Origin Broadband - any good

terrierlady

Another daft question please, Emails now no longer with bt how do i get email address?

Mister_G

Glad you got it sorted in the end - I was obviously lucky!

Best thing would be to get a gmail or hotmail account. Then you can take it with you the next time you move ISP.

Ladybird2

Ladybird2 wrote: »

After years of hassle with BT and two failed attempts to get a good renewal contract when mine runs out at the end of the month, I have started the switch to Origin.

This is an 18 month contract:

Origin Fibre - £3.59 for first 6 months (£13.59 thereafter)

Line Rental - £17.99

Anytime calls - £5.99

Caller display - £1.75

Free Router

This works out at £35.99 on average per month.

BT wanted £47 for a similar package.

Origin is based in the UK with no overseas call centre to worry about so I am hoping for a much easier time.

I just hope the switch goes smoothly. I'll update at the end of the month when it is all supposed to happen.

Switchover day was today. There was no cut to the phone line but I was without broadband from 7am as my router was not delivered until 2pm. However I am up and running okay now which I am very relieved about.


I did contact Origin on Wednesday evening (only 6 minutes on hold) to see when my router would arrive as I had originally been told by Wednesday. I was told it would arrive Thursday or today. I think it would have been better to have received the router a few days before switchover as service would then have not been interrupted at all.

I have tested the speed and will do so each week:

Download speed - 29.26
Upload speed - 9.60

I felt that a bit more correspondence would have been useful and I am hoping that I receive an email soon to set up an online account.

Still, for my first ever switch away from BT I am happy so far.

mrochester

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Origin Broadband have any sort of online account system. I certainly can't see anything on the site.

50Twuncle

mrochester wrote: »

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Origin Broadband have any sort of online account system. I certainly can't see anything on the site.

So how do you pay them ?
Cash or Cheque .... ?

[Deleted User]

50Twuncle wrote: »

So how do you pay them ?
Cash or Cheque .... ?

Wheelbarrow full of coins?

glider3560

mrochester wrote: »

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Origin Broadband have any sort of online account system. I certainly can't see anything on the site.

They sent me a link to a (almost useless) beta amount system.

50Twuncle wrote: »

So how do you pay them ?
Cash or Cheque .... ?

Direct debit. Emails sent sporadically with PDF bill attached.

mrochester

50Twuncle wrote: »

So how do you pay them ?
Cash or Cheque .... ?

By the direct details you supplied when you sign up.

RichyRich

I've had a real nightmare with Origin Broadband. My one year contract with BT ends today. Around 11th January I was starting to think about applying to a new provider after I called BT and they couldn't offer anything close to the best deals on the market. I looked at Origin and saw they were doing a cracking deal: £300 for two years' line rental and broadband plus about £35 in Quidco - fabulous.

I went through the application on the website and couldn't find where to select the start date - each time I've switched before there has been this option. Went onto the live chat who advised you can't do that through the website and need to call. Disappointing as lose the Quidco cashback but did it a few days later after being on hold 30 minutes. Made it very clear that my switch date had to be the 27th January or later.

A few days later I got an email from BT advising that my broadband, but not my line, would switch on 25th and as such I'd be charged £55 for equipment. I called BT who checked and advised this is correct. I tried calling Origin a few times but gave up after being on hold too long so emailed them. They replied indicating that they hadn't had a switch date through from OpenReach yet and that I would definitely not be transferred before 27th.

On 23rd I called BT to ensure the change had been made. They advised that the switch date was still showing as 25th and it was still showing as broadband only, and not the line so I instructed them to cancel the switch, which they did. I then called Origin Broadband to cancel it from their end too under the terms of the cooling-off period.

After a considerable wait I spoke to a gentlemen who became immediately confrontational and aggressive when I asked him to cancel the order and intended to place it again after 27th to avoid the £55 replacement fee. I was told that this was the third call he had received that day for the same reason and that BT have used similar tactics with other customers to stop them from leaving because they don't want them to go. He said he was looking directly at the OpenReach system and could see that the order was queued for the 27th. I asked why BT's system was showing broadband only and 25th and he said that BT say that to stop customers leaving. I asked him whether he was accusing BT of fraud - he did not answer. I had to ask him around five times to cancel before he eventually acquiesced to my request while still insisting that I would not be charged £55 by BT - an assurance he is unable to give because he does not work for them!

I will still be switching broadband but this experience has put me off switching to Origin. If this is how they talk to customers before they are onboarded I don't really want to get into bed with them for a two year term...and that's before we even get onto their hideously long telephone queues!

My refund will take ten working days, apparently. It didn't take them that long to debit my card!

marcosdjcm

So I signed up to Origin when they had that killer "£172 for the year" deal in December.

What is the minimum acceptable speed an ISP can supply?