--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM Support Mar 28, 2020, 2:31 AM (4 days ago) Hello XXXXX! Thank you for providing the information below; we would be happy to look into this further with you. May we please have your account number or address to pull up your account and check on your modem? On 3/28/2020 1:05 AM, Buckeye Broadband Website wrote: Submitted on Sat, 03/28/2020 - 01:05 Submitted values are: First Name XXXXX Last Name XXXXX Email Address XXXXX Phone Number XXXXX What do you need help with? Trouble with Cable TV, Phone, or Internet service Please respond to my question/comment by: Email How can we help? email on account: XXXXX address on account: XXXXX phone on account (if it doesn't match the one listed above): XXXXX At high-traffic times of day, my ping increases and download speed decreases to a level that renders the internet unusable. This has occurred periodically for at least two years. Usually, we simply grin and bear it for the hour or two it's an issue. For instance, on 3/10/20 at half past noon, a Speedtest.net test (to FairlawnGig) showed 25 ping, 104.64 Mbps download, and 5.11 Mbps upload. This is in line with the plan we pay for. On the contrary, on 3/20/20 at 8:08pm, the same test showed 121 ping, 2.40 Mbps download, and 5.02 Mbps upload. Unfortunately, it's now occurring all hours of the day. Currently, at 12:18 AM on 3/28/20, the same test returns a 62 ping, 6.59 Mbps download, and 4.77 Mbps upload. At 10pm last night, 3/27/20, the same test returned a 116 ping, 1.58 Mbps download, and 4.98 Mbps upload. Results vary across speed tests: currently Google shows 2.78 Mbps with a 38ms ping, Stanford university's Google Fiber test shows 25.9 Mbps with a 168ms ping, dslreports.com shows 9.89 Mbps with a 132ms ping, and fast.com shows a completely unrealistic 96 Mbps with a 14ms ping. I call that unrealistic, because it simply isn't supported by fact. No matter what corner of the internet I run a ping to, the result isn't below 100ms - even pinging Google or fast.com directly, which result in average pings of 101ms and 106ms, respectively. In fact, running a traceroute through various portions of the internet shows a major jump in ping upon leaving Buckeye's network, no matter the destination. Examples: To Google's DNS server (8.8.8.8), the ping jumps from 17ms to 108ms on the hop from maxxsouthbb.net to core1.chi1.he.net. To OpenDNS (208.67.222.222), the ping jumps from 14ms to 133ms on the hop from maxxsouthbb.net to a01.asbnva02.us.bb.gin.ntt.net. To Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), the ping jumps from 18ms to 122ms on the hop from maxxsouthbb.net to tol01.atlas.cogentco.com. To Level3 (4.2.2.2), the ping jumps from 17ms to 120ms on the hop from maxxsouthbb.net to bar1.cleveland1.level3.net. Thank you in advance for remedying the situation on your end. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 28, 2020, 10:18 AM (4 days ago) The address on my account was included in my initial message - on just the second line, no less - specifically to avoid needless back-and-forth. Furthermore, I already know there is no issue with my modem or anything else on my end, as I explained in my initial message. Thank you in advance, once again, for remedying the issue on your end. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM Support Mar 28, 2020, 4:59 PM (4 days ago) Hello XXXXX, All of the speedtests and ping results you are providing are occurring off of the Buckeye network. That is why we ask you to use http://speed.buckeyebroadband.com/ . That test to our edge router at the end of what we can control. Speeds can be effected off network by server availability and congestion. We can only fix errors on our network and have no control over The other companies such as Hurricane Electric or NTT Communications. If you can provide speedtest results from the site I provided I may be able to help more. Thank you --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 28, 2020, 5:18 PM (4 days ago) There are no issues between me and your network. That's precisely my point, and why a testing the speed on your in-house speedtest would be irrelevant. The issue lies with the data leaving your network. And the servers being pinged to are certainly not congested nor should have any issue with availability in the middle of the night, as I referenced in my initial message. Fixing the connection between your network and the rest of the internet is certainly not your customers' responsibility to fix, as you're seemingly implying. Setting aside the discussion of the required fix on Buckeye's end, will my billing reflect the fact that I'm only able to use roughly 2% of the bandwidth our plan promises? For instance, my current download speed is showing as 1.13 Mbps, where I'm promised 100 Mbps. Will I be credited for the months of speed tests that I can provide demonstrating that issue you're refusing to address has been persistent and results in our router being turned into, essentially, a two-hundred-dollar-a-month paperweight? Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 28, 2020, 11:44 PM (4 days ago) Six hours since my last message, my speed still has not improved, indicating that the issue is not "congestion." And my tests going through over ten different servers in ten different states would indicate that it isn't a matter of "server availability," either. The tests: Toledo, OH; Amplex; ping 116 download 1.30 Cleveland, OH; Everstream; ping 121 download 1.01 Petersburg, MI; D&P Communications; ping 133 download 0.93 Fairlawn, OH; FarlawnGig; ping 120 download 1.72 Windsor, ON; MNSi Telecom; ping 135 download 1.05 New York, NY; AT&T; ping 129 download 1.57 Philadelphia, PA; School District of Philadelphia; ping 129 download 1.24 Humboldt, TN; 1Tennessee; ping 151 download 1.04 Tallahassee, FL; Florida State University ITS; ping 142 download 1.23 Alpharetta, GA; Cox Atlanta; ping 129 download 1.12 West Monroe, LA; SkyRider Communication; ping 141, download 1.16 Dallas, TX; Sparklight; ping 144 download 1.08 As I'm still awaiting a response to my previous email, the intent of this one is merely to update the record. Please include this (and all other communications) in my account. Thank you. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM Support Mar 28, 2020, 11:58 PM (4 days ago) to me XXXXX, As we stated previously, the only speed test results we can guarantee are tests performed at speedtest.bex.net, as that traffic stays entirely on our network. We have no control over internet traffic once it leaves our network. If you run a speed test run at speedtest.bex.net, on a hardwired device, and the results are less than your provisioned speeds, we can send a tech out to resolve whatever may be causing those issues. Thank you, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 29, 2020, 12:15 AM (3 days ago) And as I stated previously, if the traffic leaving your network is being deprioritized by every server in the country (which I find unlikely, but is evidently the excuse you're going with), then that, too, is an issue for you to fix. Not your customer. Regardless of the cause, I am receiving two percent or less of the bandwidth we are paying for and only one of us is in any position to address that (and it isn't me). What I expect an answer on is A: how you intend to remedy that and B: how our bill will be reduced in order to reflect that. If you are not in the position to answer these questions, please pass this up the ladder to someone who can. I would also like an assurance that, as I previously asked, these communications are included in my account. That way, a record is established regarding the persistent timeline of these issues as I report them. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM Support Mar 29, 2020, 2:05 AM (3 days ago) I show in the last 24 hours, you have downloaded nearly 35GB of data. This would not be attainable on such low speeds. Checking the connection to your home, the signal levels are good, and there are no errors being reported in the event log. As stated by previous techs over webchat and through this correspondence; we have no control over what happens with data once it is no longer in our footprint. The tests you have provided and the signals to your home all indicate that everything from your modem through our servers are working as intended. We are not implying this is on customers' end; if other companies and their servers are under-performing, we cannot do anything to rectify that. We encourage you to run tests off of http://speed.buckeyebroadband.com/ . If you are not pulling full speeds when running a hardwired test to this server, we can certainly address that issue as we guarantee our speeds. We would be happy to send out a technician to your home to verify the integrity of your connections and equipment, though I am not seeing anything from this end to indicate that should be necessary. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 29, 2020, 11:02 AM (3 days ago) Well, I appreciate whatever change was made overnight, as my speeds are now closer to what our plan calls for. As of 10:30AM 3/29/2020: Cleveland, OH; AT&T; ping 30ms download 101.30 Toledo, OH; Amplex; ping 26 download 74.09 Farlawn, OH; FairlawnGig; ping 31 download 84.62 As for the downloaded data, in my previous web-chat we established that Valve's download servers were one of two that weren't deprioritizing data from the Buckeye network (the other being Netflix's speed test, thought not Netflix itself). So the majority of that data transfer was my son downloading a single-player game because he'd been unable to remain connected to any multiplayer server for any game. But that's neither here not there, as the situation appears to be remedied. Hopefully it doesn't crop up again, necessitating another report and restarting this conversation from the beginning (which shouldn't be required if these communications are included in my account as I've asked twice and been ignored twice). Again, for whatever was changed overnight, you have my deepest and most sincere gratitude. Thank you. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 29, 2020, 8:03 PM (3 days ago) Experiencing more and more slowdown as the day progresses, so I've spent much of the day investigating it. As a result of extensive research, I've been advised to use Google's M-Lab for speed testing, as it A: ensures no congestion issues, B: ensures no server availability issues, and C: the data is utilized in contributing to research to improve the greater internet. The results have been less than encouraging: 15:27 1.58 Mbps D; 4.60 Mbps U; 70ms 16:39 1.17 Mbps D; 0.32 Mbps U; 114ms 17:38 1.03 Mbps D; 4.61 Mbps U; 90ms 19:16 0.41 Mbps D; 4.61 Mbps U; 125ms (the missing test, around 18:00, is due to my connection being too slow to even load the test) So while there was improvement this morning, it only lasted for about six hours. Apart from those six hours (and two yesterday), for the past three days our internet has been largely unusable. This leads me to ask once again: A. What are you doing to fulfill your obligation to your customers that they are receiving the service they are paying for and have been promised? I acknowledge that you cannot control other networks - but you're refusing to so much as investigate why your customers' data is encountering so much trouble upon leaving your network. If you're insisting that isn't the ISP's responsibility, then I'd be curious to know whose responsibility you'd say it is. B. Will this be reflected upon billing? If not, you are charging your customers for a service you are not fulfilling. That would be akin to the water department charging a customer for using 100 gallons of water, but only supplying them with less than ten gallons. C. As repeatedly requested, and repeatedly ignored, will these communications be included in my account in order to demonstrate the persistence of these issues? If I'm barking up the wrong tree, then for crying out loud, point me towards the right tree. Don't just, as you have up to this point, shrugs your shoulders and essentially reply with "oh well!" This isn't an issue that can simply be brushed off and ignored, as the internet is fundamental to the lives of my family - as it is of most, in this day and age. "It's not working" just isn't an acceptable option, nor would it be at even a quarter of the price. Especially now, where our society's new "work from home" dictate makes the internet essential. This issue is not going away by itself. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 30, 2020, 8:34 PM (2 days ago) To update the record (and since I've received no response in thirty-three hours), today's tests through Google's M-Lab are as follows: 03/30/20 10:26 AM chicago_il 13.31 down 5.35 up 20 ping 03/30/20 11:28 AM chicago_il 7.77 down 4.99 up 21 ping 03/30/20 12:23 PM chicago_il 6.12 down 4.95 up 24 ping 03/30/20 01:35 PM chicago_il 6.84 down 5.56 up 18 ping 03/30/20 02:23 PM chicago_il 3.41 down 5.1 up 32 ping 03/30/20 04:05 PM chicago_il 1.48 down 4.54 up 58 ping 03/30/20 04:53 PM chicago_il 1.74 down 4.6 up 63 ping 03/30/20 06:12 PM chicago_il 1.94 down 4.61 up 34 ping 03/30/20 07:00 PM chicago_il 0.87 down 4.3 up 85 ping 03/30/20 08:08 PM chicago_il 2.15 down 4.05 up 66 ping What this means is that there have only been six hours out of the past ninety-six where my bandwidth has been at a level remotely near what we're paying for, and for the overwhelming majority of that time, it's been at levels one-hundred to two-hundred times less than what we ought to expect. Fifty percent would be worthy of concern. Ten percent is enough to drive a consumer to seek assistance from tech support. One percent should be unheard of. The fact that you evidently disagree is incomprehensible to me. And to repeat the questions from my email roughly 24 hours ago, which remain unanswered: A. What are you doing to fulfill your obligation to your customers that they are receiving the service they are paying for and have been promised? I acknowledge that you cannot control other networks - but you're refusing to so much as investigate why your customers' data is encountering so much trouble upon leaving your network. If you're insisting that isn't the ISP's responsibility, then I'd be curious to know whose responsibility you'd say it is. B. Will this be reflected upon billing? If not, you are charging your customers for a service you are not fulfilling. That would be akin to the water department charging a customer for using 100 gallons of water, but only supplying them with less than ten gallons. C. As repeatedly requested, and repeatedly ignored, will these communications be included in my account in order to demonstrate the persistence of these issues? Thank you in advance for your insight. Sincerely, XXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FROM Support Mar 31, 2020, 10:11 AM (1 day ago) I understand the frustration but unfortunately we can not control what is not on our network. We do guarantee your speeds to us. Beyond our network we can not do anything about that. We are not saying that it up to you to get it fixed. It would be up the the provider where the issue is at. As for credit for you issues this is technical chat and I would recommend that you contact our billing department. Technical would not recommend any credit at this time seeing that you are getting your correct speeds to us which is what we guarantee. If you have any further issues or questions call 4197249800 for immediate assistance or reply to this email. Thank you. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TO Support Mar 31, 2020, 11:08 AM (1 day ago) "It would be up the the provider where the issue is at." Providers, plural, you mean. Each of the tier 1 providers that you are contracted with through Maxxsouth. Not me. So, just as I'm seeking technical support from you as your customer, it's Buckeye's responsibility to seek technical support from the tier 1 providers they are a client of (HE, NTT, Cogent, etc, as listed in my original support request). Again, not me. I am not their client. Block Communications is. That is what I've been asking for all along, because there's nothing I can do about your connection to the backbone - for you to investigate why your customers' data is having so much trouble making the hop from your tier 2 provider to the tier 1 backbone. It doesn't matter how fast a connection within your own network is if you're unable to maintain an outgoing connection to support even a tenth of that speed. "Technical would not recommend any credit at this time seeing that you are getting your correct speeds to us which is what we guarantee." Returning to the 'water department' metaphor, it doesn't matter how clear the pipes between you and I are when your own water intake is 90% blocked - yet (figuratively, of course) you're charging for water you're unable to deliver and refusing to address, investigate, or even so much as acknowledge the blockage. I cannot understand how that could possibly be rationalized. There is nothing I can do about your connection to the internet backbone. And, once again, this issue isn't going away by being ignored - I tried that for over two years, to no avail. Sincerely, XXXXX ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------