Sunday 25 March 2007

If at first...

We've been beating up our ISP supplier and, to be fair, they 'ad it coming to 'em.

Tonight I needed to do some online banking, something I haven't done for over a year. I just don't do money.

Anyway the Halifax website was painfully slow. It was taking minutes to change screens.

So, being the complaining professional whinger that I am, I phoned the Halifax. That was frustrating as I needed some stupid security number. Why should I need a security number to complain?

Anyway, when I found a human being I explained the website was useless and could he tell me whether this was normal.

Well I was told all was tickety boo in the Halifax camp and in fact they'd just upgraded and the service was 'never better'.

He suggested I talk to my ISP provider.

So, charged with the energy of a frustrated complainer, I pick up the phone to the poor sods at Tiscali.

The nice man I speak to there tells me that he sees that I have a rather super connection. It's on this point that we disagree.

It's on this point that we disagree.

We run a test, that doesn't work.

We turn off my computer and router and start again. It's still a bag of poo.

We run another test, which takes forever, that shows my connection speed is worse than the worst dial up and worse than my helpful chap has ever seen. Clearly this calls for drastic action.

Then he asks me to turn off my anti virus software. At this point I'm nervous.

Well without anti virus software we run the same test and it shows super duper mega fast brilliant broadband speed.

The conclusion - phone the anti virus software people and bend their ears.

Aaarrrggghhh!

5 comments:

northernlight said...

It makes no sense that turning off your anti-virus software improves your connection.
What is the point of the software if it buggers up your internet connection?

northernlight said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Ann Cardus said...

Well I know it's not logical but I have a friend who says she has the same problem and has removed Norton from her system as a result. Norton and wireless routers = bad combo.

northernlight said...

Ever since I have been blogging the computer has regularly been throwing spectacular wobblers. Crashing for no reason and throwing computer-like tantrums.. I don't think it can cope. As for broadband, it makes a snail look fast.

Ann Cardus said...

Well every techie person I've spoken to says the wireless router firewall is all you need unless you're doing dodgy downloads. Some people use virus software just on boot up, but definitely not while surfing. And Norton is a known bad egg.