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Review by frankieD 
Posted: 8.4 years ago
member for 8.4 years, 90 visits, last login: 5.1 years ago
 Belgium
 $39 per month (12 month contract)
 about 6 days
 "NONE"
 "SLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only 200Kbps downstream and NOT 750Kbps like they promise!!!!!!!!"
 "If you live in Belgium... USE TELENET"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
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Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of Belgacom Turboline Skynet |
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Review by mike
Posted: 8.8 years ago
(review was emailed from domain manaveru.net)
undisclosed location
$200 per month (12 month contract)
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
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First, you must know that Belgacom, TurboLine and Skynet are 3 "separate" companies.
Belgacom is the TelCo, Skynet is the ISP, and TurboLine is the DSL provider.
Belgacom -a former state company- has a complete monopoly over TelCo market.
TurboLine is an offspring of Belgacom - officially independant.
Skynet is another offspring of Belgacom - also officially independant.
To keep it 'simple' and 'to the facts', here is the situation:
Their DSL offer is split in 2 big categories:
1) TurboLine/Go is aimed at the basic user ($40 per month)
TurboLine/Plus is aimed at the advanced user ($60 per month)
2) TurboLine/Pro is aimed at the SOHO market ($200 per month)
TurboLine/Platinium is aimed at the highend customers ($2000 per month)
I've ordered the TurboLine/Pro (static IP, 20 Go/month, servers OK) the first week of August 2000, they promised it would be installed in less than 5 weeks.
After several complaints (20+) to their customer services, it was finally "physically" installed on December 29, 2000. I insist on "physically" since, one month and six technicians later, the line is still not working as of today.
Now they are trying to blame my network for the problems. That network has been working for years with every type of connection I had before (PSTN, ISDN, leased line, ...). I also have to add one small fact... I am a Unix System/Networking consultant with 8+ years of expertise deploying IP networks.
All of my machines are able to see/use their ADSL router, every packet I send goes to that router, the router receives every packet, transmits them to the DSLAM and gets no answer back.
My own ideas about the source of the problem, I cannot prove those are the source since I have no login on the router:
1) wrong routing table on their ADSL router (a traceroute of its public ip loops back on itself)
2) the router is physically defect
They came 6 times to work on my router, they are now trying to bill me for travel expenses. They are also trying to bill me for the installation.
The contract is a real swindle... you are bond for 1 year from the moment you signed the contract. You can cancel but then, you owe them the money until the end of the 12 month term + any technician fees + administrative fees. The contract also specifies they have no obligation towards quality of service and basically that the user has no rights. That contract is a shrimp-wrapped contract, you only get to see it once you signed.
So if I cancel my subscription, I am supposed to owe them more than $2000 ($400+ install + 7 * $200+ + 6 * $40 + administrative fees) for a product that never worked.
I've *never* encountered such a low quality of service from any ISP i've ever worked with (and I've used FREE ISPs before).
Mike
ps: I know it looks like an horror story, but everything is true.
Here are the points I would give them if Dslreports allowed scores from 0 to 5:
-Pre Sales information: 0/5 (unable to answer any questions about policies and security, only able to give marketing infos or price)
-Install Co-ordination: 0/5 (had to call back 20 times to get it installed after 5 months, installation took a half day before the first technician gave up)
-Connection reliability: 0/5 (not a single packet has ever gone out through their router)
-Tech Support: 0/5 (unable to answer any technical question if not Windows related, almost no clue about network in general, unable to keep deadlines)
-Services: 0/5 (again, 6 month since order - product still not working)
-Value for money: 0/5 (at $400+ for installation and $200+/month, one can expect some things like real support, technical knowledge, ...)
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Belgacom Turboline Skynet
