🚀 go-pugleaf

 In article <821268129snz@mbha.demon.co.uk>
  dave <dave@mbha.demon.co.uk> said:-

>For what it is worth, I also have had some problems with connectivity and (more
>particularly) slow transfer rates and responses. Of course, the latter may be 
>caused elsewhere on the net, and I have certainly noticed that some sites are 
>very slow, and some others are unuseable.  This is not the fault of Demon. No
>such reasons can be found for vpops being constantly busy however, as I have 
>often experienced, and vpops just not answering which I have also experienced.

Like tonight. I had at least a dozen crap connections to the Southampton Pop
and Portsmouth Pop. Get the CONNECT.... message then nothing.

>I saw a claim from Demon recently that a very few of their incoming calls had 
>had a problem, but this has not been my experience, although it has to be said
>that there has been an improvement recently. Busy, no answer, connect-then-hang,
>all of these problems were so common some weeks ago that I was fairly tearing 
>my hair out.

Over Xmas I thought Demon's service had much improved. The last 3-4 days have
been as dire as ever. I'm beginning to think Demon should offer some sort of
discount for crap connections. After all each crap call costs nearly 5p. Soon
mounts up. Just what is their problem? These Ascends really do seem very
unreliable. I'm sorry (not really), but I work for a very large software house
and if we or our customer's had such an unreliable set up as Demon seem to have
we'd have all gone BUST long ago. I really do get the impression of amateurs.
 
>It seems to me however that the reaction from Malcom though has been 
>inappropriate and unhelpful. Falling back to points of strict principle doesn't
>help and creates the impression that Demon don't care as much as they should 
>about customers with problems. Demon are not in the used car business. I was
>also not told about lack of software support and the like before I signed up, 
>and although I have not really needed much support, Demon should understand 
>that many of their customers see them as providing a facility, not just a 
>connection (yes, yes, I know what the letter of the agreement is - but the
>spirit of the agreement is what should prevail). These users will not find a 
>'not my problem mate' attitude very comforting.

Absolutely. 

>I am a customer. You spend a fortune in advertising to get me in the 
>first place, and you are not the only supplier of your service (nor even the 
>best).  If you do not serve me well, or if I think you are only interested in 
>signing me up and getting my money, then you will lose me and you won't get me 
>back.  All the effort you put in to getting me in the first place will have 
>been wasted and will only have enriched the business of your competitors.
>
>Oh yes, and if you tell me that my problems with your service are not your 
>problems then you are being silly. My problems _are_ your problems for as long
>as I use your service. If you don't give a damn, someone else will. Savvy? 

Too true. As soon as ICE and Oasis2 are finsished, I'm off to another provider
unless things improve. The only reason I don't go now is I'm not sure how easy
NOS would be to set up with Aladdin or TCP.

Gary.
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 Gary Priest           gary@the-gap.demon.co.uk          Southampton,England
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