Speed EW's.

[sld72382]

As with any DSL ISP, the ISP I do tech support for has "tiers" of service you can get. The lowest-end ones are meant for basic web surfing only, if you ever plan on doing any multimedia, you need to upgrade. There's no easy way to say it other than you need to shell out the cash for something faster.

Cue these two EW's who thought they should have gotten a Corvette for the price of a Cruze.

1: Not a scam. Just what you need to do to go faster.

Due to network fluctuations, when a customer runs a speed test, any result of at least 65% of what they are paying for is considered "within range."

This guy had the tier more commonly referred to as "Lite." It sucks, to say the least. In his case it was only a 256kbps connection to start with.

EW: When I run a speed test I only get 225kbps. I need it increased as things are a little slow.

Me: That's actually in range of what you are paying for....

EW: But that's only a couple of times faster than dial-up!

Me: You have Lite, which is our slowest tier. If you want your internet to be faster, then you'll need to upgrade to a faster speed.

EW: But I am already paying for high speed!

Me: That is correct but you are paying for Lite, which is our entry-level service and is meant for basic web surfing only.

EW: Than what do I have to do?

Me: You need to upgrade to one of our faster tiers. There is nothing wrong with your connection. If you want, I'll get you to our sales dept....

EW: Either you're trying to upsell me or you guys are running a scam here! I paid for high-speed, I should get it!

Me: You are paying for high-speed, but at our lowest tier. There's no other way to say it, if you want faster, you need to upgrade.

EW: I'LL CALL BACK.

That's like wanting to buy a truck and wanting a diesel, then telling the dealer that you think you're being scammed when he says the diesel is $$$$ more expensive than the gas engine.

*Click.*

2: Never listen to minimum system requirements.

Woman calls in because Netflix isn't working properly. TBH, Netflix is kinda at fault for calls like this due to listing the minimum speed as only 1.5mbps when you really need a 6mbps connection or higher. I lump it into the same category as those minimun system requirements on software boxes.

This EW had a 1.5mbps tier, and her Netflix is being choked due to sharing it with 2 computers. It simply will not play properly. Our system said she qualifies for 12mbps, BTW.

EW: My netflix studders, buffers and pauses too much. I need to get this fixed.

Me: I see you have our 1.5mbps tier. Based on my experience with talking to people who have Netflix, in order to get your problem solved you need to upgrade to at least our 6mbps tier.

EW: I don't believe that. Netflix says that you only need a 1.5mbps connection.

Me: And much like the minimun system requirements on software boxes, you never listen to those. In real world usage, it's well known that for any HD movie streaming service like Netflix you need at least a 6mbps connection.

EW: No. I'm not spending more money. I want you to get this working.

Me: There is nothing that I could do on my end that would make Netflix working. You need to upgrade your tier of service.

EW: So in other words, your product will not do what it's supposed to do unless I shell out more money?

Me: Does it work fine on your two PCs?

EW: Yes, but why does it matter?

Me: The speed tier you have is meant for more basic web surfing. Not for streaming high-def video on a big screen TV. There is no other way to say it but you need to ignore what Netflix says on the booklet, and you need to upgrade tiers. Now if you want, I can get you over to our sales dept....

EW: No thanks, I'll call back later, I'm going to check with Netflix and get the real story. Bye.

*Click.*

I always wondered why Netflix insists on putting that speed down as a requirement if it doesn't really work. Not wanting to scare off people who can't get a 6meg connection, perhaps?

[Andara Bledin]

EW: I don't believe that. Netflix says that you only need a 1.5mbps connection.

And that is true. Provided that you are doing nothing else with your internet connection and your line is clear, and there are no other services using network traffic that might slow things down, and that the phone lines inside the building are in good condition. And even then, it'll still pause and buffer based on the usage at their end as well or traffic between them and you.

I actually used to have only the 756 service and got a fairly decent experience with Netflix. These days I have a 3k service and have a much better experience.

^-.-^

[sld72382]

And that is true. Provided that you are doing nothing else with your internet connection and your line is clear, and there are no other services using network traffic that might slow things down, and that the phone lines inside the building are in good condition. And even then, it'll still pause and buffer based on the usage at their end as well or traffic between them and you.

^-.-^

But this customer was also using 2 PCs as well. If a customer like this wants to avoid the pausing and buffering (or as much as possible), they simply need to upgrade to something faster.

[RealUnimportant]

Simple fix then is to point out that she's dividing her 1.5 line into two, which is lower than NetFlix's suggested figures...

[Pedersen]

Actually, 1.5Mbps for Netflix is fine. You're able to watch at slightly less than DVD quality with that.

What you need for this customer's problem is consistent speed. Netflix, on startup, measures available speed, and goes as high as it can based on the currently available speed. Now, if your speed should vary for some reason, then Netflix will have to pause the video while it buffers a bit at the current speed.

What I'm hearing is that this customer is unable to get a consistent speed connection to Netflix. That could be because of her computer (spyware, poor system), her router (badly functioning), or her net connection (speeds are often billed as "up to <X> speed", while the reality can vary so far down as to make the ads into complete fraud).

Now, if she's got a 1.5M connection, and can lose up to 1/3 of that speed at random intervals, then that's likely a part of the problem (if not all of the problem). Even still, she should be able to get a consistent speed, and that should be good enough to get Netflix working acceptably.