Should my elderly mum move from BT

sjpkgp

Hi, hope you can suggest something. My mum and dad are pensioners and have been paying BT about £13 a month for their phone line. They get free weekend and evening calls, which Mum uses but only for half an hour at a time generally, and not often. They are not unhappy with the service but I think they could get it cheaper. My Dad doesn't use the phone (deaf) but I think he would enjoy using the internet as he is massively into researching our family tree and I have subs to the main sites (ancestry etc.) as long as he could get over the initial hurdle of what to do. I've got spare kit he could have. I've been looking at talk talk that seems to offer (currently) phone line of 9.50 and package of 3.25, but have got some reservations namely
a) it says 40gb max downloads, my dad won't be downloading things (like songs, films) but he would be surfing the net, the last thing I want is them to be landed with a big extra bill.
b) can they keep their phone number
c) is the changeover stressful

Very grateful for any advice. sal x

HappyMJ

I use the internet a lot and find it difficult hitting 40GB including downloading a few films as well. If you are worried Tesco has an unlimited internet plan for not much more. You keep the same phone number. Is the changeover stressful? It can be. Direct debit dates will change, the amounts will be different.

macman

40GB is more than enough for what he intends to do.
The phone number will not change.
TT are OK when things go well, but CS is a nightmare when they don't.
Do an exchange search on www.samknows.com to see what their LLU options are.
If they are on the lowest BT tariff the the price is £14/.70pm for line rental and basic calls. Using Line Rental Saver will reduce that to £10 a month.
I'd also look at non-LLU providers such as Plusnet Value (broadband at £6.49pm if on a Market 2 or 3 exchange).

Farway

As you say "elderly" I think, from my late mother's preferences thya may be happier sticking with what they know, which is "the Telephone company" ie BT

As macman says, maybe use the Line Rental Saver option?

Sometimes cheaper is not always best, especially for those brought up when there was no "press button 1" etc, and this includes me

I would look into Plusnet, bit biased as I have just moved over from Virgin ADSL, but so far have found CS fine, with nice Yorkshire voice & not Bombay voice on the end of the line [Oh yes, before you flame me, also found recent call to BT, Bombay, was fine, and yes I do know is not PC to say Bombay any more]

PS - Bit OT, but genealogy for your dad, have a look at U3A and Age Concern for the area, around here there are groups doing FH, I am a volunteer with Age Concern to help others with the family history, using computers, so your dad may just be lucky to have such a group in his area