How do I raise the issue of low speed with my ISP?

I pay for 30/5 mbps down/up from my ISP (Optimum Online) and it's always been reliable until a few days ago when I started noticing slow downloads. Sure enough I went to speedtest.net and I was only getting 8-10 down. I tried multiple PCs and both wired and wifi-n with consistently the same download speeds. It's persisted for a few days.

Is there any way I can bring this up with my ISP without them blaming the user? Do I have any recourse here? I am pretty confident it's nothing on my end. I've changed nothing in my networking setup (Motorola SBV5120, Cisco E3000, same wifi/ethernet cards + settings as always, etc).

 

Simply, just ask them if your speeds are still 30/5 mbps down/up. They can check it on their system.

 

your 'contract' with your ISP is most likely for your local connection only, between your house and the ISP servers. If you or they can prove that your local line can run at that speed, that's probably the end of the story.

No ISP is going to guarantee connection speeds to/from the Internet on a consumer-grade line.

And no ISP is going to accept 'results' from speedtest.net as proof of anything.

 

Therein lies the problem. I take a huge speed hit through no fault of my own and appear to have no recourse.

They're also the only game in town apart from Verizon DSL, which is an obvious non factor.

 

Just talk to a Customer Support Rep at the ISP. Ironically i've had to do the same about a week ago and now tonight again as my connection has also seemed to have taken a vacation. So, just make the call.

 

Mine accepts Speedtest.net, in fact that is the only test they accept as "proof". I have been through this a few times and I am looking at doing it again (I hate my ISP).

First off what are you paying for. I pay for a 10meg line, but that actually only means I get anywhere from 6-10. I could get 6, I could get 10, I would pay the same. For some reason I'm sitting at 5.


Call them, tell them things are really slow, point out that you tested several test places (try DSLreports too). If you can do ping tests, and trace routes that can help find the problems as well. Chances are they will look at their screen, have you cycle, yadda yadda yadda, then say they will send a truck in a few days to test the lines.. Up to your house. If things are fine outside, you can then either pay $90 (average rate in the area) to have them check inside or just live with it.

Try to be there when they come and be ready with a laptop so you can give them instant feedback. It helps. The guys who come to fix it are much nicer than the ones on the phone and more willing to go out of their way, particularly when you are there to give instant feedback on whether what they did helped or not.

 

1) Cable internet is a shared medium. Meaning if anyone near you with the same service starts downloading heavily, yours will take a hit. If congestion is really bad, they might be able to move you to a different node.

2) The 30/5mbps they advertise are speeds UP TO and those speeds are only to the first node/CMTS. ISP's never sell guaranteed or promised speeds and latency.

 

back to normal now
wonder what was going on the last few days

 

They might have been doing some work on the network, our ISP is good at not letting us know when they are doing work, until you call them up and they politely say "Oh, yeah, we had to disconnect the network to repair an antenna."

Another possibility is you capped your usage... That is if you don't have unlimited.

 

At least you get that.
I can look out of the office and see them working on it, call, and get "we have no one in the area that we are aware of". Even as an on-site tech (on record with them!), they won't tell me if there are local problems even if I am staring at the repair truck in the parking lot. In another state I called about cable internet, they said my home was ineligible, as I'm watching the cable tv guy install it across the street. The cable box he connected to, was in my front yard.

Never trust the morons on the phone, I can give you horror stories far worse than above.