four hours on the phone and 1 tech visit and still getting less than 10/2 when I orded 15/5 FIOS

[mediaseth]

I'm not a happy customer right now.

My building wanted FIOS installed. But, they gave us VDSL. However, customer service reps like to argue with me and tell me I have FIOS, because that's what our accounts say.

Many of us held back on getting FIOS after they heard only VDSL was put in. I'm one of the unlucky ones who got VDSL and it is slower than cable.

I've been spending hours on the phone trying to at least get the VDSL speed upgraded and it's all for nothing. I don't even get the follow-up calls back that I'm promised from the techs (just the automated survey).

I called Thursday because I was getting only .6 on upload. That's ridiculous. I work in A/V and upload city council videos. I need something faster. I wanted to switch to FIOS because even cable was not fast enough.

One person tells me I still only have 10/2 and to order 15/5. I call. They tell me they can't switch me because I already have 15/5. I said the tech told me I had 10/2. The customer service rep says "Oh, over here it says you have 10/2." I have no idea what "Over here means." But, she is still unable to switch me and hands the phone back over to tech, who says he can't help me because he can't upgrade service, so he hands me back to another service rep and I have to explain everything again, and then she sends me to some other person.. to another person..

I am hanging on by a thread as a customer. At this point, I don't care if it's FIOS or VDSL as long as I can upgrade to the speed I want. But, they won't even let me upgrade from 10/2!!!

After escallating my complaint on the phone last night I was told I would have 15/5 by this morning and a follow up call by a human being. Neither have happened.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but cable had better support by people who could actually help me...and more constant data rates on u/l and d/l.

If I can't get 20/20 (what I really want), I'm dropping the whole FIOS package and going back to cable.

(PS - what your web site says is really available at my address is also false.. talk to your techs)

[prisaz]

You may want to read this thread. Some of the older MDUs were limited to 10/2. I suggest you have tech support check the type of Multi Dwelling Unit that is installed. If they are selling 15/5 when it should work on the newer unit, and not the old. They should change out the hardware that is installed. A little more complex than a simple change out of a Single unit ONT, but should be done if they are selling services they can't support.

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-Internet/FIOS-MDU-Speed-Limit/m-p/234031#M15473

UPDATE

I posted to some Verizon people that may be able to help with this. It should be easy for them to see if your MDU ONT with VDSL unit supports more than 10/2. If they are selling 15/5 they should either say it is not available or replace hardware. I believe they will replace hardware. They have replaced hardware at my house to support advertised speeds.

You may get a private message where the envelope on the top right will turn gold. Let everyone here know if they help you and what the end result is. They may be able to fix it, and give you 20/5, you never know. Many FiOS users are getting 5-6 mbps faster DL speeds than what is sold.

[mediaseth]

All I know is the tech who came out couldn't make heads or tails of the ONT and had a very puzzled look on his face even when he saw my modem/router was a one-box solution rather than the two boxes he usually installs for VDSL.

The sense that I got from both the phone and tech visit is that one person doesn't know what the other is doing/one department doesn't know what the other is doing. That's a systemic problem at Verizon.

As the customer, it is not my job to know even as much about ONT's as I do at this point. It is only my job to point the tech to where it is in the basement and ask nicely is my slow service can be fixed. It is the tech's job as well as phone supports job to figure out that an MDU/ONT needs upgrading.

But what is puzzling, is that this equipment was only installed in the building this past Summer. They sold my friend a few floors up 35/35, and of course he was only getting the speed i"m getting and his is even cutting in and out. But, he's not as aggressive in calling to complain as I am.

Another customer in my building switched from regular ol' DSL to the new VDSL and is now getting slower service. SHe's the nicest, least tech-savvy person I know and hasn't called to complain.

The rest of my building wanted to switch to FIOS, but held off on doing so because of our experiences.

Verizon needs to make this right. If it requires ripping out the inferior junk they installed in the basement, so bit it.

For me, I want them to actually push fiber up the ugly orange tubes they installed visibly in my building's back stairwell. They ran tubes to push fiber but abandoned them for VDSL  for who-knows-why.

[prisaz]

I have modified my previous post. Perhaps the install was not done properly or you have the wrong mix of hardware.

OH. ONE MORE NOTE.

Since I posted this issue in a private Verizon forms location. It may not be seen until perhaps Monday. Then you never know. Someone may see it this weekend and look into it, or it may be next week.

[mediaseth]

Thanks for doing that! 🙂

By the way, as soon as I get what I'm originally supposed to (15/5), I'm going to ask for 20/20. They should upgrade if they can't provide 20/20.

[prisaz]

Billing and sales may have 15/5 on your account and Tech support may only show 10/2 because of hardware limitations. Meaning you were sold 15/5 and provisioned 10/2 because of the hardware installed. Anyway there should be someone from Verizon that knows how this works and can fix it. The owners of the property if it is rental or an HOA may have prevented Verizon from running fiber to each unit, so VDSL was installed using existing copper from the basement. Also could bave been structually imposible or very costly to get fiber to each unit.

I believe 20/5 is the limit on VDSL but I could be wrong. I hope someone in the know straightens this out for you to get the best experience possible. I am lucky to have a town home where I have 35/35 and this is my latest speed test. The outbound is slowed a bit becaus of security hardware I have installed.

unning 10s outbound test (client to server) . . . . . 31.62Mb/s
running 10s inbound test (server to client) . . . . . . 42.91Mb/s

[Hubrisnxs]

VDSL speeds:
•If MDU/VDSL-1 (Zyxel modem), then 20/5
•If MDU/VDSL-2 (Westell 9100VM), then

·         Current max. FiOS VDSL-2 speeds are the 50/20 tier....

The highest symmetrical VDSL-2 tier is 20/20..

the VDSL 2's are on GPON networks and the VDSL1's are BPON's 

Side note: FiOS's network download capacity consists of 32 users sharing 2400 Mbps for GPON or 622 Mbps for BPON. Cable networks using DOCSIS consist of typically 125 users sharing 160 Mbps

So question to the OP is which of those sounds more like what you have?

[Hubrisnxs]

on the 10/2 vs 15/5 thing, you may want to log in at http://www.myverizon.com and view your account and see what it is that you're paying for.   if it says 10/2 there, then the orders guys need to fix that, if it says 15/5 then the tech support guys need to at the very least provision you 15/5   if you get slower because there is congestion, then that is one thing, but they are hampering you out of the starting gate by not having you provisioned correctly.

[mediaseth]

It says I have 10/2. But, when I call to up to 15/5 they tell me I already have 15/5 so they can't do it. But I have a Westell modem, so I should be able to.

CONFUSED!

[prisaz]

---

@Hubrisnxs wrote:

VDSL speeds:
•If MDU/VDSL-1 (Zyxel modem), then 20/5
•If MDU/VDSL-2 (Westell 9100VM), then

·         Current max. FiOS VDSL-2 speeds are the 50/20 tier....

The highest symmetrical VDSL-2 tier is 20/20..

the VDSL 2's are on GPON networks and the VDSL1's are BPON's 

Side note: FiOS's network download capacity consists of 32 users sharing 2400 Mbps for GPON or 622 Mbps for BPON. Cable networks using DOCSIS consist of typically 125 users sharing 160 Mbps

So question to the OP is which of those sounds more like what you have?

---

Cool I did not have all the VDSL info. Thanks for providing it. I learn something every day.

[mediaseth]

I know I have a Westell modem, but that's about all I know about that. Sad thing is, the tech who showed up, though a nice guy, didn't know that type of information.

But having the Westell, I guess that modem at least can handle what I'm looking for.

But I still insist that as a simple consumer, Verizon needs to be able to simply be able to state to me the max that they can sell me (in all honesty) and deliver the service I choose. I shouldn't need to know anything else. The fact that Verizon seems to have a problem doing so and that their staff isn't empowered to help, is disconcerning.

[mediaseth]

It is a condo and it is my HOA that asked FIOS to run fiber into each unit. It was FIOS who ran orange tubes up the back stairwell, stopped work on it and didn't show up for a long time, and then installed VDSL while telling us we were getting FIOS.

[VZ_Kim]

Hi mediseth,

     Sorry for the confusion about your service speeds. I can check what speed you have and what speeds you are eligible for. Please fill out the form at this secure link: https://www22.verizon.com/content/verizonsupport/. Please include the name, address and phone # attached to the account. Thanks.

Regards,

[VZ_Kim]

mediaseth, I have your information. Your account says you are definitely provisioned for 10/2. I need to speak to our orders department to find out the max speed attainable, as well as why we haven't been able to  upgrade your speed. I will contact you on Monday once i've had time to speak to them. Thanks for your patience.

Regards,

[mediaseth]

Followup:

Kim, I did as you said and will wait for a response. I also called tech and then sales again because I still had 10/2 on my account and it was at least supposed to SAY 15/5.

Tech couldn't help. Sales only offered to sell me an upgrade (big surprise), and I asked if she knew it would work, and she said "No." i asked, how can you sell something if you don't know if it will work? She said she had no answer.

On a whim, since I'll drop the service if I can't increase speed anyway, I took her offer to upgrade to 25/25. I was told it would be working in an hour or so.

It's hours later, and my "my verizon" account still says I have 10/2.

I think you know what I'll decide to do next. And I thought I hated cable.

Frankly, I think I deserve compensation for all the hours of time I had to waste on the issue and the incompetent runarounds from Verizon phone staffers who are not empowered properly to help customers.

[mediaseth]

Additionally, why does it say I have 15/5 in one part of my accoutn and 10/2 in another. When I pull up my account on "My Verizon," it says I have 10/2, but they tell me on the phone they can't switch me to 15/5 because I already have it!?!? And the escallated call to a supervisor was supposed to fix that and I was supposed to get a followup phone call from a live person and neither happened. I'm still 10/2 (or slower) and it says so when I log into my account.

[Hubrisnxs]

If that order is in the system the tech support can probably push the order so it goes through 100% and then just make sure to optimize your pc before testing. Either use the verizon in home agent to optimize or google the fios speed optimizer

[mediaseth]

Thanks for your response, but I'm skeptical of any kind of software driven "speed optimizer." It sounds like one of those things people would warn you against downloading. My browsers are fine and there's nothing running in the background that should be slowing me down or taking up bandwidth..that I don't already know about, at least. if I know how it works, I'll be more likely to use it.

I don't understand what "Push through 100%" means. You're either signed up for one speed or another, right? The sales woman did ask me to hold while she "Made sure it was going through" and told me that she was told it would work properly within an hour or so. That was around 3:30pm.

I have the home agent installed but haven't used it. I always thought an ISP should be just that - an ISP. I'll handle the rest without training wheels. The "pipes" just need to work.

But as long as my account has be down for 10/2 in the tech computer system, the techs can't really help me with speeds any faster. That's where I hope Kim can help on Monday, but it shouldn't take this kind of escalation and specal assistance. I should be able to reach someone by phone with the knowledge and power to take care of the issue or send a tech who actually knows how to diagnose any issues if necessary. And it shouldn't take as many hours or days as it has so far. It's completely ridiculous. I wish I kept a proper log of it all.

So, I'm usually not as irate, but i think you'll understand my level of frustration, because I've been paying for a somewhat malfunctioning version of this service since the summer..july, I think.

[prisaz]

What is ment as push through 100%. The order system is not instant. Billing or sales puts the order in the system, and then it must be provisioned. The tech people put the orderes through as they get them. If they get a call or information that a customer is waiting, them they may go straight to that order and push it though before others. It may happen quilckly if they know the customer has been having problems. It is a shame you have had this issue since July. We are customers just like you. This is a peer to peer support group and some of us that have been around a while, can help contact people that can move things along. Tech support can only activate what is listed on your account.

If you have ordered 25/25 and it does not work once provisioned, then yes you should insist it gets fixed. Verizon will not leave you hanging. If you get tech support and they say you have a service you don't then you should escalate it to a manager.

The optimizer sets your TCP protocol stack to operate better with the high bandwidth FiOS can provide. No tricks, no smoke and mirrors.

[Anti-Phish1]

Since you have the Westell 9100VM, you are on VDSL-2 and as Hubrisnxs posted earlier, the maximum symetrical speeds on VDSL-2 are 20/20, not 25/25.  Do not let them upgrade you to 25/25, or you will be in the same situation (being billed for 25/25 and only getting 20/20).

VZ's ordering, provisioning and billing systems are separate and don't always agree.  It seems that the ordering system does not know that your building is VDSL-2.  If it did, you would only be offered the tiers that are available for VDSL-2.

You should also talk to your HOA and ask them why VZ was allowed to abandon the original fiber to the unit installation and switch to VDSL.  Your HOA signed a contract with VZ allowing the installation and that contract should have specified the method of installation.

[mediaseth]

Thanks, anti-phish. Earlier in this thread i mentioned that I asked the sales woman if she knew if I could support 25/25, and she admitted that she had no way of knowing. My response was to question how she could sell things without knowing if they were available (or something to that effect) and she had no answer.

This proves my point that Verizon has some issues to deal with in-house to better serve their customers. Anyone in sales ought to be empowered to see at least some of what the tech side can see in their computers, and vice/versa.

But you have given me another reason to call sales. I'll then have to explain the whole story over again. Then, I'll be passed like a football between sales and tech. People will say they can't help me. Same old story.

What you're telling me, that sales can't know that my limit on VDSL-2 is 20/20, is just another reason for me to want to switch service providers.

What I'm waiting for, is or someone at Verizon to fix this mess. Because if I don't need to deal with this horrific support/sales experience again, I won't care that it's a mess. And it's not my job as a consumer to even have to know all of this information. It's the job of the person on the other end of the phone, or the other end of an online support exchange, who needs to be able to say "I'll take care of it" in some fashion or another and actually follow through.

Does any of that sound un-reasonable? Any guesses as to many more hours I'll spend on the issue? It's almost a part-time job right now.