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Happy_Shrimper

klint wrote: »

One of your recommendations is PlusNet. Are you aware that they have recently leaked their customers' email addresses to spammers? Also, one of their webmail servers got hacked into and a trojan virus was placed on it which some customers could have downloaded.

This is true about the spam attack for Plusnet.
I am a customer of theirs and have been since 2001. A quick trawl will reveal this isn't the only ISP it has happened to over time and I guess with all these nasty spammers trying to hack in here, there and everywhere they are bound to hit the jackpot every now and again.
Although this is not acceptable, it has happened now at Plusnet so new customers wouldn't be affected and one would hope PN have learnt their lesson now and won't let it happen again.
Despite a bad year for them, I won't be moving any time soon. Things had improved over the last few months and heading back to their once untouchable service until this happened :mad:

Happy_Shrimper

Lady_K wrote: »

Why can't people just have another broadband installed in a property by another company then cancel the old one so they arent left without connection. Cant people have more than one broadband connection in a house? There wouldnt be any need to wait for a mac code then would there or am I totally missunderstanding?

You would need a new telephone line installed for that i.e. 2 line rentals etc.
Unless you are in a cable area, you could use that?

uncletupelo

Happy_Shrimper wrote: »

Yes. Tiscali use LLU (local loop unbundling) where they install their own hardware into the exchange.
I guess you would have to cancel so that that hardware is removed from your line in order for a regular ISP to take you on.

You can always move to another ISP that accepts an LLU MAC. Otherwise you will have to cease your current connection and that will mean no broadband access.

Lady_K

Why do you need 2 phone lines as people have broadband without a phoneline sometimes dont they

I do actually have 2 phonelines both with virgin, bb with virgin and tv but if I moved I'd want to move everything. It just confuses me why people say they could be disconnected for a bit I just thought you could set up a new one before disconnecting

uncletupelo

Happy_Shrimper wrote: »

This is true about the spam attack for Plusnet.
I am a customer of theirs and have been since 2001. A quick trawl will reveal this isn't the only ISP it has happened to over time and I guess with all these nasty spammers trying to hack in here, there and everywhere they are bound to hit the jackpot every now and again.
Although this is not acceptable, it has happened now at Plusnet so new customers wouldn't be affected and one would hope PN have learnt their lesson now and won't let it happen again.
Despite a bad year for them, I won't be moving any time soon. Things had improved over the last few months and heading back to their once untouchable service until this happened :mad:

The thing is though this is not the first time this has happened with Plusnet and much of the data taken related to ex plusnet users who had long since left and yet plusnet still had their details on file.

podiluska

Happy_Shrimper wrote: »

Although this is not acceptable, it has happened now at Plusnet so new customers wouldn't be affected and one would hope PN have learnt their lesson now and won't let it happen again.

Yes. One would have hoped that last time it happened at plus.net too. Plus.net are dangerously inept, and their response to this critical security breach has been ludicrous. I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy now.

Happy_Shrimper

podiluska wrote: »

Yes. One would have hoped that last time it happened at plus.net too. Plus.net are dangerously inept, and their response to this critical security breach has been ludicrous. I wouldn't recommend them to my worst enemy now.

They claim under investment led to some of the problems in the past, but are now owned by BT so presumably have BTs financial backing. Not sure if this will mean it won't happen again. Seems a lot of ISPs suffer these kind of !!!!-ups so not sure I would jump from 1 frying pan to another slightly different coloured one when on the whole, I am very satisfied with them. Better the devil you know and all that.
Out of interest, who would you recommend?

craigiow

The recommendation of Plusnet by Martin in the email has thrown my entire belief in his "ethical, non- influenced" stance.

Plusnet recently have been one of the most slated ISP's. The used to be very good, but over the last 12-18 months their experimenting with an untested traffic management system, LLU experiment with Tiscali and a series of high-profile gaffes have reduced them to the laughing stock of the industry.

Read this story about the latest email mess, and see the bottom of the story for links to some of their others. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/05/16/plusnet_webmail_shut/

Anyway, Plusnet is NOT an ISP I would recommend to people at the moment, and certainly not one I would put as the headline in an email that reaches millions. Its sloppy research at best, or downright UNethical at worst.

MSE_Martin

To answer a few questions

1. Where is UK online at 9.99 as well. Why not include UK online - UK online included a connection fee (though occassionally they wipe it as a promotion) - when i do these calculations I factor this cost in over a year (e.g a £40 connection fee adds £3.33 to the monthly fee) and as such UK online didn't merit inclusion. And more importantly its now shifted its focus to small businesses and starts at £19.99

2. Why is plusnet in with customer service errors? As can be seen above some like it and some hate it - this is always the way with broadband. As the article states...

"Below are my top picks after comparing over 50 broadband products. It’s purely focused on price, as customer service in broadband tends to have a huge ‘luck of the draw’ element; with every provider having its ‘disgusteds of Dorset’ and ‘delighted of Devon’. For further info on customer service reputations use the Broadband Forum section, or on websites Thinkbroadband and ADSLguide."

I've adopted this stance in the broadband article for two years - it's always the article I hate publishing most as you can't win - no matter what provider you pick someone has had a hideous experience and think I'm mad for including it. So I go on price and link to the customer review websites for those who want more details. It's quite deliberate as otherwise I simply can't publish an article - if you ignore every broadband provider who has had issues you wouldn't have any left!

As for "sloppy research or unethical" I find this comment offensive and libellous. The research is diliigent but this is "MONEY SAVING" expert and price is the focus; as stated very deliberately and obviously in the article. If anyone finds a cheaper standalone broadband provider I would be delighted to include it. And as always; the fact there is an affiliate link to plusnet available is not something we check until the article is finished and it has been made. As always that bears no resemblence to the editorial any accusations otherwise are unfair, untrue and unfounded - what you're actually saying is "I don't like plusnet and therefore you should've deleted it even though its cheapest" - if i start doing - then people really would be open to accusations of gemmying the results... I don't do that, never have, never will.

hutchie_3

Good for you,Martin