Aug 23 2008
SmartBro Wireless Broadband Not Good For Web Freelancers!
I just wrote about mobile broadband in the past few days and now it’s here again. My Internet Service Provider (ISP) Smart Telecoms with their “high speed wireless broadband package” popularly known as SmartBro — is getting the hell out of me. Their wireless Internet service in our area has been so unstable and frequently cuts off in good timing when you really need to be connected to the Internet to do work, talk to your boss or call friends on Skype. If you are planning to become a web developer freelancer or wanting to be an Internet savvy like me who’s based here in the Philippines (for now), I could easily say with pride that SmartBro Wireless Broadband is definitely not a good package for you! Well, unless of course you don’t have any other choice like me.
It has been more than a year now since I first enjoyed SmartBro Internet service and I must say that the last 12 months have been excellent with few problems with connectivity. SmartBro’s customer care hotline have been top notch. I would only need to dial *1888 on my mobile phone, press call button, and then a technical representative would assist me shortly to troubleshoot my Internet connection. If they are unable to solve the problem, the customer care representative then forwards a request to dispatch contractors to my place within three days and check my network hardware and settings.
Things Have Changed
Beyond my first year things have significantly changed, I’ve experienced a series of Internet blackout in the last three months that have put my job and future at risk. For three months, shortly after every downtime, I’ve been calling a lot Smart’s customer care and I always hear them saying the “base station tower where I am connected to is having technical problems” and that “the connection will come back within 24 hours.”
For a couple of times, I was not even able to reach them for help and I just got a pre-recorded voice message telling me that “all lines are busy.” The most annoying of all, is that I cannot predict the exact time the connectivity failure will strike. And it happened to me a lot when I was discussing important work-related things with my business partner and my boss who is based in Canada when we were near deadlines to finish something — and then out of the blue, SmartBro Internet went dead and I got disconnected for at least one or two hours. It made me feel sometimes that Smart doesn’t deserve the Php 999 ( $24 USD ) flat fee I pay per month for their SmartBro wireless broadband running at 384 kbps. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of ISP options in our area, so I think I will just need to endure their service and hope that I would gain back its quality like before.
Related Post
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Just an FYI for ya’
Maintenance will not be done unless there are a certain number of complaints.
Only then will they send a technician out to fix the problem.
So maybe you need to call in more often when you have trouble, and maybe get your neighbors to do the same.
August 24th, 2008 at 6:37 am
Yeah that’s pretty true, MacBros. They will not send a technician immediately (considering my distance from their office in the city), and unless my neighbors under same ISP are having problems too.
August 25th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
wakoy problema bahin ana wa man sad koy internet!
August 25th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
You said that you don’t have alot of ISP options out there. What about mobile broadband provided by cell phone companies. The speeds are pretty good but most prices range about $60 a month. I use it right now for pretty much all my needs. There’s a review over at: http://www.mobile-broadband-reviews.com/Comparison
August 26th, 2008 at 2:11 am
@Joyce
Kaluoy. lol j/k
@Marc
Yeah the broadband companies you showed me are not available here.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:37 am
@ John
You sure? Don’t you have cell phone service out there? If you do with any of the major providers, you should be able to get an Aircard from one of the providers like Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon. Where are you?
August 26th, 2008 at 4:42 am
I don’t think they are available here in the Philippines. Well, actually there’s another provider here, Globe Telecom (mobile wireless broadband too) but they are not yet available specifically in our area.
I am looking at Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT)’s wired Internet solutions with landline service. However, it takes a month to get connected through them. There are lots of papers to do and process is slow, which are quite daunting at times.
Anyway, I’ll think about it. Thanks, Marc.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:48 am
[...] read more | digg story [...]
August 31st, 2008 at 6:23 am
As I was reading your post, I was reminded of my recent ordeal with Smart Bro. You’re right, the first 12 months were excellent. On my 13th month with them, everything went downhill. I did not hesitate to have my service cut then - especially after they didn’t deal with my requests efficiently. I think people should make a stand and tell them to go to hell and change their ISPs so that Smart will realize that they have to do something. One or two people like us would not matter to companies as huge as Smart but if a considerable number of people take action, they will definitely take notice.
August 31st, 2008 at 6:29 am
@Noemi
You’re right, Noemi. What is your ISP now? I was thinking of applying for PLDT wired broadband solutions but PLDT and SMART are sister companies. I wonder if their services both sucks.
October 7th, 2008 at 11:32 am
As for the first year the service and customer care was great, but then the connection and speed would just drop for no reason or even worse no connectivity
I thought it was just my imagination and after being told by smart bro engineers it was my computer and it needed to be reformated. It must be both my PC and laptop, and also my friends laptop in that case as we tried them all. Anyway I reformated the computer but nothing changed, It still had a download ping of 26.78 to 56.3. Yes at 2.00am it speeds right up, but do I really want to work online at 2.00am? I am in the provence in a place called Polanco near Dipolog City. Its unfortunate there are no telephone lines here, this is why I find myself using this service, but for much of the time the service is non existant and slow 90% of the time when I want to use it. How I wish there was a faster service than this here thats able to give a real service. The customer service that simply tries to push the fault off as being yours instead of there own lack of professionalism. If you call them as I also get the usual recorded message of all lines are busy. Maybe they should get some more lines if so many need to contact them, which siggest to me that either there are many complaints or they turn the phones off! As for them sending an engineer to check their equiptment it seems to be unheard of. I wouldn’t mind so much if they were to admit the service is poor. but to suggest to a customer to reformat???? On trips to Manila the Wi fi and Lan connections always work perfect with other internet providers, so I suggest they should look at there equiptment before assuming its the customers problem. As soon as there is another option here with a good connection I will instantly change, so Smart Bro look out as there must be many more who feel like me of your service and openings for other internet providers to take smart bro customers away
Gemma
October 8th, 2008 at 10:28 am
[...] terminal where I ride for bus home. I get my pay at BDO Universal Bank inside this mall and pay my SmartBro Internet bills as well [...]
October 15th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Iam a 5 month old smartbro subscriber, during that past 5 months, I was not able to have a video conversation with my friends and relatives abroad even here in the Philippines.WHY?? maybe because of their WEAK WIFI SIGNAL.Video transmissions okay on both ends but the audio always comes with an interference/garbled etc.
Wanted: NEW IPS
November 4th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Wanted: NEW ISP
Because up to this very day, i havent got a chance to use my smartbro for a video conversation. a friend suggested to use SKYPE instead of YM but still got the same negative results.