TEXT OF home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/DSLPR13A.txt
Hello Earthlink:
DSL service on 562/923-#### is UNreliable: one minute it is OK,
the next minute it is NOT, and then the next minute it is OK again.
Problems began about 21 Dec 2012.
Location: Suburb of Los Angeles, Calif.
Local Phone Company: Verizon
Distance to Central Office: just under 2 miles.
Everything is do-able.
There is nothing that can't be done -- given enough time, patience,
and perseverance.
Have two desktop PCs running Win/XP and one iPad, all have the same problems.
E-Mail problem with BOTH Eudora and ThunderBird.
Browser problems with BOTH FireFox and MS-IE and Safari.
Have re-booted the PCs and power recycled the modem and router numerous
times to no avail.
Have bypassed the router (just the Modem, just one PC) to no avail.
The voice service on the line is not impaired.
All filters are in place - NO change.
WebSites and mail servers both appear to be impacted.
Even have troubles with such well-managed sites as ...
earthlink.net
google.com
msn.com
wikipedia.com
My own personal WebSites are reasonable reliable but not completely faithful
as at ...
home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/
popcornpot.com/
Failure modes are variously ...
.- No such host
.- Socket error 10051
.- The operation timed-out
.- Can't establish a connection to the server at---
.- Can't find the server at ---
.- The connection was intentionally closed by the server
.- Oops, we couldn't show the info. Refresh the page to see it.
.- page apparently interpreted as being for another browser.
Mail Washer wakes up every 10-minutes and may or may not be successful at
reading the latest headers, but it tries again in 10 minutes;
the error log has missing timestamps - indicating that there were some successes.
FTP has never been known to fail, but often times slows down and then
resumes normalcy.
Mail Washer may get part way through reading or deleting.
Eudora E-Mail may get part way through sending or receiving a
message or a set of messages.
ThunderBird is the same way.
Speed shifts often occur fast-slow-fast-slow.
Walking through a WebSite may get error on the 3-rd page.
What few speed tests that can be run show normal download speeds.
SUSPICION: Acts as though ...
.- there is lack integrity in the equipment to the Earthlink server.
.- potential for error recovery over and over again until exhausted
.- data getting garbled along the way to the extent that it is unrecognizable
.- randomly/intermittently getting a faulty DNS or channel path
WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ...
.- a good diagnostic utility that could continuously make attempts
and identify and record the failures relative to data integrity
and a description of the path.
=======================
Chat of 21 Jan '13 apx 5:45PM PST ---
Please hold for the next available agent. Your chat should begin in approximately 0 minutes. You may type your question while you wait, but you won’t be able to SEND it until your chat is assigned to an agent.
'Daniel P' says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?
Daniel P: You are chatting with Daniel P, How may I help you today?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Earthlink: My service is TOO UNreliable to even enter a chat about the problem. I've managed to document its characteristics in text at ... home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/DSLPR13A.txt PLEASE read it over and have someone phone me from the Mainland of the USA to discuss the matter. Thanks,, /s/ Hugh
Daniel P: Could you please elaborate the issue, so that I can assist in the best possible way I can.
hthoskins@earthlink.net: please just read the text at .
hthoskins@earthlink.net: home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/DSLPR13A.txt
Daniel P: Okay.
Daniel P: Hello! I will try my best in resolving your issue.
Daniel P: I see that the above is incorrect domain.
Daniel P: That is the reason.
Daniel P: Do you want to create a 10Mb free webspace ?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: No. The above is CORRECT. No I do not want any space. I have a reliability problem. Please just have some from the mainland USA telephone me at 562/923-0544
Daniel P: There is a specific Department to handle these issues. I will transfer you to Web Hosting Technical Support Team. Due to delay, If chat get disconnected, Please contact our Web Hosting Technical Support Team at 800-955-0186(Mon-Fri 8am-3am EST; Sat-Sun 8am-1am EST.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to 'Roland'.
'Roland' says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?
Roland: Hi! You've reached Earthlink Web Hosting. How may I help you today?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I do NOT need any hosting. I have a DSL reliability problem as described in the text on the webpage noted above.
Roland: Are you refering to this address: http://home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/DSLPR13A.txt
hthoskins@earthlink.net: yes
Roland: So the main concern is your DSL service bieng unreliable?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: RIGHT.!.!
hthoskins@earthlink.net: one minute it is OK the next it is NG then OK again in 10seconds
Roland: Please stay connected, i am going to connect you to our dsl tech support department.
Please wait while I transfer the chat to the appropriate agent.
'Benny D' says: Thank you for contacting EarthLink LiveChat, how may I help you today?
Benny D: Thank you for staying online
Benny D: Could you please elaborate your issue so that I can assist you better.
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Pleae see the text on my webpage noted ub the chat above.
Benny D: Thank you for the information.
Benny D: Please open a new Firefox browser page.
Click the Tools menu. If you don't see the File menu, press Alt button on your keyboard to show the menus.
In the dropdown menu click Options.
Click on privacy tab.
Click on show cookies.
Click on the remove all cookies button.
Click OK to close the Cookies dialog box.
Click OK to close Options.
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I already do that every day. It never helps.
Benny D: Are you unable to access your free webpage?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: NO. I amd NOT UNable. Most of the time I can get to it, but NOT always. Soeetimes I cannot even get to earthlink.net as I noted in my textual description.
Benny D: Do you have issue with your website or the internet?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: The problem seems to exist with EVERY InterNet access that I attempt. Sometimes it is OK sometimes it is NOT, as per my description in the -.txt file noted above.
Benny D: http://support.earthlink.net/speedtest
Benny D: Please click on the above link and let me know the speeds
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I tried to copy and paste it but I got the message "cannot find server at .." relative to that link.
Benny D: Did you click on the link?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I copied and pasted it.
Benny D: Can you try on the different browser?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I tried the link again and got refreshed
to http://speedtest.earthlinkbusiness.com/ which displays a map
Benny D: Please try to select your location and run the speed test
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Got message stating "Download test returned an error"
Benny D: Do you have internet explorer?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: yes. Same result
Benny D: http://www.2wire.com
Benny D: This third party web site link is provided by EarthLink as a convenience to you. The content or software provided on this web site is not owned or maintained by EarthLink. EarthLink is not responsible for the information, software downloads, or other material, on this third party web site. Any software you download from a third party site is subject to the license terms contained on that site.
Benny D: Please click on the above link and let me know the speeds
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I ran 2WIRE a few days ago.
When it would run, it gave a value of 1.7gbps
Benny D: Let me know the speeds that you are getting now
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Got the msg "can't find the server at 2wire.com"
Benny D: Please restart the computer and get back to us
hthoskins@earthlink.net: I restart all 3 computers every day. I feel that you have wasted the last 60 minutes of my life doing nothing but running me around in a circle. Please have someone from the MainLand USA call me at 562/923-0544 as was promised last week but never happened.
Benny D: Shall I arraange the call back?
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Thank You Very Much
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Over and out
Benny D: Please wait
Benny D: Let me arrange the call back
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Waiting.
Benny D: Thank you for staying online
Benny D: I have arranged the call back for you
Benny D: You will receive the call within 10 minutes
hthoskins@earthlink.net: Thank You.
Benny D: I appreciate your patience.
Benny D: Thank you for using EarthLink LiveChat. Should you need further assistance, please contact us again.
Benny D: Take care.
Benny D: Good bye..
[[ NO chance to get a log ]]
================
SYNOPSIS - - -
What followed was VERY DISappointing.
I got a callback from another tech in the same office; not a supve; not in the USA.
When I asked for a callback from the USA, then I was transferred to an office
which was closed, but the ansmach gave the hours and said to call back
during those hours. BUT NOW I HAVE NO PHONE NUMBER TO CALL.
So now I call 1-888/earthlink => 888/327-8454
After I ask to speak to a supervisor, then I am asked for my phone number
and am put on hold for a transfer.
Then the system hangs up on me after 2 minutes.
This is repeated 2 more times before a supvr did call me;
he did not have my Chat log but he gave the number 404/815-0770
and told me that it is toll-free;
after I told him that it wasn't then he promised me that I will get a call from
someone in Atlanta at 0900am PST tomorrow.
Case# is 163 327 674
Everybody is polite and apologetic, just UNhelpful.
This leaves me with the impression that NO-ONE wants to transfer me to a supvr or
to the USA but rather everyone wants to start all over to help solve my
problem which they simply do not seem able to understand -- simply by reading
a script with flowcharts.
At this point I am very frustrated, quite angry, possesed by disSTRESS,
and the anxiety is rising along with my blood-pressure.
--
Tues 22Jan13
At 0900AM I got a call from Paul in a suburb of Knoxville, Tenn.
He is at the highest level of Customer Service at 800/719-4664 +6;
hrs are 0830-1730-EST.
He does not have access to my Chat log and says that any URL or tele would have
been deleted for security/privacy reasons.
I gave him the URL of my info text at ...
home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/DSLPR13A.txt
he opened it and is able to read it. He claimed to find it quite complete.
WithOUT my asking, he offers a month of service and the shipment of a
replacement modem -- all free.
He will pass the URL along to TechSupport level-3 and have them call me sometime,
but there is NO estimate;
they also have NO incoming tele.
He also took my cell # as 562/###-####.
========================
FINAL
Scroll up for full scenario
Wed 23Jan13
At 0900AM I got a call from TimCrawford in a suburb of Vancouver, Wash.
This guy is level-3 and knows his stuff. 888/300-8469 +3095 Case#030-48-719
I referred him to my discussion in the file at ...
home.earthlink.net/~dhoskins/DSLPR13A.txt
and after chatting a short while, then he believed that he knew exactly
where the problem was.
It's always refreshing to talk to someone who sounds like thay have a
good command of the situation.
He said that Verizon had had some troubles with some gear and had re-routed
a LOT of EarthLink's service onto a longer path which was often overloaded
and had neglected to re-re-route ALL of the service back to its preferred
path when the original problem was resolved.
He called Verizon and then called me back to say that it was fixed.
He was right. All now appears to be solved and A.O.K.
Paraphrasing HannibalSmith/GeorgePeppard --
"I just love it when a plan comes together".
Final Laments and Observations . . .
Verzion seems to fix these one at a time.
There are still some likely EarthLink customers with this problem that are
still living with it at this moment. There is NO way for Earthlink to tell.
EarthLink needs a better process for insuring that Verizon has
done its job corectly.
Earthlink needs a better Level-1 staff who can understand problems and
have some visibility over a log of the users' connection/disconnections/failures;
they also need better handling of escalations.
Earthlink needs to be able to supply their users with better tools to help
in diagnosis.
===============================
Additionally we discussed to a minor extent the relationships between
Modem/Router,
Bridge-Mode/Route-Mode
PPPoE/DHCP.
My takeway is ...
** Condition set 1:
Modem in "Route" mode with standard IP address of 192.168.1.1
Modem supplies UserId and Pswd to establish connection
Modem's "Internet" light ON
Router in NOT IN THE PICTURE
Only ONE PC connects and interfaces as expected with the InterNet
Modem control panel is available via the standard IP addrs.
** Condition set 2:
Modem in "Route" mode with standard IP address of 192.168.1.1
Modem supplies UserId and Pswd to establish connection
Modem's "Internet" light ON
Router in DHCP mode
Router with non-standard IP address (e.g. 10.0.0.1)
All PCs connect and interface as expected with the InterNet
BOTH Router and Modem control panels are available via their separate IP addrs.
** Condition set 3:
Modem in "Bridge" mode with standard IP address of 192.168.1.1
Modem just passes traffic from Router
Modem's "Internet" light OFF
Router in PPPoE mode
Router supplies UserId and Pswd to establish connection
Router with standard IP address of 192.168.1.1
All PCs connect and interface as expected with the InterNet
Only Router control panel is available via an IP addrs.