Switching from BT Business - how's best ?

Speedee

Hi all, :hello:

I was hoping someone could advise my Dad on switching from BT Business to BT Retail(?) after retirement.

My Dad is 70 years old now and retired over 3 years ago, however he is still lining the pockets of BT with his business line from home, a package which was about £65 a quarter plus calls, but with discounts. He wants to get a broadband bundle with someone like Virgin (non-cable), just pay BT his £10.50? a month and keep his old phone number.

The exchange is in a rural area and has only BT there at the moment (as far as I can tell - no cable there!).

Will he have any problems doing this, and what is the best way to go about doing it. He doesn't want to get stuck with a BT retail contract!

Thanks

Inactive

Avoid Virgin ( non Cable ) they are amongst the very worst BB suppliers in the country.

Take a look at ThinkBroadband to evaluate better suppliers, do a compare of users feedback on different ISP's.


He can choose any supplier of his choice, not just BT, who are nearly as bad as Virgin.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/

Speedee

Inactive wrote: »

Avoid Virgin ( non Cable ) they are amongst the very worst BB suppliers in the country.

Take a look at ThinkBroadband to evaluate better suppliers, do a compare of users feedback on different ISP's.


He can choose any supplier of his choice, not just BT, who are nearly as bad as Virgin.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/

Thanks for the reply Inactive.

I went to the site you said to. I run the checker and it told me the following:

Bt Wholesale ADSL Broadband availability checker
Exchange PURLEIGH

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a line rate up to 1Mbps. However due to the length of your line the 1Mbps service may require an engineer visit who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a potential ADSL Max broadband line rate of 3.5Mbps or greater.
The actual ADSL line rate supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use, after which time the highest stable rate possible will be set.
If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase.

I said he was in the country! Why would an engineer need to call - what would the engineer do?

What's a potential ADSL Max broadband got to do with anything :huh:

I think a bundle would be better for him as he would only have to keep tabs on two payments : i) BT line rental and ii) broadband with free evening and weekend calls to someone else.

I had thought BT are too expensive and you have told me give bad service. I thought Virgin may be better than TalkTalk (after their bad press when they started their broadband) and someone told me Tiscali weren't as good as I hoped either!

I'm still not sure if he will have any trouble going to BT line rental only (from BT Business) without getting stuck with a landline package, which is more than just £10.50 a month for the lin rental (or whatever it is now)?

Any comments greatly appreciated.

DailyClicker

Hello Speedee!

There are many things to consider with Broadband providers. I have moved around quite a bit and had a feel of quite a few of them and how they work.

I have understanding about the technology which is often mis-sold to consumers.

ADSL Max was introduced back in March 2006 which allows faster speeds on the BT line. It also helps poor lines like your fathers, to allow them to get faster speeds!

He should be able to get 3.5Mbps which should be enough for him I guess!

There are a few fantastic ISPs out there, like Zen Broadband and Be There Broadband, but they often do not come cheap like the poorer service provided by those you see on TV.

I am currently with Be Broadband, I thought I would give them a go, a couple of months ago and I am very pleased. The Telephone Support is free and they can sort out issues unlike Tiscali and AOL, when I was with them!

They have a £14 a month plan, which is UpTo 8Mbps Download, and 1.3Mbps Upload. This will suit his needs!

More information can be found here:
https://www.bethere.co.uk/belitehomebroadband.do

If you have any more questions feel free to ask!!! :beer:

Best Wishes,
Stephen

Speedee

DailyClicker wrote: »

Hello Speedee!

There are many things to consider with Broadband providers. I have moved around quite a bit and had a feel of quite a few of them and how they work.

I have understanding about the technology which is often mis-sold to consumers.

ADSL Max was introduced back in March 2006 which allows faster speeds on the BT line. It also helps poor lines like your fathers, to allow them to get faster speeds!

He should be able to get 3.5Mbps which should be enough for him I guess!

There are a few fantastic ISPs out there, like Zen Broadband and Be There Broadband, but they often do not come cheap like the poorer service provided by those you see on TV.

I am currently with Be Broadband, I thought I would give them a go, a couple of months ago and I am very pleased. The Telephone Support is free and they can sort out issues unlike Tiscali and AOL, when I was with them!

They have a £14 a month plan, which is UpTo 8Mbps Download, and 1.3Mbps Upload. This will suit his needs!

More information can be found here:
https://www.bethere.co.uk/belitehomebroadband.do

If you have any more questions feel free to ask!!! :beer:

Best Wishes,
Stephen

Hi Stephen, and thanks for the reply.

I read good things about Be, somewhere on the internet, possibly these forums! Unfortunaely, I just checked Dad's number and "Unfortunately Be is not available in your area yet" I don't know why though ! I filled in the form for now and hopefully one day it will be - apart from that £14 doesn't seem too bad if they give reliable connections, at the speed you expect (all the time!) and good customer/technical help if you need it!

I will also look at Zen over the weekend. :beer: Speedee

DailyClicker

Hello Speedee,

Sorry it's my fault for not explaining that Be uses LLU equipment that they need to install in the BT exchanged. They tend to stick to areas highly populated to increase profit so might not install in your dads exchange, or will take a while.

To get the best advise, post on this forum:

http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=which_isp&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=

Best Wishes
S