Great Hunt: What stops you switching broadband?

Cackle · 10 September 2015 at 3:27PM

I've just renewed my phone and broadband package without doing any comparisons because I've had a year's stress free usage. I have been with BT and Virgin previously and, with BT I kept losing connection and then my precious time was taken up with trying to sort it (not to mention that I was without connection for days at a time); while I took a major complaint to Virgin -going right to the top - and though they agreed I was right they refused to compensate me. I will never use Virgin again, regardless of what they offer.

Gerry1 · 10 September 2015 at 4:11PM

The broadband market is incredibly anti-competitive because most ISPs insist you switch your landline to them as well. It's just the usual Confusion Marketing that blights most things these days.

Almost invariably, any good broadband offer will come with an expensive phone package that will probably block access to alternative providers such as 18185, so you'll lose out. We need a good regulator to prevent such tie-ins, but sadly we have the Office of the Chocolate Teapot who are utterly useless. Don't expect any worthwhile changes any time soon !

Ofcom will just have an opaque consultation, eventually followed by a turgid unreadable report and then they'll make some useless proposals. After objections from the industry they'll have yet more consultations and proposals, and after a few years they'll make very some minor tweaks and tell us how wonderful everything will be. The ISPs will ignore everything, and Ofcom won't even lift a finger.

There will be true competition ONLY if you can mix and match services to your heart's content without any penalties, surcharges and unreasonably long tie-ins / advance payments. Sadly, as long as we have Ofcom in charge, it will never happen.

pedant1 · 10 September 2015 at 9:13PM

Why is it BT always seem to get a bashing for being the only provider in an area? Considering where I live, I get a reasonable service from BT. I'd love to upgrade to fibre but it is not available here yet. Until it is, I can only get my phone+broadband+TV package from BT anyway so I can't switch. No-one else is willing to install fibre in rural areas, and BT is the only one with a chance of doing so. It is the government who has messed up on this one, since they are happy as long as 95% of the population gets high-speed broadband. If the government paid BT to supply 100% of the population, they could and would do it!

The only thing that will be good if I eventually get fibre (FTTC) is that others providers will be able to compete with BT over that, so I will be able to do a bigger haggle with them at renewal time. I'm sure once there is competition, they will give me a reasonable deal to keep me, otherwise I will consider switching.

asutton709 · 10 September 2015 at 9:14PM

Just switched provider as virgin fibre not available at new house. I have not switched in the past as i thought I was on a reasonable deal - well was before sly price hikes kept upping the price and thought 'fast' fibre had got to be better than ADSL - right. Well gone from a 50mb fibre connection to 4mb Sky ADSL and am pleasantly surprised that the service is much better. No more buffering or slow loading web pages. Have just received a general email from virgin saying them are upping the fibre speeds again this autumn. - the numbers are meaningless but suggest a better service than you actually receive. Whats the point of a 200mb connection if videos stop to buffer?

onomatopoeia99 · 10 September 2015 at 11:17PM

honeyrich wrote: »

I am just about to switch broadband providers however have just been informed by BT that despite only using 6 months of the 12 month upfront line rental deal that I won't get a refund of the unused 6 months payment(some £85+).When I rejoined BT I had to sign up for an 18 month contract,plus pay 12 month's upfront line rental.After 12 months in order to continue receiving reduced line rental charges I had to pay a further 12 months up front.Now my 18 month contract is about to expire I am switching supplier in order to gain a better deal(just like Martin keeps telling us to do!)but now learn I will not get an £85 rebate.In effect I have been conned into a 24 month contract.BT are a very devious operator.BT tell me I won't receive a rebate because the reduced line rental is for a 12 month contract.......this despite paying upfront in good faith.Do I have any chance of getting what I believe is a genuine expectation of a rebate?

If you wanted to switch after your 18 month minimum term, why (oh why?) did you pay 12 months NON REFUNDABLE line rental up front a year in to your minimum term?

They give you a discount on the advance line rental payment because it commits you for a year. You wanted to avail yourself of the discount without taking on the committment that entitles you to the discount, and then you act surprised when they expect you to keep your word?

onomatopoeia99 · 10 September 2015 at 11:20PM

pedant1 wrote: »

Why is it BT always seem to get a bashing for being the only provider in an area?

They never are the only supplier. The ISP I use will supply an internet connection anywhere that BT Internet can, (and anywhere that talktalk can as well). Plenty of other ISPs can supply the whole country over a BT telephone line as well, but they tend not to be the ISPs that offer super bundle deals with TV channels etc.

boliston · 11 September 2015 at 12:16AM

I would not be keen on being "forced" to use an isp for a landline as well as internet service - I think the customer should be allowed to choose the best landline provider and the best isp independently of each other. As it happens my isp provides good landline service BUT if they forced me to use their landline I would soon show them the door!

esuhl · 11 September 2015 at 8:13AM

Chino wrote: »

What about the cost of paying someone to run a mail server?

Why would you need to do that when there are free services around like GMX, Yahoo, GMail, etc.?

SnowTiger wrote: »

I pay £3.30 a month for unlimited web hosting a email.

I use GMX -- there aren't any limits or restrictions that I'm aware of. So I pay £3.50 (+VAT) a year for the domain with unlimited email hosting.

I have free web hosting with a separate company, but that's "just for fun" -- it's not really suitable for professional use.

Chino · 11 September 2015 at 8:48AM

esuhl wrote: »

Why would you need to do that when there are free services around like GMX, Yahoo, GMail, etc.?

I hadn't been aware that webmail providers such as Yahoo! or Google allowed people to use their own domains for e-mail.

cmotd · 11 September 2015 at 10:56AM

I have been with Plusnet forever - 18+ years.

Reasons I don't switch:

1) everything works - I never have a problem.

2) Consistent 16mb speed I get is fine for me. Fibre is available if I ever want to upgrade.

3) I haggle every year to keep the price down and I don't have to talk to an Indian call centre when I do it. Their call centre staff are also human and eager to please.

4) I get £5 off the bill every month though their 'refer a friend' scheme.

5) Pricing is clear and transparent. Not the cheapest on the market but good value.

6) As I have been with them so long I benefit from a legacy contract so they host my domains and website for free.

What's not to like?

The really weird thing is that they are a subsidiary of BT yet night and day different in their attitude to customer service!

Great Hunt: What stops you switching broadband?

Comments

Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

🚀 Getting Started

Categories

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free