained instead of moving on and fixing the problem which has been pin pointed - the DSLAM!

I mean... when the DSLAM itself gets speeds of 2,200Kbps, then there's quite obviously something wrong with it... Isn't there? O.o And obviously the problem doesn't lie with me... So why do they still phone me with ridiculous BS "copy & paste fix-all" excuses?!
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Just to try to make you feel a bit better, I also got a early Sunday morning call from Telkom when they were trying to sort out my sync issue. :mad:
 
feo said:
Just to try to make you feel a bit better, I also got a early Sunday morning call from Telkom when they were trying to sort out my sync issue. :mad:
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They're out to get us -.-'

I mean, phoning people that early on a Sunday morning sure as heck doesn't win brownie points. Especially not if you're already ticked off.
 
Lycanthrope said:
They're out to get us -.-'

I mean, phoning people that early on a Sunday morning sure as heck doesn't win brownie points. Especially not if you're already ticked off.
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And especially if after all the calls and explaining, your problem STILL ISN'T FIXED!

*sigh*
 
Telkom has officially just outdone itself in my books.

I was just phoned by a woman from Telkom (they seem to have a thing for 07:30-08:00 lately). It was a short and sweet conversation that went accordingly:

Me: Good morning.
Her: Hi, I'm calling from Telkom in connection with your ADSL.
Me: Alright, what about it?
Her: Is it working?
Me: Yeeeeeeees?
Her: Thank you very much, goodb--
Me: Waaaait, wait, wait, waait. Why is that ALL you need to know?
Her: So I can clear your fault.
Me: Er... Let's spin that question off a different way then. 'Is it working?' Yes. 'Is it working the way IT SHOULD' No. It's working exactly the same as it has when I PLACED the fault!
Her: So it's working?
Me: Not correctly.
Her: Okay, I'll place a comment.
Me: Thanks.
Her: Bye.
Me: *STARE AT PHONE IN DISBELIEF*

My fault was very nearly cleared because I answered "yes" to "is your line working!" What the hell kind of question is that for a fault department to ask!??!?!! OMFG!

What a bunch of royal dip****s!!!!
 
*sings* It's another day for you... You and me in paradise.... la di dum...

Results from http://www.speed.io
(Copied on 2008-09-29 08:08:31)
Download: 956 Kbit/s
Upload : 407 kbit/s
Connects : 2202 conn/min
Ping: 34 ms



"Resolved."
 
fz1 said:
At least your latency is looking good :p
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I hate you -.-'

*cries* :(

Actually, that reminds me - I'm playing LotRO on my IS account - there's approximately a 100ms difference between the IS semi-shaped and SAIX accounts. The difference is in IS' favour ;)
 
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