Pete Bunce's blog
Do I Look Bovvered?
01:28 PM on Mar 22, 2007

Ever wondered why the hell you bother with this lark? Right now I'm on the verge of calling it a day & finding something else to pass the time. My race schedule over the past couple of weeks reads like this:-

Sunday 11th GT-X race - Disco'd four laps from the end
Monday 12th Steward - Disco'd mid-race
Wedneday 14th Steward - Disco'd before race started, could not re-connect
Thursday 15th GP-79 Monaco - Could not connect period. Several hours of practice totally wasted
Saturday 17th GT-I Barcelona - Disco'd as qually started, but re-joined OK. Survived the race, though, but it was compromised by having to start bog last.
Saturday 17th WTCC - amazing, no connection problems....apart from other competitors connecting with my rear end!
Sunday 18th GT-X - too pissed off, pulled entry
Monday 19th Steward - Disco'd before race start, could not re-connect
Thursday 22nd Steward - Disco'd before race start, could not re-connect

This is just the last couple of weeks - most of the last few months have been the same. Despite many calls to my ISP promising to escalate the problem, not much happens. It may run OK for a week or two, then along come the disco's again and the cycle starts over. Unfortunately, I still have 3 months of the contract to run and until that is complete they will not issue the necessary migration code.
So I'm stuffed.......AND RIGHT PI$$ED OFF!!!



Posted by Steve Smith at 01:41 PM on Mar 22, 2007
Comment #1

Dang Pete. I cant say that I blame you for wanting to step away. BUT, I would rather you not. I enjoy your presence, even if you are an old bloke. ;-)

Is it golfing weather yet in your neck of the woods? Getting quite close here. We have the occasional super nice day, but the ground is beyond saturated. We have had our share of rainfall recently. I dont much care playing mud-ball.

I'd say blame it on Tim, but unfortunately even that wont help solve your problem. I dont remember you having these problems so often early in my career (Season 2 and Season 3)???

Hope you stick around friend.

Posted by Enis Dauti at 01:46 PM on Mar 22, 2007
Comment #2

Too bad you're having these issues lately, I felt the same way few times Pete, for varius of reasons.

I too hope you stick around.

Posted by Tim McArthur at 04:06 PM on Mar 22, 2007
Comment #3

Pete, not that I am some legal expert or anything but there are things you can do.

I remember back when Cable Internet first hit the Bay Area here. It was so poor that I actually dedicated my web space, that they gave me with me account, as a Blog of sorts (this is well before anyone knew the term blog), and rabidly advertised it around the internet. It became so popular that I was interviewed by a couple large PC magazines. It got enough light that the cable company here (at the time it was TCI @ Home, purchased by Comcast after TCI went bankrupt) actually had a payment plan named the "McArthur plan" (The magazines called it that) which translated to; "I paid them the monthly fee AFTER they supplied me a month of actual service". I never paid a dime to that company as they always had down times.

Im not saying this because your ISP may be willing to do anything like that, but I do know one thing; Doing nothing will not solve the problem. Raise hell like it is the last battle for the world. I have cold-called the President of Comcast (extremely large cable company in the USA) to voice myself. Talking directly to the bosses-boss does a lot of good things, and if that doesnt work, talk to their potential customers!

If you are not willing to put that kind of time or effort into it, then just find another ISP even if you are still under contract. Personally, I would rather default on a bogus contract (here in California those service contracts are not valid anyway) then pay for a service that is not living up to my standards.

Give them hell Pete, don't let them take your money and time just because they think they have you under some contract. Those contracts are very "ify" at best anyway and they know that.

Hope things get better Pete

Posted by Kent Welker at 06:06 PM on Mar 22, 2007
Comment #4

That really is a piss poor performance record Pete or should actually say Pete's ISP.

My question is IS it actually your ISP dropping the connection or is the game just dropping you?

Anyway hope you figure it out so you can continue on here where you belong.

Posted by Paul Burns at 08:47 PM on Mar 22, 2007
Comment #5

Maybe a visit to dslreports.com might help you...figure out if your ISP has pissed off some other folks.

Posted by Pete Bunce at 12:00 AM on Mar 23, 2007
Comment #6

@ Tim - phone lines are red-hot. Unfortunately all the call centres are somewhere in India & really don't give a shit. The big bosses are tougher to locate than Mafia Dons and twice as teflon-coated!
As for the contract, without a migration code there is no way to switch ISPs....other than installing a whole new phone line!!!

@ Kent - yep, definitely ISP

@ Paul - they've pissed off plenty over here!

@ Steve - Been a crappy winter for golf, too much mild & wet. Like you, I hate playing on mud. Give me 10 degrees of frost anyday. In the meantime, Tiger Woods 07 on the Wii is a pretty good substitute :)

Posted by Johan Nilsson at 04:46 AM on Mar 23, 2007
Comment #7

Pete,

does your connection otherwise work? I mean that when you get disco are you able to surf OK or do you get cut offs and lot's of waiting?

When I had my last (latest) ISP problems it turned out that the line 'pumped' ie. speed went up and down without obvious reason and this caused my discos.

The reason was at distribution center half a mile from my house that had bad connection on some of the leads. Unless you have had ISP people measure your connection and check long term speed trends I suggest you do it.

PS.

We've talked about this before:

QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION!

Posted by Pete Bunce at 05:06 AM on Mar 23, 2007
Comment #8

LOL

My internet connection is otherwise fine and the line tests fine & clear. I've got a fair idea what the bastards are doing - port blocking. They deny it of course.

Posted by Johan Nilsson at 07:00 AM on Mar 23, 2007
Comment #9

THOSE BASTARDS!!!

Time to pay them a visit then, eh? :)

Posted by Joe DiPino at 08:28 AM on Mar 23, 2007
Comment #10

Sir Pete...as you know, I am sympathetic to your plight. However, as a Sicilian, I am compelled to say that there is no mafia. Further, no such entity ever existed. It is a fiction created by racists in Hollywood to sell books, magazines, and movie tickets. Also, the governments aound the world devised this fiction to divert the masses much like they have done w/ the Arabic jihadists.

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