Meteor HTC Hero APN issues... works fine with mobile broadband sim!

Solair · 20-03-2010 04:44PM #1

I have been struggling with sloppy customer care from Meteor since I got my HTC Hero about 3 months ago.

It's been impossible to use a whole range of applications over their 3G data APN data.mymeteor.ie as for some reason traffic is being blocked.

They did some work-around which seems to have unblocked traffic to Google Sync and the HTC Hero's built-in Twitter Client, Peep, but it's still blocking traffic to lots of other stuff and it's kind of erratic too.

They claim they are not port-blocking, but the end result is the same. A lot of twitter clients, and other services simply do not work or connect erratically.

As an experiment today, I decided to put in a Metoer Mobile Broadband SIM card and set the APN to broadband.mymeteor.ie and surprise, surprise, the data problems were completely resolved!

Tweetcaster and various other applications were connecting without any issue.

Meteor should simply open the broadband.mymeteor.ie APN to HTC hero and other smartphone customers and give them proper unhindered internet access, which is what they're paying for!

There is another issue going on where the phone mysteriously drops off the 3G network completely and will only reconnect if rebooted / toggled in and out of airplane mode (rebooting the GSM/UMTS radio system).

I haven't run the phone on the mobile broadband sim for long enough to know if this problem is also resolved, however, it would seem unlikely as the two issues don't seem to be connected.

All in all, I would have to say that the support for HTC Hero customers on Meteor is diabolical.

It's ridiculous that after 3 months, I am having to basically trouble shoot their data network by stumbling across solutions.

I am on one of their top bill pay plans, and I am putting a considerable amount of money into their coffers every month. Yet, I am getting no help with my mobile and I am being brushed off and basically ignored.

I called into their store and they replaced my handset without much fuss, but it didn't resolve anything. My SIM has also been replaced and that hasn't helped either.

I have been in touch with them by phone, to no avail.
Contacted them via http://forums.meteor.ie/ again, to no avail. They just keep saying they're 'working on it'
I have even written them a formal letter of complaint, which they responded to after a few weeks. A friendly person from their customer service rang up and made absolutely no commitment to do anything other than to say 'we're working on it' and try to convince me that it was an isolated problem only impacting upon a handful of customers.

There are loads of people having this issue, as is evidenced by comments on this forum and on their own customer service forum, yet they have chosen to do nothing about it.

If they were not prepared to support HTC Hero or other smart phones on their network, they should not have offered them to unsuspecting customers.

It's quite clear to me, based on my experience, that Meteor are still really not in the same league as O2 and Vodafone and are really only capable of supporting low end voice/text/wap handsets, predominantly aimed at the prepay market.

From what I can see they've bitten off more than they can chew with the HTC Hero and they are just hoping that the problems will go away.

At this stage, I just want to leave the network. Three months of no 3G on a smartphone is just a complete joke!

I signed up for a high-end android smartphone with data service, not to beta test Meteor's glitchy network!

I just want a working phone, is it really that much to ask ?!

BCSP · 20-03-2010 05:23PM

There is another issue going on where the phone mysteriously drops off the 3G network completely and will only reconnect if rebooted / toggled in and out of airplane mode (rebooting the GSM/UMTS radio system).

Sounds like a similiar problem to what I'm having over in the nexus one thread. Data disconnects randomly and won't come back until reboot. Though I've seen little to no 3G activity only edge, most likely because of my location.

Solair · 20-03-2010 05:29PM

BCSP wrote: »

Sounds like a similiar problem to what I'm having over in the nexus one thread. Data disconnects randomly and won't come back until reboot. Though I've seen little to no 3G activity only edge, most likely because of my location.

Are you running the Nexus One on Meteor too?

It's not 100% clear from your post. It's just that I am trying to figure out if this is a HTC / Android or a Meteor network problem.

If the Nexus One is causing problems, it's highly unlikely that the Android 2.1 ROM update for the Hero will resolve anything and that's pretty much what Meteor have hinted at as a resolution.

I am getting full 3G coverage, this happens in the middle of Dublin and Cork with 100% coverage bars displaying. The signal will just drop off and I lose all connectivity, it can't even climb back onto 2G. So, I miss calls and texts until it reboots.

The net result is that I can pretty much only use the HTC Hero in 2G mode, as otherwise I miss calls !!

I am seriously thinking about going back over to O2.

Max Power 2010 · 20-03-2010 05:36PM

there is definitely ports blocked on the Data Apn but the broadband one is completely open, i dont think meteor put any proper testing into the hero, the signal dropping is actually a firmware issue orange uk got there firmware update farely rapidly, meteors one is ready but not signed of or released from them yet......ridiculous.

BCSP · 20-03-2010 05:41PM

Sorry should have said I'm on Meteor prepay.
Our problems might be different afterall in that I don't lose reception completely afaik, I can still make/recieve texts/calls. But the Edge/3G connectivity symbol disappears from the phone and won't reconnect until I reboot.

Edit: But like I said I can usually only get an edge connection

Solair · 20-03-2010 11:59PM

That sounds like a different issue that you're having with the nexus one.

What's really annoying me is that eircom/meteor is refusing to acknowledge that this is a serious problem. HTC hero customers are likely to be high spend, and mistly on billpay. However, meteor clearly dont give a toss about us.

I was seriously considering using meteor for my small business, definitely going with o2 or Vodafone now.

Fingers crossed someone other than meteor gets the new HTC range! Vodafone UK is apparently launching the whole range...

James.m.c · 23-03-2010 03:24PM

Solair:

I'm having more or less the exact same problems as you are. I am actually losing the plot and have decided to leave meteor due to their terrible service. I was meteor for about 10 years, now I'm heading to O2.

I'm sick and tired of 3G reception dropping and having to put the Hero into airplane mode and reenter my pin. over and over. they will not or cannot fix this. They at this stage are probably sick of me but I dont care anymore. Meteor have really pushed me too far. For 60 quid a month I thought I'd get better service than when i was prepay spending 10 pocket money. but nope.

Also, I've had to call them up multiple times regarding signing up for unlimited internet. i used internet alot over xmas so I decided to sign up for the unlimited data bundle. I had been charged €240 (Meteor being generous decided to cap this to 50 quid) after 10 days from the first time i signed up for the "unlimited data bundle". So i rang again, it was "sorted", and i continued on my merry way.

This lasted until I noticed my most recent bill which i opened with the sum of €647 internet usage. Meteor being generous decided to cap this to 50 quid AGAIN.

Thank you so much. If I had known that I used so much internet I would have signed up for the unlimited bundle 2 months ago.

oh wait,

I DID.

Anyway, now I'm keeping a very close eye on my bill (up until my request for the bill to be cancelled is cleared) then off to O2 with me.

They cannot provide a fit and proper service, so I'm off. Citizensinformation.ie website is pretty class. They actually gave me the belief that my phone operator could fix the problem. They couldnt so Meteor cannot guarantee that I can use my phone all the time provided I use it exactly as described in the manual.

ugh.

So any suggestions on new phones? I'm thinking the iphone 3GS. Yes/no?

00sully · 23-03-2010 03:30PM

keep the phone and move to vodafone (preferred) or o2 (more expensive data)

the phone should be yours if you paid anything for it and you can cancel your contract since they are the ones who are breaking it by not providing the service you signed up to

breeno · 23-03-2010 05:07PM

Having the very same problem but Meteor are saying it's a handset problem. I told them that I've seen countless other people on their own forum and here and other forums having the same problem but they keep saying it's a handset problem and they will send it for repair, which is a waste of time. At this stage, I'm tempted to leave them, even though I love the phone when it's working properly and the tariff is good. Do I have any options to get out of the contract?

Edit - to say I've posted this in the Hero thread too in the hope that someone can help!

James.m.c · 24-03-2010 09:02AM

breeno wrote: »

Having the very same problem but Meteor are saying it's a handset problem. I told them that I've seen countless other people on their own forum and here and other forums having the same problem but they keep saying it's a handset problem and they will send it for repair, which is a waste of time. At this stage, I'm tempted to leave them, even though I love the phone when it's working properly and the tariff is good. Do I have any options to get out of the contract?

Edit - to say I've posted this in the Hero thread too in the hope that someone can help!

Well as far as I know (customer rights stuff), If they cannot provide the service you signed up for, then they cannot legally bind you to the contract. Essentially, they cant keep their side of the agreement.

I'm currently waiting on some cancellation board from meteor to contact me. My argument is pretty much that they cannot guarantee that they can provide their service as promised, and the same service that I pay for, at all times due to their netowrk not being able to handel smart phones.

If this problem was just me, I would get my phone repaired/exchanges, but its popping up all over the place.

I used a vodaphone sim on it before for a few days and I had no problems at all. The dropped coverage and need to re-enter my pin didnt occur once, where as mine has happened twice today since I got up for work at 6:15 (its now 8:02). Thats pretty much pathetic

Meteor HTC Hero APN issues... works fine with mobile broadband sim!

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