Should it take 10+days to set up or change broadband

I'm looking for opinions and advice on how to speed up the process of
changing or setting up broadband.
For years I though I had AOL broadband, when the speed dropped last
week I started the long and painfull process of trying to find out
what went wrong. The answer it appears is that I never had broad band!
Silly me, thinking that if a company sends you software, a modem with
their name written on it, charges you & allows you to log on in
broadband they are your provider. Apparently they sent all the stuff
but never got round to changing my details over to broadband and they
still think my line is dial up!
Now here's the problem, I can't get AOL to set up broadband becasue
there is a "tag" on the line.
I can't move to another supplier because I need a MAC.
I can't get a MAC from AOL becuase they say they never supplied me
broadband & BT Retail are the supplier. BT say BT retail "are not
customer facing" and won't talk to me and that AOL are the supplier.
Eventually by pretending to be a new customer trying to set up
broadband with AOL they discovered that they had placed the tag on the
line. Now I don't know what a Tag is but apparently it takes 10 days
to "physically" remove it so I'm thinking is must be granit or cast
iron.
I can't make an formal complaint in writing to AOL becuasee they
won't tell me the address to send complaints to!
I can't complain to BT becuase it's not their fault.
I can't complain to Ofcom becuase they say they don't investigate
consure complaints.

Any ideas?

kim wrote:
> fred wrote:
>> I'm looking for opinions and advice on how to speed up the process of
>> changing or setting up broadband.
>> For years I though I had AOL broadband, when the speed dropped last
>> week I started the long and painfull process of trying to find out
>> what went wrong. The answer it appears is that I never had broad band!
>> Silly me, thinking that if a company sends you software, a modem with
>> their name written on it, charges you & allows you to log on in
>> broadband they are your provider. Apparently they sent all the stuff
>> but never got round to changing my details over to broadband and they
>> still think my line is dial up!
>> Now here's the problem, I can't get AOL to set up broadband becasue
>> there is a "tag" on the line.
>> I can't move to another supplier because I need a MAC.
>> I can't get a MAC from AOL becuase they say they never supplied me
>> broadband & BT Retail are the supplier. BT say BT retail "are not
>> customer facing" and won't talk to me and that AOL are the supplier.
>> Eventually by pretending to be a new customer trying to set up
>> broadband with AOL they discovered that they had placed the tag on the
>> line. Now I don't know what a Tag is but apparently it takes 10 days
>> to "physically" remove it so I'm thinking is must be granit or cast
>> iron.
>> I can't make an formal complaint in writing to AOL becuasee they
>> won't tell me the address to send complaints to!
>> I can't complain to BT becuase it's not their fault.
>> I can't complain to Ofcom becuase they say they don't investigate
>> consure complaints.
>>
>> Any ideas?
>
> You might want to try complaining to Charles Dunstone at Carphone Warehouse?
> AOL's servers no longer exist. You were recently migrated to a Carphone
> Warehouse server which as you've discovered doesn't work for much of the
> afternoon and evening. No point in calling AOL either as they've left a
> message on the answering machine to the effect that they're currently
> experiencing technical problems!
>
> (kim)
>
>
I have previously written to Charles Dunstone for his personal
attention. I never even received an acknowledgement let alone a reply.
One letter enclosed a cheque which was cashed so I know it was received.

It took me a long time to get a tag removed when I bought this house
because BT would not talk to me and insisted to my ISP that there was no
tag on the line. After various complaints it transpired that BT's
records showed no tag on the line but they eventually confirmed that
there was from a previous failed set-up attempt.

At least it appears things are finally moving for you. I was on dial-up
for 2 months.

"fred" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:245342d4-323a-4f58-bd32-(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm looking for opinions and advice on how to speed up the process of
> changing or setting up broadband.
> For years I though I had AOL broadband, when the speed dropped last
> week I started the long and painfull process of trying to find out
> what went wrong. The answer it appears is that I never had broad band!
> Silly me, thinking that if a company sends you software, a modem with
> their name written on it, charges you & allows you to log on in
> broadband they are your provider. Apparently they sent all the stuff
> but never got round to changing my details over to broadband and they
> still think my line is dial up!
> Now here's the problem, I can't get AOL to set up broadband becasue
> there is a "tag" on the line.
> I can't move to another supplier because I need a MAC.
> I can't get a MAC from AOL becuase they say they never supplied me
> broadband & BT Retail are the supplier. BT say BT retail "are not
> customer facing" and won't talk to me and that AOL are the supplier.
> Eventually by pretending to be a new customer trying to set up
> broadband with AOL they discovered that they had placed the tag on the
> line. Now I don't know what a Tag is but apparently it takes 10 days
> to "physically" remove it so I'm thinking is must be granit or cast
> iron.
> I can't make an formal complaint in writing to AOL becuasee they
> won't tell me the address to send complaints to!
> I can't complain to BT becuase it's not their fault.
> I can't complain to Ofcom becuase they say they don't investigate
> consure complaints.
>
> Any ideas?

Based on your IP 80.229.134.62 your current ISP appears
to be Plusnet.

--
Graham.

%Profound_observation%

"Invisible Man" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:ge4m5n$lpj$(E-Mail Removed)...
> kim wrote:
>> fred wrote:
>>> I'm looking for opinions and advice on how to speed up the process of
>>> changing or setting up broadband.
>>> For years I though I had AOL broadband, when the speed dropped last
>>> week I started the long and painfull process of trying to find out
>>> what went wrong. The answer it appears is that I never had broad band!
>>> Silly me, thinking that if a company sends you software, a modem with
>>> their name written on it, charges you & allows you to log on in
>>> broadband they are your provider. Apparently they sent all the stuff
>>> but never got round to changing my details over to broadband and they
>>> still think my line is dial up!
>>> Now here's the problem, I can't get AOL to set up broadband becasue
>>> there is a "tag" on the line.
>>> I can't move to another supplier because I need a MAC.
>>> I can't get a MAC from AOL becuase they say they never supplied me
>>> broadband & BT Retail are the supplier. BT say BT retail "are not
>>> customer facing" and won't talk to me and that AOL are the supplier.
>>> Eventually by pretending to be a new customer trying to set up
>>> broadband with AOL they discovered that they had placed the tag on the
>>> line. Now I don't know what a Tag is but apparently it takes 10 days
>>> to "physically" remove it so I'm thinking is must be granit or cast
>>> iron.
>>> I can't make an formal complaint in writing to AOL becuasee they
>>> won't tell me the address to send complaints to!
>>> I can't complain to BT becuase it's not their fault.
>>> I can't complain to Ofcom becuase they say they don't investigate
>>> consure complaints.
>>>
>>> Any ideas?
>>
>> You might want to try complaining to Charles Dunstone at Carphone
>> Warehouse? AOL's servers no longer exist. You were recently migrated to a
>> Carphone Warehouse server which as you've discovered doesn't work for
>> much of the afternoon and evening. No point in calling AOL either as
>> they've left a message on the answering machine to the effect that
>> they're currently experiencing technical problems!
>>
>> (kim)
> I have previously written to Charles Dunstone for his personal attention.
> I never even received an acknowledgement let alone a reply. One letter
> enclosed a cheque which was cashed so I know it was received.
>
> It took me a long time to get a tag removed when I bought this house
> because BT would not talk to me and insisted to my ISP that there was no
> tag on the line. After various complaints it transpired that BT's records
> showed no tag on the line but they eventually confirmed that there was
> from a previous failed set-up attempt.
>
> At least it appears things are finally moving for you. I was on dial-up
> for 2 months.

There's no cost or hassle free way to do this.

Apply to BT for a new line. Have its master socket placed at the most
convenient location in the house. Get the ISP of your choice to provision
this line with ADSL. Tell everybody your new phone number and email
address. Then cancel the original line.

--
Graham J

fred wrote:

The straight answer is NO.

If you're with a crap provider (wasn't prepared to read all that stuff)
then they WILL make it as difficult as possible for you. For that read any
of the major 'retail' providers.

Graham

"Graham." wrote:

> Based on your IP 80.229.134.62 your current ISP appears
> to be Plusnet.

Agreed.

Apparently the OP doesn't know who his ISP is and is asking the wrong people
/companies !


% Information related to '80.229.128.0 - 80.229.191.255'
inetnum: 80.229.128.0 - 80.229.191.255
netname: PLUSNET-DIAL-ADSL
descr: PlusNet plc.
country: GB
admin-c: PLUS1-RIPE
tech-c: PNET2-RIPE
status: ASSIGNED PA
mnt-by: MAINT-AS6871
source: RIPE # Filtered
role: Plusnet Hostmaster
address: PlusNet Plc
address: Internet House
address: 2 Tenter Street
address: Sheffield
address: S1 4BY
address: UK
phone: +44 114 2200084
remarks: trouble: (E-Mail Removed)
remarks: ------------------------------------------------
remarks: Please do NOT e-mail abuse to the contacts given
remarks: here, e-mail them to (E-Mail Removed) instead.
remarks: All email sent to other listed addresses will
remarks: be deleted!
remarks: ------------------------------------------------
remarks: Network Status and Information Page:
remarks: http://status.plus.net
remarks: http://monitor.plus.net
remarks: http://support.plus.net
remarks: ------------------------------------------------
remarks: Support 24*7 Phone: (UK) 0845 140 0200


Graham

fred wrote:

> I'm looking for opinions and advice on how to speed up the process of
> changing or setting up broadband.
> For years I though I had AOL broadband, when the speed dropped last
> week I started the long and painfull process of trying to find out
> what went wrong. The answer it appears is that I never had broad band!
> Silly me, thinking that if a company sends you software, a modem with
> their name written on it, charges you & allows you to log on in
> broadband they are your provider. Apparently they sent all the stuff
> but never got round to changing my details over to broadband and they
> still think my line is dial up!
> Now here's the problem, I can't get AOL to set up broadband becasue
> there is a "tag" on the line.
> I can't move to another supplier because I need a MAC.
> I can't get a MAC from AOL becuase they say they never supplied me
> broadband & BT Retail are the supplier. BT say BT retail "are not
> customer facing" and won't talk to me and that AOL are the supplier.
> Eventually by pretending to be a new customer trying to set up
> broadband with AOL they discovered that they had placed the tag on the
> line. Now I don't know what a Tag is but apparently it takes 10 days
> to "physically" remove it so I'm thinking is must be granit or cast
> iron.
> I can't make an formal complaint in writing to AOL becuasee they
> won't tell me the address to send complaints to!
> I can't complain to BT becuase it's not their fault.
> I can't complain to Ofcom becuase they say they don't investigate
> consure complaints.
>
> Any ideas?

fred wrote:

> Any ideas?

You're an IDIOT. You are a customer of Plusnet.

Graham

On Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:26:57 +0000, Eeyore
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>
>
>fred wrote:
>
>> Any ideas?
>
>You're an IDIOT. You are a customer of Plusnet.
>
>Graham
>

If he posted from someone elses pc it would make you the idiot

fred wrote:

> I can't make an formal complaint in writing to AOL becuasee they
> won't tell me the address to send complaints to!

That should be reported to Oftel ask them to impose a BIG FINE.

Graham