TPG won't tell me what the problem is with my ADSL2

Lprojectk on 22/01/2018 - 16:15

Short version: TPG refuses to tell me what the actual problem is with my ADSL2.

I used to get speeds of 1.5Mbps, now i'm lucky if I get 300kB/s. Sometimes the ping has gone from being 27 up to high numbers like 1000. Upload used to be 0.8Mbps, now i'm lucky to get 0.3Mbps. This is all on the speed test, mind you. In the real world, some nights I can't even watch 144p video or load a simple animated GIF.

This has been happening since Christmas.

Originally, they said the line is damaged and unrepairable, now they're saying there is nothing wrong with the line but "this is the best service we can provide." I'm confused by this, since for 3 years now the service has been mostly fine - how could it go from unrepairable to fine in just 1 month? How come i'm now getting a third of the speed if i'm lucky?

They send me this letter: I let them know how unimpressed I was by it.
Instead of fixing it they've said "we don't care, find someone else."
https://imgur.com/6S5nqLL

We've had 20 phone calls, they sent 4 technicians - only 2 actually showed up and actually did anything.
Contacted the ombudsman, but just curious if anyone else is having the same issue.

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Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 22/01/2018 - 16:17
    +1

    Same thing happening to me for the past 5 years. Shitty customer support seem to be [—removed—] or deaf. Hopefully they are better after the recent 1 cent fidget spinner deals.

  • robbyjones on 22/01/2018 - 16:24
    +1

    I was with TPG for years, since dial up days when internet was free if you allowed ads, then one day (with ADSL) the internet stopped, no reason just stopped. Despite TPG sending out multiple technicians they couldn't get it to work again and in the end said sorry we cant offer you a service anymore. Been with Telstra since.

    • projectk on 22/01/2018 - 17:22

      Interesting. Given the technicians i've seen (one guy walked in, unplugged the cable, plugged it back in and left. Was there for 2 minutes) i'm not surprised by this.

      • mattyman on 23/01/2018 - 12:28

        Not sure if you know this, but the techs that they send out are actually Telstra techs. When fault finding the techs check the line from the exchange to your house. Just because they spent two minutes at your house does not mean they weren't working on the issue elsewhere.

        What trouble shooting have you done internally?
        Have you added any new phones or connected anything new to the phone points in your house since Christmas?
        Have you disconnected everything from the phone points except the modem (even disconnect the splitter/filter and plug the modem directly into the wall socket)?
        Do you have a monitored alarm system or an unmonitored alarm system that connects to the phoneline?
        Tried new phonecable between the modem and the wallsocket?

  • garetz on 22/01/2018 - 17:09
    +2

    i had an issue, that was actually several problems contributing to slow speeds and dropouts, unfortunately they always look for 1 cause for a problem, and when you have many causes, it takes a very long time to get fixed.

    My 3 problems were the connectors outside for the lines near the power poles were corroded, needing replacement, another issue was the lines themselves were over 50 years old. Then there was a problem at the node.

    They also like to undo fixes, so they think the node is the issue, they fix the problem, you continue to have issues, so they undo the fix at the node, discounting that there can be any other problems that can contribute to the issues you experience.

    I finally had to goto the ombudsman, and they got a tier 3 or 4 technician to go over everything, after a total of 3 years of intermittent problems, finally got it sorted. Haven't had a problem since.

    • projectk on 22/01/2018 - 17:20

      I see, this makes entire sense. I'd take a guess and say you might be right - might be multiple problems.

  • No Username on 22/01/2018 - 17:27

    You can try and disconnect all phone lines in the house, this includes any fax machine, phones, security systems etc. After that plug the modem directly to the wall and restart the modem after that run a speed test. If the speed is back then one of your devices is introducing too much noise. If that doesn't work reconnect all devices and try to call your mobile. See if you can hear any static or noise. If you do then there is some interference with the line. And you may need some new wires.

    IF you want, just join Optus $60 unlimited plan. It's cable and i get around 8 ping 30mbps download and 1.50mbps upload

    • projectk on 22/01/2018 - 17:39

      Yeah, we've only got the modem connected to the wall so we've tried all that stuff. They claim there's no noise interference.

      I've never had cable-does it use the copper as well? That sounds tempting.

      • No Username on 22/01/2018 - 17:47
        +1

        Yeah, I think they use the same connectors for TV's to get a signal.

        • mattyman on 23/01/2018 - 12:29

          No. Most places don't have cable/HFC.

  • original15 on 22/01/2018 - 17:28
    +1

    Hey mate
    Similar timing but different speeds happened to us with TPG over Xmas
    Were always getting 3-5mbps, suddenly dropped to 0.2mbps the week after Christmas
    Tpg sent a technician, then a Telstra technician who went to a pit about 300m away. Said dirt was an issue
    Speeds are now 1.9-3mbps but never as high as what we were once getting..tpg don’t seem keen to investigate further
    Can pretty much get by on 3mbps (..just) but wondering if there are others who experienced a drop off around Xmas..
    Considering alternatives such as 4g and will explore other providers if they can give indication of likely speeds

  • desync on 22/01/2018 - 17:42

    guys, TPG is appalling these days.. they were a good budget provider in the past because they use to deliver a decent service

    It's now overpriced and rubbish, there are much better providers out there.. the ratings don't lie

    • No Username on 22/01/2018 - 17:52

      Agreed, I got my sister a $1 month sim plan from TPG and it gave her 50mb to use. In a couple of days sister went over 50mb so i paid the extra $10 for 1gb after one month my sister disabled 4g and we were still being charged for excess data not (sms or phone use) even tho 4g wasn't enabled. Dodgy service. I've now transferred her to Vaya.

    • Sanditiger on 23/01/2018 - 12:48
      +1

      Same disappointment here with TPG. Have been with them for 5 Years and they were always quite good. Sometimes had slow speeds but a reset of router would fix it. Last 6 months we noticed it just getting progressively worse. Called them a few times and they would say we are getting the best speed that’s available ( not hearing any of how it was always faster ) Then told that it depends on how far our line is from actual exchange. The closer you are the better. Umm we haven’t physically lifted entire house and put it at a further distance ??? Sick of getting no answers or help and called Belong. ( belong inform us that there actually is no such thing as adsl2, it’s exactly what adsl is. Out of my league so have no clue ) also was sent letter that from TPG that NBN would be in our area at around xmas. Xmas 2016 ?? Hello? Nothing.
      Decided to leave TPG and go with Belong it’s a little better but not great when 3 -4 kids are all on Xbox / computers. Don’t know where to go from here. Not keen signing up elsewhere for same crappy results. Guess it’s just a matter of waiting for NBN if it will ever get here.

      • projectk on 23/01/2018 - 13:24

        We're 1.6km from the exchange. I feel for the people that are 5-10km from the exchange.

        NBN HFC is what most of Sydney is getting if you look at the unofficial NBN map site. I read on reddit though that it's been put on hold, so you may be waiting a while. I have the same problem.

      • mattyman on 23/01/2018 - 13:45
        +1

        What? Belong told you that ADSL was the same as ADSL 2?

        ADSL and ADSL 2 have completely different transmission protocols. They are similar but not the same.

        For instance … the max speed of ADSL is only 8Mb. ADSL 2 is 24Mb.

        Personally I'd check to see if NBN is available. Aussie Broadband and MyRepublic are the two current ISPs with the good service reps now.

  • Beanvee on 22/01/2018 - 18:00
    +1

    Had this with iiNet a couple years ago. Speed dropped to 0.05 when connected, and was in and out every few minutes. They said a line in the street was damaged and ETA to fix was 6 months.
    When looking for other ISP's I found I actually had access to Telstra Cable, so I cancelled my ADSL and went with that.

  • Peace Maker on 22/01/2018 - 18:12
    +1

    Same experience here. ADSL starting going from 6Mbps down to 1Mbps every night during peak times. Off shore call centre reading a script in barely understandable English were no help either. Just got NBN and went with ABB. TPG were cheaper but I left them on principal. That's a big thing for an OzBargainer to do.

  • whooah1979 on 22/01/2018 - 18:21
    +1

    This has been happening since Christmas.

    school holidays?

    • projectk on 22/01/2018 - 18:40

      I don't think school holidays is the cause, seemed fine last year. But yeah, started around the 20th December.

  • bobbified on 22/01/2018 - 18:51
    +2

    No business in their right mind would advise you to take your business elsewhere unless they've exhausted all avenues. It doesn't seem like they know what the problem is or the time/cost to fix your problem just isn't worth it for them.

    So the only thing you can do is, as they say in their letter, take your business elsewhere and get your refund of the previous month's bill.

    I mean, what other option is there?

    • Forenti on 22/01/2018 - 19:27

      Exactly right.

    • Magus on 22/01/2018 - 21:52
      +1

      Sadly that is the problem with seperate retailers and wholesalers, each blames the other. The cost of fault finding and trying to fix all these copper problems is high for the iISP and telstra.

      Voice line faults do get attention. You can here an intermittent crackle?
      Might be time to move to Telstra to get the problem sorted.

      Cable is faster than any DSL, but you have to have telstra cable in an area that has not been handed over the nbn.

      • projectk on 23/01/2018 - 14:51

        Curious - why Telstra and not Optus for Cable? I've never had cable, only ever had DSL.

        • LFO on 23/01/2018 - 16:48
          -1

          only ever had DSL

          You mean ADSL. Quite different performance wise.

        • Magus on 24/01/2018 - 13:34
          +1

          Optus is not selling cable internet anymore.

          nbn connected cable is not able to be ordered at the moment, as they address the technical issues they were told about around 10 years ago, but now claim to be new!

          Leaves testra the only choice for cable. Their cable covers 19% (Telstra) to 33%(Fitfield) of houses.

  • jsb on 22/01/2018 - 21:34
    +1

    Try to search for your address at belong or some other provider and check if they are offering you adsl2+ or adsl. Similar thing happened to me with belong. Earlier I was getting very good speed. Then after a few months speed dropped and despite complaints, nothing was done. Recently I moved to a new house and just out of curiosity, I searched the old house address and got the message that it can only have adsl connection as adsl 2+ services are restricted in that area. Just a guess.

  • PAOK11 on 22/01/2018 - 21:52

    How do you do a speed test ?

    • bobbified on 22/01/2018 - 21:57

      You can go to speedtest.net or download the app.

      • PAOK11 on 22/01/2018 - 22:00

        Thanks 6.99 mbps & 0.83 upload with TPG sorry op

        • bobbified on 22/01/2018 - 22:04

          Mine is 69.25Mbps & 34.91Mbps - also with TPG! haha :p

        • PAOK11 on 22/01/2018 - 22:06

          @bobbified: lol… I have ADSL2 dont say same lol

        • bobbified on 22/01/2018 - 22:38
          +2

          @PAOK11:
          Don't feel shit yet. Mine is TPG FTTB, so shouldn't compare! haha.

        • codinghelloworld on 27/02/2018 - 17:03

          @bobbified:

          You are lucky. Mine before xmas get around 10Mbps / 1.5 Mbps

          Now drop to 0.9 / 0.1

          Unbelievable.

  • HeWhoKnows on 23/01/2018 - 08:24
    +1

    I had variable and sometimes low speeds and even ADSL failure for 3 years.
    Put in several complaints - some of which came back as "Congestion" at the exchange.
    Because of NBN the old ADSL exchanges were not being upgraded to cope with the congestion.

    Eventually my phone line stopped working with occassional but slow ADSL geting through.
    They sent out a technician who found the problem was with the wiries in their PIT out in the street Ho hum! He gave me a NEW PAIR and both my phone line and my ADSL has been fine ever since.

    If you are confifent its not your house wiring or equipment then persist with your complaint and ask them to send out a technician to check the wiring both in the exchange and out in the street. This is particularly important if you have lived in the same place for over 15-20 years as your telephone wires outside will be getting rather old and corroded.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/01/2018 - 08:35
    -1

    From the tone of your letter it sounds as if you have been giving them a hard time. (20 phone calls and they have already sent 2 technicians; really?)
    They aren't inviting you to take your business elsewhere; they're saying that is an option and it is.
    My speeds have also dropped since 20 December, as all the kids in the street are home and on the net 20 hours a day.
    They will pick up again this week.

    • projectk on 23/01/2018 - 13:35

      Maybe you don't rely on your internet for business. It's a big deal to me if I can't make income.

      Last year, we fought with TPG for around 2-3 months about upload problems. They pulled the exact same thing: technicians wouldn't show up, they'd test for the wrong thing and about halfway through they said "you're welcome to find another isp." Ombudmsan made them sort the problem out. Turns out they were just lazy.

      So fastforward to my problem now, 5-10 of the calls were chasing up these technicians. Two of them didn't show up or appeared to be at the wrong house. One of them claimed he couldn't get in. One of them came into my house, unplugged the wire from the wall, plugged it back in and left. He was here for two minutes. That's not diagnosing. The other 5-10 calls were trying to figure out what was going on because the story kept changing.

      The main issue is this: they said the line is damaged and unfixable, now they're saying it's perfectly fine. If I switch to another ISP and it's the line, I still have the same problem.

      • LFO on 23/01/2018 - 16:43

        If I switch to another ISP and it's the line, I still have the same problem.

        TPG kind of clearly stated they are giving the "best" they can. Clearly there is a fault.
        Chances are other ISPs will fail. May be get Telstra and may be they will repair the line.

        Do you have a landline on that copper line?

      • [Deactivated] on 24/01/2018 - 08:45
        -3

        Yes I do rely on it for my business. That's why I am not with TPG.

      • mattyman on 06/02/2018 - 12:20

        If you're running a business you should be paying for a business grade service, not residential.

  • FrugalFrella on 23/01/2018 - 08:44
    +2

    Had a similar issue - but I believe my issue ended up being local interference (Either apartment neighbour or internal issue somewhere)
    TPG tried what they could, no faults they could find at their end.
    Say what you want about TPG, but in the end it's Telstra's lines so there's only so much they can do.

    Contacted Ombudsman but they're not going to magically fix the lines, they can basically just get TPG to tell you again that it's unfixable and they will release you out of your contract. No other avenue where they can really help you.

    If there's NBN being built in the area that could cause your issue, otherwise there could be an electronic causing signal interference that's doing it. Hard to diagnose the root cause of the issue.

    Either look at vivid wireless or wait for NBN or go for Cable

  • LFO on 23/01/2018 - 16:39
    +1

    I feel your pain but this post is very unfair.

    TGP has told you there is a technical issue with the copper line owned by a third party provider (Telstra).
    TPG cannot do much (nor any other ISP) about that. Telstra owns the copper and Telstra will probably doesn't want to fix the copper because Telstra wants to GET RID of all non NBN copper installations. No one other than Telstra can touch/repair their copper (too costly anyway).

    TPG have shown quite some unusual generosity waiving the cancellation period time AND also offering to refund one month.
    Clearly they cannot do anything about it. Because when they do, trust me, they hound leaving customers until kingdom come…

    Could you get Telstra Cable? Better than NBN. And it is here. I got Cable.
    Otherwise 4G or 3G?

    May be some Telstra ADSL2+? Because you will then be their cu$tomer, they might fix the copper.

  • Inhere6 on 23/01/2018 - 23:10
    +1

    OK, listen carefully!
    pick up your phone and dial 1, listen for ANY noise, you should hear some.
    Any noise, you phone your phone company Telstra? Don't mention ADSL AT ALL! You tell Telstra that your phone is noisy and your poor sick mother cant use it. I say again don't mention ADSL. They don't repair the copper unless there is a reason as above.

    • LFO on 24/01/2018 - 13:22
      -1

      I'll say the OP is a naked service (no landline services) and that is why Telstra will not spend one cent fixing the copper line and TPG cannot do much about it as it is Telstra's copper.

      As the OP is silent, I wonder if this post is mostly to embarrass TPG (as if they care!!) rather than getting alternatives, options.

      Reading carefully, the OP is reporting to us: TPG won't tell me what the problem is with my ADSL2 rather than seeking solutions.
      Silly me offering alternatives.

    • LFO on 24/01/2018 - 13:27

      I wonder if this post is mostly to embarrass TPG (as if they care!!) rather than getting alternatives, options.

      Confirmed!!
      2 previous post of the OP about ISPs are just in detriment of TPG regarding this Telstra copper line problem.

      • projectk on 24/01/2018 - 14:34
        -1

        I like how personally invested you are in this. Like 10 posts in this thread invested. You seem mad about the whole thing.

        TPG said they will get on it and said they're working on something, i'll happily post an update in this thread when they get on it.

        As for why I don't normally bother to post on forums, mostly it's because I have nothing to add.
        I certainly don't bother to post 10 times in a relatively inactive thread.

        • LFO on 25/01/2018 - 18:36
          -1

          I have none. I have no interest in TPG whatsoever.
          Most of my posts was to give you options.
          Including the option to move away from TPG because Telstra owns the copper line.

          How about you ?

          Good to know that, out of the blue, now TPG has told you they are working on it. 'cause they are SOOOOO good ;-) Now.

          Please keep us informed. Keen to know how they solve it.

          Whilst you are back posting: do you have a landline as well? or is it a "naked" ADSL2+

        • projectk on 04/02/2018 - 18:53

          @LFO:

          TPG sorted this. The end.

        • LFO on 05/02/2018 - 11:49

          @projectk:

          TPG sorted this. The end.

          So glad to hear that it is all good now.

          Perhaps you can edit the title to indicate something like: "Feb'2018 problem solved!"

          Cheers

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