The Basics Hub

When to Call Your ISP - And What to Say When You Do

Calling your internet provider is never fun. You wait on hold. You talk to someone who reads from a script. They ask you to turn things off and on again. Sometimes they blame your equipment. Sometimes they tell you everything is fine when it clearly isn’t.

But sometimes it really is their fault. The trick is knowing the difference before you call.

The reality: At least 9 out of 10 internet problems are in your house - your router, your Wi-Fi, your wiring. Before you call the ISP, run through the checks below. You’ll save an hour of your life.

The five-minute check before you call

1. Is it just you, or is everyone in the house affected?

If one device has problems but others work fine, the problem is that device, not the internet. Restart the device or check its Wi-Fi settings.

If everything in the house is broken at once, the problem is probably your router or your internet connection.

2. Is it your Wi-Fi or your internet?

This is the most common confusion. People say “the internet is down” when what they mean is “the Wi-Fi signal is weak in the back bedroom.” Those are completely different problems.

The test: Plug a laptop or computer directly into your router with an Ethernet cable. If the wired connection works fine, your internet is working. The problem is Wi-Fi - which is your problem, not your ISP’s.

If wired also doesn’t work: Move on to step 3.

3. Restart the modem and router properly

You’ve heard this before. But most people do it wrong.

The right way:

  1. Unplug both the modem and the router from power
  2. Wait 60 seconds (this is important - 10 seconds is not enough)
  3. Plug the modem back in first. Wait for all its lights to come back to normal (2-3 minutes)
  4. Plug the router back in. Wait for its lights to stabilise (another minute)

This fixes a surprising number of problems. The waiting is not superstition - the modem needs time to re-establish the connection with your ISP’s equipment.

4. Check if the problem is your area

Before you call, check if there’s a known outage. Use your phone’s mobile data to search “[your ISP name] outages near me” or check a site like Down Detector. If there’s a known outage, save yourself the call. It will come back on its own.

When it’s actually your ISP’s fault

Once you’ve done the checks above and the problem is still there, it might be the ISP. Here’s what to look for:

The modem’s lights are wrong. Every modem has a light that indicates the internet connection - usually labelled “Online,” “Internet,” or “Link.” If this light is off or flashing red after the proper restart, the problem is between your house and your ISP. That’s their problem.

The problem happens at the same time every day. If your internet slows to a crawl every evening between 7 PM and 10 PM, your ISP is oversubscribed - they sold more customers than their network can handle. This is their problem, and they need to fix it or you should switch providers.

Speed is consistently below what you pay for. Note: “consistently” means over several tests at different times of day, using a wired connection. If your 200 Mbps plan never gets above 50 Mbps on a wired test, you have a legitimate complaint.

Frequent disconnections. If your internet drops multiple times a day - not Wi-Fi issues, but the modem itself losing connection - something is wrong with the line. The ISP needs to send a technician.

What to say when you call

ISP support staff follow a script. If you don’t fit the script, they get confused. Here’s how to talk to them.

Say this: “I’ve already restarted my modem and router. The modem’s internet light is [off / flashing]. I tested with a wired connection and it’s still not working. Can you check if there’s a signal issue at my address?”

Why this works: It tells them you’ve already done the basic steps (so they don’t make you do them again on the phone). It tells them what the modem is doing (which helps them diagnose). It asks for a specific check (signal issue) that they can actually do.

Do not say this: “My Wi-Fi is slow” or “The internet keeps dropping.” They’ll assume the problem is in your house and walk you through basic troubleshooting. Be specific.

What to ask for

Depending on the problem, you may need one of these:

A line test. They can check the signal strength and noise level on your line from their end. This takes them 30 seconds. If they say “everything looks fine on our end,” ask them to run the test while you’re on the phone.

A technician visit. If the line test shows a problem, ask for a technician to check the wiring from the street to your house. This should be free if the problem is their equipment.

A credit. If your internet has been down for more than a few hours, ask for a credit on your bill. Most ISPs will give you a day’s credit without much argument.

To be transferred to retention. If you’re a long-time customer and they’re not helping, say “I’m considering switching to another provider.” This gets you transferred to the retention department, who have more authority to actually fix things or give you a discount.

What to expect

When to switch providers

Some problems don’t get better. Consider switching if:

The best time to switch: Just after your contract ends. Don’t renew. Sign up with someone else as a “new customer” and get the promotional price.

What to do now

  1. Save this page somewhere you can find it when the internet breaks
  2. Find your modem - know what its normal lights look like
  3. Know your internet plan’s advertised speed
  4. If your internet is working right now, great. If it’s not, run through the five-minute check before you call anyone.

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