PLEASE!! Recommend Broadband for me!

willowisp

Hiya guys,
Posting this here cos its seems a different time when it comes to some technology!

Ok, i live in Kells in Ballymena (According to Samknows im 4.06km away from my exchange).

Im currently with Zen on a monthly contract. Theyre ok, but expensive compared to some so i would like to try and find someone!
(With Zen Landline included and 50gb download per month -£35 -see? Pricey!).

My broadband experience as such:
2006- 2008 -BT -AWFUL, Constant connection dropping and awful customer service
2008-2010 - Madasafish -actually good but was atarting to be heavily influenced by Plusnet and turned awful.
and then we come to now!

I dont have much choice-i know that.
All i need is a basic landline (I dont even use the landline phone, all i use is my mobile)
Unlimited Downloads in a month (not with fair useage or throttling!)
RELIABILITY!!!!!! -this is pretty key as im disabled and rely on internet heavily for alot of my day to day life and living.
Speed wont be great -i think its upto 3mb here.
Cost - again, disabled, limited income
Wireless please!!
UK CALL CENTRES!!!! -oh the joys ive had in the past with foreign centers....no thanks!!!!:mad:

Im averse to trying TalkTalk after hearing all the really awful customer service and the actual product itself -but if someone can tell me its reliable....ill look at it!:j

I realise im probably asking alot, but if i can get most of them -esp the download and the reliabilty id be happy!

SO!!! Ive given myself a headache trying to find someone-but its just a nightmare....
Can anyone give me suggestions!??:o:D

oneacourt

If BT is slow, any reseller working through the BT exchange will just be as slow.

Virgin Media may not be the cheapest, but it has won in many comparisons. Why don't you check with people in your area and ask them to check their broadband speeds.

suki1964

I have had no problems at all with talk talk

Yes their call centre is dire but use the forums and get sensible help

Im about twice as far as you from my exchange and where as BT ( and resellers) could barely manage 512, I now get speeds of 2.5mb.

Ive had about 3 full days in two years of no net connection with Talk talk

willowisp

really? I have a friend who is in Ballycastle, and his net keeps dropping with Talk Talk.
Having said that, my mum whos on the mainland has been with them for years and had no problems....

ive looked at Sky and can only get theyre basic package, same with Virgin and O2...its just so limited the options...but the amount im paying is stretching a bit. Im asking what they can do, and not alot looks like the answer -theyre customer service IS good but paying probably triple the price of others for a "what if" situation.....

Thanks i might have another look at Talk Talk, i just dismissed it straight off due to the horrendous stories ive heard.....

suki1964

Ballycastle is a blackspot for just about everything so my friend who lives there tells me

I do get drop outs but for me its not enough of a problem to give up the speed and cost. I prolly drop connection 3/4 times a day and sometimes I do have to reboot my router to get connected again BUT I think a lot of it is down to the Sky as it appears to happen when my parents are recording. I can still download movies and music and I can mostly watch iplayer (sometimes suffer with buffering at peak times)

The other thing is to wait till infinity reaches you. Ive looked at it and once again Im so far away from my green box BT arent too optimistic on getting me faster speeds then Im getting - and yet are gonna charge a fortune


BTW I live 4.5 miles from Ballymoney and am on the Ballymoney exchange

RTNI

I know you mentioned them above and did not seem too keen on them, but we have been with PlusNet for 2 years and I would recommend them. I think they do traffic shape, but they are open and honest about what they do and it's all online. The ticket system is good for support and they are in thee UK for call centres.

Can you get fibre broadband - FTTC? That would be good and fast for you.

willowisp

lol, the two i was thinking of completely avoiding appear to be the ones to look at, lol!!!

Thanks guys, will have a look into it, thank you

absoluteutopia

Been with o2 for 2 years, only once had a slight prob of my own doing and the UK call centre sorted it within minutes, great speeds as well

willowisp

just looked at O2 =out of their area, so the package they offer isnt very good

But thank you for letting me know!

happy_gardener

> Avoid avoid avoid ORANGE...they have a 'foreign' helpline...or as I prefer a help-less line...as they were bl**dy terrible....I blame my extra grey hair for those phone calls!! I would never ever go with them and I had been with them for many years when they were called wanandoo..or something like that.

>If you have a BT phone line you can , for example...pay rental to them but put your phone calls through 'PRIMUS'...check this name via another page on the www.moneysavingexpert.com site)
. We did this before changing and the calls dropped from £65 to under £5...no word of a lie...you use the phone after 6pm and it is free and they charge waaaaaaay less than BT. I even changed my Mum over to them and she is still with them. All you had to do is ring up the Primus people and they do everything for you...dead easy!

> I now have calls/internet and tv stations with SKY
We jumped to them because when we added up the coat of calls&internet...if we added about £5 more we got loads of tv station free. It has been the best thing. We did have bother with our phone line and I can tell you that SKY did their very best and our internet is brilliant now. When you phone the 'helpline' you get through practically immediately and you speak to someone who understands you and follows through your request.

>I do not live too far from you in Ballymena and we signed up for all the stuff with the SKY chap in the Fairhill.

I am NOT trying to do a 'sales' thing recommending SKY. It is just thay I have over the years jumped from one provider to another, same with paying for phone calls, but I am in my happiest now with SKY.
I think with most things....the best way to see if a company is good is to test their customer after service....some let you down and then you see them for what they really are...just after your ££.
ANytime I have had a query wih SKY...they have been professional/polite and reliable. Their engineers call when they say they will etc.

I hope you get it sorted soon

willowisp

happy_gardener wrote: »

>If you have a BT phone line you can , for example...pay rental to them but put your phone calls through 'PRIMUS'...check this name via another page on the www.moneysavingexpert.com site)
. We did this before changing and the calls dropped from £65 to under £5...no word of a lie...you use the phone after 6pm and it is free and they charge waaaaaaay less than BT. I even changed my Mum over to them and she is still with them. All you had to do is ring up the Primus people and they do everything for you...dead easy!

Thank you for your detailed thread this is great!
The above i probably wouldnt need to do, as i really do not use the house phone AT ALL for anything. I use my mobile which covers everything, so it is just the basic line rental cost im needing and not the call costs

happy_gardener wrote: »

> I now have calls/internet and tv stations with SKY
We jumped to them because when we added up the coat of calls&internet...if we added about £5 more we got loads of tv station free. It has been the best thing. We did have bother with our phone line and I can tell you that SKY did their very best and our internet is brilliant now. When you phone the 'helpline' you get through practically immediately and you speak to someone who understands you and follows through your request.

>I do not live too far from you in Ballymena and we signed up for all the stuff with the SKY chap in the Fairhill.

Would you mind me asking have you been with sky before? I left their Tv package in June, i think.
Can you tell me what they offered you? If youre happier to pm me it, that would be fine,but i just wondered what package they said was available to you