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Less than ideal Zen FTTP speeds

All tests are to/from Xilo, from the Windows app.
Are you still testing to Xilo?

I just clicked that their box is in Maidenhead (according to Speedtest) - so there's likely too be penalty based on their peering cap. into places like Telehouse.

They are one of the poorer performing servers fro me, sitting in London currently. There's probably a dozen or more servers that will enable me to saturate a gig connection here both ways, but Xilo isn't one of them
 
Msh, I am with Zen on same package and I have an open issue with them since September 2021 relating to speed. Initially was doing OK with good average speeds then in September speeds bombed to sub 300 Mbps with throughput problems. In the months since I have had numerous visits from Openreach engineers, which largely was a waste of time. I have had a new ONT installed, fibre checked from distribution point to ONT, etc etc. Has been with BT Wholesale since start of December 2021 for service reprovision from current TalkTalk network to BT, but BT dragging it out. Speeds come up for few hours to plus 800 Mbps, but then bombs. At time of writing this sitting at 83 Mbps. Total joke if you ask me.
Change of backhaul provider is totally in the gift of Zen.

Be careful what your being told about delays with BTW et al..could be a fob off...

Have Zen confirmed if they can serve you with their own backhaul ?
 
No, I am using Zen's own. I only used Xilo's to prove a point to the other person asking.

It's still all over the place.

I raised a formal complaint this morning with the intention of getting out of contract. Right now they’re effectively holding the ONT hostage, I just want out now.

Ensure you've backdated the compliant appropriately so that the clock starts from last Friday rather than today. They have 30 days to satisfactorily remedy the situation, if they are not meeting the minimum speed guarantee, or they must release you without penally.

This would be the line of escalation that I would now be pursuing with them.
 
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Ensure you've backdated the compliant appropriately so that the clock starts from last Friday rather than today. They have 30 days to satisfactorily remedy the situation, if they are not meeting the minimum speed guarantee, or they must release you without penally.

This would be the line of escalation that I would now be pursuing with them.
Yes, that's what's happening now, it's an infuriatingly long process for something that will inevitably yield no results.

I am trying to get out now still, but they seem to like keeping customers who want nothing to do with them...
 
I've only had a very quick look and not compared both threads like for like but there are some striking similarities with this users experience - https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/f...need-900mbps-on-full-fibre-fttp-with-zen.html
Yeh, I also found a lot of reviews with the same thing.

I think I just dismissed this before because we obviously have no insight into their own home setups, I know for sure my equipment can deal with this though. I should have been more careful about opening this contract.
 
lEy3Ids.png
 
I've only had a very quick look and not compared both threads like for like but there are some striking similarities with this users experience - https://forums.thinkbroadband.com/f...need-900mbps-on-full-fibre-fttp-with-zen.html
Only in the headlines....

Tom's issue was somewhat self-inflicted: initially testing with a slow PC, together with two older somewhat slow routers.

He appears to be getting full bandwidths now that he is testing with a more recent up spec'd machine and following a firmware update and factory reset of his old Fritz router.

"That was it, I connected my modern iMac direct and got 900Mbps straight away! Thank you so much for this suggestion, I thought I'd done it but I used my old computer before which is actually from 2010(!), so clearly didn't have the horsepower."

Edit: correction it was actually him initially testing 2 old routers he had lying around. The Fritz now looking OK-ish on gigabit following update/reset etc
 
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Only in the headlines....

Tom's issue was somewhat self-inflicted: initially testing with a slow PC, together with two older somewhat slow routers.

He appears to be getting full bandwidths now that he is testing with a more recent up spec'd machine and following a firmware update and factory reset of his old Fritz router.

"That was it, I connected my modern iMac direct and got 900Mbps straight away! Thank you so much for this suggestion, I thought I'd done it but I used my old computer before which is actually from 2010(!), so clearly didn't have the horsepower."

Edit: correction it was actually him initially testing 2 old routers he had lying around. The Fritz now looking OK-ish on gigabit following update/reset etc

Thanks for the summary. I spent a whole 15 seconds on TBB today, spotted the thread and thought I'd let MSH know in case there was anything useful in it to help him out with his plight.
 
After 2 days of no real messages from the fault team (apart from saying they will look to escalate with Openreach again), it looks like I am being let out of the contract. I am just trying to find out when and I'll get a new contract open elsewhere.

I am thinking BT is the safest bet for now.
 
One more week until I jump over to BT. The Zen line is giving me 400 as of this morning so they've (I guess as expected?) put no effort into resolving it.

On the communications side of things, Zen has entirely stopped responding now to everything I send, including bill and router return queries... It's all quite odd :D
 
Poor job. Their loss!

It always makes good business sense to leave on a good footing. You never know when you’ll potentially do business again or cross paths. I guess Zen don’t give a crap
 
cYkiBNK.png


Up until the very end, it performed like this.

I switched to BT at ~01:00 and in my limited testing (a few hours) I have yet to see a test South of 800 Mbps. I will collect data for some more hours before considering this 100% resolved, but as it stands right now it sadly looks like, as suspected, Zen can't deliver 900 Mbps.
 
cYkiBNK.png


Up until the very end, it performed like this.

I switched to BT at ~01:00 and in my limited testing (a few hours) I have yet to see a test South of 800 Mbps. I will collect data for some more hours before considering this 100% resolved, but as it stands right now it sadly looks like, as suspected, Zen can't deliver 900 Mbps.
Thanks! sadly looks like I too will end up with BT then.
 
Zen's support is all too often......wholly lacking, I went with them due to rave reviews but in reality I've found their support teams to be utterly disinterested 75%+ of the time, even Sky had more switched on and proactive tech support. It always feels like Zen's default response is to click a few buttons and if the program doesn't gripe then the customer is making it up, ignoring the myriad of issues that clicking a button won't uncover.
Its like they've tried to grow way too fast and they've lost sight entirely of customer service, heck they fight against involving openreach tooth and nail with dire warnings of hundreds of pounds of charges, finally get OR out and they just shake their head at this, sure if you've taken a hammer to the box or the cat had chewed the phone line, but otherwise they are there to sort issues out.
Its that bad that I'm considering a swap to vodafone to save money, its not like the service could be much worse tbh....
 
cYkiBNK.png


Up until the very end, it performed like this.

I switched to BT at ~01:00 and in my limited testing (a few hours) I have yet to see a test South of 800 Mbps. I will collect data for some more hours before considering this 100% resolved, but as it stands right now it sadly looks like, as suspected, Zen can't deliver 900 Mbps.
Proof - if ever it was needed - that paying more doesn't always give you a guarantee of a better connection.
 
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Proof - if ever it was needed - that paying more doesn't always give you a guarantee of a better connection.
Very true, however for what it's worth, I didn't choose to pay more. I chose Zen because of the reputation they had (or at least I thought they had).

I guess if I was after 80 Mbps VDSL or a much slower FTTP service, I wouldn't rule them out still.

Cityfibre is currently building in my town too, I am also questioning their ability to deliver on that.
 
With FTTP due this year I had Zen on the list near the top as a potential provider. Scrubbed off based on this thread and a few others in the last 18 months.
 
Their reputation certainly has taken a few well publicised knocks recently. Certainly their FTTP offering seems unusually sub-par
 
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