Daunted by Switching

dogstarheaven

am needing to make some drastic changes to my broadband and tel providers as i've recently been living on a single meagre income that won't sustain the outgoings i have.

currently have been paying (out of contractual terms now):-

BT - £37 (line rental and don't know what else)
SKY - £19 for unlimited broadband only (no TV etc)

can't make head or tail as to why my packages are this high, but at the time, i was with my then partner who handled these accounts but as we've split up a few months ago, i can't see myself affording to pay this any longer. i don't have a TV, and only use the bbroad for browsing, emails and some v. light downloading once a week for an hour or so and finally a bit of tv streaming a few hours a week at the most.

can someone suggest the best deal i should go for that would allow me to continue to have the same level of access aforementioned as i'm sure i'm paying way over the odds for the needs i have.

i remember last time switching providers, it took a lot of frustration and time to sort this out. can someone give me a breakdown as to what i need to do in re. to who i should call who first, requesting this and that, and knowing how long before there's a gap in one provider shutting down the service and the other starting up...

i'm really sorry for sounding so stupid, but i really have no idea where to start with this...

thanks in advance...;)

macman

You need to find out why you are paying BT £37pm just for line rental and phone-that should cost you £14.60 for line rental and a fiver for an Anytime package-not more than £20. Check your tariff-it will be shown on your last bill.
For broadband go to https://www.samknows.com, do an exchange search and look for your LLU options. £19 is far too much if there are LLU suppliers.
Transferring using a MAC should be almost instantaneous, with no more than a couple of hours downtime.

dogstarheaven

thanks for your quick reply macman. i've rung up BT and they said my monthly D/D increased considerably since Dec. but my telephone calls were zero. they're now refunding me the first 2 mths and march's payment will be too late, so i'd have to get it in april instead. i was on a basic package of just the line rental at £14.60.

i've checked out Samknows but i don't know how to guage what is suitable for me. just going by the cheapest is the most viable option (plusnet and talk talk) but i can't tell how reputable they are, and the ease of switchover i'd get.

btw, i am a Mac user, how did you know that?

Farway

dogstarheaven wrote: »

btw, i am a Mac user, how did you know that?

Wrong Mac, the mac referred to is Migration Authorisation Code

Link to is to wiki

macman

dogstarheaven wrote: »

thanks for your quick reply macman. i've rung up BT and they said my monthly D/D increased considerably since Dec. but my telephone calls were zero. they're now refunding me the first 2 mths and march's payment will be too late, so i'd have to get it in april instead. i was on a basic package of just the line rental at £14.60.

i've checked out Samknows but i don't know how to guage what is suitable for me. just going by the cheapest is the most viable option (plusnet and talk talk) but i can't tell how reputable they are, and the ease of switchover i'd get.

btw, i am a Mac user, how did you know that?

AS above, MAC not Mac. Post the samknows LLU options and we can advise. We don't yet know if you can get TT on an LLU service until we see that.
Many negative accounts about TT on this board, so beware going for the cheapest as the sole factor.

benten10

I have sky tv with bt phonelines & demon broadband but am not sure if I would be better off replacing both bt & demon to switch to sky?

Has anyone else done this?

macman

Welcome to the forum benten10. It's better for you to start your own new thread rather than hijacking someone else's-otherwise the replies can get confusing.

dogstarheaven

well, i've signed up to do a volunteer thingy on Samknows and they'll be in touch. is that how i've meant to go along with this??

macman

No, all you have to do is do an exchange search on samknows and tell us who the listed LLU providers are-you don't need to sign up for anything to do that.

dogstarheaven

http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/EMLONGB here's the link of my details. it seems that originally, i signed up to be a volunteer for samknows so that i could test their bbroad coverage/campaign. i hope it'll be poss to retract this...???!! told you i am clueless about these sort of things

macman

Your LLU options are listed in the right hand column under 'LLU Operator Presence'.