jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO
| Why?
Why does CT have such terrible CS? Why do they make it so hard to get even the most simple of tasks done? Long story short... they sold me a 3mb service with a 3584/640?(not sure about the U/L) profile. I was on it for a long time and always having trouble before they said "hey, you cant even have 3mb where you live. The office youre out of isnt fed with fiber." and they took me off it and set me back to 1.5. Well, when they did, they didnt set my profile to 1792/320 like everyone else (half of the 3mb stats) they set me to 1536/256. Ive called probably a half a dozen times if not more since this has been six months ago. I have received every stupid excuse in the book, to having people flat out lie to me, to having them look at me like I was speaking Japanese (because they had no clue as to what I was talking about)...... all because I want my profile set the same as everyone else to get the maximum speed I pay for. Last week lightning struck my parents home and I had to have CT come out and check everything. I explained to the tech that came out about my problems at home. He took my name and # and said he would get the profile updated with no problem. BS. A week later and still the same. Not only do they NOT set it correctly, they wont even show the courtesy of calling me and telling me they wont do it, after theyve already told me they would. I can honestly say that the only reason CT has ANY customers in the area I live is because they have NO competition. If they had any at all, they would get put out of business. In case anyone asks:
Line State Up
Modulation ANSI
Data Path Interleave
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 1536 256
SN Margin (dB) 31.00 27.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 28.00 15.50
CRC Errors 2 50
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI | Can you post some speed tests for us please?
Thanks. |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO | I can later, yes. Can you explain to me what my speed tests have to do with the inability to change my profile to where it should be? |
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI
 ·CenturyLink
| The reason is if you are getting your speeds, then your profile does not need to be changed. The profile settings are different in many areas (depending on equipment, bandwidth, etc), and I do see your point, but if you're getting the speeds of at least 80% of the 1.5 down and 256 up, then everything is normal, if not, then yes, that may need to be adjusted or something else should be looked into.
Another thing is that if they made you switch from 3MB back to 1.5MB it is likely due to not being able to supply the bandwidth to everyone at once off of wherever you are served. I understand the frustration involved in that, I've been there before with the 10MB then having to go to 6MB, which is the same price. Sometimes there are technical limitations that aren't realized until it happens. Just hang in there, faster speeds are coming eventually.
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"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
- Abraham Lincoln |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO
| Ok. But if I were able to hit the speed of the account they sold me, I wouldnt be asking to have my profile bumped up. The max I have ever hit is 1200k. I was never told "we are selling you an account of 1.5 and if you can only hit 80% of that then that is all we will worry about". This is exactly the kind of excuses that infuriate customers. The fact is, where my profile is set, it is impossible for me to ever hit 1.5, plain and simple. If they couldnt hit it, they shouldnt have sold me the service. Making excuses after the fact doesnt do anything but annoy me. |
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI
·CenturyLink
| As I had stated before, there are many technical factors involved in getting you the speeds you desire. For example, if you were only 200 feet (cable length) from the central office, you would very likely hit over 1.5MB, but since you are obviously further than that, the speed would be less. This is a technical limitation of DSL, not an excuse, and cable and other internet providers have their limitations also.
Since you are hitting around 1200k, then that is considered acceptable for 1.5MB service. Increasing your profile would do nothing for you since you are only hitting 1200k and your profile is at 1536, you could at the most hit 1536, and since you aren't attaining that even now, setting it to 1792 would not help your connection any.
What is your upload getting?
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"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
- Abraham Lincoln |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO
| Actually. increasing my profile would help. When I was on 3mb and set @ 3584/down, I couldnt hit it, but I COULD sustain 2.3 - 2.3mb. So the equipment, line can carry 1.5 and even more than 1.5 where I am. I am fully aware that CT sets the profile @ 1792/320 so their customers hit the rated speed of their account after the packeting overhead. Thats why the profile is set @ 1792 (and was set @ 3582 when I was on 3mb) and all I am asking for is what other 1.5mb customers in my area are set at. Im not asking to be able to d/l 2mb/second on my 1.5mb account. As i said, I will never hit 1.5 where I am set. It isnt the line or the service or limitations stopping me, its the profile set for my account at the local office. Just because CT sees this as acceptable doesnt make it right. Im not trying to be a dick, but Ive heard al the excuses from CT I want to hear. if they couldnt hit the speed, they shouldnt sell the accounts. Coming in after the fact with "well, there are these issues and these issues" dont cut it. |
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI | Ok, and what are you getting for an upload right now? |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO | When I can hit the max (due to problems in this area, which I understand and are supposed to be being fixed) I hit 210 - 215 up. |
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI | Ok, that is normally considered acceptable too, but we'll see what the difference in profiles do if they can be changed or not. |
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chd176
join:2003-01-10
Winfield, AL
·CenturyLink
| reply to jezme
Sounds a bit familiar lol but I understand why I was switched back I just don't understand why so many people (included a couple of local techs) though the package was available when it wasn't...o-well ya live and learn I suppose.
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10,000/768 CenturyTel PPPoE DSL line (really 5,000/768  ) |
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI | Yeah, unfortunately nothing is perfect.  |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO
2 edits | yes dsldude, the profile DID finally get upgraded. thanks VERY much for your help and immediate attention! Its a shame it took so long, but it has been changed and I a thankful. Below are my stats. A speed test at this time of evening due to the fight for bandwidth in my area (which they are supposed to be fixing) is pretty much useless as my d/l only hit 1000, but the upload DID show the difference of the new profile hitting 260. I will test early in the morning before I leave and post the results. Thanks again.
Line State Up
Modulation ANSI
Data Path Interleave
Downstream Upstream
Max Allowed Speed (kbps) 1792 320
SN Margin (dB) 31.00 25.00
Line Attenuation (dB) 29.50 15.50
CRC Errors 0 17 |
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dsldude08
Premium,VIP
join:2008-01-03
La Crosse, WI
·CenturyLink
| I am glad to hear that. Only one more problem to fix then and that is well aware of. Missouri has a lot of bandwidth issues it seems due to the huge growth that the state is experiencing, it can be hard to keep up with, but it will be fixed. Thanks!
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"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
- Abraham Lincoln |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO | my test max'd out @ 1506 d/l this morning. I am VERY happy to finally achieve what I pay for. Thanks again! |
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chd176
join:2003-01-10
Winfield, AL
·CenturyLink
| reply to jezme
The good news is that depending on load more than often I test closer to 1.6 than 1.5, most of the time it's around 1540 to 1580  so you may see even higher speeds at times when the load is pretty much non existent
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10,000/768 CenturyTel PPPoE DSL line (really 5,000/768 ) |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO
| Just a quick update. I had mentioned in my OP that CT had bandwidth issues in this area. They simply over sold what their main pipe could handle...... plain and simple. They even admitted to doing so. which means, even though I now have the proper profile, and can hit a speed of 1.5, it is a VERY small percentage of the time. Now that kids are out of school, its even worse. There are times when 20K/sec is max. Anyway, I say that to say this:
Since this "Over selling of bandwidth issue" came to light back in January (and that explained the bandwidth problems we had in this area for 2 years prior but always received stupid excuses for) I told them I wanted some sort of credit on my bill each month till they got it resolved. The either 3rd or 4th tier supervisor I talked to agreed and gave me a $20 credit on my bill that month. No problem.
Every month that I call in though.... I have to talk to idiots who have NO desire to listen to what I am saying, which does nothing but piss me off. No notes have been added to my account to where I have to tell the whole damn story every month..... then I get the same response every damn month....... (sir, if youre not receiving 1.5 we can switch you to 256K) and it infuriates me that they ask me to go into this explanation, then ignore it.
Well, today was the last straw. They refused to give me the credit saying "there is only a $5 difference in the cost of the 2 services available in you area (256K & 1.5mb) so I can give you a $5 credit but I cant give you a $20 credit". It doesnt matter that the credit has been given for 6 months. It doesnt matter that myself (and others) got SCREWED for over 2 years by paying for service CT KNEW they couldnt provide......... no...... all that matters is CT and what matters to them is making money. She offered to shut my DSL off........ I told her to shut EVERYTHING off. Im waiting on a call back from her supervisor within 48 hours. Unless this supervisor kisses my ass now, its time to file suit against CT. Ive had their service here almost 6 years, and have ALWAYS had SOME sort of trouble that was handled by lies and excuses. If there was an alternative to CT, they would be out of business in this area. That is how bad it is, and how many disgruntled customers they have.
My bill averages $175/month (local service, long distance, DSL & Satellite). If they want to lose a $175/month customer over a $20 credit, thats fine. I told them I would turn it over to my attorney........ Im DONE trying to reason with a company that screws their customers while charging the highest rates around. I am going to take some personal time to do some traveling to some of the areas that have been listed on this site as having the same troubles...... get petitions signed, and handle it in court.
When I was a kid, the customer was always right and always came first. Nowdays, the boards, CEO's and stock holders come first so they can line their pockets, and the customers get screwed. I dont know what YOu do for a living, but I sure cant get away with selling something to people all over the country, then only giving them as little as 10% of what they paid me for. CT disgusts me! |
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chd176
join:2003-01-10
Winfield, AL
·CenturyLink
| reply to jezme
while I feel your pain as far as a lawsuit goes there is NOTHING you can do about that. CenturyTel as well as most other broadband providers have that nifty phrase of "up to" this isn't a 100% guaranteed service hence the cheap price tag.
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10,000/768 CenturyTel PPPoE DSL line (really 5,000/768 ) Now it's really 1500/256...again lol |
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jezme
join:2008-06-02
Wright City, MO
| While I dont post or read the forums here to argue, I really wish people wouldnt post things they either dont know about, or arent true. Doing so doesnt help anyone. Actually there IS something I, and others CAN do legally. It has been happening more and more the past few years.... lawsuits against ISP's for fraud, false advertising and breach of contract. If speed is not a concern then there wouldnt be different tiers/pricing available.
As far as pricing......... I dont know where you get off calling it cheap. The total cost for having my 1.5mb DSL service is over $44.95/month. $10 for the digital line and $34.95 for the 1.5mb service, and that is $5 off normal price with bundling. Plus taxes.... comes out to almost $50/month. I can buy a 10mb service other areas for less........ so......... cheap? Not hardly. |
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GeekJedi
RF is Good For You
Premium
join:2001-06-21
Mukwonago, WI
clubs:
·CenturyLink
 ·VOIPo
·Vonage
 ·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | Actually, he is right.
I have yet to see a case go to court ant be won. If I am wrong, please provide information to the contrary.
People who threaten to sue publicly almost never follow through...just one of those things.
Keep in mind that while your service was bad, there are others that are doing great. As far as good vs. bad, CTL falls right down the middle.
Sorry you had bad luck.
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The goal of the broadcast engineer is to get all the meters on the transmitter to go as far to the right as possible!! |
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