Updated Find the cheapest broadband discussion thread

Skeenfleent

Jo4 wrote: »

...I signed in to my Plusnet account and they were going to debit £16.99 from my bank account for the first month
I was out of contract so I contacted Plusnet the day before my broadband payment email was due and requested my MAC.
The lady said she could offer me a 24 month unlimited contract for £6.50 a month for all 24 months so I accepted!!

I was going to be charged £16.99 amonth if I had done nothing so I have saved £251.76 over two years on my broadband. :eek: :j :beer: :money: :T

Thanks Martin!! :beer:

Beware of poor-performing broadband/phone/TV companies locking-you in to a long contract whilst relying on you being too ignorant to pin any technical problems with the service on them (at least, to court-evidence standard, which is often what such lawyer-led people only care about, shamefully).

However, well done - Plusnet are not generally one of these companies, they are honest.

(As long as the BT lines Plusnet rely-on, are working, which my family's wasn't for a long time and Plusnet were impotent as it was BT Openreach's fault and they weren't interested as not contracted-directly by the customer, and round-and-round we went for 18 months being lied-to that Plusnet and BT's automated equipment could reliably detect no problem on the line, which turned out to be untrue).

blahblahdoh

I just switched from Virgin to Plusnet, and Virgin charged me exit fees despite being way past the minimum period. I emailed them and they agreed to pay back the money, but gave no explanation.

Since this is an automated process, they are presumably doing it to everyone. It feels like a deliberate policy to penalise switching by either wasting customers time or stealing their money. Anyone else had this problem? Should I complain, and who to?

Skeenfleent

blahblahdoh

Trading Standards (who must LOVE Virgin Media)

Take them to court for damages due to breach of contract? You'd have to get legal advice - and check your contract for terms relating to cancellation fees. If there aren't any, then a strongly-worded letter won't do anything to chance POLICY, only higher powers being invoked, will, so to speak!
Since, I believe, a case opened with CISAS costs them £triple figures just for being opened, you can always use it as a bargaining chip earlier in the process.

CISAS

Or let them go on abusing people, it's the way capitalism thrives, at least in the absence of sound business management and an ethical business model... :rotfl:

funkygibbonuk

Hi, just looking at TT simply broadband, the t&cs mention a £30 connection charge. Is this for existing lines as i need a new one (for which I understand the £50 fee is free at the moment)



Most grateful for comments on anyones recent experience of this.

Sparx

funkygibbonuk wrote: »

Hi, just looking at TT simply broadband, the t&cs mention a £30 connection charge. Is this for existing lines as i need a new one (for which I understand the £50 fee is free at the moment)

Most grateful for comments on anyones recent experience of this.

Try the order via the website and see if it adds the connection charge, you're not committed by running a dummy order on the website even with your real address and tel no etc.

I think the connection charge only applies to new lines.

NathanW_2

After using moneysavingexpert's cheap broadband guide (which I'm not allowed to link to, being a new user) I signed up with TalkTalk for their Essentials TV, broadband & calls package. During the signing up process, you are given the choice whether to pay monthly (£15.95/month) or make a card payment of £126 (£10.50/month). Since £10.50 x 12 = £126, you would think that you are signing up to a 12 month contract. That's where they are misleading. It's actually an 18 month long contract.

Yes, I should have read all the small print, but I had to go through the whole process again to see where they slipped that bit of information in. Personally, it probably won't make much difference to me as I will probably won't move address in that time but it is still annoying. Unless you scroll down, click on each hidden text box and read each extra bit of information you have no reason to think it is an 18 month contract you are signing up for. Moneysavingexpert should probably include a warning to that effect in their guide.

John_Pierpoint

NathanW wrote: »

After using moneysavingexpert's cheap broadband guide (which I'm not allowed to link to, being a new user) I signed up with TalkTalk for their Essentials TV, broadband & calls package. During the signing up process, you are given the choice whether to pay monthly (£15.95/month) or make a card payment of £126 (£10.50/month). Since £10.50 x 12 = £126, you would think that you are signing up to a 12 month contract. That's where they are misleading. It's actually an 18 month long contract.

Yes, I should have read all the small print, but I had to go through the whole process again to see where they slipped that bit of information in. Personally, it probably won't make much difference to me as I will probably won't move address in that time but it is still annoying. Unless you scroll down, click on each hidden text box and read each extra bit of information you have no reason to think it is an 18 month contract you are signing up for. Moneysavingexpert should probably include a warning to that effect in their guide.

I have 10 days to go before the end of my first year with Talk Talk.

First a little bit about my situation: I went BB, from local library/dial up, with "Madasafish" , back in 2006 for a free router and a supposedly £16 a month charge discounted to about £11. Madasafish got absorbed into Plusnet/Metronet; all as part of BTs bargain basement Yorkshire offering (if I remember correctly).
Each year an attempt would be made to put me back onto the £16 and I would have to try to haggle it back down to single figures.

So crunch time came a year ago, when Talk Talk offered a cheaper line rental annually of £114 then £3.25 a month for the BB free calls to other TT customers (including my son & grandchildren). The usual evenings & weekend call package plus a handful of shopping vouchers worth £30.

My current speed has crept up from an original 2+ Mbps, including having "the snip" (of the probably redundant central 2 wires in the phone plug) currently stand at 5+ Mbps. I do not have the option of cable, as it stopped about 400 meters away and BT's much touted superfast fibre to the cabinet, is still the best part of a mile away. <u current speed is OK for catch up TV and Skype.

I have had no problems with Talk Talk, though it did take BT something like 4 days to locate a fault that developed in their 1960s wire, where it entered our bungalow from the gutter board back in January. It was simply old age in the twin copper wire - nothing to do with rain and winds.

Cutting to the chase, Talk Talk are now offering £6 for six months, and then £8.50 for 12 months, but they will throw in a cable (probably not long enough for the current position of the router) plus a box of tricks to show catch up TV on the main telly, rather than having to use the PC or lap top.

Should I say yes? Is there scope for finessing the deal?
Are there alternatives?
Does the box of tricks for the TV have any drawbacks?
(I am assuming a longer cable would be only a few quid to buy)

[Deleted User]

Skeenfleent wrote: »

A lot of hot air.....

I've had them for 7 years in different houses. No problems and consistently speedy broadband. All said without big bold letters, look!

[Deleted User]

Folks, for info, Martin's ah-mazing deal for EE broadband at £2 and the £120 Amazon voucher; this can be beaten via cashback on Quidco's site for the next 4 days where they are offering £130 cashback and the same £2 and £15/£11 (upfront) deal.

Personally, I'm going to try for that as opposed to being tied into Amazon.

Cheers,
Rob

mrsilencio

Hi

I tried to switch to EE with the MSE deal which seemed great, but when I went through the checkout it wanted to add £60 installation fee for a new line. If I didn't already have a phone line, this would be fine, but I don't see why a new one needs installing when I already have a BT line through my existing Sky Talk/Broadband. Spoke to EE and they said there is no way around this, I have to pay the fee.

Hmmph!