First Home, advice needed home phone & internet

claire_80_2

I am moving into my first home shortly and have been looking online at the various deals for home phone and internet.

I don't do much downloading at all, but do a lot of surfing & Facebooking. I would like a phone line with free evening and weekend calls.

They do all seem much of a muchness though... so I would like some feedback, all be it neg and pos as to what you would or wouldn't recommend.

I would like to be paying under £20 a month for both if possible.

Thank you!

Heinz

It'd be worth reading Martin's article but my immediate response would be to recommend a BT line (relaibility) and BE broadband (£40 cashback via Quidco).

£11.54 + £7.50 = £19.04/month

DVardysShadow

And get the line from the post office [call centres which understand the problem] and the broadband from one of the ISPs without a 1 year tie in.

macman

OP, you need to check what broadband options are available on your exchange-broadband is exchange specific.
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php
Look for the LLU options on the right hand column, these will be your best deals.
As Heinz says, Be or O2 (same network) are good LLU options if available.

claire_80_2

Thanks for that last link! Really helpful site that.

It says that Virgin cable is not available, and says nothing about virgin broadband, so I am assuming it isn't covered? That is who I was thinking of first of all.

BE seems to be a fantastic offer, I think I am going to go for this for my broadband - just need to sort out who to go for home phone wise, really not too sure about signing myself up with BT, this board seems to be full of people having had bad experiences with them.

One thing you guys might know - my flat has a BT phone point on the wall, does this mean it's all up and running? Would I have to pay a connection fee if I went to say the PO for my line rental?

I have seen people paying out hundreds to connect their phone line, and hundreds I do not have!

Heinz

The presence of a BT socket does not mean a BT (or any) line is active. It could have been disconnected years ago. If you have access, plug a phone in and listen for a dial tone. If you get one, dial 17070 and note the number given. If the automated message offers you options like "Quiet line test", the line is a BT one. If it doesn't, it's someone else's and you'll have a fight on your hands getting it reconnected (because you cannot find out whose line it is).

Getting it up and running could cost anything between nothing and £124.99. BT will reconnect a line if it's one of theirs and it's just been stopped (i.e. wiring all the way back to the exchange equipment is intact) free of charge but, if a new line is needed, their standard charge is £124.99. OTOH, if you're willing to accept an 18 month contract, they currently have a £29.99 connection offer available. Bear in mind that you will initially be contracted to BT for 12 months for line rental even if they reconnect free of charge.

The Post Office will connect a new line for £110 but I don't know whether they do free reconnections like BT.

Some of the other line providers will not allow anything other than their own broadband to be carried on their lines. That particularly applies to LLU providers.

If Virgin cable is not available in your area, you could opt for Virgin National (an ADSL broadband similar to numerous others). That's not cheap though.

derrick

Heinz wrote: »

If Virgin cable is not available in your area, you could opt for Virgin National (an ADSL broadband similar to numerous others). That's not cheap though.

Heinz, I am on Virgin ADSL, up to 8mb speed, unlimited download, inclusive evening and weekend calls, £10. per month, cheap enough for me.

BT for landline rental @ £11.54 per month.

macman

claire_80 wrote: »

Thanks for that last link! Really helpful site that.

It says that Virgin cable is not available, and says nothing about virgin broadband, so I am assuming it isn't covered? That is who I was thinking of first of all.

BE seems to be a fantastic offer, I think I am going to go for this for my broadband - just need to sort out who to go for home phone wise, really not too sure about signing myself up with BT, this board seems to be full of people having had bad experiences with them.

One thing you guys might know - my flat has a BT phone point on the wall, does this mean it's all up and running? Would I have to pay a connection fee if I went to say the PO for my line rental?

I have seen people paying out hundreds to connect their phone line, and hundreds I do not have!

Have you checked on samknows thast Be is actually available on your exchange?-it is an LLU service, so only available on Be/O2 enabled exchanges.