Clicksilver upgrade

Hobbes

Got this in the mail. I'm sure others will be too.

UTV Internet have expanded our suite of Clicksilver broadband products to give you greater value and choice. We now have two Clicksilver broadband products from which you can avail - Clicksilver and Clicksilver Plus. As a Clicksilver user you will be familiar with our unrivalled technical support and quality of service and we would like to assure you that whichever product you choose we will offer full technical support for the cost of a local call.

As a result of these exciting developments, we wish to offer you the opportunity to benefit from a significant reduction in monthly rental from 47.50(euro) to a fantastic new price of only 29.99(euro). Your service will remain at a contention ratio of 48 to 1, have a download cap of 8GB per month and have full technical support available from 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week at local call rates.

To expand choice even further, we have also introduced a new Clicksilver Plus service which will have a monthly rental of 45.00(euro). This service will have several attractive enhancements including a contention ratio of 24 to 1, a download cap of 16GB per month and full technical support as for the Clicksilver product.

(The contention ratio means that, for all broadband providers, the available bandwidth is shared between a pre-determined number of other users. For example, if the service is contended at 48 to 1, it means that you share the bandwidth with up to 47 other users. Thus the performance of a DSL connection will vary according to time of day and day of the week, depending on how many other users happen to be online at that moment. This is a restriction on all broadband providers. Therefore, the lower the contention ratio, the less likely that other users will affect the performance of your service. To clarify - your service to date has been operating at a 48 to 1 contention rate.)

We would like to offer you, as an existing Clicksilver customer, the option to migrate to either of these new services free of charge by following the steps set out below.

If you wish to benefit from the new service offering a substantial reduction in the monthly rental then please go to your account section at http://www.u.tv/clicksilveraccountie and click on the 'New Services' option on the left hand menu. Select the 'New Clicksilver Service' option and follow the on-line instructions to change to the new service which will be effective from the 1st April 2004. Please note that if your account is in arrears or you are not using UTV Internet as your CPS telephony provider, as per the Terms and Conditions, you may be unable to avail of the price reductions.

If you wish to move to the Clicksilver Plus product and avail of a higher monthly download cap, a lower contention ratio and reduce your monthly rental to 45.00(euro) then please go to your account section at www.u.tv/clicksilveraccountie and click on the 'New Services' option on the left hand menu. Select the 'ClickSilver Plus Service' option and follow the on-line instructions to change to the new service which will be effective from the 1st April 2004. Please note that by upgrading you will be entering into a new 12 month agreement effective from the upgrade date and that if your account is in arrears or you are not using UTV Internet as your CPS telephony provider, as per the Terms and Conditions, you may be unable to avail of the new service.

Important - you must choose one of the new services before the 25th March for the service to be effective from the 1st April 2004. If you do not choose to migrate to either of the new services then you will remain on your current service and your existing tariff although you will be given the opportunity to take up these new services on an ongoing basis.

For further details of the new Clicksilver services please click on www.u.tv/clicksilver

Regards,
UTV Internet

silent

interesting is that is mentions the new 12 months contract only when upgrading to clicksilver plus. They have deliberately chosen to omit this part when talking about the change over to the ordinary 30E clicksilver package - does that mean that they do not want it?

Ripwave

Originally posted by silent
interesting is that is mentions the new 12 months contract only when upgrading to clicksilver plus. They have deliberately chosen to omit this part when talking about the change over to the ordinary 30E clicksilver package - does that mean that they do not want it?

The new 12 month contract is clearly described on the New Services web page for both options.

dub45

As a Clicksilver user you will be familiar with our unrivalled technical support and quality of service and we would like to assure you that whichever product you choose we will offer full technical support for the cost of a local call.

Just don't depend too much on service at weekends or solving issues like the proxy one or indeed the pings issue!

silent

Originally posted by Ripwave
The new 12 month contract is clearly described on the New Services web page for both options.

Yes that is correct, but is an obvious omission in the email - as the next sentence is almost the same

radiospan

Are we going to see a resolution to the Proxy problem soon? I'd like to think that it's only a temporary problem before upgrading.

Some sites will only work with the Proxy on, but other pages only half - load unless I turn it off.

Dyr

I was just reading the bit about the quality of service when my connection was dropped and stayed dropped for ten minutes :rolleyes:

Actually, i dont get it, i get more for the same price Im paying now if i go to clicksilver plus?? Im not used to this behaviour from an irish teleco...wheres the catch??

dub45

Actually, i dont get it, i get more for the same price Im paying now if i go to clicksilver plus?? Im not used to this behaviour from an irish teleco...wheres the catch??

The reason for the decrease in price or the more for your money is the fall in the wholesale price.

the catch (and some people may not consider it a catch) is that you have to sign up for a further 12 month contract which other ISP's do not appear to be requiring of their customers

Pataman

No problem sugning up for another 12 mts, if they improve the outages and problems logging on. I didnt have these problems with isdn

ArthurG

Are we going to see a resolution to the Proxy problem soon? I'd like to think that it's only a temporary problem before upgrading.

Don't hold your breath...... UTV are now ignoring posts on this subject on the support newsgroup (well, they were upto tuesday evening, haven't been on my home PC since then). This proxy thing results in serious security problems, which can only be alleviated by NOT using the proxy, but then you can't access Hotmail etc etc. Even with the wretched thing enabled, although I can get into Hotmail and read messages, I can't send anything.

Grrrrrr.

DaithiSurfer

I was seriously thinking of switching to UTV but having read about this Proxy problem it will be someone else unless something is done about it.
I'm sitting here waiting to move. Someone please come and take my money with a good low cost service with no proxy problems or record of changing Ts&Cs halfway through the contract (are you listening to the last bit about the T's&C's netsource).

daveyjoe

Originally posted by DaithiSurfer
I was seriously thinking of switching to UTV but having read about this Proxy problem it will be someone else unless something is done about it.
I'm sitting here waiting to move. Someone please come and take my money with a good low cost service with no proxy problems or record of changing Ts&Cs halfway through the contract (are you listening to the last bit about the T's&C's netsource).

What's this about changing T's and C's half way through a contract, You are still bound to the original terms until you renew your contract with the new terms and conditions.
Good low cost service: Try IOL if you spend €25 or more on calls a month then the're great value.

Martin-UTVi

Just to clear up on the proxy issue. We're seeing some users who have difficulty with certain sites when they have the proxy enabled. At this stage if you disable the proxy within IE (or whichever browser you use) and then clear your cache of files and cookies all sites will load fine.

The difficulty in tracking this problem down is that it is only affecting some customers, and even with the proxy disabled everything is working through the transparent cache!

Martin.

dub45

Just to clear up on the proxy issue.

Martin what does this clear up other than that UTV cannot solve this problem?

This problem only arose after the first weekend break earlier this year so something must have changed? Logic dictates that. As far as I am aware there was no need for a proxy before that break down I certianly never had it anyways. So if the problem arises after a particular even it would suggest strongly that something somewhere changed.

UTV are 'claiming unrivalled technical support' in the email which we have all just received where's that support now in relation to this issue?

We have already been fobbed off in the support group with an answer that it was a client side issue and there was no response to the fairly irate responses that provoked other than it would be referred back to the people who had already come up with that 'wonderful explanation'!

DaithiSurfer

Originally posted by daveyjoe
What's this about changing T's and C's half way through a contract, You are still bound to the original terms until you renew your contract with the new terms and conditions.

Not with netsource you're not. They only part of the ts and cs they care about is the 'Netsource reserve the right to change them' part

DaithiSurfer

Originally posted by Martin-UTVi
Just to clear up on the proxy issue. We're seeing some users who have difficulty with certain sites when they have the proxy enabled. At this stage if you disable the proxy within IE (or whichever browser you use) and then clear your cache of files and cookies all sites will load fine.

Not really good enough Martin. I dont want to have to clear my cache and cookies just to view certain pages. I kinda want to keep some of my cookies. Like my boards.ie cookie because i forget my passwords etc.

Why dont you just fix the bloody thing instead of making excuses?
Then everyones happy.
When its fixed you can have my money, unless someone else has comeup with a better package in the meantime.

Atreides

Important - you must choose one of the new services before the 25th March for the service to be effective from the 1st April 2004. If you do not choose to migrate to either of the new services then you will remain on your current service and your existing tariff although you will be given the opportunity to take up these new services on an ongoing basis.

Am i reading htis corectly, if i do nothing I will continue to pay 48 euro, have an 8 gig cap and contention of 48:1. I don't like that, as I fail to see why i should have to sign up for another 12 months. If I do nothign i should only be charge 30 euro a month for this service

daveyjoe

Originally posted by Martin-UTVi
Just to clear up on the proxy issue. We're seeing some users who have difficulty with certain sites when they have the proxy enabled. At this stage if you disable the proxy within IE (or whichever browser you use) and then clear your cache of files and cookies all sites will load fine.

The difficulty in tracking this problem down is that it is only affecting some customers, and even with the proxy disabled everything is working through the transparent cache!

Martin.

Sorry Martin, I cleared my cache but that didn't fix it.
Anyway clearing your cache is not a proper soloution to the problem.

silent

works here, trying to post from a pc that never had IE even used for anything except windows update. no proxy used. I like. Will try main pc next and more tests

Da Man

Why is the proxy even necessary?

daveyjoe

Originally posted by silent
works here, trying to post from a pc that never had IE even used for anything except windows update. no proxy used. I like. Will try main pc next and more tests

I can post to Boards.ie without the proxy, but I can't view ebay.co.uk

silent

Originally posted by daveyjoe
I can post to Boards.ie without the proxy, but I can't view ebay.co.uk

had some trouble with ebay too - but it loads fine now as well , all actions fine
I had most troubles with webmail and posting to any forums - that seem to work fine too
haven't tried my main pc yet as I'm reluctant to loose all my cookies
would love to hear from other utv users however too if this thing is at least partially solved now (after how long?)

jonski

I'm still using the proxy , doesn't bother me to be honest , just like to know why really ?

dub45

It can be a nuisance if you use a router.

Ripwave

Originally posted by dub45
It can be a nuisance if you use a router.

Only if you can't figure out how to set your browser up properly.

PcP

I can get into my hotmail now without using the proxy, will know if posting here works in about 10 secs..

[edit] Yes indeed

daveyjoe

Originally posted by PcP
I can get into my hotmail now without using the proxy, will know if posting here works in about 10 secs..

[edit] Yes indeed

Does http://www.ebay.co.uk load correctly for you?

daveyjoe

Originally posted by Ripwave
Only if you can't figure out how to set your browser up properly.

:rolleyes:
You have to comment on everything don't you?!

PcP

Yep, e-bay seems to load up fine although kinda slow. I don't normally use it so have no idea about logging on (which was the problem with Hotmail).

daveyjoe

Originally posted by PcP
Yep, e-bay seems to load up fine although kinda slow. I don't normally use it so have no idea about logging on (which was the problem with Hotmail).

Hmmm, The site loads up okay for me, but in the iframes it says file not found (as per previous screenshot). The Proxy fixes it, never had a problem posting to boards without the proxy though.

dub45

Originally posted by Ripwave
Only if you can't figure out how to set your browser up properly.

The fact that it is a nuisance does not necessarily imply a lack of knowledge,

You do not have to be a mechanic to drive a car you should not have to be a computer wiz to use the net.

Most of the people who 'contribute' on here are reasonably computer literate so it is very easy to forget that a lot of internet users are not and things like proxies mean absolutely nothing to them except most likely trouble and an inability to access certain sites.

dub45

Hmmm, The site loads up okay for me, but in the iframes it says file not found (as per previous screenshot). The Proxy fixes it, never had a problem posting to boards without the proxy though.

Just tried experimenting without a proxy - trying www.guardian.co.uk loads
much slower without the proxy and graphics and certain parts of the page
will not load - thats in IE. In netscape it takes ages to download and also
without the graphics.

On an imac without the proxy Safari will not connect to the net at all!

Re-enable the proxy and there's no problem.

Both pc and imac are using the same router/modem.

daveyjoe

Originally posted by dub45
Just tried experimenting without a proxy - trying www.guardian.co.uk loads
much slower without the proxy and graphics and certain parts of the page
will not load - thats in IE. In netscape it takes ages to download and also
without the graphics.

Funny! The guardian worked fine for me both with and without the proxy?

dub45

Funny! The guardian worked fine for me both with and without the proxy?

Tis all very strange indeed!:dunno:

ArthurG

Amazing, everything seems to be working now, and I haven't changed any settings.....

What have UTV done?.

Bye bye proxy (fingers crossed.....)

By the way,

Only if you can't figure out how to set your browser up properly.

I suggest you read some of the extensive posts on this subject, I know how to set my router up and as far as I know, you can't configure a router to overcome a problem on the provider side. Then again maybe i'm wrong, and if you can tell us how, that'd be a lot more useful that smart comments like this.

Ripwave

Originally posted by ArthurG
I suggest you read some of the extensive posts on this subject, I know how to set my router up and as far as I know, you can't configure a router to overcome a problem on the provider side. Then again maybe i'm wrong, and if you can tell us how, that'd be a lot more useful that smart comments like this.

Believe me, I've read every single one of them. Actually read them, so that I don't respond to suggestions about configuraing browsers with a reference to setting up routers. But I still haven't seen a single post with the results of a traceroute, or with information indicating the presence of a transparent proxy (though I understand that this is the most likely cause of the problem).

My reference to setting up your broswer properly was a reference to setting proxy excludes, so that you can access your router without disabling the proxy. It won't help with the router that manages a blacklist, but I'd be sort of suprised if that router didn't support an explicit proxy chain (but as the person with that problem didn't bother to actually post any details of the router involved, he's still in the dark).

dub45

Originally posted by Ripwave
but as the person with that problem didn't bother to actually post any details of the router involved, he's still in the dark).

I dont recall anyone saying they had a problem with their router?

ArthurG

Leave him be Dub45, I reckon he's just a kid with ADD, if you ignore it long enough, he's bound to go away......