Does Anybody Recommend BT Broadband?

RustedKnight

My advice would be avoid BT like the plague.

Overpriced, slow internet, !!!! poor customer service and overall rediculous. I've just left them to join TalkTalk (regarded as having the worst customer service apparently, yet for me its been a definite upgrade in both speed and customer service)

m3kx

I'm with BT and had no problems! The only thing I would say is it is awfully expensive.

Spendless_Dosh

Not sure this is a recommendation, but wanted to post my experience (for what its worth).

Been with Virginmedia (through a BT exchange) for about 7 years paying £15/month for broadband plus evenings and weekend calls. Recently had a letter advising an increase from £15 to £20/month so I range to confront them hoping for a concession.

This attempt failed and when I suggested I leave for another provider they pretty much said "go ahead". So I did.

I've switched to BT using an offer I received for broadband (option 1) and anytime calls for £9.70/month for a 24 month contract. The switchover was smooth (on both sides) and the service is up and running without any problems. So far I've been unable to detect any significant difference in how the line performs but I haven't done a check.

Hope this puts across a more positive message for those of you about to make the choice of ISP. I was a bit concerned (having been so long with one provider) that the change was going to be a nightmare, but it has been trouble free (crossing fingers) to date. The whole experience for me was one of pleasant surprise, given the feedback from others. So far BT have delivered, lets hope it continues.

dshart

I have been with BT for several years and find it hard to reccommend them mainly due to their abysmal customer support when you have a problem. As others have mentioned their Indian call centres are useless and are just a source of frustration. They read from a script and will do all they can not to deal with your problem, suggesting that the fault is at the customers side.

If you eventually get past the Indian call centre and they send an engineer out I have found the engineers to be very helpful and they have usually been able to sort problems out quickly and give good advice. If only there was a way to bypass the Indian call centres the service would be much better.

For the OP if your OH plays online games and has a stable connection with Orange then I would remain with them. I am currently having problems with dropped connections with BT where the connection regularly drops. For majority of people the dropped connection does not make a huge difference as it is a minor interruption in their browsing which they may not even notice as the router automatically reconnects and they resume their browsing, but for gamers this interrupt means they have to log back onto the server once the router reconnects which can be very frustrating.

The reason I have not changed from BT is that no matter which service I choose I will still be through a BT line as where I live does not have access to cable.

I am not saying BT is worse than others but on my experience I would never recommend them. No matter which supplier you choose there is always a chance you will experience some problems, many of which are outside the control of the supplier, the issue is more how the supplier handles the problem when it occurs, and in BT's case their customer support is lousy.

spud17

The reason I have not changed from BT is that no matter which service I choose I will still be through a BT line as where I live does not have access to cable.

But you could possibly end up paying less with better CS.

But you sound as if you've already done a search on samknows.

dshart

Thankyou Spud17, a very valid point. I guess the reason I have'nt done this is that I had a friend who had a problem with a different supplier and they kept blaming the BT line and as the person did not have a contract with BT they found it difficult to do anything (I know it should be the supplier who chased it up but if their CS department is as bad as BT then you are no further forward). At least with BT I have the argument that they own the line and are providing the service so the problem resides somewhere in BT even though they are different departments.

spud17

At least with BT I have the argument that they own the line and are providing the service so the problem resides somewhere in BT even though they are different departments.

A common misunderstanding.

Different companies, within the same group, no favouritism is allowed to be shown. Openreach, Wholesale, Retail, or whatever they are called this week, operate as separate entities.

angela110660

Had a phone call from BT saying that they can offer high speed internet now in our area and were we interested? Said we can have first 3 months for £7.50 and then £18 per month for a total of 18 Months contract.
Currently with AOL paying £13.99 per month - very happy with AOL by the way and they use our BT phone line.
What difference would it make if BT provided internet on their phone line rather than AOL apart from the monthly cost? Do BT install some other gadgetry or do they just give us a new phone wire??
We are clueless so would be grateful for any advice please. Thank you.

grimsalve

angela110660 wrote: »

Had a phone call from BT saying that they can offer high speed internet now in our area and were we interested? Said we can have first 3 months for £7.50 and then £18 per month for a total of 18 Months contract.
Currently with AOL paying £13.99 per month - very happy with AOL by the way and they use our BT phone line.
What difference would it make if BT provided internet on their phone line rather than AOL apart from the monthly cost? Do BT install some other gadgetry or do they just give us a new phone wire??
We are clueless so would be grateful for any advice please. Thank you.

If you're happy with AOL then you might as well stick with them. From the figures you've given above, doesn't AOL work out cheaper than what BT have quoted you anyway?

dshart

Angela, if you are happy with your current supplier why change? unless you are going to save money or you require a higher speed then I could see a reason to change.

Also remember that you may not be able to receive the speed they advertise. I had a long argument with one of their technical staff regarding the speed of my broadband. He kept saying that I should be getting an average of 2mb and when I told him that I had never tested at higher than 1.9 mb he said that was a good average. He did not seem to understand the difference between highest speed and average speed.