| Author |
Message |
Swingman
Guest
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 Posted:
Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:39 am Post subject:
Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you help? |
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| We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty unreliable from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100 modem and the DSL light has been blinking red for extended periods every day! Each time we call customer support they walk us through the ritual, i.e. "turn off the modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while they fiddle on their end. We can usually get it working and it's ok for a while. Then the next morning the red light is blinking again. We've already had the modem replaced because the first one emitted an annoying high pitched whine. The new one is quiet, but the service hasn't improved. I'm going to check the wiring in the phone jack to make sure nothing is lose, but FWIW there is always dial-tone on the phone that shares the line with the modem (filters installed, of course) when the DSL is not working. Any help with fixing this will be appreciated. As a last resort I'm prepared to cancel the service, but I'm willing to make an effort to get it working first. TIA! |
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Neil W Rickert
Guest
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:39 am Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
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"Swingman" <sbt@silcom.com> writes:
| Quote: | We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty =
unreliable from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100 =
modem and the DSL light has been blinking red for extended periods every =
day! Each time we call customer support they walk us through the =
ritual, i.e. "turn off the modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while =
they fiddle on their end. We can usually get it working and it's ok for =
a while. Then the next morning the red light is blinking again. We've =
already had the modem replaced because the first one emitted an annoying =
high pitched whine. The new one is quiet, but the service hasn't =
improved. I'm going to check the wiring in the phone jack to make sure =
nothing is lose, but FWIW there is always dial-tone on the phone that =
shares the line with the modem (filters installed, of course) when the =
DSL is not working. Any help with fixing this will be appreciated. As =
a last resort I'm prepared to cancel the service, but I'm willing to =
make an effort to get it working first. TIA!
|
DSL operates at higher frequencies than voice conversations. The
presence of a dialtone doesn't tell you much about the quality of the
line for DSL.
If possible, plug the modem into the NID, disconnecting the house
wiring. The NID is the grey box, usually on an outside wall, where
the telco line is connected to the house wiring. If you are in an
apartment, you probably cannot do this. Note that this is just for testing.
You are not expected to permanently disconnect the house wiring.
If you get good service with this NID test, then you have a good
telco line with problems in the house wiring. If you continue to
lose your connection during the NID test, then you have a bad telco
line. It helps to know which is which, so you can know where to
start in fixing the problem. |
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Kay Archer
Guest
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 18, 2005 8:04 am Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
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"Swingman" <sbt@silcom.com> wrote in message
news:10uo5437m72q65a@news.supernews.com...
We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty unreliable
from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100 modem and the DSL
light has been blinking red for extended periods every day! Each time we
call customer support they walk us through the ritual, i.e. "turn off the
modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while they fiddle on their end. We
can usually get it working and it's ok for a while. Then the next morning
the red light is blinking again. We've already had the modem replaced
because the first one emitted an annoying high pitched whine. The new one
is quiet, but the service hasn't improved. I'm going to check the wiring
in the phone jack to make sure nothing is lose, but FWIW there is always
dial-tone on the phone that shares the line with the modem (filters
installed, of course) when the DSL is not working. Any help with fixing
this will be appreciated. As a last resort I'm prepared to cancel the
service, but I'm willing to make an effort to get it working first. TIA!
Call back and tell the first tier tech you have "intermittant synch". He
should ask about sources of EMI (halogen lamps or fans close to modem, is
the modem inside a microwave oven) and then issue a trouble ticket for the
line department to repair the problem. It will take longer to fill out the
paperwork then it will to troubleshoot.
Or:
Post in an appropriate group at www.dslreports.com. You will probably be
invited to post in one of the 'private' groups so the second tier techs can
get your dsl telephone number. |
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Swingman
Guest
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:50 pm Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
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"Kay Archer" <kayhyphenarcher@cableone.net> wrote in message news:353kgiF4f98c3U1@individual.net...
| Quote: | "Swingman" <sbt@silcom.com> wrote in message
news:10uo5437m72q65a@news.supernews.com...
We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty unreliable
from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100 modem and the DSL
light has been blinking red for extended periods every day! Each time we
call customer support they walk us through the ritual, i.e. "turn off the
modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while they fiddle on their end. We
can usually get it working and it's ok for a while. Then the next morning
the red light is blinking again. We've already had the modem replaced
because the first one emitted an annoying high pitched whine. The new one
is quiet, but the service hasn't improved. I'm going to check the wiring
in the phone jack to make sure nothing is lose, but FWIW there is always
dial-tone on the phone that shares the line with the modem (filters
installed, of course) when the DSL is not working. Any help with fixing
this will be appreciated. As a last resort I'm prepared to cancel the
service, but I'm willing to make an effort to get it working first. TIA!
Call back and tell the first tier tech you have "intermittant synch". He
should ask about sources of EMI (halogen lamps or fans close to modem, is
the modem inside a microwave oven) and then issue a trouble ticket for the
line department to repair the problem. It will take longer to fill out the
paperwork then it will to troubleshoot.
Or:
Post in an appropriate group at www.dslreports.com. You will probably be
invited to post in one of the 'private' groups so the second tier techs can
get your dsl telephone number.
Thanks for the replies. I'll checkout dslreports.com. Also, I've noticed when calling SBC Yahoo DSL customer support that there's a "technician visit" (or something like that) option. Do you know what this entails, i.e. what an SBC technician would attempt to accomplish? For instance, if the problem is the wiring to the jack in my office would he fix that? I wonder what a tech visit would cost? |
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Kay Archer
Guest
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:30 pm Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
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|
Thanks for the replies. I'll checkout dslreports.com. Also, I've noticed
when calling SBC Yahoo DSL customer support that there's a "technician
visit" (or something like that) option. Do you know what this entails, i.e.
what an SBC technician would attempt to accomplish? For instance, if the
problem is the wiring to the jack in my office would he fix that? I wonder
what a tech visit would cost?
Not sure about costs, probably a $60 minimum with $60/hour rate.
If a trouble ticket is issued, there is always the possibility of a
technician visit (and the possibility of charges for a truck roll). If the
wiring (or filter installation, etc) on your side of the demarc is the
problem, then charges would likely ensue.
If it is a telco problem (such as a load coil on the line) then the issue
would be referred to telco repair for resolution (add 2-3 days for repair to
finish).
If it is a dsl problem (something wrong at the dslam, e.g.) then the problem
could be fixed without a technician visit. |
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Read below before mailing
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:21 am Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
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|
In article <10uo5437m72q65a@news.supernews.com>,
Swingman <sbt@silcom.com> wrote:
| Quote: | We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty
unreliable from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100
modem and the DSL light has been blinking red for extended periods every
day! Each time we call customer support they walk us through the
ritual, i.e. "turn off the modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while
they fiddle on their end. We can usually get it working and it's ok for
a while. Then the next morning the red light is blinking again. We've
|
I endured the same problem as you for one year. In short, cancel the
service while you still can. SBC is bent on profitability by destroying
their own support infrastructure and blaming customers for their own
problems. See my experiences at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_161028673156
If you see a 'X' in my address, please remove it before e-mailing me.
Do not add me to any MicroSoft address book; let's stop the viruses.
Do not send me unsolicited mail. I track and report spammers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FAQ files v1.21 for the Tropez, and v1.01 for the TBS-2001 sound
boards can be obtained from:
http://www.landfield.com/faqs/PCsoundcards/
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~mccreary/tbeach/faq.html
http://www.pasteur.fr/infosci/FAQ/PCsoundcards/
http://faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/comp/comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.misc.html
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Swingman
Guest
|
| Posted:
Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:39 am Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
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"Read below before mailing" <TowXWang@umich.edu> wrote in message news:xjzHd.367$UN1.144@news.itd.umich.edu...
| Quote: | In article <10uo5437m72q65a@news.supernews.com>,
Swingman <sbt@silcom.com> wrote:
We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty
unreliable from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100
modem and the DSL light has been blinking red for extended periods every
day! Each time we call customer support they walk us through the
ritual, i.e. "turn off the modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while
they fiddle on their end. We can usually get it working and it's ok for
a while. Then the next morning the red light is blinking again. We've
I endured the same problem as you for one year. In short, cancel the
service while you still can. SBC is bent on profitability by destroying
their own support infrastructure and blaming customers for their own
problems. See my experiences at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_161028673156
|
I read your account and am not surprised. Based on having the service only a few weeks I would agree with your assessment of the customer support. I seriously need to find out if I can still cancel the service at this point without incurring an "early termination fee". Do you know the procedure? |
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Read below before mailing
Guest
|
| Posted:
Fri Jan 21, 2005 6:07 am Post subject:
Re: Continually losing SBC Yahoo! DSL connection - can you h |
|
|
In article <10utksl4s26vv31@news.supernews.com>,
Swingman <sbt@silcom.com> wrote:
| Quote: |
"Read below before mailing" <TowXWang@umich.edu> wrote in message
news:xjzHd.367$UN1.144@news.itd.umich.edu...
In article <10uo5437m72q65a@news.supernews.com>,
Swingman <sbt@silcom.com> wrote:
We've only had the account for a few weeks and it's been pretty
unreliable from the beginning. We have a five light Speedstream 5100
modem and the DSL light has been blinking red for extended periods every
day! Each time we call customer support they walk us through the
ritual, i.e. "turn off the modem, unplugged the phone line, etc" while
they fiddle on their end. We can usually get it working and it's ok for
a while. Then the next morning the red light is blinking again. We've
I endured the same problem as you for one year. In short, cancel the
service while you still can. SBC is bent on profitability by destroying
their own support infrastructure and blaming customers for their own
problems. See my experiences at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_161028673156
I read your account and am not surprised. Based on having the service
only a few weeks I would agree with your assessment of the customer
support. I seriously need to find out if I can still cancel the service
at this point without incurring an "early termination fee". Do you know
the procedure?
|
Somewhere in SBC's web site, where they let you sign up for DSL, there is
mention of a 30-day guarantee. I believe you can cancel within 30 days, no
questions asked (supposedly). If you are beyond 30 days, be sure to
document EACH AND EVERY outage you experience. If you are able to bear
with tier 1 support to the end of their brain-dead troubleshooting, be
sure to request and write down the trouble ticket # they are supposed to
issue you. You may be able to use this ammo as reason for cancellation,
but YMMV.
- Author of http://www.epinions.com/content_161028673156
If you see a 'X' in my address, please remove it before e-mailing me.
Do not add me to any MicroSoft address book; let's stop the viruses.
Do not send me unsolicited mail. I track and report spammers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FAQ files v1.21 for the Tropez, and v1.01 for the TBS-2001 sound
boards can be obtained from:
http://www.landfield.com/faqs/PCsoundcards/
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~mccreary/tbeach/faq.html
http://www.pasteur.fr/infosci/FAQ/PCsoundcards/
http://faqs.org/faqs/by-newsgroup/comp/comp.sys.ibm.pc.soundcard.misc.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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