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[MSE Archna]

This thread is specifically to discuss the content of the

Internet Access: The Cheapest Way to Dial Up Article

To discuss or ask a question about the article: click reply

[Guy Wise]

Thanks for an interesting and useful article.

I would just comment on Fast4, where you say:-

Feedback on its service is moderate, with some reported problems at peak times.

Just to point out that after the collapse of e7even, thousands of people were left stranded, looking for dialup accounts. Many must have joined Fast4 (a thread on Adslguide has over 7,000 hits). Not everyone would have signed up, of course, but many did. These were only temporary accounts while people looked for a new broadband provider. Many have already moved on, so the situation should be easing rapidly.

Just to give a balanced *feel* to the post , i also posted this elsewhere

[Edinburghlass]

Welcome to any new users coming into the forum after reading Martin's updated article in the email today

If you have any queries please don't hesitate to ask. The MSE mantra is there is no such thing as a stupid question.

You'll find boards on Home Phones and also Mobiles to help with all your telephony queries

[RaspberryFool]

Previous discussions on this topic (e.g. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...8&postcount=11) advocated using German ISPs and Call1899 to connect to them. The advantage (at the time) being that calls to German landlines were free apart from a 3p connection charge. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. However, with Call18185, calls to Germany are only 0.5p/minute - so it is still pretty cheap. Calls to other countries are also charged at 0.5p/minute if one can find a suitable ISP there.

Subscribers to any call providers that offer inclusive international calls (if there are any other than TalkTalk) may also find this method useful. However, I expect that if they are paying that amount of rental each month, they would probably go for one with free broadband!

[ecogeorge]

Have used fast4 for 2 yrs but recently had serious trouble with email and internet access. Helpline is national rate number only available in office hrs (who's home then !)
After finally getting through I find that all users registered before oct 05 are now owned by a company called biscit.com. They took 3 direct debits instead of one last month !!!!
Could not get through on helpline but email to them resulted in refund.
Fast4 accepting new customers but beware phone no. to contact them is 07801 number !!!!!!!!!!!
Suggest we ditch fast4 and biscit.com and find alternative, recommendations appreciated.
rgds George.

[Marl]

I have been with Fast 4 for the past three years.
Last Thursday I could not access my email!so thinking I had a computer problem wiped and formatted my computer got everything up and running still no joy.Telephoned their helpline no one there!!!!!!!!
Tried again Monday this week got through to an engineer who informed me that the outgoing server had now been changed to biscit!!
So to cut a long story short I had to ring the help line four times before it was sorted.
Thought it strange I was only getting new emails,then dicovered that mail sent to me since last Thurday had been bounced back to the senders.
Talk about customer care
Why didn't they inform customers of this change over?
It would have taken one email to let their cunstomers know of the change.
I am now thinking of switching to http://www.zazizam.com/signup/un_home2.php any one with them? good bad experiences appreciated.

[Marl]

Just been on zazizam sign up page.
Got asked to enter an email name.guess what it was speed-mail.co.uk
Is this another branch of what used to be fast4????????

[Geoffo M]

Originally Posted by Marl

Just been on zazizam sign up page.
Got asked to enter an email name.guess what it was speed-mail.co.uk
Is this another branch of what used to be fast4????????

I asked the same question in a previous message and got the answer that it is all part of the same organisation, and I should avoid.

I'd welcome a recommendation for an ISP that can be trusted. Most of them will only take credit/debit card which I find suspicious. I tried DMC dial today. They won't accept direct debit, when I phoned their support line, I got voicemail twice, the website offers "Do you want to speak to someone online" and it always comes up with "No-one is available".

I don't want another fast4/biscit experience!

[ecogeorge]

After last post and loss of email from fast4 - now biscit.com I have lost the will to live in contacting fast4/biscit - always engaged or no. not available.
In desparation I signed up to zazizam.com as my new ISP. Despite correctly taking my credit card payment the connection does not work !!!
I have been unable to contact the customer service no. - continually engaged!!!
I am now fighting the credit card company to refund payment as the service has not been supplied !! more hassle !!
I too have noticed that the isp dial up tel. no. is the same as fast4 !!
Today email function has returned but missing emails people say they have sent me.
Moral --- fast4 / biscit service cheap but appaling customer service.
Zazizam service - disgusting -AVOID.
Who should we use ????
rgds George.

[cratchit]

I've had monies taken every two weeks by V21 and can't get a response, from e-mail, telephone can I just cut off my account? I was taken across to them from Fast4, I use dial up and am not very computer literate. What can I do to get some response? I've left messages and telephone number on biscit website, V21 website and Fast4 website, nobody has contacted me. Anybody know a low priced dial up reliable website to switch to?. I was only paying £4.99 with Fast4 and got weekend telephone calls as well. I understand carphone warehouse broadband/telephone offer is good, but am worried about all the problems people had when they signed up, has this been sorted out now or is it still a minefiled, ie: paying to sign up and then not getting any access. I only really need dial up connection but would like to cut the telephone BT charges as well.

[jr0]

Fast4 (now owned by v21/biscit) seems to have quite a strange way of charging customers. Their billing of "monthly" charges tends to happen a lot more frequently than once per month. I have had several problems that I had to correct with the customer service department. A friend of mine had been charges 15 times the monthly charge within 11 months (by debit card) and no refund has been provided. She had to report a fraud for the bank holding the debit card (a wise thing to do!).

Internet discussion forums also are full of complaints about people with monthly contract suddenly transferred to an annual contract. When I tried to cancel my contract, I was informed by Biscit that the cancellation was not written in the correct Cancellation Form and not acceptable! I have no idea where the cancellation forms can be found, but I will just have to report them for the credit card fraud department...

[Wig]

I note Fast4 is now 7.99 a month (or 30 days according to their T&C) perhaps this can be updated on the dial up article page, aswell as a warning as to their standards of service, re: above messages, especially that they apparently refuse direct debit and therefore they avoid the customer being able to easily remedy overpayments.

Tiscali have daytime dial up unlimited 8am - 6pm (7days) for only £7.99 a month that's not bad! outside those hours it's 1p minute. So outside those hours you could use a MIPcard 0.5p/min

[rabialiones]

ps just Googled geoisp ,02081149845 dialup, Primus gives free eves/weekend calls to all 01+02 nos for 1st 90mins , so completely FREE!!!!

I've just put the number in and connected straight away @45.2 and loading pages really fast.
Use own password + user name and off you go in seconds just like me now!!!

i am just using this now on talktalk free weekends,
have tried it on 1899 during week but it did not work
so it should work if anyone has free evening and weekend mins.
i am going to join primus now and hopefully it should work

ps. i did see this on another thread, hope i am not breaking any rules, apoligies to op and moderators if i am,
just that i thought this info fwould be useful to someone

[Wig]

Originally Posted by rabialiones

ps just Googled geoisp ,02081149845 dialup, Primus gives free eves/weekend calls to all 01+02 nos for 1st 90mins , so completely FREE!!!!

ps. i did see this on another thread, hope i am not breaking any rules, apoligies to op and moderators if i am,
just that i thought this info fwould be useful to someone

It is very useful and belongs on this thread. I will google geoisp now, I can't understand why they give a geographic number for dial up free of charge.....

Edit: But they do check it out...http://www.geoisp.co.uk/

But I don't see the free calls offer for 90 mins on primus???

[rabialiones]

primus gives u free evening and weekend calls on option 2 i think!

[carpy]

what is currently the cheapest provider for unlimited dial-up?

[espresso]

Originally Posted by carpy

what is currently the cheapest provider for unlimited dial-up?

See post #13

[carpy]

Originally Posted by espresso

See post #13

sounds great

what's the best option for peak times though?

[Ken68]

Can't get broadband here, and been with Tiscali Daytime Dial Up for years. No problems with them but being BT Low User, their contract says no computers and no mobiles.
Extra time, 1p a minute is billed by Tiscali so don't suppose BT know or BT doesn't care.
Even cheaper alternative is Tiscali Daytime excluding weekends. £4.99 p.m...tho you have to hunt for these tariffs.

[marko4ever25]

im just wondering if anyone knows a cheap DIAL up providor ie. so many minutes for £5 not pay per minute. we used TO be with wanadoo on dial up which changed to orange but the deal is stopping and we are not broad band compatible.