Key Point 4: Forgot to pay for 2 months and I got a...

Forgot to pay for 2 months and I got a letter from their legal /collection agent proposing that a legal action might help me remember to pay on time.

Telecoms

Has your PLDT myDSL slowed to a crawl?

Abe Olandres April 22, 2009 · 2 min read

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For the last couple of weeks, my PLDT DSL connection at home has crawled to a turtle’s pace. I don’t often get this type of problems in the last 4.5 years but this time, it took longer than one would expect.

I know how the infrastructure/network works and I’m usually very patient with these types of issues that’s why it took me several weeks to realize this could be permanent and I’m doomed to settle for dial-up speeds. Just look at my SpeedTest results below:

pldt mydsl

Anybody else experiencing the same problems lately? At first, I thought it could be several possible reasons:

Too many people connecting to my open wifi? I’ve always had my WiFi open to neighbors so they can use the net once in a while. I tried securing the network so only one PC has access but the slow connection remains.
Wiring problems. Sometimes, a faulty wiring or a defective data-voice splitter can cause problems like these but I couldn’t find any.
I got downgraded, unknowingly. Maybe the people at the NOC downgraded my 2Mbps Plan 1995 to 384Kbps.
Maybe there’s some problem in my area. I called up customer support and they tell me everything’s okay from their end.
My node got congested. That’s probable but that usually happens only to cable internet subscribers.
PLDT is punishing me for not paying on time. Forgot to pay for 2 months and I got a letter from their legal /collection agent proposing that a legal action might help me remember to pay on time. I already paid in advance so that shouldn’t be a problem.

Then, I ran out of excuses for PLDT. So now, after exhaustively taking into consideration numerous factors, I’ve come to a decision to just jump ship and sign up for a new ISP. I guess it’s time for Globe DSL or take that 6Mbps offer from Sky Broadband.

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

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296 Comments

PLDT Subscriber from Las Pinas · 17 years ago

PLDT technicians(the real one and not the one you call at 173)called this morning said that they will fix my connection.. I think they transferred my NGN connection to another server, my IP change and my DSL connection is now A-OK..

check the following result..

http://mcsiad.visualware.com/myspeed/db/report?id=492704

screenshots

http://docs.mybridalfair.com/best.png
http://docs.mybridalfair.com/next_best.png
http://docs/mybridalfair.com/capacitytest.png

Confidential · 17 years ago

To all unsatisfied subscribers: Please request to be migrated to NGN (Next Generation Network) and experience unparalleled speeds compared to other providers. Unfortunately, not all can be migrated to NGN (yet!). However, legacy users can look at the bright side: when more subs migrate to NGN, legacy users will enjoy less congested access.

We hope to provide a win-win situation as our roadmap unfolds.

Our investments this year double that of the competition, so we hope to have you onboard with us amidst our efforts to improve our services.

Adrian · 17 years ago

Try to use another DNS. For slow browsing the solution for that is use another DNS.

PLDT Subscriber from Las Pinas · 17 years ago

mine is plan 999 in NGN but started as plan 2500 on legacy line, december 2008 when i discovered a frequent drop in broadband connection, called Tech Support and received assurance that there’s no problem in their side and will schedule a visit to our place..NOBODY CAME!!! 10 days ago.. same problem still unresolved (after 4 months of complaining)..berated the tech support for their scripted responses, asked to talk to a shift supervisor, supervisor promise to personally handle the tech problem, 4 days laters, no resolution.. same problem exist(2 mins maximum DSL uptime)..

speedtest as of today ave .6 mbps d/l and u/l.. a couple of days ago.. .02mbps d/l latency 2400ms..

DSL connection has normalized for the last 2 hours.. finger crossed..

john · 17 years ago

just a gotcha, if you have static IP and your’re in NGN, chances are, you will still use pppoe

wh@ · 17 years ago

as if that’s my problem to0.. di ka lang makabayad ng 2mos. bills mo mayslow connections kn agad ng DSL mo. haiz…

stephen · 17 years ago

To everyone, is this even normal? I live in Makati and I have myDSL plan 999.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/458431173.png

If it isn’t, can you help me what to do? Which is a better provider: Sky or Destiny?

ralph · 17 years ago

kuya abe..anu modem mo? can i see your diagnostics..

tska naka legacy ka pala.. not ngn kase diba pppoe ka pa rin?

jepoy · 17 years ago

@blued8888 – uber martyrs na tayo sa Destiny :D

@yuga – yup, my grandma’s PLDT myDSL plan 999 has been crawling to 20kbps to 40kbps

tank · 17 years ago

mine is still stable. plan 999 at 2mbps(not 1mbps) dunno why….? 2.5mbps sometimes. pasay area.

xxholicxx · 17 years ago

eastern offers good connection up to 42 mbps..but in selected areas only :(

dfcv · 17 years ago

SEO to Hobbies| CarloBlogg Online · 17 years ago

that’s odd sir yuga, mine’s a little faster than yours. Maybe the speed depends on your location? I dunno :-|

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 17 years ago

We called again, as per the recommendations posted here, but they say I should still be using the PPPoE. No speed improvements.

Leon Victor U. Uy · 17 years ago

I live in QC and got the same problem which started last week. I thought it was just me. I’m using a Linksys wi-fi router so I can share connection with my sister. She sits closer to the router using a Dell laptop. I sit a few meters away using a Macbook and my connection always drops off. My airport says connected but no stream is going in. WTF! I had to keep using Network Assistant to keep refreshing. I only get a semi-decent signal when her laptop is turned off.

eMz · 17 years ago

ogago (from above comment) is right, at least after i’ve spoken to a PLDT engineer when he came to sort our internet problems last week.

PLDT has apparently changed into a New Generation Port, and this is to be implemented until Jan 2010. They’ve started switching the ports for all their subscribers’ internet connections as early as now. PLDT is apparently going to offer tv services or something like live tv streaming or something like that.

It could be the reason why the net is so slow.

As ours have been already switched over, we are currently enjoying 4 to 5mb/s compared to our measly 1mb/s 2 weeks ago – i’ve checked speedtest.net at this very moment. ^_^

Gerald · 17 years ago

Same problem here. I experienced a sudden slow down in bandwidth a week ago and I was able to talk to an engineer. He said that sometimes the server resets the connection which is the reason for the the downgrade at times. They upgraded me from the legacy platform to the new one but still the bandwidth is really low.

There’s really no sense in talking to the customer support team. All I do is call them to have them make a report/follow up about the issue. It’s usually better to talk to the engineer about these things imo.

Jose Farrugia · 17 years ago

PLDT Customer Support = Scripted Robots

Jose Farrugia · 17 years ago

I had a similar problem with PLDT a month ago. After countless calls to the support desk and listening to their pointless instructions on how to connect a modem, they finally sent out a technical team to the house. After further inspection they found out that it was a problem at the local head office here in Cebu (Jones Office). They just had to restart my account and boom everything was back to normal!

Try checking out your problem at your local PLDT office and go in person it always helps ;-)

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 17 years ago

We’re still running on the old PPPoE. Called CSR and they didn’t even give a hint.

Joel · 17 years ago

Yesterday was really a PLDC nightmare but it seems OK now. Hoping it won’t happen again.

James · 17 years ago

jesus christ YES it’s so slow

I’m roughly getting the same speeds as you published

I live in the New Manila area, with plan 1999 this exact same problem has happened to me almost a year ago also.

A few months back I’ve been getting exceptional speeds, and then this happened 8(

Here I thought I’m the only one getting this problem.

Jhay · 17 years ago

And here I was thinking of finally jumping ship and switching to PLDT myDSL.

I guess there’s really no decent ISP yet here in the Philippines.

msds · 17 years ago

it is possible that PLDT reset all legacy accounts (PPPoE) to 384kbps, may be company policy…
you need to call CSR and demand for advertise speed…

madzman23 · 17 years ago

We also got the same problem here in San Pablo City Laguna. The internet connection our computer shop always crawls and sometimes it drops. We always try to escalate it to the customer supports of PLDT, but of course they will tell you that they dont have the same problem. Sometimes they will pass you to their different hotlines, its really annoying.
I think they have a technical problem, I am trying to figured out the problem but I think its really is in their infrastructure. I know PLDT is kinda crowded but they can handle it for sometime now, so I think its not on the numbers of subscriber.
Hopefully this can be resolved ASAP. Jumping to a new provider is risky move to us, for PLDT is the most stable provider here. (But not atm.)

Darren · 17 years ago

sometimes viruses or malware might affect too. I read from web news some mutated virus can affect your internet connection speed a lot without making you aware of it at all.

chris · 17 years ago

try Sky broadband 4X faster than DSL. and 15 days trial..lol i think about PLDT its because theres so many subscriber?..

Andre Marcelo-Tanner · 17 years ago

ya yuga do you use PPPOE or DHCP? if you still use a login you’re on the old system

LX · 17 years ago

Guess they have technical issues.

Yesterday, I had reconfigure my router connection from PPoE to DHCP (on a DSL connection).

No warning. DSL connection just died on me and the configuration changed.

xinclair · 17 years ago

i has the same speed rates since last week and we’ve calling them everyday. I know it’s troublesome but they need constant bugging until they get your attention.

boy mejorada · 17 years ago

Our broadband connection at the Iloilo capitol has been down since Monday “due to cable issues at PLDT”. I also experienced weaker signal for my WeRoam, making it harder for me to get a connection at home. The wifi signal at home is also weaker, and we experienced connection troubles on the DSL for a few days over the weekend.

Papi_pol · 17 years ago

it could be an isolated incident… i’ve been on My DSL for at least a year now, and still no bog-downs on my speed. Try to communicate with your provider, maybe something’s wrong with your connection.

Ton · 17 years ago

PLDT in my area (Marikina/Cainta) doing fine. Getting good speeds for past few weeks (than usual).

I did get slow speeds before. Called in the tech and he “migrated” me from legacy, whatever that means.

doing ok now…so far

Anne · 17 years ago

Globe’s pretty awesome right now. Several locations have gone down two weeks at a time for upgrades. When they came back up, I’m getting twice the download/upload rate.

It’s a good time to shift.

Poche · 17 years ago

what does NOC mean?

adbritepays · 17 years ago

I think it’s not about the ISP itself. It depends on your area. There are places where PLDT is good, Globe is good and Other ISPs is good. There are also places where they are bad. Check with your neighbors or friends within your area and determine what ISP is giving the best service in your area.

ogago · 17 years ago

no problem for the last 4.5 yrs? so maybe ur still using legacy, pldt upgraded our network to NGN and changd our tel number and everythng, the result is quite impressive. very stable connection and never had a problem snce then.

and f ur planning to change ISP don’t include globe in ur options, ive tried it and was very unsatisfied, i ended up terminating the contract because they can’t provide me the service i paid for.

Andre Marcelo-Tanner · 17 years ago

call pldt and dont stop complainig, email them etc, ask for your request to be expedited. i wouldnt go with globe, atleast PLDT isnt down for every long if ever, Globe is just down, so if you dont care about having internet all the time, go with Globe.

Juneau21 · 17 years ago

wow that is slow. for a 2mbps plan? i live in sta rosa laguna and i have a plan 999. but im very much happy with the pldt’s services in our place. i barely have disconnections. the only problem is my upload is slow. anyway here is my speedtest.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/457779791.png

and this is for a plan 999

Reel Advice · 17 years ago

Hi Abe!

That is sad to hear and quite disturbing as I am already going to jump ship to PLDT myDSL from GlobeDSL. Actually, I am moving out of my current place so it is out of necessity and not by choice.

As for my experience with GlobeDSL, I can say that I am not a happy customer but sadly, they are the only choice I have in our area. For some reason, downtimes have been frequent with them that sometimes last for more than 3 days! Well, recently, this year though, stability has improved compared to previous years.

mike · 17 years ago

i’m experiencing significant speed reduction as well for the past week or 2. Sky Broadband just called me yesterday offering their free 15 day 3mbps trial connection. So if their services are at par if not better than what PLDT has to offer I think I’ll be jumping ship as well.

calvin · 17 years ago

ganun pa rin PLDT ko. mabagal at 384kbps. hehehe.

BrianB · 17 years ago

Abe Globe is OK, and I’m actually a complainer and I’m telling you they respond quickly. It now takes them 3 days when it used to be a 24 hour response but still manageable.

These things though really depend on the area. That’s why I am where I am. I could’ve gotten a bigger place for the rent I’m paying but with the amount of online work I “used” to do, Ortigas Ctr was the best place.

Luigi Francisco · 17 years ago

Globe DSL? I dont know but Im subscribed to destiny which used to give me a very consistent line of internet (no request timed outs), but for several weeks now they give us a faulty connection here in our area. and they say it’s because of Globe’s sites (or whatever they call it) which they are currently using to provide service.

but that of SkyDSL’s 6mbps plan is really tempting!

Olyver Digg · 17 years ago

Has your PLDT myDSL slowed to a crawl? hmmmm.. ALWAYS…

PanDeCoco · 17 years ago

What’s the feedback on Sky Broadband?

TechLord · 17 years ago

What the hell’s happenin’ to PLDT?!

mark · 17 years ago

yep. mine too. it slowed down as hell. i can’t watch streaming videos without buffering..

blued888 · 17 years ago

I think sometimes these things just happen out of nowhere.

We’ve been MyDestiny subscribers for around 8+ years now and we’ve experienced occasional crawling speeds (Sometimes even slower than dial-up).

But more often than not, the issue tends to resolve itself when we put our thoughts into migrating to another service provider.

MyDestiny is pretty constant at around 1280kbps. Will vary depending on area of course.

John · 17 years ago

Yep…our PLDT myDSL, out of nowhere, suddenly slowed down. I checked out the PLDT thread in PinoyDSL and there’s a thread there discussing this weird occasion. I really think something big went wrong…I’m just not sure what. I used to get 1 mbps now it maxes out at 384 kbps. My plan is the P999 package.

So weird…