Contact your ISP

Before you contact your ISP -because you think you don't get the advertised speed- you should at least:

  1. Check your contract, the following should be clear:
    1. Which speed is mentioned in the contract
    2. Is this an up-to-speed or an guaranteed speed
    3. Are there any conditions regarding the speed and if so, which ones
      1. Is or was there planned maintenance
      2. Are there known issues
  2. Test your internet speed properly. This is very important because your home network might be the bottleneck
  3. Know administrative details like:
    1. the name of the contractor, if this is not you
    2. contact details (including birthdate and bank account) of the contractor
    3. name, date and number of the contract
  4. Formulate a clear request for help. For example: My contract says..., but when I measure my internet speed, I see... What do you need to find out why my internet speed is too slow?

Teamwork

It may be hard for the tech and the support of your ISP to find out what exactly the problem is.

They will probably need a lot of information of you to troubleshoot your issue. Hence it is best to consider yourself as part of a temporary team. Fixing isseus like this is teamwork, it may take a lot of time, so investigate in your relation with the support desk.

Remember, they try to help you. So be kind. Treat them the way you want to be treated.

Be patient and give them time to respond and resolve the problem. A single phone call can easily take half an hour to an hour! Before the end of each contact, make clear agreements about who will do what and who will make contact again and when.

Do not hesitate to contact the support desk if they have not contacted you as agreed.

Again, remember, they try to help you. So be kind. Treat them the way you want to be treated.

If no further progress is made, then ask what additional information might help diagnose the problem.

If you feel that you do not have the proper tools or knowledge to take the correct measurements, suggest that they send a technician with more knowledge to take the measurements at your location.