JMS510
@dslextreme.com
|  After a Year of solid service..
I've been a DSLx customer for over 3+ years now.. and last year I switched from their 3mb service to their 6mb DSL service.
for the first couple of weeks I was suffering all kinds of Disconnections, Sync loss, Lag outs, and Ping drops.
in Dec of 07, I spent 2 hours in the cold with an ASI/AT&T tech holding a flashlight in the dark so he could work on the pole.. what ever he did seemed to fix the issue.
it's now August 27, 2008 and for the last 17+ days I've had nothing but problems with my connection. Tier 2 techs have had me jumping through all kinds of hoops, switching out all my lines, hardware, a new modem which arrived today, and still no joy.
this all started about 3 weeks ago and I noticed AT&T had placed a new terminal box in my neighborhood for their new U-verse services. I also noticed an open trench in between the new box and the old one.
my connection seems to do to crap every day around 7pm PST and just today since 7:16pm I've had 29 Sync drops. In only 2 hours mind you
The ASI/AT&T tech was Sure that my problem was my modem, and since I've installed this new modem, replaced my lines and filters, It's still acting up.
I've been on hold for 47 minutes tonight just to get through to the first layer of tech support, only to be put on hold @ 9:13pm for tier 2 support, thank fully I didn't have to wait for more than 5 minutes for them to answer..
I'm starting to get really pissed with this.. ASI passing the buck back to DSLx. DSLx having me jump through the same old hoops every time I call in. ASI blaming my hardware/modem/internal phone line etc.. instead of their own equipment. and through all of this.. I've not had a stable connection for the last 20+ days.
they're sending yet another ASI tech out when they have an open appointment, but god knows how long that will be (the last time it took them 4 days to get here).
And to top it all off I'm probably still going to have to pay almost a full bill for this months service even though I've had unstable and practically Unusable service almost half the month.
If this doesn't get resolved, I may have to find another ISP and loose my static IPs just to have a stable connection, which would be a shame as I've come to really enjoy the service that DSLx has provided me up until recently.
I have to pay $70 a month for this service. I shouldn't have to go through this much crap after having no problems for a year on the new line speeds.
LOL... I'm probably insane for saying this, but I should get two months free for having to put up with this headache and all my lost time, money, and sanity dealing with this issue.
I sure hope this gets resolved |
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dslx_gm
Premium,VIP
join:2002-12-26
Winnetka, CA
edit:
August 28th, @01:58AM
| Hi JMS510 -
First I would like to apologize for any inconvenience that you have experienced. It seems as though the changes AT&T has made in your area may be effecting your connection. Is the dispatch that we have scheduled with AT&T setup for the evening time slot? We will want to request that they come out as late as possible if the problem is occurring in the evening. Can you please provide me with your DSL Extreme account information so I can review your account?
Thanks
--
George
General Manager
DSL Extreme
Will work for reviews.  |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
| Just marking this post with my actual DSLR account so I can track this thread with my Firefox plug-in. when I posted originally, I wasn't logged into the website  silly me  |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
edit:
August 28th, @02:25PM
| reply to JMS510
ok.. well I got the call this morning from DSLx. the soonest appointment ASI could give me was Tuesday Sept. 2nd?!?! So Again Another 5 day wait.. so now that's 22 days I'll have had this problem.
I'm getting really fed up with having to wait 4-5 days every time an ASI tech has to come out here. all I can say is this tech had better be able to solve this problem, Otherwise I WILL be searching for a new ISP and phone company. I understand that their techs have been having a full workload, But when this is dealing with an issue that's been going on as long as this has, they would make this a priority wouldn't they?
Oh wait.. I forget... I'm not ASI/AT&T customer, just one of DSLx's, of course I'm not a priority, or not as much of one as I would like to think.
so 22 days will be the total length of time I'll have to deal with this issue until this Next appointment. and I'm still going have to pay for this months bill $70, even though I've only had about 5-7 days this entire month of stable, uninterrupted service.
the DSLx tech I spoke to said to wait till the second and after the issue gets resolved to contact billing, well i don't plan on paying full price for this months service just to have to "wait and see" if this issue gets fixed. I've dealt with the billing dept in the past, all they really care about is the money and will try everything they can to make me pay my full months bill, so I'm not looking forward to that conversation in the least.
I'm so disgusted with all this. I have to stop writing now before I truly go off verbally and get myself banned from this site.  |
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dslx_gm
Premium,VIP
join:2002-12-26
Winnetka, CA
| I have been working with our support team on your issue this morning. We have done everything possible to get the appointment earlier but unfortunately that is the first available appoint that AT&T has in your area. We have put a note on the ticket that if there is another technician in your area to please try to move up the time slot.
I do apologize for the inconvenience. Hopefully the AT&T technician that does come up will be able to isolate down and get the issue resolved. Please be sure that you are at the location on that evening to ensure that you are able to speak with him regarding the issue and that he has access inside your location.
Thanks
--
George
General Manager
DSL Extreme
Will work for reviews. |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA | here's a link from one of my recent line quality test.. not sure if this is something you already have or if it's even of any use, but here it is.
»/linequality/nil/2425097 |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
edit:
September 2nd, @10:17PM
| reply to JMS510
Is there any specific way for me to post the line monitor page in this thread so I am able to show the result graphs? |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
edit:
September 3rd, @01:08AM
| reply to JMS510
ok... so I'm a little more than frustrated. AT&T/ASI was supposed to be here BUT they were "no call, no show" tonight.. So I've Waited for 5 days to be left sitting here twiddling my thumbs and wondering WTF is going on .
This is the problem. DSLx Support is Great.. Super helpful, and always willing to work the problem will it's solved.
AT&T/ASI has continuously been the "weak link" in the support chain, making customers wait 3-4-5 days or longer for appointments (my last two instances I had to wait 4-5 days before they would actually send someone out), trying to sweep problems under the rug (re provisioning my line to a slower connection instead of actually coming out and checking the lines (this was back in Dec of 07)), pass them off on someone else (Our network tests fine.(multiple events of this one).. I suggest you call your DSL provider again), or blame the problem on "End-User" equipment (latest incident.. telling me my modem was bad)..
So on top of waiting all day for an appointment that never happened (was supposed to be here between 4-8pm aiming for the later half to attempt to discover the issue as it was happening) It's now just after 10:00pm and still no tech, which I shouldn't even expect now as they stop working @ 8pm.
and for some reason in a strange twist of events, and after days of consistent problems with my line sync. Today, I haven't had one drop, even as late as it is now (my sync loss has consistently started occurring between the hours of 6:00pm PST and 7:45pm PST and usually continue through out the night) not one loss.
I've had a DSLR line monitor and Smokeping active since the 28th of last month and have all the data showing the blue Packet loss spikes which from what I've seen happen to coincide with the sync losses occurring around the same time frame every night... and now Nothing...
Did they fix the problem from the CO? was it a problem with the Vrad or the Bbox down my hill that ironed itself out? or does this just happen to be a night that it wants to work without issues after 20+ days of the same problem happening over and over at the same time of day?
I can't help but feel like I was just treated like a mushroom (Kept in the dark and fed a bunch of Sh*t )
as it stands now.. I'm not sure if this issue is going to continue tomorrow, whether it's been resolved, or what?
I can say for sure... I'm NOT in the slightest bit happy with the events of today, (as it is very obvious that AT&T's QoS has gone way out the window here), aside from the connection being stable for the first time in over 20 days which is a blessing, but an event that leaves me scratching my head. and again... leaves me feeling like a mushroom. |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
| reply to JMS510
ok so I tried calling T2 support today to find out what's going on and why AT&T was a no show yesterday.. was on hold for 15 minutes at which point I opted for the callback option available on their system.
My phone rings about 20 minutes later, I pick up and... I'm Still on Hold?!?!
I wait for another 32 minutes and after 32 minutes of listening to that same damn song over and over and over, I hung up.... sorry guys, but a person can only listen to the same song clip for soo long before they can't take it anymore.
Are you guys really that busy that a person would have to hold for over 45 minutes or more? |
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dslx_gm
Premium,VIP
join:2002-12-26
Winnetka, CA
| I reviewed your account and show that you were able to speak with a tier 2 representative this afternoon. Per the notes you indicated that your account worked okay yesterday and that you were going to monitor for the next 24 hours. We are scheduled to follow back up with you tomorrow. If the problem persists we will need to coordinate another dispatch. I apologize on behalf of AT&T for missing the last dispatch. That is very unusual for them.
I am out of the office for most of the week and trying to follow up in the evenings. If you need assistance feel free to IM Zak DSLX_Zak  . He can coordinate a tier 2 call back etc.
Thanks
--
George
General Manager
DSL Extreme
Will work for reviews. |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
| Today is 9/9.
and now here we go again.. my line started to loose sync again tonight @ 8:00pm PST and in the last 30 minutes I've dropped 7 times.
I'm really starting to get annoyed and aggravated by this.. I had 9 days of decent connection no drops and it's back to the same crap I had been dealing with from 8/10-9/1.
I'm so angry about this right now I don't even know what to say here. Something needs to be done about this. SOMEONE needs to get on the ball and figure out what the problem is. I really can't deal with this poor a quality connection. I don't understand what has changed in the last year around here to cause this, BUT I am positive it IS NOT a problem with my internal Building lines as those are NEW, I know it's not a problem with my modem as THAT is NEW. I just want this fixed so it's no longer a large thorn in my side. I've had to deal with this issue for FAR too long now.
Someone PLEASE PLEASE fix this problem!!!!! |
|
TE
I must crunch
join:2006-05-07
Brea, CA
clubs:
 ·DSL EXTREME
| Sorry to hear about the problems you have been having but it's not the first time I've heard a story like yours.
Years of quality, rock solid service then ....
Sometimes it's that a T1 or other circuit has been provisioned in the same cable bundle that services your DSL. It's a pain to troubleshoot as you might only have issues when they are sending a large amount of traffic or something. And getting the Telco to move your circuit to another bundle (if possible) or another pair is difficult. |
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dslx_gm
Premium,VIP
join:2002-12-26
Winnetka, CA
| reply to jschraw
I have gone ahead and reopened your ticket with our support team. Though your current line readings look good if you are losing sync we will need to have a phone company technician come out to your location to test the line all the way to the jack. We will want to set it up for the 4-8 time slot and ask that they come as late as possible. A support representative will reach out to you tomorrow to coordinate the dispatch. Your line readings are below for your reference.
DN STREAM SPEED The line is running at the maximum bit rate of 6016 kbps.
UP STREAM SPEED The line is running at the maximum bit rate of 768 kbps.
DN STREAM S/N The line noise margin is 11.0dB, which is above the target noise margin of 6.0dB.
UP STREAM S/N The line noise margin is 15.0dB, which is above the target noise margin of 6.0dB.
DN STREAM POWER The line power is 19.0dBm, which is below the maximum of 20.0dBm.
UP STREAM POWER The line power is 12.0dBm, which is below the maximum of 13.0dBm.
DN STREAM LINE CAPACITY The line is already running at 84.0% of relative capacity on downstream transmission path.
UP STREAM LINE CAPACITY The line is running at 73.0% of relative capacity on upstream transmission path.
--
George
General Manager
DSL Extreme
Will work for reviews. |
|
jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
edit:
September 11th, @04:22PM
| Spoke with one of your reps today, said AT&T would be out tomorrow to test my lines all the way to the NID. I've had 6mb service with you folks since Dec 06 by looking at my service tickets. haven't had any really major problems until just this past month.
interestingly enough, this all started last month after I called AT&T to have a billing issue fixed and had a really pushy sales rep who did not want to take NO for an answer on the phone handling my call and trying to sell me the Uverse bundle telling me "are you sure?" and "these rates are introductory and would go up when they offered VOIP".
not to mention that during the same week, AT&T installed a new VRAD on my street and had an open trench between the new VRAD and the Bbox, and Several Telco company trucks for AT&T, as well as Comcast Contractors were out here as well
I really do not want to have to lose my speeds, Especially since AT&T can and has tried to sell me 6mb service through their Uverse service, which I almost took, but since they don't have VOIP, NOR do they offer static IPS with ANY of their packages I turned it down.
Just a day or two later all my sync issues started occurring and have been since.
I'm not trying to imply anything here but all this seems to be a little too coincidental.
Your rep said that my loop length is 8000 feet, which was too long for 6mb and they might have to downgrade my service to 3mb. which is strange, as when I first had the service upgraded I had been told that I was 7000 feet from the CO the first time, then when I started having issues in the first part of 07 I think it was, I was told my loop was over 9000 feet.. Which is it? does anyone really know? or did they just average it out and come up with 8000 FT
Now my question is this...
If everyone who has tested my line says that my readings are OK and that my cap is ok for what it is, Why would I have stable 6mb service for 2 years and all of the sudden start having issues? If I wasn't qualified for 6mb due to distance I shouldn't have had it for 2 years at all right? something just doesn't add up.
I need the 6mb line and the static IPs as I do a little hosting here, have 3 machines, need the bandwidth (both up and down speeds) as my wife and I are both gamers. Downgrading my service after two years will only solve the problem for AT&T because my "loop length" is supposedly too long seems to me to be a cop out from AT&T.. this is the EXACT same thing they tried to do to me two years ago when I had the service upgraded from 3mb to 6mb.
now the next question is this.
They recently put in a VRAD box about 20 feet from the Bbox at the end of my street. I may be wrong here, but the VRAD is connected to the CO via Fiber yes? if so... why can't they just connect my pair from the Bbox to the VRAD and shorten the copper run to my house from the CO? that would cut my supposed loop problem considerably.
the last question is this.
How is it that you DSLx can't provide me with a stable 6mb connection right after AT&T installs this new hardware in my neighborhood, but AT&T Can/Has tried sell me 6mb Uverse internet? all the lines from the CO to my house are the same, unless they are trying to snowjob me out of more money to switch my from the copper run which I do believe I'm on now to the Fiber run that feeds the new VRAD??
Now I would also like to add this.. since my last post, and since you reopened my ticket. the Connection has only seemed to drop once... that last night I posted about this issue which was 9/9 I believe.
I really appreciate all that you folks at DSLx are doing here to help me with this matter, God knows you are probably tired of having to deal with the same Accounts problems for going on 25+ days now, not to mention having to read my rants here.
and thank you DSLx_gm for all the attention you have given this thread, even when being pulled out of the office for jury duty. |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
| as a side note...
My original service which was 3mb was upgraded on 12-11-06
I refer to service ticket #1885665
the problems I was having with sync when it was first upgraded were ironed out when it was determined by the ASI tech to be the lines on the poles. apparently they are soo old it took him trying 13 different pairs to get one that wasn't too noisy. |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
| reply to dslx_gm
well today is 9/17.. the ticket is still open.. I spoke with one of your T2 techs today who informed me that AT&T suggested I downgrade my speeds due to the fact that none of my neighbors are getting stable connections @ 6mb.
What kind of crap is that?!? after 2 years of solid, stable, 6mb service!!! NO.. THAT IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM! I HAD stable connection from Dec 2006 to August 10th 2008, Why the hell would I want to downgrade now? Why? because AT&T doesn't want to handle the problem correctly? and I was also informed by the same tech that my line cap is now at 95%?!?!?!?!
It's NEVER been that bad. Not in the 2 years I've had it.
this is only speculation here as I have nothing more than circumstantial evidence, but I believe that AT&T is intentionally "sweeping the issue under the rug" due to the fact that they just finished rolling out Uverse in my area last month and don't want to bother trying to fix the copper run problems that are occurring around here Since its more cost effective for them to get all of us to join their Uverse service and take long time customers such as myself away from DSLx and Other ISPs who service our area.
Makes sense if you think about it. they have to pay for all that new gear somehow right? It's a hostile thing for a company to do, but I guess that's the corporate world "Dog-Eat-Dog huh?
anyway.. I haven't given up on this yet. but I'm afraid all I'm going to end up with here is a constant run-around from ASI.
And I'm sorry, But would you drive a Corvette for 2 years on city streets, then one day you start having problems with the road and report the issue. They (the folks in charge of the road you drive on) tell you the road won't handle your car cuz your neighbors can't drive their corvettes either without issues, we suggest you go get a Geo Metro.
HOW does THAT make ANY Sense? |
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grumpy3b
join:2001-12-11
Lompoc, CA
 ·Millenicom
·DSL EXTREME
| reply to JMS510
FWIW...a bit over a year ago I had some similar probs with a very flaky connection. Sync up then down, speeds up then slower than dial-up...I even re-cabled my home with CAT5 everywhere.
Working with DSLx tech revealed a very strange problem I would NEVER had suspected. Verizon had either moved my line to a different bundle or added a fiber (T1/T3) to the bundle which contained my line. This resulted in the somewhat predictable yet at the same time inconsistent behavior. The tech folks at DSLx got on with Verizon tech while I was on hold and they agreed to just move my connection to a different bundle...viola a month's frustration fixed.
Like you I had my DSLr line monitor report line probs and what not...obviously I can't say your issue is the same, but it might be something to ask about...apparently there can be a LOT of interference from these fiber lines.
Something to consider, it's NOT DSLx causing the prob but rather the telco provider so changing ISP's is not going to change ANYTHING. Even changing TelCo's might not help if the lines all belong to AT&T if your physical line is not moved on their end.
Anyway, I know full well your frustration as I have been there, BUT, I have been with DSLx for about 8-ish years now, and I see no reason I would ever switch because they have always done everything conceivable (and even off-the-wall) to find the fix...
--
Using Millenicom? Come visit the Unofficial Millenicom forum here on BBR »Millenicom |
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jschraw
join:2004-10-13
Oakland, CA
| yea.. the last AT&T tech looked into all that. he told me that he could locate any T1/T3 lines anywhere near my bundle, although I don't really know how it would actually take some one to check on something like that so whether or not he actually did check is another issue.
I do not wish to change ISPs, if I did It wouldn't be with another DSL company. I would start petitioning my neighbors in the area to help get Paxio fiber run through our area and we could all jump to their service, it's very inexpensive compared to any other service for what I could get with teh package deals they offer, but that would require alot obviously.
the last time I spoke with a tech from DSLx was last night, who said there was nothing that could be done but lower my speeds to make the connection more stable, as 6000ft was the distance limit for 6mb. at which point he told me my options were, Either downgrade to 3mb, or "Live with it"..
I can't stress how much I feel a tech saying that to me after all this is wholly inappropriate, not to mention a little insulting.
I'm just about tired of this.. I can not continue to subject myself to this kind of stress and headache this long.
time to think about other alternatives I guess. |
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