Updated Find the cheapest broadband discussion thread

sebtomato

anactuary wrote: »

Do you need to speak to Plusnet to leave with no penalty? - I know TalkTalk require contact first. I have been considering BT as well but haven't had email from Plusnet yet.

I have to give them a minimum of 14 day notice, within 30 days of receiving the notification/email of price increase.

I called them today, and basically the new provider (BT) will terminate the old contract and transfer the line. There is no more a need for a MAC code, under recent new rules for broadband transfer.

They told me there was no need to notify them of termination in writing. BT will take over in 17 days (date could be chosen when placing the order)

[Deleted User]

sebtomato wrote: »

I have to give them a minimum of 14 day notice, within 30 days of receiving the notification/email of price increase.

I called them today, and basically the new provider (BT) will terminate the old contract and transfer the line. There is no more a need for a MAC code, under recent new rules. They told me there was no need to notify them of termination in writing. BT will take over in 17 days (date could be chosen when placing the order)

Thanks. Did you know BT charges £65 for the HH5 if you leave within 12 months even if you can leave penalty free, as it's a deferred payment which circumvents the ofcom rule. Not a deal breaker, but something to remember maybe.

sebtomato

anactuary wrote: »

Thanks. Did you know BT charges £65 for the HH5 if you leave within 12 months even if you can leave penalty free, as it's a deferred payment which circumvents the ofcom rule. Not a deal breaker, but something to remember maybe.

I didn't know, but I can't see any reasons to leave BT within the first 12 months, when the contract is only for 12 months, and the discounts are running for the full contract duration.

To be honest, I already have FTTC anyway, so the transition from Plusnet to BT shouldn't make hardly any difference, same physical network. I already have the relevant faceplate installed at home, so it should be just a matter of plugging the new equipment on the date of the switch.

julie777

Please give us a comprehensive table of good comparisons!

JJ_Egan

julie777 wrote: »

Please give us a comprehensive table of good comparisons!

use Google / see Thinkbroadband and other sites .
Plus MSE has a thread on top ranked .

Top are usually the more expensive like Zen Andrews and Andrews etc .
But a lot really depends upon factors like the last mile of cable to your house and even your internal wiring .

sebtomato

BT infinity fibre deal (40/10) has now improved!

£10 a month (12 month contract only)
-£150 cashback (Quidco, TCB slighly lower)
-£50 Sainsbury voucher
+£42 installation/router delivery
= minus £38 for the year!

mrnomoneybags

Does anybody have a copy (screen shot etc) of the MSE £100 credit half price line rental deal?

Sky installed a new line and charged me £100 and it should be £10 and no half price line rental applied either.

Thanks

wiggers

Has anyone tried cutting the line altogether and just using Mobile Broadband? I'm currently paying £31pm (£374pa) to VirginMedia for the compulsory landline + BB, but I saw Three are doing a mobile data sim for £21pm (£252pa):
http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchSimOnly?tariff=205821200
I already have a PAYG SIM in my phone that's a lot cheaper to call on than the landline!

Any thoughts?

Update: Just phoned VirginMedia and they said they'd bring my bill down to £21pm (with pre-paid line rental) if I dropped the phone line.

Scientomology

wiggers wrote: »

Has anyone tried cutting the line altogether and just using Mobile Broadband? I'm currently paying £31pm (£374pa) to VirginMedia for the compulsory landline + BB, but I saw Three are doing a mobile data sim for £21pm (£252pa):
http://store.three.co.uk/view/searchSimOnly?tariff=205821200
I already have a PAYG SIM in my phone that's a lot cheaper to call on than the landline!

Any thoughts?

Update: Just phoned VirginMedia and they said they'd bring my bill down to £21pm (with pre-paid line rental) if I dropped the phone line.

I second the poster above. Mobile broadband is not going to be the best substitute for a ground based service. The ping times and latency are terrible usually so won't be good if you want to play online games as the data won't be sent quickly back and forth to the game server.

If you are just looking for browsing then perhaps it might be fine if you are in a 4G area as I noticed before that my EE 4G service on my smartphone was faster than my 38MB PlusNet Fibre (being about 30MB down/20MB up on 4G), although it (Fibre) has picked up to around 3.5MB/s (which is about 28MB) now I have been with them a while, but my upload is still inferior at about 16MB.

If you live in a supported city then you can also try Relish, which uses the old analogue terrestrial frequencies to connect you to the internet without needing a phone line.

Also, If you live in a supported apartment block, you can also try HyperOptic for a 1GB Fibre connection but it's not exactly cheap (£35pm for 6mths then £60pm). I think all those luxury apartments being built in London for overseas buyers will for sure be linked to HyperOptic since those lot never need to worry about how much something as benign as an internet connection costs!

Billy_Petrolle

I too am leaving Talktalk, because their charges bear no relation to those given me around 14 months ago; because my email account was inaccessible for three months and they deny this, let alone give me any compensation; and because their customer service is made up of unintelligible rejects from "Goodness Gracious Me!"

But I've just spoken with SSE (very cheap) who, once the enrolling process was well underway on the phone, told me almost offhandedly that during the changeover I would be without broadband for two weeks. That's TWO WEEKS. (But maybe unbeknownst to this tyro, this is the norm?)

I cancelled the call! I'll see how I make out with EE....

(Later) I've just popped into the Post Office. To buy a stamp. Walked out with a broadband / phone contract. £16.50 a month. Free weekend and evenings. Unlimited broadband. No fibre optic yet, but this will do me just fine.

When I spoke to Talktalk just now to tell them I was cancelling, I told them that their cancellation fee had been waived because of their just announced price rise. The operative actually said "Well, it's only £61....."

Says it all about that firm.