New customer - seeking advice

gemstars

Hi all,

I'm just looking for a bit of reassurance really before I sign up.

Some of you may remember I posted a while ago about choosing a provider, well I didn't get round to getting anything sorted so here I am again

I'm looking for a broadband provider for a house I moved into in August. I currently have no TV package with Sky or Virgin (don't want it) and no phone line (don't need one but I'd have one if it made a broadband deal cheaper or was included in the price).

I've been on SamKnows and gotten a list of providers that are available to my address.

First question - This list didn't provide all the deals from all the providers it mentioned, this is fine as I can look for these on their websites, but can I be confident that the SamKnows list at least gave me all the providers out there that are suitable for my address? Or could there be some more?

So, if the list is correct I've worked out that Orange HomeMax will be the cheapest for me whilst still receiving a high broadband speed and unlimited download restrictions.

Second Question - Should I be looking into anything else? I'm not very up on this kind of thing but if there's anything important I should check before signing up, please do let me know

Any advice appreciated!

MsRed1

Have you checked out the O2 broadband thread? http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2181333

Would read up on Orange's fair use policy in their Terms and Conditions to check that the service is really unlimited

macman

gemstars wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm just looking for a bit of reassurance really before I sign up.

Some of you may remember I posted a while ago about choosing a provider, well I didn't get round to getting anything sorted so here I am again

I'm looking for a broadband provider for a house I moved into in August. I currently have no TV package with Sky or Virgin (don't want it) and no phone line (don't need one but I'd have one if it made a broadband deal cheaper or was included in the price).

I've been on SamKnows and gotten a list of providers that are available to my address.

First question - This list didn't provide all the deals from all the providers it mentioned, this is fine as I can look for these on their websites, but can I be confident that the SamKnows list at least gave me all the providers out there that are suitable for my address? Or could there be some more?

So, if the list is correct I've worked out that Orange HomeMax will be the cheapest for me whilst still receiving a high broadband speed and unlimited download restrictions.

Second Question - Should I be looking into anything else? I'm not very up on this kind of thing but if there's anything important I should check before signing up, please do let me know

Any advice appreciated!

You will need a BT line first in order to get any landline-based broadband service. The only exception is Virgin Media cable, which is available without a phone service attached.
samknows lists all the LLU providers on your exchange. Non-LLU providers are not listed, as they are available on any exchange.
Orange does not come recommended by many, if you list your LLU options from samknows then better advice can be given.
Very few non-LLU providers will offer an unlimited service-but do you really need this-what is your monthly usage?

gemstars

MsRed1 wrote: »

Would read up on Orange's fair use policy in their Terms and Conditions to check that the service is really unlimited

Thanks for your reply, I've tried to follow your advice and look for this but all I can find for Orange is what I've copied below. It's not very specific i.e. it doesn't say what they class as high. Does anyone know?

"Fair Use Policy


By accepting our Terms and Conditions, you agree to be bound by this policy. Please see below the terms relating to the relevant service you have subscribed for.

Home Broadband

Why have one?
Well it's designed to make sure your broadband service is fast and reliable whenever you use it.

Some of our broadband customers use file sharing software and download large files like music and videos. This uses up lots of network capacity leaving less available for you. If they're doing this at peak times, it could mean that the speed of your broadband service will be affected.

Am I likely to be affected by the Fair Use Policy?
If you don't use file sharing software or download large files from the Internet it's unlikely you'll ever be affected by this policy. If you do, all we ask is that you do so considerately, perhaps by downloading outside the peak hours of 6pm to midnight. Don’t forget that media streaming, including the streaming of internet radio using devices such as Orange’s own Liveradio, contributes to your use of bandwidth and may, if left permanently on, cause you to be in breach of this policy.

What will happen if my use is very high?
If you only occasionally have very high usage, we're unlikely to be concerned. If it is happening regularly, we may either have to reduce the transmission speed of your broadband while we continue to keep an eye on your usage, or suspend your service and/or possibly close your account.

We don't want to do that, and with your support and goodwill we'll work with you to see if we can avoid this happening."

macman

No ISP offer a truly unlimited service, they all have a fair use policy somewhere, and rightly so.
Of course they don't define 'high', that's so that, should they decide to throttle you or cut you off, they can do so at their discretion without comebacks.

gemstars

Macman - Thanks, but you may have to dumb it down a bit for me

macman wrote: »

You will need a BT line first in order to get any landline-based broadband service. The only exception is Virgin Media cable, which is available without a phone service attached.

There is a BT line to the property, but I understand I don't automatically have to pay a line rental to them (i.e. the Orange HomeMax I'm considering includes a £10.50 per month Orange line rental - I won't have to pay anything extra to BT will I?).

macman wrote: »

samknows lists all the LLU providers on your exchange. Non-LLU providers are not listed, as they are available on any exchange.
Orange does not come recommended by many, if you list your LLU options from samknows then better advice can be given.

I don't know what LLU means but SamKnows gives me these providers if that's what you mean-
BT Wholesale ADSL
BT Wholesale ADSL Max
O2 / Be LLU
TalkTalk (CPW) LLU
Sky Broadband / Easynet LLU - not interested as don't want TV
Orange LLU (Formerly Wanadoo) - favourite as it works out the cheapest
Virgin Media (Cable)

macman wrote: »

Very few non-LLU providers will offer an unlimited service-but do you really need this-what is your monthly usage?

I don't know my usage as I don't have the internet in yet. My partner told me to get unlimited as he said his usage will be high. He downloads a lot of stuff from the playstation network if this helps.

gemstars

macman wrote: »

No ISP offer a truly unlimited service, they all have a fair use policy somewhere, and rightly so.
Of course they don't define 'high', that's so that, should they decide to throttle you or cut you off, they can do so at their discretion without comebacks.

Well that's not very fair! My mobile phone contract offers "unlimited" texts but it the terms and conditions it says that the unlimited limit is 3000 which is fair enough.

I don't disagree with these clauses but I think they should have to define what they mean. :rolleyes:

macman

What I meant was, you will need an active BT line before you can order broadband. You only pay line rental to one company. Not sure if Orange can get your line reactivated or not.
If your list refers to LLU providers (Local Loop Unbundled), then O2 is the obvious and cheapest choice at £7.50 with the O2 mobile discount, a fiver more without.
With the current 2 months free and Quidco cashback, it's effectively free for the first year.

MsRed1

A friends had a call from BT when he downloaded 100GB a month. Was told he would be charged £100 for each GB if he downloaded more. Dunno if it would make any difference if he downloaded late at night: from 00:00-06:00.

penrhyn

You will need an active BT line and phone number before you can sign up with an ISP. It may be possible to do this with an ISP but you would usually have to go to BT or the Post Office.

I suggest you read up on LLU Local Loop unbundling, it means that 3rd party operators such as Sky, Talk Talk have their kit in your exchange, this enables them to offer a cheaper service as thy are not leasing network capacity from BT.

Ah Mr Mac beat me to it!!

gemstars

macman wrote: »

What I meant was, you will need an active BT line before you can order broadband. You only pay line rental to one company. Not sure if Orange can get your line reactivated or not.
If your list refers to LLU providers (Local Loop Unbundled), then O2 is the obvious and cheapest choice at £7.50 with the O2 mobile discount, a fiver more without.
With the current 2 months free and Quidco cashback, it's effectively free for the first year.

Thanks for your help, I may get my head round this yet.

I haven't got my workings out to hand but I'll check them later.

02
8 meg download speed
£12.50 per month (im not an o2 mobile customer)
first 2 months free
I'm assuming BT landline rental is needed at £11.54 per month
Total £250.98

Orange
20 meg download speed
£6.50 per month (I am an orange customer) or £9.50 without
first 3 months free
Orange line rental £10.50 per month
Total £184.50

Are you stating that 02 are the cheapest mainly because of the Quidco cashback? I haven't factored cashback sites in, maybe that should be my next research point.

Please let me know if I'm missing something, there's so much smallprint!

EDIT: the totals I've put in are for broadband and line rental over a 12 month period, which is what I've been working out to compare packages.