Dodo wireless broadband strikes again

I went to Beatport and bought five songs to download. My cap had run out on Dodo so I bought a block of 250mb. The first song was taking over an hour to download (33mb) so I checked my account on Dodo and the usage meter there claimed I had already used half of the data allowance. 125mb!!! see comments for opt-out drama

The song stopped downloading and had only downloaded about half, 18mb in half an hour to an hour.

The second song was over fifty mb and stopped after half an hour only having downloaded 8mb. Beatport recommends using their download manager so I tried downloading that but it requires something called Adobe AIR. That has been downloading for almost an hour and has quite a bit to go. I want my money back from both of these guys this is intolerable.

The download has been running on HSDPA which is apparently a protocol for packet download on mobiles but is also known as notoriously slow in fringe areas> I can attest to that. It is so slow that this should not be called broadband, It is not practical for many online uses it would seem.

More has been happening around here, some great stuff. I will have to bring the blog up to date over the next few days

I was just calculating usage and something stinks here. According to Dodo I used 46 MB yesterday and 64 MB by 3:30 am this morning. I bought the top-up sometime between 10pm and midnight last night so that is three-and-a-half to five-and-a-half hours ago.

The top-up usage meter shows me as using 84% percent of the top-up of 250MB. That is 205MB.

The average speed over the last five hours has allowed about 22MB per hour. Is that even broadband? I think that is very close to my capped speed. The only way I can have used up 84% of the cap is if they have counted backwards to the moment the base usage ran out and even then it is unlikely I used that much. It ran out a couple of days ago and I have not been online a whole lot.

I have been suspecting something wasn’t right for a while but being ill all the time I have avoided the effort of calculating usage rates. This is kinda serious isn’t it?

I contacted Dodo with the following message ….

I topped up my account with 250MB at between 10pm and Midnight on the 4th March. By about 1pm the usage meter showed I had used up 50% of that. My account showed I had used 46MB all day on the 4th. By 3:30pm the next morning when I had used up 67MB on my account The usage meter showed me as using 84% of the top-up

The usage meter showed me as having used 84% by 3:30am which is 205Mb in five hours. The download speed was approx 6KB/s and my logs showed approx 22MB per hour as the maximum amount downloaded during the five hours.

I sat there the entire five hours and watched the downloads so I can verify the amount downloaded.

Can you please explain the different between the usage rates on your meter and the actual rates. Have I been charged for downloads I did not receive at all or which was supplied at the capped rate. Is not 6KB/s well below acceptable broadband speeds and into the capped speed. 1778759

Will my money be refunded for this period as no more than capped service was provided

There we go adding insult to injury. Dodo has somehow concluded I have used up the entire 250 MB of top-up at 4:51 am and despite me having opted-out of the capture connection my connection was locked up and sent to the Dodo connection page so I had to pass through the add page before I could connect up again

Dodo must have received my email. Line speed is now at 110 KB/s and things are downloading as they should. That is the first time since I joined the service I have had proper linespeeds, Pretty cool!!

1778762 I have sent them another email, Kudos to the team and thanks

Next Afternoon.

Perhaps I was hasty to suggest Dod support was onside. There was a phone call from them at about 3:30 pm and a guy was asking about the problem. We both had to speak slowly as we had strong accents neither of of us could easily understand. The phone is full of static so the conversation was difficult. He wanted to upgrade my account as he somehow suggested that my paying more would fix it

He seemed to be unable to read my very concise email and concluded that somehow my logs had worked the numbers wrong and only the Dodo manager was relevant. No matter how many times I told him it was the Dodo management tool that disagreed with the top-up usage rate in that same tool he could not get it. Somehow he concluded he had assisted me and handed me off to a tech to work on the low download speeds. I have been through this before.

After some time listening to music I put down the phone. It is not a technical problem if I can complain about line-speed and half an hour later get blistering speeds from them as I did last night. It would appear to be purposeful supply of low quality service to attempt to get me to pay more for an account upgrade to a more expensive package.

Yeah, I am going to pay more for a service when their delivery has been crap on the one I have. The amount of things I am missing out on using this package, these guys should be paying me or giving me the upgrade for free as they are unable to supply the service they actually came and asked me to use

Two days after opting out of the capture portal where dodo takes my browser once a day to their advertisement after the cap runs out I am hit twice in the last hour

March 2011 (note added. Dodo and I have been getting along fine for the last however long although I cab still only get a signal over a few cm in the front window. I understand all of the wireless broadband suppliers have lots of spots they cannot service at the moment

14 comments to Dodo wireless broadband strikes again

  • 9th March… After a week or more of having opted out of the “service” that kidnaps your browser at least once a day and takes it to a “Buy more data” page in the pretense of notifying you your cap has run out I am still having my browser kidnapped. Soemetimes twice a day.

    Currently we are calling Dodo tech and “we value your call and you should only have five minutes to wait”.

    should be answered within ten minutes.

    Then another five minutes.

    then another five minutes

    “Your call is important to us and should be answered within twenty minutes.” You can add it up but hang on they have not answered yet!

    Last time I rang about this they didn’t know what I was talking about and wanted me to dump all my history and cache meaning my saved passwords and sites would be lost. Getting bloody sick of this!

  • They have answered. 33minutes later and are having problems understanding what I am asking about. “Yes, you have run out of cap so you will be chanelled down to 52k” “I know that” say I. I want to know why the browser keeps being redirected to the buy more data page when I have opted out of that in my account admin!”

    Um… don’t know…hang on…(silence for several minutes now)

    This is great. The guy says that opting out of that service does nothing!!! The browser will continue to be kidnapped every day. He then said I should clear my cache and histories (remember this!?)
    I asked him why I would do that if the thing was going to continue to kidnap my browser every day. He said it “would clear me if I was stuck on the “buy more data” page! I stated that I was not stuck on the buy more data page so why would I dump my ability to backtrack and all my saved passwords.

    He said it would help. I said it would help what if the redirect page continued? He said it would help me get off the page. I stated again that I was not stuck on the page. He said again I should dump my cookies and history.

    This went on for a while. Several minutes until he told me again there is no way to get rid of the “Buy more data” page until my cap is refreshed. I almost felt relief. “So it will not be back after that.” I said. “Yes,” he said’ “it will return when your cap has run out.”

    This is exactly the opposite of everything I have ever been told about the account and this page. I told him that I understood that Dodo had to offer the opt-out option ynder the law and if it did nothing they were breaking the law. I have just realized I forgot to ask what the opt-out button does if it does not do that.
    Calling them back now

  • 26 minutes on the phone waiting. The guy from technical service repeated many times that my service was shaped to 56k (I know I have other numbers back there but I forgot) so the captive portal will take my browser to the “buy more data” page. I asked him why he said that as it had nothing to do with my enquiry. I said, “So, what what does the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning button actually do. He repeated many times that as I had used my cap I would be directed to the “buy more data” page… I said “So, it does nothing!”

    He said “this is a customer service problem not a technical problem” I have played this game before as well

    I said. “you don’t know what it is supposed to do. do you?” He said I would have to contact customer service to find out as it was not a technical problem. This is fun, isn’t it!

  • I dont think customer service is open at 21:52 but I will try and have sent the following service form

    One of your technical staff informed me that the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out has nothing to do with opting out of the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning.

    Both of your technical staff, or was it the same guy told me I could not opt out of the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning. When questioned about what it DID do one of your technical staff was unable to answer and directed me to call customer service who would have an answer to this deep and baffling mystery.

    Here am I thinking it was simply not working for me. So what does it do?

  • squelch squelch squelch that is the soggy noises my ear is making as it remains pressed to the phone and fills with perspiration 20 mins so far this time

  • Okay 21 minutes to get through. This guy may have a better command of this deep mystery although when I started talking to him he said “SO, you have problems with the download speed?” Good start there!

    I said, “No the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out button on my account management page seems to be broken”

    He was silent for a moment and suggested my line was channeled down to 56k as my cap had run out. I asked why he had told me that as I had asked about the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning BUTTON!!!!!
    He said wait a moment please.
    He came back and said do you know this is not customer service but technical service. I actually queried him on that when the phone was first picked up and went through all the buttons on their machine to get to customer service.

    He went away and came back several minutes later to tell me that this was not customer service and he could not help me. Customer service is only open during business hours.

    You remember what information I am attempting to get? What does the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out button in my account management page do if it does not opt me out of that service

  • Oh yeah, almost forgot to add. I asked the last guy if there was some superior I could talk to. He went away for a moment and returned to the phone to tell me that I had technical service and should call customer service in the morning…so no I could not speak with a superior (the last part are my words)!

  • I don’t know if you remembered the emails I sent to their customer service personel or if you are able to keep up with the gist of what I am asking about but two emails from Dodo dropped into the inbox on the 11th. They have to be seen to be believed.

    One was in answer to the following…….. I have opted out of the 54k end of cap browser stealing service some week or more back. I am still having my browser hacked and kidnapped by this service up to twice a day. After more than thirty minutes on the phone I have finally been attended but will send this anyway

    It read………Thank you for your Email. We appreciate you keeping in touch with us!

    I see you have already spoken to a customer service Agent since sending this email. If the matter is still unresolved please do not hesitate to contact me or call customer Service at 13-2473 Mon- Fri 10am-7pm AEST.

    I do not see a resolution anywhere

    The next one simply beggars belief

    In reply to ……… One of your technical staff informed me that the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out has nothing to do with opting out of the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning.

    Both of your technical staff, or was it the same guy told me I could not opt out of the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning. When questioned about what it DID do one of your technical staff was unable to answer and directed me to call customer service who would have an answer to this deep and baffling mystery.

    Here am I thinking it was simply not working for me. So what does it do?

    They have replied……. Hi,

    Good day!

    If you have exceeded your plan data allowance and your service was shaped to 56kb you will be automatically redirected to dodo portal advising you that the service has exceeded the limit and wont be able to use your connection unless you buy extra data allowance to add in your account to continue using the internet.
    I understand that you have opt out the captive portal but that is not necessary if you have gone to your limit in your account if your data allowance is 100% used already.

    Please dont hesitate to call dodo tech if you need technical assistance please call 132473.

    Excuse me swearing but I think I am entitled after that bullshit. WTF is going on there???

  • Many days after opting out of the captive portal experience it still attacks my browser every day and Dodo has still not given me any answer at all regarding the questions I am asking on the matter. The following query has been sent via their customer service online support page………

    1780879 After attempting for several days to get a straight answer regarding the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out button on my account management page I have decided to send you the link to the page on which I have journal ed the events and your replies to my attempts to get replies.

    Please find the blog page at the following address to form a formal complaint and continued attempt to get an answer to my queries.

    http://weblightstudio.com.au/blog/?p=993……..

    (lets see if they can understand that)

  • I have replied to their return email to me,(the second last entry above) with the following………. Hi, Good day. I see you are unable to answer either of my questions. Technical support has refused to answer my questions and I have no resolution to my problem. Let me repeat my questions

    What does the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out button on my account management page do? This seems like a simple question. Try putting it up on a wall somewhere or writing it out several times if you do not understand what I am asking.

    Part two, that is the second part of my problem is that pressing the Captive Portal – Connection Shaped to 56K warning opt-out button does nothing when I do it. Should it do something? If that seems like a difficult question try getting a nine-year old to explain it to you.

    Please do not tell me I have gone over my cap. Can you see me asking about the position or level or anything of my cap. I have looked and am at an absolute loss as to why I would be getting answers to questions I am not asking!!!! …………..

    (I wasn’t sure if the reply would get through which was the reason I also sent a request via their customer service form earlier.)

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