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Post-RS errors, a "short term stability issue", cable repull, and friends

iwantraytolive
On our wavelength

Hi,

I'm really desperate.

I first contacted VM around the end of June (possibly first week of July) after noticing an intermittent fault (internet disconnecting/lagging for 1-15 mins a time, speeds dropping to 4mbps). 

I really want to stress this is an intermittent fault as everyone I have spoken to from faults keeps insisting if there is not a continual problem there is no fault. 

This has been ongoing since June. When I first called I was told there was an area fault that virgin were aware of (but were only going to work on now I called in?). I was texted 30th July to say services were restored - they had got worse. I called in and was told there was no fault and that an engineer attending my property would be £25 unless I opened a complaint.

I opened a complaint which was then closed without anyone speaking to me because 'the issue was resolved'. I called back to say the issue was not resolved and this complaint was also closed without contacting me. I called back to re-open the complaint. Every time I called I was told I would definitely get a call back within varying timeframes - not a single promised call back was made. 

I finally spoke to a lass from Retentions who was amazing, did everything she said about callbacks, and who got an engineer out. At this point VM are describing my issue as a 'short term stability issue', a term they have been using for the last 3 weeks about a fault that has been ongoing for months. Nobody has been able to define VM's idea of "short term".

The first engineer acknowledged there's a fault based on my BQM and post-RS error count, replaced the Hub and said he would escalate as I may need "an entirely new line" or it was a cabinet issue. He described the fault as noise on the line. He then marked the job as completed.

The second engineer installed a box over the cabling outside as I confirmed the problem is worse during bad weather. 

The third engineers were sub-contractors sent to do a cable re-pull (after I received a text to say this would be done in October and called to query it) - they spraypainted the pavement about 30m down from my house, said they have no construction permit to dig up the road, laughed and drove off. They also marked the job as completed (?). This was last week.

The fourth engineer came out on Tuesday and installed a new line outside the property (or connected a new line that another engineer had installed - he indicated a connection outside should have been swapped and was left half-done). He did give me his number in case the issue persisted but I must have it down wrong as I texted him and it won't deliver.

I called today as it has now been 48h and things are as bad as ever and spent another hour talking to the faults department who advised me they had 'refreshed my signal' and things should be fine now. They also advised me to use wireless and not ethernet because I was clear that this is not a wifi fault (again).

I was also made aware by my downstairs neighbour that the reason my internet dropped about 3pm was two more VM engineers attending my property, unplugging my line to do some kind of test, pronouncing it fine and driving off. Nobody left a card, or thought to knock on to ask if it was ok to disconnect my line then - it really wasn't, I was disconnected from a Teams meeting.. I'm in my training/probation period and this is a really bad look. I also wasn't expecting anyone to attend today. This has been a repeated problem - there are 3 VM engineers who have attended my property without letting me know (that I have seen/found out about - god knows how many have actually been out - they don't leave notes either, so there's no record of who has visited or what they were here for).

At this point I don't even know what is going on. Last week I was expecting a total cable repull (based on the text about it from 07445576718 and the subcontractors visit) and was told the subcontractor were waiting for VM to get a permit to dig up the road.

This week it's all about a new line install on my property only and the cable repull appears to have been abandoned. I don't know why. I don't know why VM engineers have attended my property and VM havent told me on at least 3 occasions and no card was ever left. I explained I WFH and am disabled/mental health patient/learning difficulties and this is really affecting me - complaints schedule call backs 5 times in a week and miss all of them. Complaints are closed without speaking to me as resolved (and the first one as a WiFi issue!) when I have explained this is consistent across all devices on the network including 2 ethernet cabled PCs. I have had calls from VM asking if they can send an engineer out same/next day and said yes to everything for nobody to show up. I have had a scheduled engineer not show up at all and not been credited. I have been offered bill credits which have not been applied. Advice given by the faults department is.. terrible, today alone I spent another hour on the phone to them 'refreshing my Hub signals' and told this was more effective than replacing the Hub or the wiring on my property. Faults keep describing the issue as a "short term stability issue" but nobody can tell me what VM's definition of short-term is. When I called today the automated message stated there was a local fault that would be resolved at 3pm - strangely the exact time VM engineers were on my property without letting me know.

There's a lot more, because *every single time* VM have told me what will happen (this is when the fault will be fixed, this is when youll get a call back, this is how we handle complaints, etc) hasn't been stuck to. The one exception to this is a lass in Retentions called Emma who has been amazing and stuck to every call back she's offered, is the reason I got an engineer out in the first place when being told there was no fault in August, and is generally smashing - unfortunately when trying to call her back to let her know the fault is ongoing I get routed through to Faults who won't do anything with the call.

I have had varying numbers of pre-post RS errors to support my case (anything from 200-5000 post-RS errors in a day), a BQM running since the start of July, etc. 

After the initial hub replacement and before this week's visit, the pre-RS errors were 3500000+ a channel and the post-RS errors were proportionally much smaller (although still in the tens of thousands at least). Since the line installation this week, the post-RS errors are proportionally much greater (up to twice the pre-RS) and there are far less pre-RS errors. The downstream values have changed from 0.5 - 4.5 to hover around 0 - from what I understand they were fine before and perfect now. The upstream power levels are all fine but the modulation drops to 32 frequently and sometimes 16qam.

Finally, my downstairs neighbour (same building), the house next door, and the house opposite have all reported massive issues with VM to the point they closed their accounts. I have asked for a deadlock letter as I fear I will have to as well.

 

Downstream bonded channels
Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) SNR (dB) Modulation Channel ID
1 331000000 1 36 256 qam 25
2 203000000 0.2 35 256 qam 9
3 211000000 -0.2 35 256 qam 10
4 219000000 0 35 256 qam 11
5 227000000 0 35 256 qam 12
6 235000000 0 35 256 qam 13
7 243000000 -0.2 35 256 qam 14
8 251000000 -0.4 35 256 qam 15
9 259000000 -0.7 35 256 qam 16
10 267000000 0 35 256 qam 17
11 275000000 -0.4 35 256 qam 18
12 283000000 -0.2 35 256 qam 19
13 291000000 -0.2 35 256 qam 20
14 299000000 -0.2 35 256 qam 21
15 307000000 0.2 35 256 qam 22
16 315000000 0.9 36 256 qam 23
17 323000000 0.7 36 256 qam 24
18 339000000 1.2 36 256 qam 26
19 347000000 1 36 256 qam 27
20 355000000 1.2 36 256 qam 28
21 363000000 1 36 256 qam 29
22 371000000 0.9 36 256 qam 30
23 379000000 1.5 36 256 qam 31
24 387000000 0.9 36 256 qam 32


Downstream bonded channels
Channel Locked Status RxMER (dB) Pre RS Errors Post RS Errors
1 Locked 36.3 3010 1864
2 Locked 35.5 1024 20147
3 Locked 35.5 962 12707
4 Locked 35.5 1953 10613
5 Locked 35.7 2412 8897
6 Locked 35.7 1089 12184
7 Locked 35.7 3884 9208
8 Locked 35.5 3625 17791
9 Locked 35.7 6359 7150
10 Locked 35.7 4614 7370
11 Locked 35.7 2116 1650
12 Locked 35.5 2864 1705
13 Locked 35.5 3896 7712
14 Locked 35.7 8106 5983
15 Locked 35.7 4264 1815
16 Locked 36.3 2036 1740
17 Locked 36.3 3126 2500
18 Locked 36.3 2638 1561
19 Locked 36.3 3422 2051
20 Locked 36.6 4256 2092
21 Locked 36.3 4801 2389
22 Locked 36.3 3571 2066
23 Locked 36.3 2723 2182
24 Locked 36.6 3749 2557

Upstream bonded channels
Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) Symbol Rate (ksps) Modulation Channel ID
1 60300000 45.8 5120 64 qam 1
2 46199922 45.3 5120 64 qam 3
3 39399995 45.3 5120 64 qam 4
4 53699975 45.5 5120 64 qam 2


Upstream bonded channels
Channel Channel Type T1 Timeouts T2 Timeouts T3 Timeouts T4 Timeouts
1 ATDMA 0 0 0 0
2 ATDMA 0 0 1 0
3 ATDMA 0 0 0 0
4 ATDMA 0 0 0 0

Time Priority Description
08/09/2021 15:01:3 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 15:00:7 Warning! Lost MDD Timeout;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 15:00:3 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 15:00:3 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 15:00:3 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 15:00:2 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 14:12:37 critical No Ranging Response received - T3 time-out;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 09:24:17 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 09:24:17 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 05:32:3 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 05:29:9 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 05:26:59 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 05:26:59 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 05:16:35 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
08/09/2021 05:16:34 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
07/09/2021 11:05:25 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
07/09/2021 11:04:45 Warning! Lost MDD Timeout;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
07/09/2021 11:04:41 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
07/09/2021 11:04:41 critical SYNC Timing Synchronization failure - Loss of Sync;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;
07/09/2021 11:04:40 Warning! RCS Partial Service;CM-MAC=x:x:x:x:x:x;CMTS-MAC=**:**:**:**:**:**;CM-QOS=1.1;CM-VER=3.0;

Thank you for your time reading this far - part of it was to vent, as I don't know what can be done this side if anything over the issues with customer service, or even if you can find out why engineers keep attending my property without me being informed (and no notes logged which honestly freaks me out - VM should surely know who's houses its engineers are attending and what they do there!)... but please, please, please let me get what I want... stable wired internet. 

 

25 REPLIES 25

iwantraytolive
On our wavelength

Hi and thank you for your response.

You are correct - I was given the same line about a "local issue resolved by 3pm today" yesterday. Also last week, throughout August, and the start of July.. 

On Tuesday this week I was told that there should be no issues at all as I have a new line. Two weeks before that I was told that I needed a new router and if that failed my street cable needed re-pulling. VM sent engineers out to do that but they didn't have the required permit to dig up the street so they left - what happened to that idea?

How was it a street cable fault last week, 'fixed' by a new line installation 3 days ago, a local fault resolved by 3pm yesterday and a local fault resolved by 3pm today?

ETA: I was told again yesterday I'm getting a call back from someone in support in the next 24 hours - I asked what I do if they don't call as nobody else has - was told they will definitely call. Nobody else from faults/complaints who promised to call back has, its not looking good for these either.

Thanks for coming back to me @iwantraytolive

 

I'd like to take this in for a private messaging conversation so I can seek to share more information with you and possibly take more details from you, after data protection has been passed.

 

Check out the purple envelope in the top right hand corner for a private message from me

 

Kindest regards,

David_Bn

Upstream bonded channels

Channel Frequency (Hz) Power (dBmV) Symbol Rate (ksps) Modulation Channel ID

16030036745.7512016 qam1
24620060645.5512016 qam3
33939994245.5512016 qam4
45369996845.7512016 qam2

 

Replied by PM. Posting this here in case anyone else can help too as I've seen non-staff forum posters are very knowledgable on here! I'm not massively technical - but is the modulation dropping to 16qam related to my frequency range being weird?

(I'm not even sure if the range is weird - previously they were all round numbers and now theyre all over the place! Can't see any other posts with similar figures, but I'll keep looking.)

 

Update for non VM staff: I have been messaged stating the cable re-pull was completed this week - it was not, it was abandoned last week, this week I was told I don't need a cable repull (for reasons unexplained) and a new line to the property would sort all issues - which it didnt.

 

Update to the update: I have been told "due to the issue in the area there is not much we can do until the fault is fixed.

The new cable has been amended due to being pulled to the wrong place and I will get someone out tomorrow to reconnect."

I have been trying to explain all day (and I think nearly every day since the 24th of August?) that the cable was not re-pulled, that the subcontractors who attended explained to me they didn't have a permit to dig up my road, and that since then VM have not done any works on my road - the section of pavement that was spray painted to mark where to dig has not been touched.

I did not get the call back within 24 hours I was promised over 24 hours ago. I called in to ask if we could do the call and was hung up on. I called back to open a separate complaint about /that/ call and ask that the recording is listened to. I don't think anybody will. At this point I'm just going through the motions. I am very tired. 

I still don't know who was in my garden yesterday or what they were doing there. The VM phone agent yesterday suggested they were fraudsters, so everyone needs to watch out for fraudsters driving virgin media vans, wearing virgin media uniforms, fiddling with external internet connections and driving off. Bloody fraudsters, eh. Yup.

Finally, the message I pasted above says that the network issue has cleared then goes on to mention the cable repull, not being able to do anything until the fault is fixed, and that they're waiting for an update on the network issue. The network issue that 'has now cleared in the local area'.. I don't know. 

 

According to Virgin, since yesterday my local network outage was fixed by 3pm and a separate issue occurred today which won't be fixed until 16/09. Engineers are coming round today for another re-pull, but VM haven't confirmed if these ones have the required construction permit.

And apparently that won't solve anything anyway and I'm stuffed until the 16/09. For an issue reported 11 weeks ago.

Beware the short-term stability issue, my son...

Hi @iwantraytolive

 

Thank you for popping back to give us an update, I'm sorry to hear that another issue has ocurred with an estimated fix time on 16th September. Please bear with us and we will have you connection up and running asap.

 

How did  you engineer visit go with the re pull?

 

Kind regards,

Serena

Hi Serena,

I don't believe the outage you mention has anything to do with my ongoing problem with noise on the line as it has been confirmed several times that outage began 09/09 (or 10/09, cant remember) and this is a fault I've been reporting since the end of June. 

I had an engineer come out on Friday - although he did not turn up between 8am-6pm as his van broke down - who said the cable repull had been completed. He was insistent. I was equally insistent it had not been.

I have been contacted by someone in the Executive Team - he called yesterday and also thought the cable re-pull had been completed, I explained it has not been (as I have been explaining since the *****ers originally drove off weeks ago!). 

I just had two engineers attend (another appointment that wasn't booked in with me - come on, seriously) to do the cable re-pull.. they could not do it, but they confirmed they could 'see a blockage where they're trying to put their cobra down' (hopefully ive quoted this accurately - i honestly have no idea what any of it means but it sounds good!).

The engineers today said they can't do anything because they aren't on the civil side, and the original idiots who turned up, laughed about not having a permit and drove off need to come back out with the permit and do the work they were supposed to do way back then.

I did phone on the same day to tell VM they hadn't done anything. VM ignored me because the job was marked as complete by the subcontractors, so I have lost 10+ hours on the phone and a few hours here. I have never said anything except that the cable was not re-pulled when it was supposed to be, I have offered to send in photos of the undisturbed street, I mentioned it in my first post here, I put it in my messages to the forum staff who PM'd me.

Still no explanation as to why VM send engineers to trespass on customer property - but VM did use the word 'trespass' to describe those incidents, not me, so they apparently take it very seriously but also do it, you know, A Lot.

So to sum up: a few more engineer visits, no fix, no explanation, no compensation (even the bill credit promised last month). More promised call backs didn't happen. Complaints still ignored, VM have breached their own complaint code so many times at this point over 3 separate complaints (none of them responded to - promised callbacks... did not happen! again! and yet when you say that to an agent they tell you they will! call! back! this! time! for! definite!)

Spoke to the Exec team twice, told them the cable has not been re-pulled. VM sends Fridays tech (who was late) and 2 engineers today (who were unexpected). All 3 of them told me cable was re-pulled til shown where road not dug.

I was told Friday's tech was to do the re-pull but that was never the case as he thought that had been completed and I just needed an install at my house. Which was done the week before.

Today's engineers appeared to accept that the cable has not been re-pulled and explained to me how they could tell this - but we'll wait and see what the job notes are since VM can't even tell if they have dug up a road or not.

Incidentally - the original repull could not be done as VM didnt have the dig permit - VM havent even applied for this yet as far as im aware.

I have been stressed to the point of vomiting.

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

@Serena_C   comments?

O.P. - Have you checked your local council website (or there is a general one for all works). All road/pavement digs are listed on there with dates for the permit. This is to inform neighbours etc.

See if anything shows there


--------------------
John
--------------------

I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.