Hay Nakaka disaapoint talaga ang Smart. Una nagnanakaw sila ng mga load sa text sa pamamagitan ng mga services nila na hindi k naman nag susubscribe, bigla na lng babwasan ang load mo. Then eto naman ang problema sa wifi…

Almost 3 months na ako naka subscribe sa Smart wifi at lately, very disappointed ako sa service nila. Nag decide kami na magsubscribe sa kanila kasi kailangan namin agad nang internet connection for my father’s work.
Nung kinabitan naman nila ako ok naman about 3 days nainstall na at wla pang 2 hours ok na. First impression ko about the speed, medyo ok nun una kasi inakala ko na hindi pa naka optimize ang internet connection ko. During the 1st month, nag rate ako about mga 110-125 kbps speed (that’s less than half of thier claimed 256 KBPS). Nung nag tweak na ako nag rate ako about 120-135 kbps, medyo nag improve.
Pero during this past week, nakakafrustrate na talaga kasi less than 54 kbps na lang ang speed ng connection ko (Minsan less than 24kbps pa and that’s accurate bec. of NETMON software. Sometimes wla pang connection) LESS than DIAL UPS!!! (and my pc is tweaked for maximum internet speeds). Sana naman may mangyaring himala upang ma solusyunan ang problem na to kasi wlang connection ng telephone dito para mag cable DSL ako….

Popularity: 2% [?]

CONSUMER group TXTPower is urging the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to stop Smart Communications from accepting new customers to its fixed wireless Internet service until it resolves pending complaints from existing subscribers.

TXTPower said it was speaking in behalf of complainants, but NTC Deputy Commissioner Jorge Sarmiento told INQ7.net that the regulator would act only after the group files a formal complaint.

“We will act on this until we see a complaint. If they do that, we can call Smart and their group to explain,” Sarmiento added.

TXTPower convenor Anthony Cruz said TXTPower was urging the NTC to take action in behalf of existing subscribers who had filed complaints with the agency. The consumer group noted that some subscribers have expressed dissatisfaction over the service, dubbed Smart Bro.

Smart Bro (formerly known as Smart Wifi) is a fixed wireless broadband Internet service.

Long Distance Telephone Co., the mother company of Smart, reported recently that there were at least 40,000 subscribers to Smart Bro nationwide.

Since its launch September 2005, Smart said that Smart Bro now covers 300 towns spanning from Batanes in the North to Tawi-Tawi in the South. About 65 percent of these subscribers are located outside Metro Manila, the operator added.

“Smart should be stopped from accepting new Smart Bro subscription applications until they are able to solve the connection problems, customer service and other concerns of its existing subscribers. The service has been described in many Internet forums as below-par, unreliable and slower than promised,” Cruz said.

TXTPower suggested that the moratorium on new Smart Bro subscriptions be implemented immediately, with an accompanying NTC investigation on how Smart is operating the service, the customer service mechanisms offered to subscribers, and how problems are being solved.

“Indeed, the NTC should not turn a blind eye on Smart’s multimillion-peso Smart Bro media campaigns while existing subscribers suffer from poor service,” added Cruz.

The consumer group suggested that the NTC ask Smart to refund aggrieved subscribers.

“If Smart cannot solve the problems, the company should be ordered to waive the one-year subscription contracts so that subscribers could apply for broadband services of other more reliable providers,” the group said.

Cruz said Congress has recently tackled House Resolution 1197 authored by Representative Manuel Zamora, which seeks an investigation on the widespread allegations of poor services of “Smart Wifi” and other broadband Internet services in the country.

Smart Bro is a fixed wireless solution that rides on the nationwide cellular network of Smart to deliver wireless broadband Internet service to subscribers. Subscribers will need an aerial antennae to establish a wireless connection to the nearest base station located at a Smart cellular site close to the subscriber’s home. Cables connect the antenna to the subscriber’s PC.

This wireless technology requires that the subscribers’ antennae have a clear “line-of-sight” alignment and be within a 1.5-kilometer radius from the nearest Smart cellular site.

Smart Bro subscribers pay a monthly subscription cost of at least 999 pesos a month.

TXTPower said that some subscribers have complained about the “low quality” of Smart customer service assigned for Smart Bro concerns.

“Oftentimes, subscribers are put on hold for half an hour before calls are actually answered. When calls get through, the customer service representative could only offer standard replies to problems and gives no help to helpless subscribers,” the group said.

Ironically, Smart announced this week improvements to its Smart Bro customer services.

“We’ve just undertaken major enhancements in our Smart Bro offering on two fronts — network operations and customer care,” according to Roland Peña, head of Smart Network Services division. “These will result in greater bandwidth, faster connection, and improved customer support.”

By major enhancements, Smart meant that it has completed integrating the customer care structure of Meridian Telekoms (owner of the fixed wireless technology being used by Smart) and its own customer service under the Smart Customer Affairs Department.

Smart said that it has increased the number of call center agents manning its customer service, and has also started training its support staff with “higher level technical skills that will enable them to efficiently handle customer concerns.”

Smart said that it has at least 370 dedicated call center seats for Smart Bro, each capable of handling up to 95 percent of calls within 30 seconds.

The local mobile phone operator also disclosed that it has started training and certification programs for its installers and field contractors for its Smart Bro service.

“Our Smart Bro installers — often our first point of contact with our customers — are now also equipped to answer queries and handle basic troubleshooting. With this, we can better educate our customers, and at the same time provide them with direct and instantaneous support,” Peña said.

Smart also announced the expansion of the wireless broadband network’s core transmission backbone capacity to up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps) and its regional backbone capacity to 1 Gbps.

Taken from inq7.net

http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index.php?index=7&story_id=76851

Popularity: 11% [?]

My first post seemed to have missed the point entirely. So here’s version 1.5…..

I actually had experience with nearly all the other broadband providers that are available in the areas that I lived because of friends who has internet cafes. In which I helped them on their operations. And believe it or not, not one of them will give you the perfect performance you will want.

PLDT : The main backbone for most of the Online game servers here in the Philippines. Which makes it THE CHOICE when it comes to online games but for downloads, don’t expect it to be good, especially for the lower priced packages. This is because most internet cafes uses this as their ISP.

Greendot : This would be the best overall, games and download, unfortunately, they have a tendency to disconnect just about every hour and has a whole day of downtime every two weeks. Not good if you’re on the cafe business.

Digitel : Now this one is wierd, just like Smart Bro…. Why? Because this provider seems to choose between places AND actual users for the performance you will get. If you have “connections” to this ISP, expect to pay less than 2000 Pesos for an 8MBPS connection. 8 MBPS!? It’s the backup of Digitel for business lines when their normal lines goes down or has some problems. People inside can get you “random access” to this connections. But what if you’re the “naggy” guy? They can actually change your connection so you’ll get worse service than everyone else. My friend is a living testament to this.

So the main point is, although it is expected to have the problems being a Smart Bro user due to it’s technology, the other broadband providers are not the garden of Eden compared to them…..

But of course, this will NOT change the fact that Smart Bro bites more than your other broadband providers…… =)

Popularity: 2% [?]

For those of you out there who are tempted and fooled by their promises of 7x faster than dial-up, and for those of you who are tempted to apply or subscribe, don’t even think about it… you’ll only suffer for 12 excruciating months of complaint, calling *1888, restarting your PC or router, troubleshooting, pinging, etc… this ISP is a crap!!! C-R-A-P!!!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Nung unang panahon,ang gamit namin na koneksyon sa internet ay dial up. Ibig sabihin pahirapan mg dial, pag na tiyempo pa ng peak hours, masisirara yung mouse mo sa kaka-click. Ngayon revolutionary na, hi-tech na, may na-diskobre akong koneksyon mas mbilis sa dial-up at wla ng log in, ang sya ko nung unang araw akong kinabitan kase ang bilis kahit nag dodownload ako ng mg files ang bilis pa rin habang gumagamit ako ng VOIP.

Di- ng laon,masama na ang timpla ng koneksyon, nawawala na sa timpla, at minsan mas nanaisin mo pang magsulat ng sulat at ipadala sa post office kesa antayin mong mag send ng email gamit ang “magandang smart wifi (nuon)”, laging cannot established to the server.

Ang masama pa nito eh, ahente pa ako nito. Ibig sabihin naloko ako at the same time manloloko ako sa iba, ang ganda pakinggan di ba? Tapos, kapag tatawag ka sa kanila, mag kakaroon ng konting troubleshooting gamit ang net stat live, itong software na ito ipapa download sayo pra makita kung my koneksyon o wla, ang pinagtataka ko, kapag my dumating na on-site na technician nila, ayaw nila gamitin yung net stat live though galing naman yun sa higher technical group, ibig sbihin isa sa kanila ay nanloloko…sama nila… tssskskskksksk… sana mabasa ng madla ito, lalo na yung mga balak mag pakabit ng service nila, maawa kayo sa pera nyo na ibabayad sa kanila..

Thanks ang God bless.

Popularity: 1% [?]

This is my first post in this website and a currently satisfied Smart WiFi/Bro customer (Which is a huge rarity, seeing the angry posts on WiFi and/or broadband related website messages out there.)

I applied for Smart Wifi last year as I thought it was the cheapest (At the time.) broadband option. Imagine my disappointment when PLDT announced their 900 plans weeks after I signed up.

My second disappointment came when they came with LAN cables and such. I thought this is “wireless” ? It seems their are still cables up until a high place (Usually the roof) in which a device would be setup to connect to Smart towers. So this “wireless” is somewhat of a false, gimmick, but it’s ok.

But since I saw the real nature of the service, I actually expected the disconnections, since they use a very unreliable method of data transfer. But they gave on their word, my download could easily reach 30Kbytes up to 45 KBytes. Games do work, but not perfect, especially at peak times.

The best thing I liked about Smart Wifi is that their connection seems to be set to 384Kbps download AND upload. Which is a rarity as all other broadband providers only provide half the download speed on uploads, which is good if you are a “file sharer”.

I actually feel for the majority of the complaints about the service because I experienced the same thing, but only for a short while (About 2 weeks), frequent disconnections, but it doesn’t matter if you’re a downloader, which is my main focus. As downloads still go well.

So, the thing that crept up on my mind was “Why did people choose Smart Wifi? Why didn’t they choose other broadband, nearly all areas in the Philippines has a phone line. My reason was budget, was all the other customers have the same reasons?”

(I’m really interested in this one, what were the reasons you signed up for Smart WiFi/Bro? We can discuss in this in the comments section.)

So, I think, in reality, this service is in a serious disadvantage compared to existing broadband options. Lastly, is this a praise, or a bashing of the actual service? Neither, I think it’s just a rant and a reality check to say the list. But I think Smart Bro doesn’t have a chance of winning or getting good customer satisfaction if they stood on their same ground as before, they need to have an advantage that could overtake the obvious problems of the service.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Mag chat na tayo doon at kumbinsihin natin ang mga taong wag mag subscribe sa Smart Bro!!!

http://www.mypad.net/smartbro/

Popularity: 3% [?]

Hay! naku………..! ganyan naman lagi ang smart wifi or bro! tama naman ang sabi ng smart, ahhh! 7x faster than dial up!

tama……….. ang dial up my 12 kbps ang speed pag PLDT ang gamit mo, eh…. times mo sa 7 equals 84 kbps!!!!! di ba tama ang speed na binibigay ng smart wifi or smart bro! tawagan mo nga ang technical nila sasabihin restart mo yng computer mo tapos ping mo uli, or cmd ang ipagagawa syo! kahit ilang beses mo restart ang computer kung di nila inspection ang antena na kinabit nila hindi gaganda ang service nila! ako nga nag request ng nov. para mapalitan ng conopy feb. napalitan! yung nagpalit nang hihingi pa ng lagay dahil ginawa nila! yung kaibigan ko nagpakabit ng smart wifi! alam nyo ba na nanghingi pa ng P2,000 pesos dahil kinabit nila sa network! yung router ginawang hub! samantalang may hub rin na gamit….. ang totoo hindi marunong gumamit ng router ang mga installer ng smart! hahahaha! alam daw ng smart ang pagsingil nila ng additional fee ng P2,000 pesos! paki check lang po sa san mateo po naggagala ang mga installer ng smart wifi na naghihingi ng installation fee at may dala pang lan card P500 ang benta nila! baka mabiktima kayo ng tao ng smart wifi! ang sasakyan nila kulay marun ng mitsubishi ng spacewagon……….. ingat mga bro!

Popularity: 1% [?]

AS SEEN ON THE FAQ’s OF THEIR CORPORATE WEBSITE.
HOLD YOUR BREATH WHILE READING, THEN REPLY WITH FEELINGS. HeHeHe!!!

Am I guaranteed the published speed?

* Smart Bro’s published speeds are the maximum possible speeds given in the broadband connection. While the speed can often burst to such levels, there are times when forms of technical interference such as noise, electrical shorts or software problems can interfere with the speed, which are beyond Smart’s control.

Also, very busy websites like Yahoo and MSN occasionally suffer from slowdowns,, as well as graphic-heavy sites such as ClickTheCity.com. The servers of most of these major sites are often located in other countries, such as the United States, which can further degrade performance due to the distance the signal must travel.

Please note that Smart Bro is responsible only for providing the wireless broadband connection up to a single PC. Using multiple PCs can will further slow down the speed since the bandwidth will be shared among them

TO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
IT SEEMS THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO “SLOW DOWN” TO OCCUR EVEN WE’RE USING THE CONNECTION ON PEAK HOURS… WEIRD

Popularity: 9% [?]

As of now Smart Wifi or Smart Bro is the worst internet service provider EVER!!!Believe it or Not when im using the PC i wear gloves because i have a really really bad temper and smart wifi only gets it worst when the internet goes off again and again until
to a freaking point that i cant stand it anymore i go haywire and start smashing the wall…well i gotta admit smart wifi was good at
first but after a couple of days it got all messed up..i keep on calling the technical support hotline and i tell you it does absolutely NOTHING!!!!!!!!!! they just keep on telling me “Sir monitor your internet connection for an hour”……….the annoying part of this is you cant disconnect your subscription you have to wait for a year!!!! thats aroud 12,000 pesos down the drain….

WELL SMART WIFI MANAGEMENT IF YOUR READING THIS IVE GOT SOME ADVICES TO KEEP YOUR COMPANY IN STABILITY…..

FIRST : FIX ALL THE BUGS THATS KEEPING US SUBSCRIBERS FROM GETTING GOOD SERVICE..SECOND:COMPENSATE!!!! THE BEST WAY FOR THIS IS TO DOUBLE THE INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED JUST LIKE PLDT PLAY!!! well thats all what i have to say !!!

Popularity: 7% [?]