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Orange refuse to give me a MAC code

no broadband since last saturday, and no resolution from orange.
therefore i asked for a mac code , and was told that there would be a £230 charge(!!!) as my contract is 12 month and runs from april to april.

so, i'm in limbo - no broadband, and i cant get a mac code.

i've complained to ISPA, and i suppose Ofcom will be next.
 
Have they said what the problem is with your connection?
 
Remind them that if they cannot provide you with a service within a reasonable time, then they are breaking their part of the contract, and thus have to let you out for free.

You can request a MAC code now, and they have to give it to you no matter what, but then you have to fight the charge and hope you win. I would take some advice before you do that though, as Im sure them giving you a MAC code and you using it would cancel the contract. Leaving you with a fight on your hands.
 
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Have they said what the problem is with your connection?

they've said nothing about it. the most i've managed to get is some Indian guy running through a standard non-relevant checklist, ignoring the fact that my router says the line is active - i'm getting a "cannot connect to PPP server" error.

despite repeated emails and telephone calls i am nowhere nearer a solution, and i'm now stuck in limbo land since last saturday when my connection was dropped.
 
Remind them that if they cannot provide you with a service within a reasonable time, then they are breaking their part of the contract, and thus have to let you out for free.

You can request a MAC code now, and they have to give it to you no matter what, but then you have to fight the charge and hope you win. I would take some advice before you do that though, as Im sure them giving you a MAC code and you using it would cancel the contract. Leaving you with a fight on your hands.

i've not seen or signed a contract. i got a telephone call late march about upgrading to 8mb. i said yes, and that was when the problems started (lost connections) , culminating in totally losing the connection since last saturday.

i really am at my wits end. Ofcom complaint is next.
 
Reference Ofcom General Condition 22

From LawyersOnline at:
http://www.lawyersonline.co.uk/?scr...96&lolbasket=d14d5975c742042bd815237b62330e16

Ofcom have recently announced changes to the regulations imposed on Broadband service providers. These new changes make the issuing of Migration Authorization Codes (MACs) mandatory from the 14th February 2007. This new requirement is being refered to as General Condition 22.
General Condition 22 consists of two elements:

1. a requirement on all Communications Providers to comply with the MAC process;
2. and where the MAC process does not apply, a requirement on all Communications Providers to comply with a number of high-level obligations designed to address consumer harm associated with broadband migrations.



Broadband service providers will now be required to follow the MAC process for all migrations to which it applies. This means that broadband service providers who are losing a customer will be required to provide MACs on request in most cases. They will not be able to withhold MACs where the customer owes them money (“debt blocking”) or charge for MACs.

At the same time, however, customers need to make themselves aware of their responsibilities under the contract that they have with their broadband provider – which may for example require them to pay an early termination charge if they wish to leave their contract before the agreed date.

If Orange are withholding a MAC until you pay the balance of your contract, you should consider making a formal complaint to them and Ofcom remembering to quote Ofcom General Condition 22.
 
Yep, They should provide a MAC within 5 days if you request it, but if you use it while in a contract you will probably be in breach as you have to give them a reasonable amount of time to put it right, and I don't think 5 days would be considered enough.

If the problem continues you could write to them setting a fair and reasonable deadline, by which if the service isn't restored, you would consider the contract to be voided.

But as Old dude says, take legal advice before trying to cancel.
 
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they've said nothing about it. the most i've managed to get is some Indian guy running through a standard non-relevant checklist, ignoring the fact that my router says the line is active - i'm getting a "cannot connect to PPP server" error.

despite repeated emails and telephone calls i am nowhere nearer a solution, and i'm now stuck in limbo land since last saturday when my connection was dropped.

When you get the ppp server error is there a number given with this message.
are you using pppoa or pppoe on the router?
 
When you get the ppp server error is there a number given with this message.
are you using pppoa or pppoe on the router?

tried both - no luck. swapped my linksys router for the wanadoo "livebox" one - and on there i get a "721" error - cannot find ppp server.

here's my DSL status , from my linksys router. this clearly shows that the line is up and running:

DSL connection stats:
DSL Status: UP
DSL Modulation Mode: GDMT

DSL Path Mode: FAST
Downstream rate: 1152kps
Upstream rate: 288kps
Downstream margin: 10db
Upstream margin: 16db
Downstream line attenuation: 63
Upstream line attenuation: 31
Downstream transmit power: 0
Upstream transmit power: 0


but i get no ip address....

i've had enough of this farce now, so i've written a complaint to my local M.P. via
http://www.theyworkforyou.com
 
Just to reinforce what has already been said, though it may not be ideal, you have to play it cool. The fact you’ve been locked into a 12 month contract means that while you should still be able to get a MAC, doing so could void your contract and leave you with a hefty bill.

Having said that, if Orange is unable to provide you with a connection then they’re at fault and you should be able to get out of the contract (uncertain what time periods should apply here). Lodging a complaint with Ofcom is a good way to start and doing the same for Orange’s ADR (complaints handler) will help.

Meanwhile people here will try to help diagnose the problem in case it’s a configuration issue or something more serious. If I’m reading your posts correctly, everything was fine with the provider until you “upgraded” to 8Mbps? Also, what hardware are you using to connect with Orange (+make/model)?

I know that the basic Orange router settings should be:

DNS
Domain name service is dynamic - but if domain name server (DNS) addresses are required, you should use:

195.92.195.94 and 195.92.195.95

Or, if you experience problems with the above, use:

193.36.79.101 and 193.36.79.100

Router settings
If you choose to use an Ethernet modem / router, the correct connection settings are:

Encapsulation:
PPP over ATM

Multiplexing method:
VC-Based

Virtual circuit:
VPI=0
VCI=38

Modulation:
Multi mode

Authentication:
CHAP

MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit)
In case of problems with a third party router, change MTU to 1492 (Livebox default setting)
 
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Orange use LLU where available, does the following link show an order in progress.

http://www.prodigynet.co.uk/menu.php?page=support/adsllinecheck

It might also be worth checking the BT ordertracking page, as I think an order to unbundle a line may still show up ( normal regrades apparently don't anymore :( ).

http://pathogenrush.blogspot.com/2007/01/tracking-broadband-orders-regrades-and.html

no - no order in progress showing up.

however the line speed information is inaccurate - i've had 1 meg broadband for ages on it (wanadoo/freeserve days), despite my distance from the exchange.

"Line speed capabilities

Rate adaptive (250k and 500k) : Amber
Fixed Rate (1000k and 2000k) : Red
MAX speed (upto 8000k) : Green (250 kbps)

250k and 500k ADSL is available on this line, but the line is very long which may require an engineering visit to get ADSL working. 1000k and above is not available."
 
Error 721 suggests an authentication problem, perhaps an issue with the login/password or something more serious at the ISP's end. Out of interest, does disabling the routers firewall help (it shouldn't, but for some 'Livebox' people it does)?

It may also be worth trying a hard reset of the router and setting it up again from scratch using the appropriate details.
 
The reason for the "RAG" result is probably your high attenuation, BT have a policy of not supplying 1mbps fixed rate connection if your attenutation is high, and I think ~63db DS is around their cut-off point.


You could try the BT test logins, although they'll only work if the connection is IPstream based

see http://194.74.65.98/index.html

(you'll only be able to access the service page above and http://www.bt.net/digitaldemo )
 
its very likely that he has been LLUed (reason being) is lve checked lol just so happens lm on the outskirts of basingstoke.
 
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its very likely that he has been LLUed (reason being) is lve checked lol just so happens lm on the outskirts of basingstoke.

why would being LLUed affect my PPP server login? surely that transition should be seamless? i've got a wanadoo ppp login by the way.
 
actually its a bit different transferring away from an LLU connection as far as l hear, one reason been is its on a different type of network the other been the disconnection fee and yet another problem been transferring with MAC codes (l believe the MAC rules dont apply to LLU connections yet)
 
You can transfer with a MAC from a LLUed line to an IPstream line but sue to BT having to send an engineer into the exchange to physically remove you from the LLUed companies equipment back to BTs they charge teh activation fee again. A migration will not be classed as a cease so the cease fee will not apply.
 
why would being LLUed affect my PPP server login? surely that transition should be seamless? i've got a wanadoo ppp login by the way.

It might if the 'engineers' messed it up, but from your sync rate I think there's a fair chance you may still be on BT's network.

If neither test works you are probably LLUed (or on datastream)

If bt_test_user@startup_domain works you line is still connected to IPstream.

if bt_test_user@ispdomain (where ispdomain is the normal bit you use after the @) also works the problem is almost certainly Orange's end.

If the first login works and the second doesn't at a guess it could be something like Service Selection Barring. AOL did that to me once so their AOLnet domain worked but the proper @AOL.com one didn't :hrmph:

Hmm, if you've got a wanadoo login, I wonder if they might have changed it to an Orange domain one, or set up Orange's but not wanadoo's. Sorry don't know what Orange's domain is.
 
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