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beermatt · (This post was last modified: 30-10-2014 12:26 PM by beermatt.)

Wendesday 22nd October - finally reconnected. Do I hold the record?

After being down for over 3 weeks and realising there was no end in sight, I managed to get a workable mobile solution in the meantime and don't know how I'd have managed without it. The mobile data reception is pretty poor where I live, I worked out through trial and error with mobile phones that O2 was better than the others (I actually find O2's coverage is the best in most places), so bought one of their USB data dongles, installed a small form factor PC in the attic at the highest point in the house possible - and from here I got a half decent signal. In practice it even cleared 1Mbps quite regularly. (I say in practice because never believe the speed the mobile broadband software tells you it connects at!) I then used Windows built in Internet Connection Sharing to share the connection, and installed powerline adaptors to connect it back down to my usual PC downstairs.

A lot of work but it was worth it to keep me sane. Without that I would've probably completely lost it, gone postal and driven down to Origin HQ on a killing spree.

I do kind of blame BT Openreach, and I think there was definitely some malice in it "Ha we'll teach you to move away to a competitor network, come crawling back now havent you? We'll do it when we get round to it." Or something along those lines, probably accompanied by a sinister evil laugh. But to be fair to them, on August the 14th they will've suddenly recieved several thousand requests to transfer lines all at the same time so I can understand them being a bit p***ed off, blaming the providers for not sorting it out sooner, and not feeling inclined to break their backs to sort out someone else's mess.

Anyway I'm finally back now. I make that one day shy of 10 weeks downtime :-O

The thing that gets to me the most is the way Origin handled it. They promised they had a plan to seamlessly migrate everyone across. The fact that they never made an official statement explaining what their plan was and what went wrong (and apologising!), makes me think they're trying to hide something pretty egregious.

Incidentally, does anyone have any inside information as to how Origin are doing now? I haven't transferred away simply because I've had enough disruption for now and don't want the hassle (and cost) of migrating to another provider, it's also a bad time to sign up atm imo as providers are charging premiums to cope with the increasing investment costs, traffic, etc from FTTC. But if Origin are likely to go under any time soon it'd probably be a good idea to get out now so I don't end up in another mess!

WillPS · 30-10-2014, 12:32 PM

Are you not in a new contract with Origin?

Dodeth · (This post was last modified: 30-10-2014 01:06 PM by Dodeth.)

(30-10-2014 12:20 PM)beermatt Wrote: Wendesday 22nd October - finally reconnected. Do I hold the record?

After being down for over 3 weeks and realising there was no end in sight, I managed to get a workable mobile solution in the meantime and don't know how I'd have managed without it. The mobile data reception is pretty poor where I live, I worked out through trial and error with mobile phones that O2 was better than the others (I actually find O2's coverage is the best in most places), so bought one of their USB data dongles, installed a small form factor PC in the attic at the highest point in the house possible - and from here I got a half decent signal. In practice it even cleared 1Mbps quite regularly. (I say in practice because never believe the speed the mobile broadband software tells you it connects at!) I then used Windows built in Internet Connection Sharing to share the connection, and installed powerline adaptors to connect it back down to my usual PC downstairs.

A lot of work but it was worth it to keep me sane. Without that I would've probably completely lost it, gone postal and driven down to Origin HQ on a killing spree.

I do kind of blame BT Openreach, and I think there was definitely some malice in it "Ha we'll teach you to move away to a competitor network, come crawling back now havent you? We'll do it when we get round to it." Or something along those lines, probably accompanied by a sinister evil laugh. But to be fair to them, on August the 14th they will've suddenly recieved several thousand requests to transfer lines all at the same time so I can understand them being a bit p***ed off, blaming the providers for not sorting it out sooner, and not feeling inclined to break their backs to sort out someone else's mess.

Anyway I'm finally back now. I make that one day shy of 10 weeks downtime :-O

The thing that gets to me the most is the way Origin handled it. They promised they had a plan to seamlessly migrate everyone across. The fact that they never made an official statement explaining what their plan was and what went wrong (and apologising!), makes me think they're trying to hide something pretty egregious.

Incidentally, does anyone have any inside information as to how Origin are doing now? I haven't transferred away simply because I've had enough disruption for now and don't want the hassle (and cost) of migrating to another provider, it's also a bad time to sign up atm imo as providers are charging premiums to cope with the increasing investment costs, traffic, etc from FTTC. But if Origin are likely to go under any time soon it'd probably be a good idea to get out now so I don't end up in another mess!

You don't hold the record - I do. I'm in the throes of cancelling a contract with what must be the world's worst ISP. They've taken lies and incompetence to a whole new level. They also want to charge me £253 to cancel a contract that was not only mis-sold but was never delivered in the first place. I'll not bore you by relating the whole sorry story but I genuinely wish I'd never heard the term 'broadband'.

By the way - the ISP involved is not Origin.

beermatt · (This post was last modified: 30-10-2014 01:27 PM by beermatt.)

(30-10-2014 12:32 PM)WillPS Wrote: Are you not in a new contract with Origin?

Probably, I haven't looked into it Undecided

I'd like to think if I wanted to move that the 10 weeks down time would give me some kind of a clause!

(30-10-2014 01:06 PM)Dodeth Wrote: You don't hold the record - I do. I'm in the throes of cancelling a contract with what must be the world's worst ISP. They've taken lies and incompetence to a whole new level. They also want to charge me £253 to cancel a contract that was not only mis-sold but was never delivered in the first place. I'll not bore you by relating the whole sorry story but I genuinely wish I'd never heard the term 'broadband'.

By the way - the ISP involved is not Origin.

Wow that sounds bad. Come on name and shame!

baz · 30-10-2014, 10:35 PM

Reconnected today, after being cut off on August 15th like everyone else

One day short of 11 weeks

Thank you Zen and the Openreach guy who was very quick and efficient this morning

Dodeth · 03-11-2014, 02:40 PM

(30-10-2014 01:24 PM)beermatt Wrote:
(30-10-2014 12:32 PM)WillPS Wrote: Are you not in a new contract with Origin?

Probably, I haven't looked into it I'd like to think if I wanted to move that the 10 weeks down time would give me some kind of a clause!

(30-10-2014 01:06 PM)Dodeth Wrote: You don't hold the record - I do. I'm in the throes of cancelling a contract with what must be the world's worst ISP. They've taken lies and incompetence to a whole new level. They also want to charge me £253 to cancel a contract that was not only mis-sold but was never delivered in the first place. I'll not bore you by relating the whole sorry story but I genuinely wish I'd never heard the term 'broadband'.

By the way - the ISP involved is not Origin.

Wow that sounds bad. Come on name and shame!

I will do at some point. At the moment I'm putting together my side of the argument and I think it may well end up with the ombudsman. Therefore I'd like to keep my powder dry for now.

beermatt · (This post was last modified: 03-11-2014 03:30 PM by beermatt.)

(30-10-2014 10:35 PM)baz Wrote: Reconnected today, after being cut off on August 15th like everyone else

One day short of 11 weeks

Thank you Zen and the Openreach guy who was very quick and efficient this morning

Beaten by a week! :-P

Yeah after the long wait my appt went well too. It was originally supposed to be a PM appt but the engineer phoned me the evening before saying it'd make more sense for him if he could me his first stop - 8-9am. I'm not a morning person but that was much more preferable than wasting most of the day waiting around *hoping* they'd turn up! As promised was all done by about 9.

(03-11-2014 02:40 PM)Dodeth Wrote: I will do at some point. At the moment I'm putting together my side of the argument and I think it may well end up with the ombudsman. Therefore I'd like to keep my powder dry for now.

Sounds rough, hope you get on OK

WillPS · 03-11-2014, 06:15 PM

(03-11-2014 02:40 PM)Dodeth Wrote:
(30-10-2014 01:24 PM)beermatt Wrote:
(30-10-2014 12:32 PM)WillPS Wrote: Are you not in a new contract with Origin?

Probably, I haven't looked into it I'd like to think if I wanted to move that the 10 weeks down time would give me some kind of a clause!

(30-10-2014 01:06 PM)Dodeth Wrote: You don't hold the record - I do. I'm in the throes of cancelling a contract with what must be the world's worst ISP. They've taken lies and incompetence to a whole new level. They also want to charge me £253 to cancel a contract that was not only mis-sold but was never delivered in the first place. I'll not bore you by relating the whole sorry story but I genuinely wish I'd never heard the term 'broadband'.

By the way - the ISP involved is not Origin.

Wow that sounds bad. Come on name and shame!

I will do at some point. At the moment I'm putting together my side of the argument and I think it may well end up with the ombudsman. Therefore I'd like to keep my powder dry for now.

You're doing a Supa job of it:
https://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid...t#pid14277
https://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid...t#pid13580
https://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid...t#pid12483

Dodeth · 03-11-2014, 11:36 PM

(03-11-2014 06:15 PM)WillPS Wrote:
(03-11-2014 02:40 PM)Dodeth Wrote:
(30-10-2014 01:24 PM)beermatt Wrote:
(30-10-2014 12:32 PM)WillPS Wrote: Are you not in a new contract with Origin?

Probably, I haven't looked into it I'd like to think if I wanted to move that the 10 weeks down time would give me some kind of a clause!

(30-10-2014 01:06 PM)Dodeth Wrote: You don't hold the record - I do. I'm in the throes of cancelling a contract with what must be the world's worst ISP. They've taken lies and incompetence to a whole new level. They also want to charge me £253 to cancel a contract that was not only mis-sold but was never delivered in the first place. I'll not bore you by relating the whole sorry story but I genuinely wish I'd never heard the term 'broadband'.

By the way - the ISP involved is not Origin.

Wow that sounds bad. Come on name and shame!

I will do at some point. At the moment I'm putting together my side of the argument and I think it may well end up with the ombudsman. Therefore I'd like to keep my powder dry for now.
You're doing a Supa job of it:
https://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid...t#pid14277
https://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid...t#pid13580
https://drlforum.co.uk/showthread.php?tid...t#pid12483

LOL. Thanks for that. I was hoping no-one had taken notice.