The OP hasn't responded. I am starting to believe that he wasn't aware of the WebTrader as a back facility. Rant thread.
Lightspeed is down again this morning. So I looked to see if I could use the alternative. Turns out it's actually called "Lightspeed Web Trader" and it's not available if you're signed up with their DMA tools. At least I couldn't see any way to download it. Perhaps that's because the different tools are associated with accounts that have different commission rates. Fortunately, again, I don't have anything hanging out there. And I don't know if it would do any good; maybe when one is down the other is too. So I sent an email asking about whether it would do me any good to have the other as a backup and if that was possible.
I guess I should add that Lightspeed isn't supposed to be running on Saturday mornings... But I hope to hear from them next week about whether I can use Lightspeed Web Trader as a back-up program.
Yes, a very long outage. The outage was nearly 2 full hours, 1 hour and 55 minutes to be exact. As for Web Trader, my understanding is that it is either/or (not both) when it comes to Lightspeed Trader (DMA) and Web Trader (non DMA). As you mentioned, they are separate and have different commission structures. It's not like Ameritrade where if TOS goes down you can try the website. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, because the problem was network related - even the roll to backup systems failed - the entire network infrastructure was halted.
I am starting to believe you are a shill for the brokerage industry. Not sure why else you'd be sticking up for a broker instead of a trader reporting an outage. Do you work for Lightspeed? Furthermore, WebTrader is not a "back facility" nor would it have helped in this instance even if it were. Is it your regular practice to talk out of your *ss? You want to hear a rant, you should have heard me cursing as I tried to login to my platform for nearly two hours while waiting on queue. That was a rant. Here I was making fellow traders aware of a brokerage outage, their poor customer support and unfriendly post mortem policies. Look, I understand every electronic brokerage will suffer outages from time to time. However, every electronic brokerage I've used in the past has gladly offered commission rebates as an accommodation to affected customers. For Lightspeed to refuse me on this was unforgivable and the main reason I felt the need to take this public. Had they offered me a decent rebate, you'd have never even heard this "rant".
Not a shill. Lightspeed's poor service is well documented on ET. Would not touch that broker with a ten foot pole.