Wanadoo Upgrade Fee Warning

Tim_L

You don't necessarily get a benefit from 2MB - it depends how close you are to the exchange. Wanadoo are also telling slight porkies about the cost to them, as there is a rolling programme to upgrade the exchanges and many have already been done. The fee is only if a BT engineer has to visit the exchange to swap an old card for a new one, and even then my information is that the cost is £15. But definitely if you kick up a (polite) stink and ask for your MAC number you will get a free upgrade.

chalky_bertie

kwt wrote:

After reading some posts on here and getting fed up with paying £27.99 to Wanadoo, I've just phoned them for my MAC code. Intending to move to Freenetname. Is anybody using them?

Yes thanks, I have been with them for a couple of weeks after migrating from Wanadoo aswell. When signing up online it says that there is 2 months free but it is actually 4 months free. They connected me within 7 days and then told me it would be another 7 days to upgrade to the 2mb service (i was only on 1mb) but it was done as soon as I had connected. Had no problemns so far. You also get a free domain name and notes on how to produce a website plus there is also a monthly usage account so you now exactly what you have used. I joined as I had received a very good recommendation about them and am as happy as larry at the moment.

RhiannonB_2

I'm with Freeserve/Wanadoo what ever you want to call them and have been with them since before the changeover to wanadoo so that is a few good years and out of all the years that i have been with them i have ahad one phone call to which i missed to ask was i happy with my service.

Really? No i am not i am getting sick of having to pay £27.99 a month for 512 ok its the old unlimited but hey come on there is far cheaper out there and i am seriously looking to change, i have looked and at the moment Demon is looking pretty good for unlimited £19.99 a month 512?

Any one with Demon i would like to know what they are like?

Many thanks Rhiannon x x x

blinky

The £20 charge is to jump the queue in the rolling upgrade program which BT is doing. It is well known that this program is running very late.

Most ISP's charge around £15 which is what BT charge the ISP's. If the upgrade cannot be performed (due to noise, line length etc.) most other ISP's refund the fee but I do not know if Freeturd do the same.

Demon - solid ISP and have been around for donkey's years. You'd better check you can migrate in on that product as Demon don't allow migration in on all plans.

Other ones to consider: Zen (expensive but good for very heavy downloaders), Metronet, Plusnet.

It really depends how much you use the broadband and in what way that determines the best package.

The best place for info is www.adslguide.org.uk and in particular their forums at http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/

Currently I'm with Pipex but I'm migrating to Plusnet Premier at the end of next week.

kwt

I've now migrated to FreeNetname with no problems. Paying £18 per month for 2mb service thought my line is currently only capable of 1mb. I've got 4 months free and very pleased so far. If Wanadoo had offered to upgrade my line without charging me £20 and reduced my monthly charge I would probably have stayed, but I don't think they deserve my custom any more.

Don't worry about switching. I'm sure Wanadoo will try to persuade you to stay with them, but once I had made my mind up I got my MAC code within 24 hours, and the migration was straightforward.

kingarhu

I am trying to leave Wanadoo at the moment. Like the previous poster I was offered a free upgrade but turned it down on the principal that it should be given as a matter of course, not just to stop me leaving. Since new customers don't have to pay anything to get connected at higher speeds, wht should their existing customers?
I asked for the MAC on Tuesday and was told it would be emailed to me within 48 hours. Yesterday after several minutes on a premium rate call they decided there was a problem with the codes and that I would hear within 5 days from the request. Today (five days on from the request) of course I have not had a reply. They don't even have the manners to email and let me know what is happening. :mad:
Does anyone know if you can just change providers without the MAC? I know it can mean a few days without broadband, but I'm beginning to think it might be the only way.

blinky

The cost of provisioning a new line is independant of the line speed (currently £50+VAT)

The cost of jumping the mass upgrade queue is ~£15 per connection.

RhiannonB_2

thanks blinky for your reply i'm really not used to all this what wud i have to do to know whether i can change from freeserve to demon?

blinky

RhiannonB wrote:

thanks blinky for your reply i'm really not used to all this what wud i have to do to know whether i can change from freeserve to demon?

Just checked - you can't migrate in to the Demon £19.99 package only the £24.99 one.

To do a migration you need to contact freeserve and request a MAC code. A MAC code is valid for 30 days and this is normally the notice period for your ISP. Your ISP will let you know if there are any charges involved.

You then have to give your new ISP the MAC code when you sign up. They will normally ask when you want the new service to start. Migration normally takes 7 days.

Emailed guide to migration by Plusnet is available at http://portal.plus.net/products/offer.html

http://www.pipexsupport.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=3302 would also be useful

RhiannonB_2

thank you for that