User reviews are the second thing you should definitely familiarize yourself with when choosing an Internet service provider. First and foremost, read the contract. But most often they don’t read the official documents at all, and they study the reviews after troubles in order to prove their case. It turns out a vicious circle. In our article, on the example of the Onlime Internet provider, we will consider how to act in problem situations, what to pay attention to, how to behave with company representatives.
Onlime Internet Service Provider: Overview
OnLime is the brand of the largest telecom provider in Russia, OJSC Rostelecom, under which it operates in Moscow and the Moscow Region. The merger of the two companies took place in 2008. Since then, OnLime has consistently led the rating of the capital's suppliers of home Internet, digital television and telephony. According to the company, Onlime TV and access to the network using FTTB technology were carried out in 3.2 million apartments.
OnLime has its own trunk network, laid in accordance with the ring architecture of the capital. Fiber optic cables of district and district significance pass underground through sewer shafts. From district nodes to individual clusters (about 10 nearby houses), cables run along power lines. Highways cover all areas of the city and suburbs.
All cables, except twisted pair from the entrance to the apartment, are redundant. Big fault tolerance contributes to the circular architecture of networks. A single gap will not cause damage: the backup line will immediately turn on. Only severe accidents can disable TV broadcasting and Internet connection.
The television signal comes from 10 satellites, which are capable of receiving more than 200 channels, including in HD quality. The equipment of Alcatel-Lucent Online data centers is characterized by high port density and high power.
Onlime: Internet tariffs, connection features
For new subscribers, OnLaym offers a promotional connection for 290 rubles per month. for 3 months. It is further proposed to select a tariff option:
1. "OnLaym-100" - unlimited Internet at a maximum speed of up to 100 Mbit / s.
2. "OnLaym-60" - the maximum declared speed of up to 60 Mbit / s.
3. "OnLime-30" - unlimited at speeds up to 30 Mbit / s.
To identify the user of the "Onlime-Internet" service, each client is given a login and password, access to your personal account. The subscription fee is deducted daily in equal installments.
Connection takes place within 1-3 business days from the date of application. The contract is concluded in the presence of the master, the selected options and services are entered into it, the maximum connection speed that the company provides through the channel from the data center to the user's equipment is indicated.
Onlime: home internet reviews
The latter is the cause of negativity on the part of many users. No 1 in the rating of negative reviews - low connection speed. For example, 25-30 Mbps. instead of the claimed 60 Mbps.
Responding to negative reviews, Onlime states that the speed specified in the contract is a theoretical concept. In practice, this parameter is guaranteed on the channel gap between the company server and the user's computer. The areas where the packet rate may be cut are:
- User equipment that for some reason cannot give the desired speed (curve firmware or software, poor technical specifications, radio equipment operating in the 2.4 GHz band in the immediate vicinity, etc.). You can draw a crude analogy: on a black-and-white tube TV "Rainbow" you can not watch a 3D movie, even if this service is paid.
- The channel from the data center to the global server and this server itself, due to its workload, which the provider cannot influence, can also become the reasons for a slight decrease in speed.
Connection speed is always less than the one stated in the tariff. A deviation of 5-10% is considered normal if Onlime is configured correctly. After 30 Mbps. the difference in speeds is noticeable only when downloading large volumes of information.
How to behave in case of problems with the Internet?
What you need to require from the provider through a written statement:
- Checking the technical condition of the connection to understand at what stage the speed is lost.
- Checking the Internet settings in your account.
- Troubleshoot fiber optic cable.
- Repair or replacement of broken equipment.
What you can do yourself:
- Update computer software, network card driver, equipment. Install an antivirus (one!) And scan. Download and update the firmware of the router. When using Wi-Fi on multiple devices, the speed is cut between them. In extreme cases, the connection can be made faster by disabling the Windows firewall (required with a working antivirus).
- If Onlime-Internet has disappeared, and the usual actions do not help, you need to check with the consultant of the technical service whether the MAC address of the machine is correctly entered in the settings. This is a trifle, but in 30% of cases of lack of access it is a human error to blame.
Home Television and Telephony OnLime
Onlime Digital TV - the ability to watch over 200 channels, including in HD quality. Metropolitan subscribers can choose the unique option “Interactive TV” - not only a variety of channels, but also the ability to regulate broadcasting, record or pause television programs, access to the media library, multi-window. Interactive TV is connected using an Internet cable and an HD set-top box.
Digital TV clients are offered a choice of 4 tariffs and additional packages (“Cinema +”, “Adult”, “Football” and “Our Football +”, Viasat HD):
- starting - 111 channels for 320 rubles / month;
- optimal - 136 channels for 450 rubles / month;
- advanced - 164 channels for 580 rubles / month;
- maxi - 203 channels for 1700 rubles / month.
Tariff options for interactive TV cost the same, but 10 channels are provided more.
Those who use the Internet from OnLime can connect their home phone either with a per-minute payment (0.5 rubles / min.) Or an unlimited option.
Onlime (digital television): reviews
What problems do OnLime customers report? It:
- No picture, bad picture.
- Lack of channels, their incorrect settings.
- Unstable operation of the set-top box when switching to Interactive TV.
- Additional packages do not work, their quality leaves much to be desired, etc.
A surge of such a negative was in 2010, when there was a massive transition from analogue to digital broadcasting. Residents did not know how to tune receivers, channels changed places and “disappeared”, TVs were not adapted for “numbers”, masters could not cope with current applications. Over time, the situation stabilized. Now we are witnessing a transition from digital to interactive TV. Settings need to be changed again, receivers should be improved, an Internet cable should be provided, and learning to use online services unusual for TV. In many ways, this technology is still “rolled in” by the provider itself, tests are being carried out (on clients), which does not add to the provider neither love nor loyalty.
What to do if the TV does not work:
- Auto-tune the receiver several times.
- Call the wizard (through Onlime sales offices, a hotline phone or website) and hope that he has a few applications in the list.
The expectation of a specialist, his professionalism and courtesy - a separate conversation.
Onlime: technical support, wizards, call center
About rudeness and punctuality of the masters of the provider does not speak only lazy. The operator, accepting the application, warns that the technician can come at any time during the working day. This causes irritation in working people.
Every morning, the team leader distributes applications among the masters. Specialists assigned to a specific area. Applications go on a first come, first basis, if there are a lot of them, they move back the next day. The queue can be scheduled for several weeks in advance - unfortunately, this is typical for giant providers during the introduction of a new service. The master does not have the right to demand money for setting up, training and demonstrating the service. He cannot leave before the client is convinced that the Onlime Internet, telephone or television is fully operational.
Technical support, which is far from being engineers, does not configure channels remotely. She can: change the tariff, channel package, include the promised payment, advise on payments and charges.
A lot of negative is due to the fact that the representatives of the provider are calling with offers to use the promotion or to activate the service. In this case, you need to write a statement to exclude your number from the call list.
Onlime: equipment
Often people write such reviews: “Onlime gives out second-hand equipment that obviously does not work, because it is outdated even for its manufacturers.”
The router and router from Upvel, D-Link are Chinese-made devices with an average level of quality. NetGear delivers premium devices that can connect in two bands - 5 GHz for large amounts of information and 2.4 GHz for normal surfing on the network.
Which is better: buy a router or use the offer of a provider? It is better to choose your own equipment more powerful, with current firmware; It is suitable for any operator, but you will have to configure it yourself. Onlime router is cheaper, it can be rented and changed if necessary.
When concluding a contract, you need to be careful with the wording. Renting a router implies a small amount by which the monthly fee will be increased. Upon termination of the contract on the day of termination, you must submit to the sales office a complete set in working condition. Otherwise, in accordance with the contract, the company has the right to assume that the router is purchased and its full cost will be charged to the client’s personal account.
An installment purchase or a one-time purchase can be beneficial if the providers are not going to change, and you do not want to buy a more expensive device.
Not all Chinese devices are bad, but the master technicians of the provider confirm that standard Upvel routers are of average quality and, despite the claimed speed of 150 Mbit / s, can hardly cope with 80 Mbit / s. After receiving the equipment from the provider, its software must be updated.
Onlime: resolving contentious issues
It is very significant how the provider’s specialists work with pretentious customers. This is, first of all, about incorrect or missed payments, termination of contracts, promotions, etc.
According to consumer reviews, Onlime is rarely in a hurry to return money in case of problems on their part or the termination of relations. According to the law and the Agreement on the provision of communication services, an application regarding financial problems must be resolved within 10 working days, a complaint on a technical issue within a month. The arrival of the master, no matter how busy the technicians, can be expected within 5 working days.
Rules of conduct at the OnLime sales office
1. You need to contact the sales office only to the owner of the contract with a passport or power of attorney. The operationists will not even talk to relatives or friends, and that is their right.
2. The contract is a guarantee that the obligations of both parties will be fulfilled. Therefore, when signing, you need to read every word of it and be attentive to the wording. If it says: “an installment router”, you will have to redeem it, even if the client used the service for a week. Particular caution should be exercised in relation to stocks: early termination of relations may result in penalties and fines.
3. After writing the application, request a copy certified by the seal and signature of the operator. Do not wait for a solution to the problem right at the sales office: consultants only register complaints and give superficial information, and a specially trained department deals with applications, whose employees know the contract by heart. It is also useless to ask for the phone number of the “head of this office”. A copy is needed in order to prove their case in case of "loss" of the original.
4. Be polite.
It would seem that if users write such reviews, Onlime should have gone broke for a long time. But, according to statistics, the number of complaints registered in the network is not more than a fraction of a percent of the total number of subscribers. 90% of non-working services are associated with improper equipment setup or human errors, and only 10% are associated with broken fiber optic cables.
Not a single supplier guarantees a completely trouble-free operation, especially such a giant one as Onlime (Rostelecom). In any case, knowledge of one’s rights and obligations, attentiveness and courtesy is the basis of a long and mutually beneficial relationship with a provider, which means stable high-speed Internet, interesting television programs and a ringing home phone.