Please help, social phobia and need to get online!

Sosarge

I was wondering if anyone could please tell me what the best current bundled home phone and broadband package is, I'm currently on incapacity benefit due to ocd and social phobia and need a social outlet (the internet). I've got a phone conection box in my home but BT say it's not active - £122 (ripoff). I've had a look around the site but as my time is limited on the library's internet I would be highly appreciative if someone could point me towards the best current deal. I don't want to pay the reconnection fee though.

Thanks in advance

skiTTish

Have you conseidered going 'mobile '
I pay less than £15 a month for mobile broadband from orange and its a monthly ocntract so If ever I was a bit short or going on holls i just wouldnt buy it that month

Snakeeyes21

Id say going mobile is a great alternative to having standard broadband, im with 3 and for £15 a month i get 15gb of usage, plus I went via quidco and got £100 cashback which has made the cost come down to £9.44 a month.

I get speeds of 2mb on my broadband allday with is more than enough to do browsing and downloading fairly quickly.

It also has the added benefit that you cant take it wherever you go, if you visit family / friends, if you move etc so no more costly line installs in a new place

If you need to have a landline for people to contact you, you can set all that up via voip from somewhere like sipgate, you get allocated a local number which people can call you on and you can make cheap calls using a headset or voip phone via your computer

When I move next month ill be dropping the landline / broadband combo altogether and using just my dongle and voip.

macman

You can't have ADSL broadband without a BT line, the only alternative is Virgin Media cable, if it covers your area. You don't have to pay BT anything for reconnection, look at the free connection offer that is widely detailed on this board.
Mobile broadband will give you a much inferior service to ADSL or cable.
There's no such thing as 'the best deal', because broadband availability and pricing is exchange specific. Go to www.samknows.com then exchange search, look for the LLU options, as these will offer the best deals.

Sosarge

I,ve checked out all the locally available mobile broadband options and I just don't think it's for me (not enough Gb for my heavy usage). I have checked out TalkTalk And BT - which both look the good to me. I've called BT and they said I could have the free connection (on the second contact with them - the first was not so sucessful, I emailed consumer help at BT and detailed my circumstances and they basically told me to spread the £122 into monthly payments - helpful!). TalkTalk seem to have a higher download limit but charge £60 connection. I'm wondering which of these two providers or any others offer the best service, and which to avoid, I don't want to sign up to an 18 month contract without checking them out (as much as possible). Basically I'm looking for the sort of package offered by TalkTalk's Essentials package but wonder wether I'd be better off with BT (free connection attractive).

Thanks to all posters for advice so far:T

maxtweenie

Can you not get O2 broadband where you are? It's currently 3 months free, followed by 9 months at around £7.50 a month with an 'unlimited' usage.

spud17

maxtweenie wrote: »

Can you not get O2 broadband where you are? It's currently 3 months free, followed by 9 months at around £7.50 a month with an 'unlimited' usage.

Rufus_348 wrote: »

Plusnet are currently doing a half-price line connection offer so it would only be £49.99 Still not ideal but less than BT! Plusnet bb is pretty cheap too - £5.99 for Value with 10.95 line rental (http://www.chooseisp.co.uk/broadband-packages/plusnet-value.asp)

The OP has not replied to macmans request for the samknows results.

The 2 suggestions above are limited to LLU enabled exchanges and so, possibly not available to the OP.

Sosarge

Here's the provider information I got off SamKnows, it took a bit of time to work out at home which is why there was a bit of a delay - sorry:( :-
LLU operator presence:-
********AOL: Enabled
********O2 / Be: Enabled
********C&W / Bulldog: Enabled
Edge Telecom: Not available
Entanet: Not available
Lumison: Not available
NewNet: Not available
Node4: Not available
********Orange: Enabled
Pipex: Not available
********Sky / Easynet: Enabled as of 04/12/2006
Smallworld: Not available
********TalkTalk (CPW): Enabled as of 27/08/2007
********Tiscali: Enabled as of 15/03/2006
Tiscali TV: Not available
WB Internet: Not available
Zen Internet: Not available
Ofcom Classification : Market 3 - Four or more 'principal' operators provide broadband services at this exchange. Service in this area has been deregulated!

Dont know what the ofcom classification bit means, but at least I know I have a choice between Orange, TalkTalk, Tiscali, C&W/Bulldog, O2/Be & AOL (Don't want Sky TV so that's not an option).

I'll have to look in to the suggestions above (thanks for those) when I've got time. At the moment I'm limited to 2 hours internet use at a local library - time which flies by surprisingly quickly! That's why my research time is limited and why my replies to posts are staggered - sorry.

Thanks to all posters again, it's help that I need and is very much appreciated, I;'ve been trying to find the right deal for months now and a resource like this forum is tocally invaluable! Cheers:T

DatabaseError

simply, if you have sky TV then go with them, if you don't then go O2 (cheaper if you have an O2 mobile - loads of quidco cashback as well )

456789

As you are a heavy user go with either O2 or Be - (they are the same company really O2 own Be - and they use the same physical network)

Both allow cashback from http://www.quidco.com/ (so when you decide to sign up you need to click through from the quidco site)

If you go with O2 you will get some months free (and a discount if you have an O2 mobile phone) see: http://broadband.o2.co.uk/home/index.jsp for details

Be have a half price offer on for 12 months https://www.bethere.co.uk/web/beportal/halfprice - so you need to look and see which one is best for you

In regards to the BT issue - you can get free installation - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1640845&page=31 - when you phone BT you need to specifically ask for the 'free connection offer'

Just to confirm that offer has indeed been extended until the 31/12/09. To qualify you must have both your line and calls through BT and make 10 chargeable or inclusive calls calls per month (30 per quarter) with BT or you will be charged a £6.80 per month/£20.40 per quarter on your bill. This charge will appear in the ‘One off charges’ section of your bill.

You mentioned TalkTalk you might be able to get a cheaper deal with them but it would allow less download

macman

As DatabaseError says, Sky or O2, easy choice.