Finally Ditched True

[Firefoxx]

After several years of using True's ADSL service (not that it was particularly any good, but rather because my TOT line only recently was ADSL-capable), I've finally ditched them. I was actually their customer since their first foray, as TA and Asianet, into ADSL. I can say that although they got a few things right, the general atmosphere that they were run by monkeys always ruined it.

I switched since, for the past several months, the speed has been very bad, or rather, a whole lot worse than usual. People may say, "That's not a surprise", but I was using a premium account, and paying a premium price. I was paying for *good* 512k service, and getting barely 100k speeds throughout the day. I put off cancelling my subscription, since I wasn't home much and so had a wait and see attitude. I *didn't* call and complain, since it would be an exercise in futility, and since the last time I did that I had my service cut off for a week.

Well, I came home from prolonged field work, and found that my ADSL signal was once again cut off. So, I just went straight to the local True shop to cancel my subscription. "True" to their nature, they couldn't find my accounting information, and had some trouble just processing my request. I wonder if the farce that happened last time I canceled my True subscription (to change packages) would happen again, and I would be threatened with legal action for not paying for the months *after* I had canceled.

I then proceeded to the nearby AIS shop, and signed up for Buddy Broadband. It's 2mbits local, 1mbit int'l, but of course you won't get that kind of int'l speed for only 500 baht/month. Anyways, it's a bit strange in the way it operates... you pay by using one-to-call top-up cards.

Generally, local speeds are as expected (duh), and int'l speeds aren't spectacular (duh). But hey, now I'm paying only 500/month for the same effective speeds as before, when I was paying 5 times that amount. Yeah.

I'm still looking for a *quality* ADSL provider, and I'm willing to pay a premium price for it, as long as the service delivers. I one of the rare ones who realize that good bandwidth comes as a price, and use things like Bittorrent only sparingly. Any suggestions? I'm looking into Samart's business packages next.

[melus]

Hi Firefoxx. Very liberating feeling, indeed, packing it in with True. May I suggest since you have an ADSL-capable TOT line, trying CSLoxinfo http://www.csloxinfo.com/adsl/index_en.asp. They have the second highest international bandwith after Asianet, and I'll bet your neighborhood isn't saturated with a lot of True users downloading bittorrents. View the latest map here.

I wish I had the money to get a TOT line installed. I'll probably end up doing that eventually anyway.

Edited December 14, 2005 by melus

[The_Other_Mac]

I'm on CS Lox 2mb, and they're a f***ing nightmare. Frequently have trouble getting back the results of a Google search; packet loss is so bad that I don't even get error messages.

I had True 2mb before (at a different address), and it was a lot better.

Now the guy across from me has got True SME package over leased line. Around 4k per month and requires a registered Thai company. He says he gets speeds approaching European standards, which would be frankly amazing.

[remmy]

maybe you can try direcway satellite connection

[Morbius]

Firefox, I think that you are the 2nd one in weeks reporting in this forum having churned out from True ADSL (or have I missed some others?). Giulio, in this thread, mentioned having done the same just a while ago. Looks like the "Leave True" virus is in the air. Let's see if it grows up to take epidemic proportions...

After several years of using True's ADSL service (not that it was particularly any good, but rather because my TOT line only recently was ADSL-capable), I've finally ditched them.  I was actually their customer since their first foray, as TA and Asianet, into ADSL.  I can say that although they got a few things right, the general atmosphere that they were run by monkeys always ruined it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It must be frustrating for you to have received so poor service from them after having supported them from their very beginning.

I *didn't* call and complain, since it would be an exercise in futility, and since the last time I did that I had my service cut off for a week.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, having been myself in the IT service business for years, I tend to think that the best service customers can render to their service providers is to let them know how - good or bad - they perform. If "complain" is a too negative word for you, you can still call it "giving comments"... (of course, it doesn't change anything)

Generally, local speeds are as expected (duh), and int'l speeds aren't spectacular (duh).  But hey, now I'm paying only 500/month for the same effective speeds as before, when I was paying 5 times that amount.  Yeah.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What speeds on average do you get when you measure it with a web speedmeter (DL and UL)?

What speeds on average do you get when you DL a file from a server?

What speeds on average do you get when you surf the net from your browser? (Opera - the browser - displays your "surfing" speed, although, with your name, one could imagine that your preference goes to a different browser..)

I one of the rare ones who realize that good bandwidth comes as a price, and use things like Bittorrent only sparingly.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are not the only one, trust me! And, time allowing so, keep us updated with your experience with the broadband buddies.

[Abandon]

I got back on TRUE. Got to say I never had any problems with them.

Last time they connected me within 4 days, and the line was stable. Bit torrent was rather slow. I was billed correctly, and no problems when I cancelled.

This time they connected me within 3 days, on the King's birthday no less, and was connected by 1 am on the day they said they would. It runs quite a bit faster than before, since I am on a packet shaped line that limits bit torrents to about 4-6 kps. Well, just got to be patient and leave it running. Skype works very well and I get 60-70 kps on files transfers through it and Eyeball Chat. Can't complain really ... though would like to torrent more.

I am hesitant about changing to a TOT line, and have heard only bad things about BB Buddy. Loxinfo sounds not bad - they packet shape too during the day. In the small hours they stop shaping, so you really have to torrent at night.

[Abandon]

apparently TOT now have a liscense to run an international gateway .. and TRUE will not be far behind. The big problem has always been the CAT monopoly as they rent a 1 mbit line for 25 000 baht/month. So what can the other providers do??? Now that their strangle hold is broken things should get better once the other companies start to get the necessary infrastructure in place.

[pop3]

The problem I get with true is that they pull the &lt;deleted&gt;&gt;--g plug their end when their busy, your still conected to their office but no further ! you have to sign off then on again.

[clokwise]

I left True last month, and coincidentally BuddyBB was having a promotion in my condo lobby so I signed up. Sadly, BuddyBB turned out to be even more of a nightmare than True as they seem to severly limit all traffic except port web and email (which are also limited but just not as much). I use voip, rdp and sqlserver on a daily basis and they were all completely unusable. I cancelled BBB 3 days later. Thanks to a potential nightmare of paperwork, outragous costs, and several months of waiting to get a TOT line installed in my condo, I'm back with True ADSL. I feel totally fuXXed! I envy you guys.

[Firefoxx]

Yes, it's very frustrating to get p*** poor service from these guys. I used them even when they were billing by the hour, and I was paying around 10k/month for 512k service. Since I've been their customer for so long, I have called them too many times to count, and I have given them a piece of my mind. Of course, it's always a low level CS rep that gets eaten by me, and it's never led to anything.

For my old 512k premium True service, I was getting less than 100k, up and down, testing from Speakeasy (didn't matter much what server). I'm getting approximately the same results now with Buddy. Actual throughput varies (usually slower), but is consistant with test results. Speed is usually not constant.

I was willing to put up with True's constant ineptitude before, since my 512k line was able to give me a consistant speed, close to rated, around 400-460k. It's not the case now.

Of course, the main reason for all this p*** poor performance is CAT's monopoly, and I hope that changes soon, as indicated above. But TIT and nothing that makes easy $$$$$ for a few people will change very quickly.