Slow, intermittent broadband

[Hanane]

Hello,

I got the virgin media 200Mbps bundle in November 2020. Unfortunately, the wifi speed never goes above 45Mbps. I have done the speed test multiple times, on different days and times, and it is always less than 45Mbps. The problem only got worse with time, and over the past few months the wifi has been frequently cutting off. I have gone through 4-5 engineer appointments to get it fixed. Eventually, I was told that the issue came from an old cable in the street, and that a cable repull had to be done done in the next 2 months. That was back in february 2021. The appointment was not scheduled until July 13 2021 despite me actively trying to get an update. We are now in February 2022 (!!!!) and this cable repull appointment has been postponed 11 times so far. The next one is scheduled for February 23rd, but I have no faith in this anymore and I know this will not happen. I have tried to raise a complaint but could never reach any actual person; all i got were automated bot-like emails that sent me to the help page (incredibly useless).

This is really ridiculous and incredibly dissatisfying. I have been paying for 200Mbps every month but consistently getting 1/4th of what I pay for, way way below the minimum guaranteed speed. I am really being patient here, but this situation is unbelievably disrespectful and frustrating.

What on earth am i supposed to do? When will this get fixed? How am i not entitled to a refund or discount for this terrible service?

Any help would be appreciated.

[jbrennand]

Leaving the re-pull issue for now (we can come back to it) .... Can you try the speed tests like this and see what it gets.
________

If you think that you have a BB speed problem, then to check the speeds coming in to your Hub properly, and whether they match what you should be getting, you cannot rely on wifi tests, - no BB supplier guarantees those - only speeds "TO" the Hub are guaranteed.

So, can you test speeds directly like this. As you expect >100Mbps then connect a 1GB enabled computer/laptop, with up to date drivers, via a NEW and working Cat5e/6a ethernet cable, directly to the Hub which you have put into “modem mode”
(https://www.virginmedia.com/help/virgin-media-hub-modem-mode ).
This ensures that NO other devices are connected - or disconnect any ethernet connections an log into the Hub and disable its wifi - temporarily.

Test speeds at https://speedtest.samknows.com/ - try on 2 different browsers.

If they are still low – boot your device into Windows safe+networking mode - to disable any potentially interfering software - and try again.

There are many posts on here (I have a list of ~30!) where QoS software, unknown/flaky software, old network card drivers, corrupted browsers, bad cables or other connected devices are limiting speeds on tests.

Report back what that gets.

[Hanane]

Hi John,

Thanks for your quick message and suggestions.

The several engineers who have checked my broadband and modem so far have all confirmed that the issue is not from my flat or devices, and that it originates from cables outside. They have all done their own speed test during the visits and obtained a speed similar to what i got (~40Mbps). I have also tried the speed test on different devices.

I don’t see how running more tests will make any difference?

Thanks,

-Hanane

[jbrennand]

Ok a VM person should respond here soon

[Andrew-G]

@Hanane What on earth am i supposed to do? When will this get fixed? How am i not entitled to a refund or discount for this terrible service?

As @jbrennand advises, wait and see what the forum staff can advise on the fix, and what the company propose as compensation, this will take a few days to get a response on both requests.  If there's no offer of compensation, or the amount seems inadequate, then adapt the tactics in this post to suit your circumstances (important: the cause of the problems in the linked post is not the same as yours, but the complaint and escalation routes are the same).

As a rough guide, I'd suggest that given the appalling speeds you ask for half of your monthly broadband charge back for the duration of the problem, plus additional compensation for the poor service and broken fix date promises.

[Nathan_B]

Hi there @Hanane, 

thanks for your post.

I'm sorry to see that you have had issues with these repulls taking place. So I can look into this further I am going to send you a PM.

Regards

Nathan

[Hanane]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your suggestions, they are very helpful.

You make a very good point, and I do intend to request a 50% discount on the monthly charge until the issue is solved+ compensation for the months of poor service I have had to deal with.  I hope this gets resolved easily, but I do not have much faith left in VM.

[Hanane]

Hi Nathan,

I am still waiting for you to reply to my private message.

[jbrennand]

@Nathan_B 

Are you in today ?

[Nathan_B]

Hi @jbrennand I certainly I am 🙂

I have continued the PM conversation this morning.

Regards

Nathan