Problems with Movistar ADSL
09 April 2013
For years we had Jazztel 6Mb ADSL here in the Makalu office in Marbella. About two months ago, we were informed by Movistar that if we'd switch, we could get their new 30Mb VDSL for about the same cost.
Not only that, but we could switch in a process called "Portabilidad", requiring us to do nothing at all. Just sign a paper, wait a few weeks, and then boom—we should have 30Mb!
We signed, and sure enough, a few weeks later, a Movistar technician showed up at the door, router in hand, ready to make our VDSL installation. After 15 minutes of working, we learned it was all too good to be true:
Unfortunately, your office is too far from the Movistar switch to support VDSL, so the best I can do is install 6Mb ADSL.
Great—the switch was for nothing; we'd simply be changing from Jazztel 6Mb to Movistar 6Mb. Oh well, at least we're not going backwards.
But then, we did go backwards.
After restarting the Movistar router, our ADSL speeds would always degrade after a short period of time to these abysmal figures as reported by SpeedTest—Grade F (slower than 86% of everybody else in Spain):
So I call Technical Support, and am told:
Yes, you're on reduced speed. The reason is that there's a VDSL order open, and until that's administratively changed to ADSL, we can't properly configure your line. You have to call the Sales department to get that order changed.
So I call the Sales department, and am told:
Yes, you ordered VDSL but the technician installed ADSL. So it's up to the Technical Support department to change the order. There's nothing we can do.
Over a period of three weeks, I've had this conversation with the two department four times.
Yesterday I asked the obvious question to both departments:
This whole switch from Jazztel to Movistar was based on a promise you couldn't deliver on. Now, I'm in a situation in which we can't work in the office and I'm listening to two Movistar departments pointing the finger at each other. Instead of me being in the middle, CAN'T YOU TWO DEPARTMENTS JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER AND SORT THIS OUT?!?
Unfortunately, I'm told, that's not possible; the departments do not have the means of getting together and fixing a problem like this.
So this is absolutely surreal. The ADSL is so bad in the office we can't work, and I have reached a complete dead-end in terms of being able to resolve it.
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