A few years ago, when netbooks were just becoming popular, I treated myself to a gorgeous Kohjinsha netbook in white. It had all the bells and whistles, but was crippled by lack of speed. It would drive me crazy, as it couldn't keep up with the speed I type at. And I type with one finger. So I wasted a lot of time trying to correct what I had typed in.
So I finally caved in and went for a mid-sized laptop. The sales guys from Funan all said that netbooks were slow. Go for a full laptop. My friend recommended Acer, so I went for it. At sub $1000 for a Windows 7 model, it seemed like a bargain.
But I hit problems from day one. I used to have problems getting my share of the wireless@sg bandwidth, but with the new computer, it was virtually impossible. After surfing for 10 minutes, it would lose connectivity and error messages will flash up. Something to do with DNS server not responding...
So I felt there was no choice but to purchase a mobile broadband device. I researched the options available from the 3 telcos, and decided Singnet would be the best for price as well as connectivity. Afterall, so many tolerate their high mobile prices because they have the best signal across the island.
When the modem finally arrived, my problems continued. I was still unable to connect to the internet smoothly. Data transfer was super slow. Gmail would not load. By then, I did not know if it was Acer, Windows 7, Singnet or McAffee.
McAffee was he first to be sacrificed. I opted for a total program delete. It made no difference.
Then I called Singtel. This is where it gets interesting. The call gets cut off before I even give them my full details. But suddenly, the modem sprung to life and worked perfectly for about a week.
Then it started to slow down again. I call Singtel again & speak to a technical adviser. He reset the modem, and tells me it's because the bandwidth is unable to support high traffic. Too bad! Shit! And when I was ordering the device, they promised me it would work perfectly! He told me to just reset the device by taking it out whenever it played up. That was last Friday.
Today, surfing was slow in the morning, virtually non-existent in the afternoon. The modem kept losing its connection with Singtel. So I called technical support again. They reset the line, but it made no difference. When they found out I was running Windows 7, they said it was not compatible. I had to download the right driver.
Ironic right? Download a program when I had no internet access?!! Genius!!
So I cart the computer home today, try downloading the update and find the computer can't read that .rar file! WTF!?!!! So call Singtel again. And their advice? Bring laptop & modem to a Hello shop. Queue up. Wait... I don't have the time! I just finished an 11 hour work day. When am I so free to go queue up to sort out their stupid system?!!
Hate Singtel. I feel so cheated by them. How dare they get people to commit to a 2-year contract when they can't deliver the service we signed up for? And when it's faulty, I have to go queue up to hope they can sort it out in one session? Ridiculous.
It's not windows 7 problem, Singtel Broadband on mobile started to slowdown last week of march.. until now 4/4/10. my location tampines area. 1 youtube video (4 min duration/flash quality) takes more than 30 mins to finish buffering. It used to be 3-5 mins before the singtel has some backend issues.
First and foremost there is no transparency whenever a Telco or ISP wishes to make some across the board changes, i notice in quite a lot of locations having line and hardware upgrades or changes in the server rooms of hdb blocks.
For a change, no matter they wish to do something for the better or the worse it would be a welcomed change to actually notify subscribers so that when the expected hiccups happens people would not get fustrated or mad and start bombarding the CS line like how B52s bomb Vietnam during the war. People are generally understanding and forgiving provided that they were properly notified (treated with respect so to say).
Lastly... the service standards in SG is slipping constantly in many F&B, service, retail sectors with the exception of banks though. We do not expected to be treated like royalty but all we need is someone who is sympathetic and take it upon themselves to sort out the mess as we are paying customers.
Unfortunately SG being as small as it is, several big players usually monopolize a certain industry or market sector such that it is generally non-competitive or less agressive market than larger countries. Which is why such companies are not compelled to offer more for less or go the extra mile.
Best Regards
Dear Christine, I chanced upon your blog regarding Singtel mobile broadband connection problem. This problem exists way back in February 2009 since I subscribe to it. As of May 4 2010, this problem still exists. The below is what I wrote in STOMP in July 10 2009:
"I am appalled by SingTel’s childish solution to Broadband on Mobile no connection problem happening everyday within the Central Business District. The no connection problem also happens outside the CBD, it is even worse.
Four months ago, when I reported the no connection problem within the CBD, Singtel said it will send someone to the CBD site to investigate. After that, it said it had investigated and concluded there is no network coverage problem. So, it suggested that I replace the Huawei modem. I took the time and a bus round-trip to Tai Seng to replace the modem. Still, the no connection problem is still there.
Four months later, after my continuous daily calling to Singtel, it admitted on its side that there is a network coverage problem within the CBD as well as outside the CBD. So, four months ago, did Singtel really sent someone to the CBD site to investigate? A lot of my time is wasted during these four months in calling up Singtel everyday as well as taking a wasted trip to Tai Seng to replace the so-called faulty modem.
The final solution that Singtel proposed to me is to terminate the service. What a solution? Instead of solving the problem, Singtel is pretending there is no problem.
I am really appalled that Singapore’s largest listed conglomerate can conduct business in such a childish way.
Singtel is just like the ostrich which dig its head in the sand when in trouble, pretending not to see the trouble. It is as good as Singtel telling me “Hey, we have a network coverage problem here, don’t subscribe with us.”
And if there is a network coverage problem, then why Singtel’s newspaper advertisement says surf anytime anywhere and Singtel’s double decker bus advertisement says surf everywhere?
The reason given by Singtel that there is no coverage due to bandwidth sharing when more people are using is not valid as Singtel should already have the infrastructure in place to buffer the expected increase in new customers.
On page 5 of the Sep 22 2008 issue of “The Edge” magazine, Singtel said its number of base stations will exceed 2,800 by end-March 2009. What is the point of talking about increasing the base stations as well as increasing the download speed when in 2009, Singtel outright asks customer to terminate the service because it cannot solve the problem."
Thanks James! At least they gave you the option to terminate (I am assuming without penalty). What I hate most is that I am obliged to continue paying for service I am not getting as one of the locations I am often in gets zero coverage. It took me weeks to figure that out, but at least that saved me a wasted trip to Singtel shop to queue up.
It's most annoying as most of my friends on Singtel stay with them because of the better coverage. I've never had a Singtel mobile phone line, and after this farce, never will unless they give it to me for free. I'm far happier with both M1 & Starhub. i just wish I'd signed on to one of their mobile broadband packages instead.
Hi Christine, yes, Singtel offered to terminate the subscription without penalty by returning the modem.