Another failed upgrade form 40/10 to 80/20 - lost ...

Question

I signed up for BT Infinity Option 2 (unlimited) back in October 2011, and the service was installed, worked consistently well at around 28Mbs down / 5 Mbs up. So far so good.
The BT website offered the option of upgrading from the 40/10 service to the 80/20 service for no charge providing that you agreed to extend your contract term to a new 18 months, so, on the 6th May, I did just that. During the ordering process, the system suggested that around 51Mbs would be a realistic download speed for my line on the new 80/20 service. 
On the 9th May my order was marked as complete, the home hub and modem restarted themselves during the night, and come the morning... nothing. Same old 28Mbs speed. 
The line needs to train up they say, so wait 10 days. Day 1 - 28Mps, Day 2 - 28.Mps....Day 10 28Mps. Same consistent 28Mps day in day out. 
Surely if the line is training, I should expect to see some variation? Apparently not - it's 12 days for the training to complete, so wait longer. It makes no sense to me that I would see absolutely no variation in speed if the line was really training.
I've been bounced around department to department, they've run multiple (un-necessary in my view) line tests, I'd swear they don't really listen anyway to what the problem is, but just go on a robotic 'speed issue blah blah' bender every time you call.
I can't see a way out of this - no one will take end to end responsibility for my case. I can't bear to call them again and jump through the same hoops of resetting, testing and explaining the situation for an hour or two just to end up with the same 'sorry - can't help you'.

Answer 1

Well, I spend an hour or so on the 'chat' with the help team last weekend, testing, rebooting, replugging and was left with yet another - give it 24 more hours. He promised to go away and check with the Billing Team, Order Management Desk and Customer Options team to see if there was anything blocking the migration and call me back the next day.
Guess what? A full week later - no phone call, no difference.
This is woeful customer service - I feel like a victim of fraud - being duped into an extension to the contract when BT has neither the means or the desire to deliver the service. I understand things don't always go smoothly, but for the love of god, it should not be *this* difficult to have something done about it.
Transcript of the last conversation posted in the hope someone else will find it useful...
Vinay Kulkarni: Hello. I'm Vinay Kulkarni. Thanks for that information, I'll check it and get back to you in a moment.
Vinay Kulkarni: Hello David.
David Thompson: Hi
David Thompson: The BT website offered the option of upgrading from the 40/10 service to the 80/20 service for no charge providing that you agreed to extend your contract term to a new 18 months, so, on the 6th May, I did just that (Order No. BTCDxxxxxx8). During the ordering process, the system suggested that around 51Mbs would be a realistic download speed for my line on the new 80/20 service. It also informed me that the new service would be activated within 3 working days, and there would be a short interruption to my service overnight.
David Thompson: I have repeatedly run speedtest.net sessions on the line, and, while I understand that during the initial 10 day 'training' period, line speed will fluctuate, at no point what so ever, has the line speed every increased above the 28Mbs download, which also suggests to me that I have not been migrated onto the new platform, or an artificial cap is somehow being applied. It is now 10 days since the migration was completed, so the training period will now be complete, and still - not a single result above 28Mps.
Vinay Kulkarni: Good Morning. I am afraid that I have not been trained on BT Infinity concerns. However, there is a specialized team who will be able to assist you in regard to the above query. Would you like to speak to them?
David Thompson: Yes
Vinay Kulkarni: I will transfer your chat now.
Vinay Kulkarni has disconnected.
Atanu : Hello. I'm Atanu . Thanks for that information, I'll check it and get back to you in a moment.
David Thompson: Hi - can you see the 'old' conversation above before I was transferred, or do I need to copy and paste it for you?
Atanu : Hi David, I am just reading it. Please give me a minute.
David Thompson: okay - no problem.
David Thompson: I should add that the 28Mps download I refer to has been the steady speed that I achieved ever since BT infinity (40/10) service was first installed in 2011.
Atanu : Ok David, I really apologise for the inconvenience. Please don't worry, I will take care of the issue and solve it for you.
Atanu : I'm just waiting for your account details to load. Won't be long.
Atanu : Thank you for your patience David. I will check the line and resolve it for you.
David Thompson: ok - I just really want to know if the account has been upgraded - I don't think the line is 'faulty' as I get the 28Mbs consistently - I just think it's capped.
Atanu : Yes, the account has been upgraded on 09/05/2012 and it is not capped at all. Please tell me are you at your home as I need to perform some tests in the line to identify the fault and solve the issue.
David Thompson: I am at home - are you saying it has been upgraded to the 80/20 service from the 40/10 service?
Atanu : Yes. Now I will check out where is the fault.
David Thompson: okay
Atanu : Normally it is the first 10 to 12 days when the connection sets in a stabilisation period.
David Thompson: I understand that, but the speed before the upgrade was a consistent 28mbs; the speed after the upgrade (and during the stabilisation period) was a consistent 28Mps - to me, it looks like nothing has changed.
Atanu : Yes, that is the issue I want to check properly.
David Thompson: okay but please don't tell me to wait *another* 10-12 days to see if it makes a difference -
which is the ONLY reply I have had to date.
Atanu : No, you do not have to wait for more than 2 days.
David Thompson: I really do not think this is a stabilisation issue - if it where I would have seen performance both better and worse than the original 28Mps.
David Thompson: I remain convinced that there is no fault on my line, rather I simply have either not been migrated at all, or migrated back on to my original service by accident, or only partially migrated and some settings remain set that are limiting my speed to that of the 40/10 service.
Atanu : Do you any VPN in the Bt connection?
David Thompson: Does your system make a distinction between the two Infinity services - ie. the 40/10 service and the new 80/20 service? I note the order (BTCDxxxxxx8) makes reference to the 40/10 service - which is the one I was already on.
David Thompson: No VPN
Atanu : Ok. Please restart the BT Home Hub by press the power button
Atanu : Wait for 5 seconds and restart it.
David Thompson: I will lose this conversation won't I?
Atanu : No, you will not. I am assuring it. Don't wait for more than 10 seconds.
David Thompson: okay - just the home hub, not the white 'modem' box too?
Atanu : Both.
David Thompson: okay - doing it now.
Communication with the RightNow Chat service has been lost. Please wait while attempts are made to restore the connection.
Disconnection in 240 seconds. Connection resumed.
Atanu : If the chat disconnects. David Thompson: done
Atanu : Thank you. Wait till the lights be steady.
David Thompson: t
David Thompson: it's all back and lights are steady (well apart from the Lan1 one, but that's to be expected)
Atanu : Ok. Please check if the speed is better now?
David Thompson: speed is still the exact same 28Mbs
Atanu : It is a wired connection you are using. Right?
David Thompson: wired or wireless, it makes no difference - both report the same.
Atanu : But is it a wired connection now?
David Thompson: I'll test again with the laptop - give me 1 min
Atanu : Thank you.
David Thompson: 27.71Mbs with a laptop plugged directly into the homehub
Atanu : Please tell me the operating system in the computer?
David Thompson: That one is Windows 7
Atanu : Thank you. The system is saying the speed is being devided.
David Thompson: Divided?
Atanu : May I close the wireless connection for some time?
David Thompson: What do you mean by divided?
Atanu : The connection is been shared by more than one computer .
David Thompson: Well of course it is! Which is why I normally do all my test very early in the morning when I am the only user (I have three kids!). My early morning tests are where I'm basing my 28Mbs from
David Thompson: Do you want me to disconnect all wired and wireless users and re-test?
Atanu : Yes. Please keep just 1 computer connected and check the speed through BT Speed tester.
David Thompson: okay - this chat will temporarily disconnect again then.
Atanu : Can we keep this computer connected?
Communication with the RightNow Chat service has been lost. Please wait while attempts are made to restore the connection.
Disconnection in 240 seconds.
Connection resumed.
David Thompson: Hmm - that did not work.
David Thompson: When I disabled wireless on the hub (from the wired connection) the hub just froze and I needed to power down to get it back to life
David Thompson: I'l get a longer cable!
Atanu : Ok. Please take your time.
David Thompson: Are you able to disable wireless from your end - each time I do it here the hub hangs. I've taken off all other Wired connections?
David Thompson: And it will be via the laptop, so which connection will die when you kill wireless
David Thompson: so you will need to turn it on again within the 240 seconds
David Thompson: That said, the wireless connections are not doing much at all at the moment - they certainly won't be consuming any significant bandwidth
Atanu : Ok.
David Thompson: Do you want me to run speed test now or wait until you kill the wireless - it's all iPad and iPod
doing nothing on the wireless - this PC and the other one sitting idle next to me, so no real activity? Atanu : Not an issue. Please run the speedtester now.
David Thompson: 29.3Mbs down / 4.51 Mps up from the wired laptop connected to the Hub
Atanu : Thank you.
Atanu : David, I will run some line tests now. Please make it sure that nobody is using the landline for next 7 minutes.
David Thompson: okay
Atanu : Hello David, have you faced any connection dropping issue apart from the slow speed?
David Thompson: No - the line has been perfect - no latency issue, solid connections. The only issue is I have not seen any increase in speed above the 38Mbs. I honestly don't think it's a faulty line.
David Thompson: Which is why I think the migration has failed in some way - I'm sure somewhere in the system there is a flag saying that I'm still in the 40/10 service and that's capping throughput
David Thompson: Even the older BT speed checker thinks I should be expecting around 29Mbs against the 51Mps the 80/20 service thought I should get, so it is picking that number up from somewhere.
Atanu : Ok. the system is showing that this is the maximum speed you will get.
David Thompson: Why did the upgrade process suggest 51mbs for the 80/20 system then?
David Thompson: If 29 is all I will every get, why extend the contract on the basis of the 51mbs?
Atanu : It is the speed available in Exchange. The engineers check the speed in your premises before they provide the Infinity service. But since the line is in the last day of stabilisation, I request
Atanu : You to wait for just 1 more day and check the speed. I will call you tomorrow by teh same time to check the speed.
David Thompson: I'm not clear on this. There are two service levels of BT Infinity yes? the 40/10 service and the 80.20 service?
David Thompson: *80/20
Atanu : Yes.
David Thompson: I've been on the 40/20 system since 2011; The theoretical maximum at time of order was around 30Mps and I've always got around 28Mps on that service. That's fine. Now when I placed the order for the 80/20 upgrade, the theoretical max was 51mps, so I'm pretty certain I would see some reasonable speed increase above the 28Mbs. The fact that I have not seen *any* uplift (even 5-10Mps) at *any* time - especially during quiet periods seems really odd to me.
David Thompson: So I think there is a problem there. If however, it turns out that the prediction system is so really awful and can get is so wrong (when it used to be reasonably accurate), then why trick me in to extended my contract for no reason.
David Thompson: I don't think BT would do the latter, so I'm convinced (still) its just a problem of the migration.
David Thompson: I'll wait another 24 hours, but I don;t think this is going to fix itself.
Atanu : Ok. in that case you need to confirm it form the Billing section as the migration first shows in the Billing. Atanu : I will call you tomorrow
David Thompson: okay
Atanu : And confirm with the Billing team, the Order Management Desk, Customer Options Team that if there is
any issue in the migration.
David Thompson: Just to be clear - you are going to check with the other teams yeah? Not me?
Atanu : Please tell me at what time should I call you?
Atanu : Yes. I will.
David Thompson: Anytime after 7am is fine by me
Atanu : ok. all the teams open after 9 am.
David Thompson: Okay - I'll await your call after 9am; Thanks for your help and patience on this.
Atanu : Thank you for your patience. It is our responsibility to provide you the proper speed.
David Thompson: Okay - until tomorrow - bye-bye
You have disconnected.