Follow up on move of FSPROJECT / BTOpenWorld

[Guest]

Those of you that use the Mallard and read about the closure - or rather forced move of FSProject by BTOpenWorld (AKA BTOpenWoe OR BTOpenWound) may be interested to read the latest antics of a company that looks like it is vying for the award of UK's worst ISP. Basically they are cutting your access down even further so perhaps it is time (for BTOpenWoe users) to jump before you are pushed::FROM "The Register"::::BTopenworld has confirmed that it is to cap its AnyTime and SurfTime unmetered dial-up services. From November 1 AnyTime customers will only be allowed to stay online for 150 hours a month before they have to start paying Internet call charges. SurfTime customers get 120 hour quota. The changes will affect around 900,000 of BTopenworld's customers, who should receive an email from the ISP from tomorrow. According to Duncan Ingram of BTopenworld, it is the act of "a responsible ISP" that will help create a "sustainable business model". So, will BTopenworld change the name of its service from "AnyTime" to "Someofthetime"? Dunno. What will stop it from reducing still further the quota it has set? Nothing. In fact, it should be expected. After all, customers used to be able to use the service for around 16 hours a day before BTopenworld's heavy mob booted them off. Then this "limit" was reduced to 12 hours in every 24. Now, it's effectively more than halved just five hours usage a day. So will the price come down accordingly? No way. If that's the case, is this just another way for BTopenworld (BTopenwound to its friends) to improve margins, stamp out network abuse and create a bigger gap between it and broadband in the hope that punters will migrate to hi-speed Net access? Shinickle? Moi?

[Guest Toni Rauch]

GaryWhat's the monthly charge for BTOpenworld 'Anytime'?Toni.

[Guest]

Hi Toni,"Anytime" is

[Guest]

The Register has received a number of emails from worried customers of BTopenworld asking if the ISP's decision to cap its unmetered dial-up service could have an impact on its broadband service. It seems they're concerned that if BTopenworld caps its dial-up service, what is stopping it from capping its broadband service? The answer, of course, is nothing. Let's look at the state of play. BT Broadband - the new no-frills service launched by BT Retail - has a daily download limit of 1GB and the monster telco says it may introduce "further charges in the future for customers whose use exceeds this figure". Earlier this month BTopenworld set out letters to its broadband satellite users warning them that it would impose restrictions if people used the service too much. And now BTopenworld has capped the use of its supposedly unmetered dial-up service. Insiders have already told The Register that BTopenworld intends to start restricting its ADSL service for its heaviest users. Anyone spot a pattern developing here?Hmmmmmmmmm

[Guest Bob_Jones]

Gary,I had BT openworld broadband when it first started, I suffered the year's contract, and when that was up, I RAN over to Plus.net's broadband and have never looked back, it's faster and cheaper too at

[Guest Toni Rauch]

I'm no fan of BT in general, but I took a year's Broadband contract with them about four months ago and overall, the service I've had is excellent. Never lost a connection, but had a couple of occasions where I couln't connect - both rectified within a few hours of reporting the error, and I've received nothing from them indicating any proposed changes or restrictions.I know at

[Cruachan 705]

Hi,"That said, Gary I can't believe in this day and age, Broadband isn't going to be available to you - you must be on an old clockwork exchange....".....Don't kid yourself. I have just extricated myself from BTopenworld's Broadband first year contract following many weeks of hassle, numerous and interminable waits for attention on the end of the phone, misinformation and downright poor customer service.I signed up, bought the Alcatel modem and additional filters after a line check and written assurance that I was within the qualifying radius. I had to look at that modem's light winking at me for over a month as it was unable to sync. Many times I was advised to leave my computer on overnight (?!) to allow further remote line testing. You would not believe how difficult it was to persuade that shower to send an engineer out to check things my end. When one did eventually arrive it took him all of 5mins to confirm that BT were indeed at fault and I should never have been advised that I was within the extended range from our local exchange.While all this was going on BT, without any warning, switched me fron narrowband to broadband and deducted the first month's rental, despite the fact I was not receiving a service and they knew it!! Of course persuading the idiots to switch me back again took me a whole afternoon, more wasted time, and even then I had to use 'Pay-as-you-go' for several hours before their systems could be updated.I complained to their so-called customer service via e-mail on several occasions and did not receive even the courtesy of a reply until I ended up faxing a letter. Their response was laughable in the extreme and, in essence, accepted no responsibility or liability for all the hassle and inconvenience caused.The story ended several weeks later with 3 letters informing me of their regret that I had been unhappy with the service, confirmed that my contract was being terminated and was advised to use Pay-as-you-go' meantime!!!! Clearly, the left hand did not know what the right hand was doing and by this time it seemed pointless to pursue the matter futher as it seemed I was dealing with a group of individuals hampered by poor customer relations skills, lousy training and new technology that had been introduced too quickly and those using it just did not seem able to cope.Believe it or not I am still on BTopenworld Anytime using my trusty 56K modem - it's fast enough and has always been pretty reliable. So long as I have no further contact with the human face of BT (until they shake themselves up, that is) I shall be content to carry on until something better comes along.One final comment - I live just 5 miles from the centre of Edinburgh and 4.7 miles from my local exchange according to their line checking routines. Yet their technology can't supply me with Broadband - says it all really!Mike :-wave

[Guest]

I know - rubbish isn't it, I live 25 miles out of Birmingham and my exchange is "too small to be commercially viable". There again I work in Solihull and - even though the office is close enough to the exchange the "BT Lines" are "not of a high enough quality" to carry broadband - obviously the idiots cannot grasp the concept that they own the lines.Frankly, BT as a "comms" provider suck !! In my day to day dealings with them over the last 5 years I have come to the conclusion that as a company it is largely staffed (at least on the sales side) with no motivation, the memory span of a derranged goldfish and a complete lack of ability to complete any work they have. Unfortunately, the morons higher up the food chain are even worse and wouldn't be able to foster good customer relations if their lives depended on it....Why did it ever surprise me that they can't form a decent ISP ?? HmmmOoops sorry for the unscheduled RANT - it may seem harsh, but if you deal with these idiots on a regular basis then you really need to vent...... Going for the Valium now.. ..CLASSIC - Sorry this is a joke - from BTOpenworlds own homepage:::Q8. Will the 12-hour daily limit still apply? No. The 12-hour maximum daily use has been removed. You can use your allotted hours whenever you wish. Our customers have told us that they prefer a monthly limit to a daily limit. Strangely enough I told them this 2 weeks ago when the whole cut-off thing started only to be told this was not possible. So it was already in the pipeline and I get cut off anyway -- what a bunch of complete *******.......:-newburn :-newburn :-newburn :-newburn :-newburn :-newburn