Fair Usage Policy

[Scutch]

Just a quick query really. Originally, I had no idea about this policy; I'm was on AOL Gold with an 8Meg line and had just bought an account on Giganews server and Newzbin. So downloading feast ahoy. I downloaded around 80GB of files in 3 or 4 days, then left it a while. I noticed that when I logged on again, my downloading speed had dropped to around 50KB/s. Pants. I phoned AOL to complain, but rather than succeed, I was told I had been capped and it would return to normal in due course. Since then I've been upgraded to AOL Platinum 8Meg and given a router.

I'm still waiting for the speeds to improve. During the day the download speed is about 4120kb/s (500KB/s), but during peak hours, well, I was getting 140kb/s (not a very high KB/s at all) last night... pah!

How long does the capping last? Can I phone up and complain or request it be reset? AOL Platinum Unlimited indeed. I think not. Plus I'm now under contract for another 12 months with them! lol, they're very clever and I'm very idiotic sometimes...

 

[Cookie]

Tit

Capping lasts until they see fit to lift it, could be weeks

 

[philbolton]

AOL are shiiiite! Im with plusnet and have an 8gb a month cap, you will prob have to wait until your next billing month before its lifted! Its so annoying im leaving them when my year is up!

 

[Scutch]

They dont have a limit on downloads at all. I could download 5000GB in a month, there is no limit. However, it would be downloaded during peak hours at 50kb/s. lol

I've emailed them to ask for it to be lifted coz I've been good.

 

[The Hoff]

They dont have a limit on downloads at all. I could download 5000GB in a month, there is no limit. However, it would be downloaded during peak hours at 50kb/s. lol

Sorry mate, but this just quite frankly isn't true, for a start you could only theoretically pull down between 2TB (2000GB) and 2.5TB on an 8mb line running at full wack 24/7 in a month.

By them throttling you to 50kb/s they are actively capping you, you'd be looking at 100-150GB in a month running it 24/7 at full speed, so for a start they're imposing that as a cap.

And you'd start costing them a lot of money if you consistently downloaded broke their AUP, which is why them impose the limitations because your monthly sub wouldn't cover the costs, although there's probably 5,000 on AOL that will subsidise people like yourself.

 

[Scutch]

I know the 5000GB in a month wasnt possible, I was just making the point that there isnt a limit as such, in their eyes. Its a pain.

I've just phoned them and waited no longer than 1 minute to be put through to a humanoid. Amazing.

Anyway, I asked when my cap would be lifted so he checked my home line (as I'm at work at the moment) and said there was no capping on it at present. He blamed the router and said it would be up and down for the first 10 days until it found a steady rate. It was only when I put the phone down that I realised it wont have a cap at the moment, because the cap only starts at around 6pm! Damn. Unless he meant in general. Ahh... I'll check when I get home!

 

[The Hoff]

Your datarates will suffer at peak hours due to adsl being a contended service, although it shouldn't suffer anything like as badly as you mention. Check samknows website and do a check on your exchange, if it's red it will be that.

 

[seb]

ok sorry for jumping in on your thread. i am als owith aol on a 1 mb line.

what does this mean then hoff? i went on the sam knows site. here is the link for me:

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange.php?ecode=EABSE

 

[Scutch]

and here's mine which is utter sh*t it seems...

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange.php?ecode=LCCLE

 

[seb]

all menas nothing to me tbh. lol all i know is i can;t get any broadband apart from adsl i think.

 

[Chrisjk]

Scutch, just checked with my provider, Virgin, whether aols method is the same i'm not sure. They monitor everyones download rate over the week during peak time (4pm till midnight) then group anybody who has downloaded over 2gb into the high users category, then out of those people the top 5% are capped in peak times, but normal speeds resume before 4pm (in theory).

 

[Scutch]

Chris, my speeds are fine during the day. Top notch. Its when I get home from work when I want to use the frickin' thing that its a pain in the arse. Mind you, on Saturday I watched the entire Spurs game streamed through WMP and it was fantastic, not one glitch, so perhaps it was my router setting up last night and all will be well when I get home tonight...

 

[seb]

it is a funny one Scutch.

My line was very capped in the evening a few months ago. it wouldn't let go above 200 kb/s when i should be a 1mb line!

it did it for weeks and was so frustrating. Then i found out on here that other AOL users where having the same thing. I think AOL may have biten off more thna they can chew withj the amount of users they have. Luckily mine is now stayign at 1mb most of the time tbh. But i ain't a massive user. Most i have doen in a month is about 50 gb.

normally i do between 15 and 20 gb a mth.

 

[Scutch]

Werent you asking about Sky BB Seb? Obviously you didnt take it up...

 

[Chrisjk]

Chris, my speeds are fine during the day. Top notch. Its when I get home from work when I want to use the frickin' thing that its a pain in the arse. Mind you, on Saturday I watched the entire Spurs game streamed through WMP and it was fantastic, not one glitch, so perhaps it was my router setting up last night and all will be well when I get home tonight...

fingers crossed eh, we'll try not jinx it :quiet:

 

[seb]

Werent you asking about Sky BB Seb? Obviously you didnt take it up...

scanked them off as they didn't cover my area. they could only offer it for like £25... i was like 'no thanks..' only pay a tenner for mine at present.

 

[The Hoff]

ok sorry for jumping in on your thread. i am als owith aol on a 1 mb line.

what does this mean then hoff? i went on the sam knows site. here is the link for me:

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange.php?ecode=EABSE

VP capacity at this exchange is currently showing as Green - Which is fine.

As you have Bulldog LLU, personally I'd go with them over the clowns at AOL, probably cheaper to.

http://www.bulldogbroadband.com/residential/products/broadband/index.asp

 

[The Hoff]

and here's mine which is utter sh*t it seems...

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange.php?ecode=LCCLE

Virtual paths: Green There are currently no known capacity problems on your exchange. There may still be an exchange problem, however BT are not currently reporting that they are aware of it. Please contact Support if you are having speed problems, who can advise further.
Record last updated: 13 Aug 07

 

[seb]

what is vp?

and what is this?

ADSL: Yes
SDSL: Yes
LLU services: Yes

i have adsl. i want one of the 20mb services but i see that isn't available unitl i seek retirement in 30 years time...

 

[Griff]

what is vp?

and what is this?

ADSL: Yes
SDSL: Yes
LLU services: Yes

i have adsl. i want one of the 20mb services but i see that isn't available unitl i seek retirement in 30 years time...

Signifies how congested the BTwholesale DSLAM's aspect of the exchange is. Doesn't apply to LLU DSLAM's.

 

[Scutch]

All nonsense to me. I want my p**n!

 

[Rasclart]

Traffic shaping?

I get this with Virgin, slows down between 5pm-12 or something like that

 

[Scutch]

My download speed from 4pm until 6pm was averaging about 4000kbps. At 6.03pm, my speed plummeted to 140kpbs.

I phoned AOL to ask when my cap would be removed, and the guy checked a few things and told me my FUP was not in effect so therefore I wasnt being capped at this time.
He said wait 2 more days then try it again and it should be ok.

Is this right or are they just fobbing me off? Why 2 days? It should be good connection and download speeds right now if I'm not on the FUP at this time.

 

[tommyboy]

should go with orange, I'm on the 8 meg service basic 2gb or something silly service and I actually use 50-70gb per month.

speeds never drop below 6800-7000kbps, at anytime of the day

 

[Scutch]

I have to admit, apart from the capping over the past few months, AOL is pretty decent now. Just annoying at times.