Oldies who don't want broadband?

BigTezza

jbrassy said:

You don't have to go with Virgin. You can buy Freeview+ boxes which allow you to record TV.

As for the landline, I'm not sure what to suggest as I don't use mine. Could she manage with a basic Nokia phone and a SIM with unlimited minutes? That would probably be a lot cheaper than a landline.

Her landline is really for in-coming calls only. I moved her on to a mobile for out-going calls a few years back. I suggested getting rid of the landline at the time but she's typically old-fashioned and feels more comfortable having one. And people ask me why I have grey hair!!

Bigphil1474

I'm surprised with VM. I'd have just said you are happy with the arrangement you have now and the price you were paying, offer me that again and I'll sign up for another 18 months. That usually does the trick for me. 

BigTezza

Bigphil1474 said:

I'm surprised with VM. I'd have just said you are happy with the arrangement you have now and the price you were paying, offer me that again and I'll sign up for another 18 months. That usually does the trick for me. 

They seem unwilling to do that. According to the various people I spoke to at VM earlier, they can't/won't drop from the £27 renewal price. Any new contract MUST have broadband included - a bit like Monty Python's spam....I could save her a whopping 25p if I took out a new contract with tiny broadband included. It still represents a price hike of around 120% though and I doubt my Mum is alone in not wanting broadband and getting penalised for it. At the moment, the only option is for her to just pay up for the renewal price.

Bigphil1474

I think as others have pointed out, the not needing broadband seems to be essentially no longer an option. We're with VM and our 'landline' plugs into the back of the broadband router. We don't use the old physical BT/Openreach line anymore. That's the way it's going. 

Have you looked at social tariffs? I think BT do one about £17 a month if your mum is receiving "Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit (guarantee credit element), Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance. You must also not receive income from paid employment."

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/compare-broadband-deals/broadband-social-tariffs/