One web site timing out

Don't know exactly where to post this plea for help. Am having a new problem with ONE web site, ( Consumercelluar ). Have been using for years without issue. For about 3 weeks now I can NOT log onto my account any more. I can't even ACCESS the web site at all. Web browser times out and can not be reached.

Tried on two computers, one laptop, 3 different browsers (Edge, Firefox, Chrome) with all antivirus disabled, all blockers disabled, Windows 7 pro 32 and 64 bit, windows 10 pro 64 bit, all ad blockers etc. disabled, routers and modem recycled and well the list included a few weeks of trying everything. Tried calling CC on phone but wait times have always been over 40 minutes .. Can't access any kind of on line help links for the CC web site (they all time out).

I have several dozen other important web site I use often (for bill paying banking etc.) and they ALL work flawlessly .. no problems. It's just the ConsumerCellular site I can not connect to. Looking for any and all suggestions ? But I think I've just about eliminated about everything I could think of. Help ..

 

Yes that exact URL you listed is the one. Sorry. I normally don't like to type exact link addresses etc. in forums etc. Just know that ANY attempt to access any of the " Consumer Cellular" official web site URLs or links will only time out here. In fact in your reply to me you have a valid "link" shown and if I try to open THAT up from right here while reading your replay that link also times out.

I just borrowed an old computer from a friend and hooked it up to my in house LAN here and also can not connect. But I can connect to ANY and all other web sites, just not the Consumer Cell web site. I have an idea to try. I wonder if the Consumer Cell site is blocking my IP address for some reason?

 

Googled and found this. I couldn't get the link to work either.

Can't Access Consumercellular - Troubleshooting Instructions

If the site is UP but you cant access the page, try one of the below solutions:

Browser Related Problems

Force a full refresh for the site. This can be achieved by pressing CTRL + F5 keys at the same time on your favourite browser (Firefox, Chrome, Explorer, etc.)

Clear the temporary cache and cookies on your browser to make sure that you have the most recent version of the web page. For instructions choose your browser :

Fix DNS Problems

A Domain Name System (DNS) allows a site IP address (192.168.x.x) to be identified with words (*.com) in order to be remembered more easily, like a phonebook for websites. This service is usually provided by your ISP.

Clear your local DNS cache to make sure that you grab the most recent cache that your ISP has. For Windows - (Start > Command Prompt > type "ipconfig /flushdns" and hit enter). For details choose your operating system :

If you can access a website at office or from a 3G network yet it's not working on your computer, it is a good idea to use an alternative DNS service other than your ISPs. OpenDNS or Google Public DNS are both excellent and free public DNS services.

Check our help page for step-by-step instructions on how to change your DNS.

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Already did most of that. Cleared all the browsers etc. Also activated "Open DNS" and set that up and did the "flushdns" etc. Been there done that. Tried again today .. following the above quoted step by step again in case I may have missed something. Problem still there. It always does this: After typing in "any" link involving ConsumerCellular's various web site links, after a few seconds my browser (any browser) says, "Connecting to consum etc...." and then after some time while it's showing activity .. it just times out and says it can't access the web site and gives me the usual stock notices about the web site might being down, or there is a network problem etc. All stock standard stuff.

However I HAVE found a way to FINALLY get onto the web site. I have a VPN application installed on my laptop. I ONLY use it when I'm away from home and using a public wifi connection. So normally around the house and using my own in-house wifi, I don't run the VPN.

So I just turned on the laptop and turned on the VPN service and then tried to access the web site. SUCCESS !! I was able to log in. I then disconnected and hooked up the laptop to my in house wired LAN and tried to access the web site again WITH the VPN also running. Again I was ABLE to log in on my in-house wired connection. However when I turned OFF the VPN I could no longer access the web site.

I then installed that VPN service on my day to day computer (this one I'm using) which has the problem. And found that IF I use the VPN service with any of my computers I CAN log in normally.

But even changing my DNS and making all kinds of mods, changes etc. for the last few weeks I was completely cut off from that web site.

So at least now I CAN log in (and was able to pay my bill). I HAVE had a possibly related issue with my email once in a while. Sometimes a friend, relative, or business entity will stop receiving my emails and they find all my emails being flagged as SPAM and being stuck in their spam folders. To solve it I have them simply "white list" my email on their accounts or make sure I;m in their address book. One friend complained to HIS ISP and wanted to know why this was happening and his ISP said that the IP Address that was being listed in my email was a known bad IP and was blacklisted on several anti-virus bad IP lists (or something like that). I since checked and the IP address assigned to me by Comcast IS listed on about 5 of the bigger reporting entities. I've complained to Comcast about this and so far (this was over a year ago) can't get them to change it. And yes, I have done the modem and router hard reset etc. which is supposed to automatically re-assign me a new IP ... but it doesn't work .. it keeps reverting back to it's original IP. It's like they have me locked into a "static" IP instead of a "dynamic" IP. Been here with this same IP address for 6 years ..

Now I'm wondering if that issue with my email (and my blacklisted IP) is gotten so bad it now affecting my connectivity with some web sites?

So right now by using a VPN client I CAN access the web site. As soon as I turn off the VPN I loose any ability to access. Note, I'm not talking about "logging in" and sending a user name and/or password. I can not even "connect" to the site at all ... "Unless" I use an anonymous log in with a VPN client. I thought switching to the "open DNS" would help but it didn't. Is my only fix going to be to rant and rave with Comcast and try to get up to a higher support level ? Anybody ever seen a problem like this?

 

Sorry you've got a real problem. Hopefully Tony T will look in as he should be able to assist you with your connection problems.
I'm afraid I won't be able to help any further.

 

Try calling them and explain your problem. Customer service: 1 (888) 345-5509

 

Pretty sure I tried that along with FireFox's "private browsing option" when I first had this problem. Incognito didn't help then, but that was over a month ago .. I'll try it again. I don't have chrome installed on this computer. But I'll check it again on the other computer later. Thanks everyone for the suggestions etc. I'm pretty sure if I can get a new IP (non-blacklisted) address from Comcast we might get this fixed. I'll report back here what I find.

 

The only thing in my home that that is provided by Xfinity/Comcast is the set top DVR box. Everything else in my home is self installed and owned/maintained by me. Gigabit modem, gigabit router, etc. Has been like that since installed by me six years ago. Unplugging everything for 24 hours or more doesn't work. I confirmed this with Comcast last week. They have investigated and confirmed my problem of having my outgoing emails being flagged by people as spam. Been dealing with that by having people I normally email to, change "their" incoming spam filters to NOT block my emails (white listing, making sure I'm in their address list, or programming their incoming email from me as a false positive exception. I've done extensive testing here and any email generated from my home with ANY email client always has my comcast home IP address in it. And THAT is what the people receiving my emails see .. the 72. xxx personal IP address addressed to my home location assigned by xfinity/comcast.

As for this related 2nd and newer problem of being unable to access certain web sites, I now believe that also has to do with such internet communicating with some web sites triggering some kind of new "protection" scheme or them subscribing to various known blacklisted IP addresses) security scheme. To prove that, all I have to do is to use a VPN service from my home and that ends up with my internet connection at the site I'm trying to connect to seeing a different IP address and I CAN connect... I can also connect to those problem sites by taking my laptop to another location (public wifi, or friend's house) and connect without issues. But that same laptop cannot connect from my own home system "because" everything coming out of my home has my Comcast IP address attached to it.

Latest update .. Spent a few hours with Xfinity and they have confirmed all of the above. The tech at that point said he will have to send my problem to their highest tier or tech level as normally Xfinity doesn't have any way to change my IP (and he confirmed my recycling modem etc. isn't going to change it) and he also confirmed that although they do NOT use static IP addresses for home use clients, their dynamic IPs can be in place without changing for years. Well I know this .. I've had the same IP now since it was installed several years ago. In that time we had several power outages some major for days .. and the IP never changed.

So I am now waiting for an email from Xfinity's highest support people .. going on a week now. <sigh> The tech I talked to didn't want to commit to them even being able to fix this .. but suggested they were going do something to "white list" (his words) my account ?? In the mean time I have to regularly check my many personal and business email accounts to insure they are still getting my emails and they aren't ending up in their spam folders. And as far as the Internet web site problem, I just turn on a VPN application so I can connect to those problem web sites. Other than this weird problem, I've been pleased with the quality of the Xfinity TV and the speed and reliability of the Internet connection. But I am now thinking about changing ISPs or splitting between Xfinity for TV and some other ISP for Internet.

Lastly, I just checked and last year my IP address was blacklisted on four blacklist websites. Today it's now on 12.

 

Thanks for the followup Steve.

It's nothing I'm doing .. It's the "luck of the draw" mostly. Like when you change your existing telephone number to a new number (for whatever reason) .. You can get a "recycled" number. That would be a previously used number held by someone else who moved out of the area. After a period of time the phone company "recycles" that number. And you "can" inherit things originally attributed to the original owner. I know, THAT also happened to me. When we first moved up here, we were assigned a supposedly new phone number and we immediately started to get all kinds of calls from from people, regarding a "low life" who used to own our new number. We got calls from lawyers and his relatives chasing him for alimony and debt collecting. Also many calls from law enforcement. We were forced to change that number quickly.

I'm suggesting that "blacklist problem" is similar to the public IP address assigned to a normal Comcast user. It's rare but sometimes those IPs become known as spam producers through no fault of the new user based on that IPs history from an earlier time. If you search for "Comcast IP blacklisted" etc. you'll see references to this. Mostly from businesses who are reporting their customers can't get in touch with them via email because of the spam thing and the user is usually using Comcast for his email provider.

I do subscribe to MxToolbox and get regular reports regarding the health of my email addresses and my own domain. Both of which are absolutely clean and continue to show NO problems for years.

BTW that web site you referenced didn't find anything for my email or IP. But many of the other available IP checkers do find my IP. For example (a subscribed service I use MXToolBox) checked my emails and domain against 94 different sites and I was clean everywhere. But my comcast IP using the same check was found on several of the bigger listing agents as being blacklisted.

I'm paying my ISP a pretty penny every month and I shouldn't have to putz around with VPN, and anonymous browsing applications because the IP's address that was assigned to me by Comcast has been blacklisted through no fault of my own.

Still waiting to hear from Comcast .. Opps .. forgot to thank Steve .. That "KPROXY" application also works just like using my VPN ... I'll l have to check it further .. as the VPN app does cause some other problems to my system (a personal video recorder that has a server running 24/7 that doesn't play well with the VPN.) I think that KPROXY might be a better solution. So thanks for that. BUT I have to say again .. I really shouldn't have to be doing all this in the first place.