What broadband service should I sign up to at home?

[yardbird]

Orange Tango!

Never anything good said about Orange usually, but to be fair to them- today a serious result!
My mobile is Orange as well and I needed to upgrade my phone because little buttons became impossible to use 'cos of MS.
I got fab new phone HTC Touch HD and was supposed to get a bundle with my bband and save £s.
Well of course it got totally cocked up - direct debits and tariff etc. etc..

So today I go into Orange shop and explain - they were quiet, so up for a chat. WELL this obviously senior young lady takes over and starts to do stuff.
First she upgraded the contract on my phone so that I get unlimited calls to any network at any time. Unlimited texts and a chunk of free data of the net - enough to be in and out of here all day.
"Leave the rest with me sir, and I'll see what I can do. Come back and see me if nothing has happened by Monday"
Okay, I was very impressed by her and Then!
Got a phone call from Orange Broadband.
A cut of £6 per month backdated 6 months . They ran a 'clear test' on my landline -whatever that is and guarantee I will get between 6-8 mg any time of the day. Unlimited downloads and a promise never to cap me again!

RESULT

So here's a big up for Orange !!


I think I only mentioned possible disability discrimination V fair usage once or twice

 

[Jackobi]

Nope - what I subscribed to was definitely the TalkTalk phone and BB package! So there's no hope then?

Yes, you are right, it is obviously full LLU phone and brodband.

It's just that I have till Monday of next week (just checked) to extract myself from the BB deal, but then presumably I can't get another BB provider with a TalkTalk line anyway?

No, you cannot keep the Talk Talk line and subscribe to a different BB provider.

To clarify, I'm asking (if you know - you may not, tbf - you just sound knowledgable and it's easier than Googling for something like this ) what happens if I take their 30 day trial up and fuck it off? Just in terms of the phone line...given that I now have a line in, when i didn't before iyswim?

I'm not sure about the T&C's of the 30 day trial, but I suppose that if you reject it, your phone and broadband will be cut off. You will be back to square one, no BT line ever installed, full BT connection costs.

Is it then exclusively a TalkTalk line (despite the fact that it was a BT man who installed it)?

Yes it is, BT Openreach maintain the entire network, they are subcontracted by Talk Talk and any other ISP, it will always be a BT man who works on the infrastructure.

I've been burying my head in the sand a bit tbh, but now I only have a few days before committing myself to an 18 month contract.

It's shit - TalkTalkBB are fucking SHIT - but I can live with it if it's going to cost me shit loads more to change it, in summary.

Unfortunately, there is no way you are going to avoid BB downtime if you want to escape the Talk Talk contract. But there are possible ways to minimise costs.

I suspect that if you reject the package within the trial period, Talk Talk will not charge you for the £60 connection fee, but your phone and broadband will be cut off. You will then need to contact BT, pay £125 for a line and sign up to an ISP.

Can you keep the phone and reject the broadband? At least that way you will still have a phone. You can then contact BT, get them to switch it to their network (free I believe) and sign up to an ISP. This way Talk Talk may demand the £60 connection fee, particularly if there is a minimum contract period for the phone rental, but for half the cost of a BT connection, you will have a BT line.
[check this information first with both TT and BT]

 

[Jackobi]

So difficult to choose, 8 meg for 7 quid a month or 20 for 17.50 a month

It is also worth considering that, depending on distance from the local exchange and line attenuation, the line may not be capable of even reaching 8Mb. The further form the exchange the property is, the slower the BB becomes.

There is no point in considering a 20Mb/24Mb connection if the line is only capable of 2Mb, unless you want the other benefits of the package such as static IP and fast path*. As you are not able to measure the line attenuation without access to the line, you should perform a guesstimate of the line capabilities using.

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

Try and find out how far from the local exchange your property is.

*fast path is available on Be but not O2

 

[sheothebudworths]

Yes, I think it was just the BB on the 30 day trial....but I wasn't sure I could then just switch to BT, so thanks for answering that!
Means a higher monthly phone rental charge etc so will have to look into alternative options, but that's all good news.

Thanks very much for your help, Jackobi...

 

[grit]

There is no point in considering a 20Mb/24Mb connection if the line is only capable of 2Mb, unless you want the other benefits of the package such as static IP and fast path*. As you are not able to measure the line attenuation without access to the line, you should perform a guesstimate of the line capabilities using.

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

Try and find out how far from the local exchange your property is.

*fast path is available on Be but not O2

Nice link for checking the location thanks

Whats fast path?

I understand the situation with line speeds, exchange is about a mile away, the place I'm in now gets a full 20meg and my new place is a five minute walk away. I regularly get 1.5Mbps down on torrents

 

[moomoo]

I'm on virgin atm for tv, broadband and phone but have had an offer through from BT to change over with no connection charges or owt. I'm tempted cos the tv is only the one upstairs that I hardly watch anway but is it very complicated to change these things over? I know it sounds daft but I've never done it before and I'm a bit nervous.

 

[Jackobi]

Yes, I think it was just the BB on the 30 day trial....but I wasn't sure I could then just switch to BT, so thanks for answering that!

I know it is possible to switch, but you really need to check with BT how much it will cost, you could end up paying the £60 connection fee for leaving Talk Talk, depending on the contract, and also paying BT £125 to activate the line.

 

[Jackobi]

I'm on virgin atm for tv, broadband and phone but have had an offer through from BT to change over with no connection charges or owt.

Sounds like good news for sheothebudworths.

I'm tempted cos the tv is only the one upstairs that I hardly watch anway but is it very complicated to change these things over? I know it sounds daft but I've never done it before and I'm a bit nervous.

The phone change will require no input at all. The broadband will require plugging in a few leads and runnning a set-up CD. Fairly basic stuff.

Are you thinking of switching to BT phone and broadband?

 

[Jackobi]

Whats fast path?

ADSL2 can be unstable so interleaving is activated on the line by default, it prevents resynchs on the line, but the downside is that it increases the ping by 10-20ms, which isn't good for gamers. However, if the line is stable, interleaving can be switched off, this is known as fastpath and it brings the ping back down by 10-20ms.

Be allows fastpath mode, in fact it can be switched on and off on the web portal, 02 will always be interleaved as they will not allow fastpath mode. Hence, comparably, ping will always be higher on an interleaved O2 connection than a fastpath Be connection

I understand the situation with line speeds, exchange is about a mile away, the place I'm in now gets a full 20meg and my new place is a five minute walk away. I regularly get 1.5Mbps down on torrents

Cool, Be is up to 24Mb so you may get over 20Mb.

 

[moomoo]

Are you thinking of switching to BT phone and broadband?

Yes.

 

[Jackobi]

Yes.

The BT network is solid and reliable but they do traffic manage and throttle downloads, there is a very vague Broadband Fair Usage Policy which covers the basics.

The broadband/phone packages are 18 month contracts, so quite long.

It is a good opportunity to migrate from Virgin for free, as after 18 months you will be able to choose a better broadband package.

If you are concerned about setting up equipment, they offer an engineer install for a very reasonable £88.09 fee (cunts) and the "friendly BT Home IT Support engineers will be happy to set it up for you". I would use this as a bargaining tool, accept their offer of a free migration if they give you a free engineer install, then you do not have to worry, make a point that you are very anxious about setting up the new equipment.

If they don't cave in, you will have to rely on yourself or someone else for help. I would be willing to help you if you are that technophobic, but it really isn't that difficult, a ten minute job, if that.

 

[Jackobi]

Obviously I just want to get the most basic connection up so I can switch to BE. Is there a special account to get or something?

You should choose either the Weekend or Evening and Weekend package.

As already mentioned, you will need to pay this in addition to your broadband bill from whichever ISP you choose.

 

[Jackobi]

I think I only mentioned possible disability discrimination V fair usage once or twice

Way to go. I love bargaining power.

 

[Jackobi]

I regularly get 1.5Mbps down on torrents

This just caught my eye. It is actually very slow for a 20Mb connection, you should be getting at least 1.5MBps.

Do Sky throttle P2P?

 

[keybored]

Be is superb, get it if you can. Everything Jackobi says here is spot on.

I say this as a heavy downloader though. If you're only after a connection there are probably cheaper options which would still suit. I can say from experience avoid Tiscali, Orange and Griffin, both unreliable and poor customer service when things go bad. And avoid any offerings from BT by default

 

[grit]

This just caught my eye. It is actually very slow for a 20Mb connection, you should be getting at least 1.5MBps.

Do Sky throttle P2P?

I meant the good one, it gets downloads a meg and a half a second. Trust me its a good speed

 

[grit]

Off to a great start, had ordered line from BT online at 11pm last night. Just got off the phone with them, line will be activated on tuesday

Hopefully the BT -> Be transition will be just as quick.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

Yes, you are right, it is obviously full LLU phone and brodband.

No, you cannot keep the Talk Talk line and subscribe to a different BB provider.

I'm not sure about the T&C's of the 30 day trial, but I suppose that if you reject it, your phone and broadband will be cut off. You will be back to square one, no BT line ever installed, full BT connection costs.

Yes it is, BT Openreach maintain the entire network, they are subcontracted by Talk Talk and any other ISP, it will always be a BT man who works on the infrastructure.

Unfortunately, there is no way you are going to avoid BB downtime if you want to escape the Talk Talk contract. But there are possible ways to minimise costs.

I suspect that if you reject the package within the trial period, Talk Talk will not charge you for the £60 connection fee, but your phone and broadband will be cut off. You will then need to contact BT, pay £125 for a line and sign up to an ISP.

Can you keep the phone and reject the broadband? At least that way you will still have a phone. You can then contact BT, get them to switch it to their network (free I believe) and sign up to an ISP. This way Talk Talk may demand the £60 connection fee, particularly if there is a minimum contract period for the phone rental, but for half the cost of a BT connection, you will have a BT line.
[check this information first with both TT and BT]

I don't know if this free BT connection thing is still valid, but I might give it a try:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/free-BT-line-installation

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I had an online chat with someone at BT who offered to recommend a package. When I asked 'Katie' if she could explain why their package, at around 24 pounds a month, was around four times more expensive than TalkTalk's 6 pounds per month, she offered me a free iPod shuffle if I signed up now. When I persisted in wanting an explanation as to what I would get for 24 pounds a month from BT versus 6 pounds from Talk Talk she lost interest and went away... funny that. She didn't even attempt to talk me into it by saying better customer service or anything...

 

[grit]

I don't know if this free BT connection thing is still valid, but I might give it a try:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/free-BT-line-installation

For what its worth BT connected me for free as there was a active line already in the property.

 

[IMR]

o2's customer service is second to none – I’ve had to contact them lots, because of problems with the BT line, and o2 have been brilliant in every way.

Would second that. I've had a lot of problems with O2, which may be down to a faulty router, but their customer service have been very good, and a new router is on its way from them.

 

[Jackobi]

I don't know if this free BT connection thing is still valid, but I might give it a try:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/free-BT-line-installation

If you follow the link at the top of the article where it says "It's possible to get free BT line installation;", you can check the official BT offer;

http://www.serviceview.bt.com/list/public/current/Notice09_boo/2-FrameworkImpl337855.htm

It states that;

This Special Offer is available between 1st April 2009 and 30th June 2009* (inclusive)

* Now extended to 30th September 2009.

Also watch out for hidden clauses in offers that BT make;

"1. Customers must make at least 30 chargeable or inclusive calls every three month period or 10 chargeable calls or inclusive calls per month if you are billed monthly.

If you are billed quarterly and you don't make your minimum 30 calls a quarter, you will need to pay £20.40 (Incl. VAT) for every quarter you don't make these calls. If you are billed monthly and you don't make your minimum 10 calls a month, you will need to pay £6.80 (Incl. VAT) for every month you don't make these calls."

BT are quite flexible and may still give you the offer, but make sure that it suits your usage, and always insist on a reference to full T&Cs.

 

[oryx]

I'm on virgin atm for tv, broadband and phone but have had an offer through from BT to change over with no connection charges or owt. I'm tempted cos the tv is only the one upstairs that I hardly watch anway but is it very complicated to change these things over? I know it sounds daft but I've never done it before and I'm a bit nervous.

Just make sure you cancel your contract with Virgin down to the letter, otherwise they'll carry on charging you till 2025 even though you no longer have a service from them.

 

[grit]

Once I have a BT line how long would it take (rough estimate) for BE to turn on the broadband after an order has been placed.

 

[Jackobi]

You should be connected within 10 days at most, usually 5-7 days.

 

[BlackArab]

Broadband options - help needed

I'm seriously thinking of ending my Virgin contract so I'm exploring other possibilities. I have a TV/Phone/Broadband package costing £45 pm but think I could live with just Freeview and hardly use the landline.

Seriously haven't explored other options for about five years so not really up on the whole mobile broadband/dongle thing or other options. Keep seeing some cheap deals with companies like Talk Talk and the mobile phone companies but I'm worried about whether there any good? Never really had too many problems with Telewest/Virgin and mainly surf with the occasional mp3 download.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[sheothebudworths]

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT GO WITH TALK TALK!!!!


I've just backed out of an 18 month contract with them (still within the 30 day trial period) and am going back to a BT/Be phone/broadband combination.

Terrible service - although I did get a line installed into my new house for half the £125 that BT would've charged (and BT will now change me over for free ), so it's not all been bad, tbf but the service drops constantly and they throttle torrents etc.

Plus, at the mo, Be are doing a half price for a year deal online on their cheapest broadband deal (still unlimited )...works out under £7 a quid a month, so with the BT line rental, it's still only a couple of quid more than the shit TalkTalk deal anyway.
It's not automatic though, so you'll have to opt in to the offer (think it's a code you need to put in when you order).

Never had any problem whatsoever with Be btw - I only gave them up because of the problem I had with the new line here originally.

 

[sheothebudworths]

There's another current thread here, btw...

http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=307594

...expands a bit more on how TalkTalk are so shit - and Be are so great, amongst other things.

 

[editor]

Threads merged.

I'm just moving to O2. The pricing looks pretty good and they're promising speeds around 5x faster than BT.

 

[BlackArab]

cheers for that, although I did wonder where mine had gone!

Any opinions on dongles, I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay in this location so thought it might be easier to get one of these things as they seem quite cheap but what about the service? I've never used one.