Orange Broadband - No Service for 6 weeks! - Broadband Internet

Ian Hawkins · 19-01-2007, 20:17

Hi
Is anyone having a problem getting a broadband connection to orange BB. The exchange is Clydach (01792)84xxxx

My parents had their livebox in November, when i installed it I thought it was one of the easiest BB to setup.

However, a few days before the 11th December we had a problem with a fast flashing "@" light.

I did all the usual diagnostics - plugged in at the test socket changed the filters unpluged all othere phones, i even tried my own belikn and a bt modem! but still no service.

I have callled and called tech support but we keep going round in circles - line test ordered, line test failed to execute, line test cancelled, line test reordered. over and over again.

Getting through on the phone is a nightmare anytime day or night. i must have spent a fortune on phone calls often holding on for over 30 minutes at a time. I often get told someone will call me and gave my orange mobile number as i dont sit by the broadband landline number waiting for orange to call. No one ever does.

My dad has a mate who is a BT engineer and he has tested the line and been to the exchange and there is no broadband signal on our line at the exchange, orange said this was impossible as the line has a broadband order against it. One tech support agent even said to me - why didnt the BT engineer fix it then !

I have emailed customer care and written to make a formal complaint and still with no service. I have today emailed Sanjiv.Ahuja@orange.co.uk CEO of orange to try and get a result.
6 weeks with out a broadband service - unbelievable
I am at my wits end!
any advice?
Ian

redoxide · 19-01-2007, 20:35

check here for cheaper alternatives to the 0870 premium number you have probably been dialling, there is even one for a technical support dept in Middlesbrough.
http://www.saynoto0870.com just type orange in search

sorry i cant help with your problem but at least it might help cut your phone bill

dazb · 19-01-2007, 22:28

Ian i done the same thing today to, i emailed the chief exec. My problem is i keep losing connection, i know its not my end, so im going to try and phone one last time tomorrow for line test results, then if i dont get a result there ill cancel the contract, they are a joke and i for one have had enough of them.

pault2006 · 19-01-2007, 22:40

I'm with Zen Internet (www.zenadsl.com) and I reckon they're the best ISP in the country - have won many awards.

Carmen Queasy · 19-01-2007, 22:52

I work for Orange (don't hurt me!) and there's a few people in your situation... almost all of them are in LLU areas (dazb... you probably will be, since you're in Manchester).

LLU is a good thing when it's working, but when there's a problem it can take ages to fix it. Recently, there's been a massive backlog of fixing LLU problems.

I just checked your exchange, Ian, and it's all BT (IPStream) so in your case there's two companies involved in terms of providing the broadband. Neither company seems to be accepting that it's a problem with them, so if you phone back, ask them to ring through to SPT to check the proper provisioning of your line.

You could also ask them to ring through to BT Faults (BT Wholesale) and ask about any faults on the line. Standard BT engineers will probably just test the line for the phone side of things (although I'm not 100% sure of this - customers always tell us that BT checked their line for the phone but they needed to call Orange to get it checked for Broadband).

A fast @ light is either a set up problem or a line problem. If the set up is all ok, and still fast, then the problem is that there's no broadband signal being received.

Phone between 2 and 4pm - there's rarely ever a queue. After 5pm you'll be waiting ages since everyone comes home from work

Ian Hawkins · 19-01-2007, 22:59

Thanks for that
BT engineer actually went to the exchange and put a modem accross the line at the exchange. But there is no adsl signal there.

I assume that provisioning has been carried out correctly as my parents did have a adsl service with orange before it just stopped working!

As you say exchange not on LLU, but IP stream so its down to BT or Orange!
Still 6 weeks with no broadband is a bit much.!

Ian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ste...

I work for Orange (don't hurt me!) and there's a few people in your situation... almost all of them are in LLU areas (dazb... you probably will be, since you're in Manchester).

LLU is a good thing when it's working, but when there's a problem it can take ages to fix it. Recently, there's been a massive backlog of fixing LLU problems.

I just checked your exchange, Ian, and it's all BT (IPStream) so in your case there's two companies involved in terms of providing the broadband. Neither company seems to be accepting that it's a problem with them, so if you phone back, ask them to ring through to SPT to check the proper provisioning of your line.

You could also ask them to ring through to BT Faults (BT Wholesale) and ask about any faults on the line. Standard BT engineers will probably just test the line for the phone side of things (although I'm not 100% sure of this - customers always tell us that BT checked their line for the phone but they needed to call Orange to get it checked for Broadband).

A fast @ light is either a set up problem or a line problem. If the set up is all ok, and still fast, then the problem is that there's no broadband signal being received.

Phone between 2 and 4pm - there's rarely ever a queue. After 5pm you'll be waiting ages since everyone comes home from work

Ian Hawkins · 21-01-2007, 17:34

Orange just phoned and said that tehy had rebuilt the whole connection at the exchange and the service should now be working.

I am going to my parents shortly and we will see if its working!

Get back to you with the result!

Ian

Ian Hawkins · 22-01-2007, 12:47

Guess what it Doesnt work !
Back on the phone to Orange tech support as i type, they are doing a broadband health check with BT.
trying to arrabge appointment now while i hold.

Ian Hawkins · 22-01-2007, 13:27

Nope they cant book an engineer - yet another "system is down"
asked tech support about SPT to check the proper provisioning of the line.
Told that there was a broadband order on the line so that was ok. !!! cant get anyone to ring me back as the "Phones are too busy and have queues to deal with that type of work" Spoke to a supervisor and she just kept saying that i need to call back as theya re aninbound call centre and they cant make out going calls, that is is bare faced lie as other tech support agents have called me back.

disgusting support from orange

Scorpio · 22-01-2007, 16:22

Ian, I have been having system dropouts for nearly 2 years with noone getting to the bottom of the issue. All other functions work (BT landline, dialup and even the ADSL phone) but there is no broadband signal.............at least a useable one.

It appears to be there but is a 100 times slower than dial up. I found this number on the net (0113 298 2005) and it takes you to escalations in Middlesborough, i think. You can get through nearly straight away no messing with call centres.

I also wrote to the Vice President of Customer service enclosing all my email exchanges. This got me a call assigning me an Orange engineer from the rotherham tech dept.

He called a couple of times and ran the usual tests to check for operator error (I have 3 PCs which all drop out at the same time......) and found nothing. This went on for a bit but i managed to convince him it was an issue outside of this address. I have an engineer from BT coming tomorrow.

Sod's Law.......after 5 days of not working, the service came back this morning so you can see where the engineer will pich his tent. However, having come this far, i will persuade him to give me contact details so that BT can be called to site during the next outage.

I am an IT Service Delivery Mgr by profession so understand all about escalation and the difference between incident mgt (one occurrence) and problem mgt (resolving the underlying cause(s)) so wont let them off the hook.

Good luck with any caals you make.

Rgds,
scorp

Ian Hawkins · 22-01-2007, 16:37

Thanks for that
I have emailed the CEO but no repsonse as yet!
Ian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpio

Ian, I have been having system dropouts for nearly 2 years with noone getting to the bottom of the issue. All other functions work (BT landline, dialup and even the ADSL phone) but there is no broadband signal.............at least a useable one.

It appears to be there but is a 100 times slower than dial up. I found this number on the net (0113 298 2005) and it takes you to escalations in Middlesborough, i think. You can get through nearly straight away no messing with call centres.

I also wrote to the Vice President of Customer service enclosing all my email exchanges. This got me a call assigning me an Orange engineer from the rotherham tech dept.

He called a couple of times and ran the usual tests to check for operator error (I have 3 PCs which all drop out at the same time......) and found nothing. This went on for a bit but i managed to convince him it was an issue outside of this address. I have an engineer from BT coming tomorrow.

Sod's Law.......after 5 days of not working, the service came back this morning so you can see where the engineer will pich his tent. However, having come this far, i will persuade him to give me contact details so that BT can be called to site during the next outage.

I am an IT Service Delivery Mgr by profession so understand all about escalation and the difference between incident mgt (one occurrence) and problem mgt (resolving the underlying cause(s)) so wont let them off the hook.

Good luck with any caals you make.

Rgds,
scorp

Scorpio · 22-01-2007, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Hawkins

Thanks for that
I have emailed the CEO but no repsonse as yet!
Ian

It took several weeks for me to get a reply in writing so i would go to the site in Middlesborough with the number above and get them to escalate - time's money!

Rgds,
Scorp

Carmen Queasy · 22-01-2007, 19:46

Tech Support at the moment is a nightmare. Sooo many people are calling and there's huge queues, so they're not lying to you

The problem is that 300,000 Liveboxes were sent out just before Christmas, so people are constantly phoning up for help connecting wirelessly etc...

Also, the fault checking system was indeed down today (well, it was able to get results, just not run or submit new tests properly) much to many people's annoyance.

0113 is Leeds, btw. Middlesbrough is 01642. I'm not sure if the 0113 number switches you through to the Middlesbrough dept, though.

Ian, is the Livebox light still the same? Rapid flashing?

Ian Hawkins · 22-01-2007, 21:15

Yes it the same problem fast flashing @ light.
Yes i have treid the master socket with no other equipment plugged into the line. I have tried new filters, different modem, standing on one leg with the modem in the air! blah blah blah.

I am only trying to get one live box to work not 300,000! i had a service from around 10th November it worked for a few weeks and then nothing- fast flashing @ light.

I am so frustrated because each tech I speak to gives me different information and sometimes conflicting information. or a reason or excuse why they cant progress the call. we go through this cycle each time! i.e not authorised, not the team leader is busy , cant make outbound calls to call you back, some system or other is down, we are too busy to deal with that type of work etc etc,

words like cant organise a drinking session in a brewery come to mind, well something like that anyway.

6 weeks with no broadband must be some kind of record of sheer incompitance. I though talktalk was bad but Orange its a joke! "together" indeed more like never!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ste...

Tech Support at the moment is a nightmare. Sooo many people are calling and there's huge queues, so they're not lying to you

The problem is that 300,000 Liveboxes were sent out just before Christmas, so people are constantly phoning up for help connecting wirelessly etc...

Also, the fault checking system was indeed down today (well, it was able to get results, just not run or submit new tests properly) much to many people's annoyance.

0113 is Leeds, btw. Middlesbrough is 01642. I'm not sure if the 0113 number switches you through to the Middlesbrough dept, though.

Ian, is the Livebox light still the same? Rapid flashing?

Scorpio · 22-01-2007, 23:01

Ian , try the number i gave you, they do take you far more seriously than the regular helpdesks.

They operate only on normal office hours. You could ask for Ray, Tracy or Rebecca.

Rgds,
Scorp

Ian Hawkins · 23-01-2007, 11:04

Thanks Scorp,
Rebbeca called me this morning, gave a direct contact number, she is getting things moving and hopefully a resolution to this problem.

It was as a result of my email to Sanjiv- ceo. He was probably getting fed up with my emails!

Bt engineer Booked for friday.
Ian

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scorpio

Ian , try the number i gave you, they do take you far more seriously than the regular helpdesks.

They operate only on normal office hours. You could ask for Ray, Tracy or Rebecca.

Rgds,
Scorp

Scorpio · 23-01-2007, 16:44

Hi Ian, BT engineer came and (due to the fact that we were in a smooth running situation - the service is mostly OK but we experience long outages) found nothing wrong. The line was running at 6.5 mb which is very good.......

He checked some of my wiring as there are a pair of wireless phones, 2 sky boxes, router/modem and ADSL phone all connected up. He moved the 'master socket' upstairs close to my modem and finished this run off with a new socket that includes a built-in filter.

He then ran it back downstairs (using a pair inside the same cable) and fitted a new double socket where the old master was. The upshot of this is (according to engineer) two fold:
- a better more powerful ADSL connection
- less cables around the house

As the service is 'up' at the moment, I cant tell if these changes have made any difference as it was OK before he got here. If we continue with good service then there may be something in it but, somehow, I feel it will come to another visit when the service fails.........

Will return with the next exiting chapter soon.

Rgds,
Scorp

Carmen Queasy · 23-01-2007, 21:50

I hope you get your problems sorted out soon, Ian.

It does seem to be tad ridiculous how long your service has been down. If it was LLU, I wouldn't be surprised, but IPStream is rarely ever down that long, in my experience.

BT should start fitting everyone's house with these ADSL/Phone face plates. They save soooo much hassle with incorrect set up of filters etc...

Ian Hawkins · 23-01-2007, 23:04

When i get the service up and running, i am going to reorganise the extensions so that there is the direct unfiltered socket for the adsl modem and then a circuit of filtered telephone sockets!

The filters are fine ive tested them at my mates.
Yes lets hope I can get the broadband working again real soooon!

Thanks for all your helpfull advice guys, Let you know how it goes. Rebecca is calling me back tomorrow to confirm everything.

Ian

Scorpio · 24-01-2007, 09:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian Hawkins

When i get the service up and running, i am going to reorganise the extensions so that there is the direct unfiltered socket for the adsl modem and then a circuit of filtered telephone sockets!

The filters are fine ive tested them at my mates.
Yes lets hope I can get the broadband working again real soooon!

Thanks for all your helpfull advice guys, Let you know how it goes. Rebecca is calling me back tomorrow to confirm everything.

Ian

With the arrangement my engineer installed, the bradband signl is now only available at the new master socket (in my study close to the Livebox). This is fitted with an internal filter and a normal phone socket for and phone extensions.

However, the other 'advantage' is that no filters are required at the other socket downstairs nor on any devices fitted to it (2 sky boxes, extra handset wireless base etc) as there is no broadband signal to filter.

Rgds,
Scorp

valli2 · 25-01-2007, 18:44

Ian check out OrangeProblems quiet a few others there in fact more than a few with similar problems.

19-01-2007, 20:17	#1
Ian Hawkins Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swansea Services: TalkTalk BB, Sky Freeview, Raza V3 - orange, Posts: 114	Orange Broadband - No Service for 6 weeks! Hi Is anyone having a problem getting a broadband connection to orange BB. The exchange is Clydach (01792)84xxxx My parents had their livebox in November, when i installed it I thought it was one of the easiest BB to setup. However, a few days before the 11th December we had a problem with a fast flashing "@" light. I did all the usual diagnostics - plugged in at the test socket changed the filters unpluged all othere phones, i even tried my own belikn and a bt modem! but still no service. I have callled and called tech support but we keep going round in circles - line test ordered, line test failed to execute, line test cancelled, line test reordered. over and over again. Getting through on the phone is a nightmare anytime day or night. i must have spent a fortune on phone calls often holding on for over 30 minutes at a time. I often get told someone will call me and gave my orange mobile number as i dont sit by the broadband landline number waiting for orange to call. No one ever does. My dad has a mate who is a BT engineer and he has tested the line and been to the exchange and there is no broadband signal on our line at the exchange, orange said this was impossible as the line has a broadband order against it. One tech support agent even said to me - why didnt the BT engineer fix it then ! I have emailed customer care and written to make a formal complaint and still with no service. I have today emailed Sanjiv.Ahuja@orange.co.uk CEO of orange to try and get a result. 6 weeks with out a broadband service - unbelievable I am at my wits end! any advice? Ian Last edited by Ian Hawkins : 19-01-2007 at 20:19.

19-01-2007, 20:35	#2
redoxide Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 227	check here for cheaper alternatives to the 0870 premium number you have probably been dialling, there is even one for a technical support dept in Middlesbrough. http://www.saynoto0870.com just type orange in search sorry i cant help with your problem but at least it might help cut your phone bill Last edited by redoxide : 19-01-2007 at 20:36.

19-01-2007, 22:52	#5
Carmen Queasy Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Gender: Male Location: Manchester Services: Sky+. Sky Broadband. XBox 360. Posts: 23,552 Blog Entries: 1	I work for Orange (don't hurt me!) and there's a few people in your situation... almost all of them are in LLU areas (dazb... you probably will be, since you're in Manchester). LLU is a good thing when it's working, but when there's a problem it can take ages to fix it. Recently, there's been a massive backlog of fixing LLU problems. I just checked your exchange, Ian, and it's all BT (IPStream) so in your case there's two companies involved in terms of providing the broadband. Neither company seems to be accepting that it's a problem with them, so if you phone back, ask them to ring through to SPT to check the proper provisioning of your line. You could also ask them to ring through to BT Faults (BT Wholesale) and ask about any faults on the line. Standard BT engineers will probably just test the line for the phone side of things (although I'm not 100% sure of this - customers always tell us that BT checked their line for the phone but they needed to call Orange to get it checked for Broadband). A fast @ light is either a set up problem or a line problem. If the set up is all ok, and still fast, then the problem is that there's no broadband signal being received. Phone between 2 and 4pm - there's rarely ever a queue. After 5pm you'll be waiting ages since everyone comes home from work Last edited by Ste... : 19-01-2007 at 22:54.

21-01-2007, 17:34	#7
Ian Hawkins Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swansea Services: TalkTalk BB, Sky Freeview, Raza V3 - orange, Posts: 114	update Orange just phoned and said that tehy had rebuilt the whole connection at the exchange and the service should now be working. I am going to my parents shortly and we will see if its working! Get back to you with the result! Ian

22-01-2007, 12:47	#8
Ian Hawkins Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swansea Services: TalkTalk BB, Sky Freeview, Raza V3 - orange, Posts: 114	Still no broadband Guess what it Doesnt work ! Back on the phone to Orange tech support as i type, they are doing a broadband health check with BT. trying to arrabge appointment now while i hold.

19-01-2007, 22:28	#3
dazb Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Manchester UK. Services: Sky HD, Be Broadband PS3 Posts: 720	Ian i done the same thing today to, i emailed the chief exec. My problem is i keep losing connection, i know its not my end, so im going to try and phone one last time tomorrow for line test results, then if i dont get a result there ill cancel the contract, they are a joke and i for one have had enough of them.

19-01-2007, 22:40	#4
pault2006 Banned User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cambridge Services: Xbox 360, 2MB broadband, laptop, Freeview Posts: 7,634	I'm with Zen Internet (www.zenadsl.com) and I reckon they're the best ISP in the country - have won many awards.

22-01-2007, 13:27	#9
Ian Hawkins Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swansea Services: TalkTalk BB, Sky Freeview, Raza V3 - orange, Posts: 114	Nope they cant book an engineer - yet another "system is down" asked tech support about SPT to check the proper provisioning of the line. Told that there was a broadband order on the line so that was ok. !!! cant get anyone to ring me back as the "Phones are too busy and have queues to deal with that type of work" Spoke to a supervisor and she just kept saying that i need to call back as theya re aninbound call centre and they cant make out going calls, that is is bare faced lie as other tech support agents have called me back. disgusting support from orange

22-01-2007, 16:22	#10
Scorpio Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerset Services: Sky HD, Sky+ V1, Panny TH42PX70, Panny E55, ADSL Posts: 3,020	Ian, I have been having system dropouts for nearly 2 years with noone getting to the bottom of the issue. All other functions work (BT landline, dialup and even the ADSL phone) but there is no broadband signal.............at least a useable one. It appears to be there but is a 100 times slower than dial up. I found this number on the net (0113 298 2005) and it takes you to escalations in Middlesborough, i think. You can get through nearly straight away no messing with call centres. I also wrote to the Vice President of Customer service enclosing all my email exchanges. This got me a call assigning me an Orange engineer from the rotherham tech dept. He called a couple of times and ran the usual tests to check for operator error (I have 3 PCs which all drop out at the same time......) and found nothing. This went on for a bit but i managed to convince him it was an issue outside of this address. I have an engineer from BT coming tomorrow. Sod's Law.......after 5 days of not working, the service came back this morning so you can see where the engineer will pich his tent. However, having come this far, i will persuade him to give me contact details so that BT can be called to site during the next outage. I am an IT Service Delivery Mgr by profession so understand all about escalation and the difference between incident mgt (one occurrence) and problem mgt (resolving the underlying cause(s)) so wont let them off the hook. Good luck with any caals you make. Rgds, scorp

22-01-2007, 19:46	#13
Carmen Queasy Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Gender: Male Location: Manchester Services: Sky+. Sky Broadband. XBox 360. Posts: 23,552 Blog Entries: 1	Tech Support at the moment is a nightmare. Sooo many people are calling and there's huge queues, so they're not lying to you The problem is that 300,000 Liveboxes were sent out just before Christmas, so people are constantly phoning up for help connecting wirelessly etc... Also, the fault checking system was indeed down today (well, it was able to get results, just not run or submit new tests properly) much to many people's annoyance. 0113 is Leeds, btw. Middlesbrough is 01642. I'm not sure if the 0113 number switches you through to the Middlesbrough dept, though. Ian, is the Livebox light still the same? Rapid flashing?

22-01-2007, 23:01	#15
Scorpio Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerset Services: Sky HD, Sky+ V1, Panny TH42PX70, Panny E55, ADSL Posts: 3,020	Ian , try the number i gave you, they do take you far more seriously than the regular helpdesks. They operate only on normal office hours. You could ask for Ray, Tracy or Rebecca. Rgds, Scorp

23-01-2007, 16:44	#17
Scorpio Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Somerset Services: Sky HD, Sky+ V1, Panny TH42PX70, Panny E55, ADSL Posts: 3,020	Hi Ian, BT engineer came and (due to the fact that we were in a smooth running situation - the service is mostly OK but we experience long outages) found nothing wrong. The line was running at 6.5 mb which is very good....... He checked some of my wiring as there are a pair of wireless phones, 2 sky boxes, router/modem and ADSL phone all connected up. He moved the 'master socket' upstairs close to my modem and finished this run off with a new socket that includes a built-in filter. He then ran it back downstairs (using a pair inside the same cable) and fitted a new double socket where the old master was. The upshot of this is (according to engineer) two fold: - a better more powerful ADSL connection - less cables around the house As the service is 'up' at the moment, I cant tell if these changes have made any difference as it was OK before he got here. If we continue with good service then there may be something in it but, somehow, I feel it will come to another visit when the service fails......... Will return with the next exiting chapter soon. Rgds, Scorp

23-01-2007, 21:50	#18
Carmen Queasy Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Gender: Male Location: Manchester Services: Sky+. Sky Broadband. XBox 360. Posts: 23,552 Blog Entries: 1	I hope you get your problems sorted out soon, Ian. It does seem to be tad ridiculous how long your service has been down. If it was LLU, I wouldn't be surprised, but IPStream is rarely ever down that long, in my experience. BT should start fitting everyone's house with these ADSL/Phone face plates. They save soooo much hassle with incorrect set up of filters etc...

23-01-2007, 23:04	#19
Ian Hawkins Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swansea Services: TalkTalk BB, Sky Freeview, Raza V3 - orange, Posts: 114	When i get the service up and running, i am going to reorganise the extensions so that there is the direct unfiltered socket for the adsl modem and then a circuit of filtered telephone sockets! The filters are fine ive tested them at my mates. Yes lets hope I can get the broadband working again real soooon! Thanks for all your helpfull advice guys, Let you know how it goes. Rebecca is calling me back tomorrow to confirm everything. Ian

25-01-2007, 18:44	#21
valli2 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Marylebone London Services: Sky Digital, Be* Un Limited, o2 Mobile SE C510, Freeview. Posts: 295	Ian check out OrangeProblems quiet a few others there in fact more than a few with similar problems.