Need to upgrade my broadband for homeworking but cannot speak to anyone!

emma1586

To improve my ability to work from home I need to upgrade my internet from bog standard broadband to fibre... I'm currently with SSE broadband, however there is no way online to upgrade my package and I can't speak to anyone as their phone line is for 'vulnerable' / emergency customers only. They appear to have no online support and my emails have gone unanswered for weeks. 
So I apply to Talk Talk for their super fast broadband, SSE send a letter advising that they are sorry to see me go and if I'd like to call them to discuss staying with with (on the number that will only speak to vulnerable customers) but otherwise don't do anything and my switch will go through.
Then an email from Talk talk advising that another provider has cancelled the switch, and to contact customer services (which is also only answering vulnerable customers)
Only other way to contact talk talk is online community forum... no reply... 

How is anyone managing to upgrade internet at the moment or speak to broadband suppliers?! 

DCFC79

emma1586 said:

To improve my ability to work from home I need to upgrade my internet from bog standard broadband to fibre... I'm currently with SSE broadband, however there is no way online to upgrade my package and I can't speak to anyone as their phone line is for 'vulnerable' / emergency customers only. They appear to have no online support and my emails have gone unanswered for weeks. 
So I apply to Talk Talk for their super fast broadband, SSE send a letter advising that they are sorry to see me go and if I'd like to call them to discuss staying with with (on the number that will only speak to vulnerable customers) but otherwise don't do anything and my switch will go through.
Then an email from Talk talk advising that another provider has cancelled the switch, and to contact customer services (which is also only answering vulnerable customers)
Only other way to contact talk talk is online community forum... no reply... 

How is anyone managing to upgrade internet at the moment or speak to broadband suppliers?! 

Are you out of contract with SSE ?

JJ_Egan

Why do you need to upgrade to work from home ??

Be aware that pandemic has an effect on staffing levels many running on skeleton staff .

Its really the wrong time to try to do anything like this  .Open Reach priority is repairs and vulnerable .That could ease next week as more OR staff are working .

emma1586

I realise it's not a great time to switch, I'm able to work at the moment but my upload speeds are so low that its difficult to do my job effectively as I need to download and upload large files regularly. As far as I was aware an openreach engineer isn't required, or are they?

I'm in an 18 month contract with SSE but beyond the 13th month which says in the T&C there is a reduced charge to cancel, would they be cancelling because I'm still in contract? 

Chino

JJ_Egan said:

That could ease next week as more OR staff are working .

Where have you got the idea from that, at present, Openreach has less staff working?

In order to upgrade the OP from ADSL to VSDL, Openreach staff need go nowhere near the OP's home. Openreach states that:

A large amount of the work we do can be completed outside, meaning we can often upgrade people or fix problems without entering a customer's property.

https://www.openreach.com/covid-19-coronavirus

Kthecat

You'll have same problem with TALKTALK. unless you're a vulnerable customer they won't pick up. Also trying to text for  a PAC code from them and it tells me to text PAC to the number I just texted PAC to or call them but they won't pick up because I'm not registered as a vulnerable customer. All this from a communications company. Covid is a great excuse for ineptitude I've been with them since tiscali not staying service improves when you threaten to leave then drops back.

Cisco001

How much mobile data have you got with your phone?
You can try hotspot tethering to see if that is any faster.