Last month’s message was check your credit card for nasty surprises; this month, it’s check your Wifi router, especially if you’re using it only with an Ethernet cable.
Until recently, the airwaves were thick with unprotected Wifi signals. People were struggling to make their routers work and never getting as far as setting up WEP or WPA security.
Generic network names such as ‘Netgear’ or ‘belkin_54g’ advertised signals as free for anyone to use, perhaps for downloading porn or pirated music and movies on someone else’s internet account. In some cases, open Wifi can provide a gateway for viruses and data theft.
Now, with more vendors providing routers with pre-set encryption and easy-to-use setup wizards, most networks are secure. So I got quite a shock when I found my system offering open access under the generic name ‘Netgear’.
My phone is on a BT line, but my broadband connection comes from AOL. Since Carphone Warehouse (of Talktalk broadband fame) took over the UK network in October 2006, I’ve dreaded calling the AOL help line.
Calls are VoIP-routed to India and I pay several pounds to listen to distorted music-on-hold before talking to poorly trained helpers who say “What?” because the line is so bad. One helper seemed not even to know about AOL’s neat One Click Fix software, which can solve many technical problems.
Emails to AOL Help are either ignored or trigger an illiterate response: “Thanks for contacting AOL… I understand your inconvenience regarding this issue and sincerely acknowledge the inconvenience caused due to this… It has been done by the member service and I cannot locate the exact reason… I would like to help you with this matter, however, on email help we do not have access to that area and I can only provide you the general inquiry related to technical… so may I request you to call our member service to resolve this issue… we are fortunate to know that you have taken time to let us know about this issue… And that’s about all for now… We hope this mail is of some use to you.”
AOL uses Local Loop Unbundling, which allows the network to put its own equipment in BT’s exchanges. So the only way to report a faulty broadband connection is to call AOL Help. The helper then goes through a tick box list of tests before reporting the line fault to BT.
One test is to unplug the Wifi router. The next is to cold reset the router by pushing a recessed button. What AOL’s tick list fails to warn is that cold resetting loses all settings. Some are non-standard for AOL, such as the MTU and PPoE settings.
A cold reset also wipes the Wifi encryption settings. It’s obvious when you think about it, but not when you’re paying to be bullied by a VoIP-impaired help line. And the helper’s tick list did not include any warning to make a note of line and security settings. So when BT repaired the line, my router started broadcasting an unencrypted signal under the generic name Netgear. Anyone using only an Ethernet connection to their PC may not find this out.
Several times previously I’ve asked AOL for press comment on the poor quality of its consumer support. But AOL refers me to Carphone Warehouse Broadband Services, whose press office just ducks, dives and ignores.
Because of the serious security implications of what AOL’s Help Line was now doing, I again asked CPW’s press office for comment. After several reminders, a spokeswoman assured me that “the senior complaints manager who works in the CEO’s office is looking into it” and I’d “have a response very soon”. That was well over a month ago and again I’ve heard nothing further.
CPW chief executive Charles Dunstone recently told financial analysts: “We anticipate a year of considerable further progress.” His goal is 3.5 million broadband customers by March 2010. CPW is pushing AOL hard, with offers of a free laptop or PS3 and “great customer service and technical support” for a minimum of two years.
If you are serious about customer service Mr Dunstone, how about moving your help lines back to the UK, improving training and taking press questions on loopholes in subscriber security more seriously?
This article appeared in the July issue of PCW.
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