Browsing speed

[Dave A]

I've been getting rather bugged by page load speeds of late - here and elsewhere. So I've been running a series of tracert tests at different times of the day to see where the problem might be.

Basically 10ms response time to the exchange connection, but from there the test on each point times out until I hit 196.43.33.2

Now speed issues are supposed to be on the international leg, but that seems to add between 300 & 350ms to the lag.

The problem for me seems to be local exchange-to-exchange. Now do you think I can tell that to Telkom? Well I'll try if they answer their friggin phones

[Dave A]

Can you believe it. 10217 option 2 sub-option 4 actually understood what I was saying and I've got a fault reference number!

At first we had to negotiate past the fact that this was not a "no service" problem but a lag issue. However, having established I was on the Bundle 3 package we agreed I should not be experiencing 10 second plus lag times to page requests and that the tracert results showing it to be a problem after the exchange DSLAM, but before the international leg was indeed a fault worth reporting

[Dave A]

I've now just had a call from a technician and we've identified the problem as the links Effingham to Durban North and Durban North to Central as the main culprits. They are going to get back to me

[Dave A]

I get an SMS this afternoon from Telkom to say the problem is resolved.

I run the tracert test and (you'll never guess) it is most definitely not! Exactly the same problems.
So I phone and report that despite any claims to the contrary, the fault is definitely not resolved so now they have "escalated" the fault report.

Nice try at sweeping the issue under the carpet, Telkom.
Next round tomorrow, I guess.

[SilverNodashi]

This is one of the main reasons I don't use Telkom as my ISP. Their level support just don't know how to handle these types of requests, but registered ISP's normally have access to their level 3 support, who do actually know what you're talking about and can fix the problem

So, if I contact my ISP (we're a reseller with IS though), they can take it up with Telkom and normally get the problem solved. IS's support is brilliant, if you have access to their level 2 & level 3 support though

[Dave A]

Well, I've just got the royal FU again. Complaint escalated, got the call, will talk to technician etc. Half an hour later I get the SMS that the problem is resolved and please don't SMS back! (This time - last time it said if the problem wasn't resolved please SMS back).

So I guess that's it. Telkom doesn't care. Time to look at when my ADSL contract expires.