Vodafone broadband speed?

DrPaul

Thinking of taking your offer to switch to Vodafone for my broadband but there are a couple of issues.

1. The offer expiry always seems to be just a day or two ahead, so it looks like I will need to wait until my current contract actually expires before I can switch. Any reason for this? Other offers are usually valid for a month or so.

2. Looks like I will have to change to FTTP, not a problem, plus the (apparent) ability to use my own router and get a static IP address are ideal for me. BUT when I check on the Vodafone web site the "150Mb" plan only actually promises 75Mb when you click on "details". They have plans going up to "800Mb" but all of them then say half that when you check the details. Seems like a complete scam, is it even legal?

fiish

Not sure whose offer you're talking about, but for your questions:

1. If it's anything like offers/deals on the mobile side, it looks like deals change more frequently and are shorter lived than they used to be even less than 10 years ago. Even if an offer was good for a month, though, it wouldn't be useful to you if you had multiple months left on your current contract, unless said offer was also going to pay your early termination fees for you.
2. The slower speed you see when you open the deal details is the minimum guaranteed speed, which they have to provide under Ofcom rules. This is normal, and an improvement over the past where there were no guarantees whatsoever. At least now, if your line speed drops below this guarantee often enough (I think it's 3 days in a month), and they can't remedy the situation, they are required to release you from the contract. Usually the minimum guaranteed speed is about half the maximum speed for the package. It's not a scam, it's being up front about what you are actually going to get. For what it's worth, I'm on a 150Mb plan, and I see 140-150Mbps almost all the time.

Exodi

The plans are always 'up to' X Mbps and they offer a minimum guaranteed speed of Y Mbps.

An example of why could be that at peak times in the evening when everyone gets back from work/school and is on the internet, speeds will suffer slightly and they don't want to be liable for complaints from disgruntled patrons that they are only getting 149 Mbps when they were pretty sure it was supposed to be a 150 Mbps package.

In reality (I have a network analytics on my home network) you receive close to the headline speed the significant majority of the time. In fact, my last speed test yesterday was 513Mbps on Full Fibre 500.

AndyPK

I wouldn't worry too much about the lower speeds mentioned. 

MyRealNameToo

DrPaul said:

Thinking of taking your offer to switch to Vodafone for my broadband but there are a couple of issues.

1. The offer expiry always seems to be just a day or two ahead, so it looks like I will need to wait until my current contract actually expires before I can switch. Any reason for this? Other offers are usually valid for a month or so.

2. Looks like I will have to change to FTTP, not a problem, plus the (apparent) ability to use my own router and get a static IP address are ideal for me. BUT when I check on the Vodafone web site the "150Mb" plan only actually promises 75Mb when you click on "details". They have plans going up to "800Mb" but all of them then say half that when you check the details. Seems like a complete scam, is it even legal?

1. Offers are normally when you agree to the deal not when the service starts so you could agree under an offer that expires tomorrow for a service to start in a weeks time. 

Plenty of companies do short offers, Charles Tyrwhitt shirts send me a text every Sunday saying their offer is expiring today and every Monday what their new offer is. The theory is normally that it creates urgency and people make an impulse buy but it doesnt really work when you can scroll through your phone and see the same two texts repeated weekly. 

2. Broadband providers are required to state the minimum speed you are going to receive. If you sign up and dont receive that level then there can be consequences. Strangely on Vodafone I dont see any guaranteed speeds but looking at PlusNet they are guaranteeing about 60% of the listed speed whereas Sky its 80%

d123

MyRealNameToo said:

DrPaul said:

Thinking of taking your offer to switch to Vodafone for my broadband but there are a couple of issues.

1. The offer expiry always seems to be just a day or two ahead, so it looks like I will need to wait until my current contract actually expires before I can switch. Any reason for this? Other offers are usually valid for a month or so.

2. Looks like I will have to change to FTTP, not a problem, plus the (apparent) ability to use my own router and get a static IP address are ideal for me. BUT when I check on the Vodafone web site the "150Mb" plan only actually promises 75Mb when you click on "details". They have plans going up to "800Mb" but all of them then say half that when you check the details. Seems like a complete scam, is it even legal?

2. Broadband providers are required to state the minimum speed you are going to receive. If you sign up and dont receive that level then there can be consequences. Strangely on Vodafone I dont see any guaranteed speeds but looking at PlusNet they are guaranteeing about 60% of the listed speed whereas Sky its 80%

 Vodafone use 50% as a minimum speed, I’m actually waiting for them to upgrade my FTTC to FTTP and it’s a lot clearer in the stuff they email to you.

DrPaul

Thanks for the feedback, will sort out my switch - after a decade or more of telling people not to touch them with a bargepole I ended up with TalkTalk after my provider was bought by Octopus Energy and then sold on. In just a few days I will be free!!! :-)

d123

DrPaul said:

Thanks for the feedback, will sort out my switch - after a decade or more of telling people not to touch them with a bargepole I ended up with TalkTalk after my provider was bought by Octopus Energy and then sold on. In just a few days I will be free!!! :-)

I can now say with confidence that the headline speed is what you should receive. 

My Vodafone FTTP was installed today, I went for the 500Mbps plan and this is my speed.