AOL or BT broadband

nailman

just wondering if anyone can give me any adivice between the two providers

Browntoa

if those are your only choices then BT.....read the threads on here about people NEVER being able to remove AOL's software off their Pc's when they wanted to change !!!

There is a thread about the cheapest broadband providers on here somewhere, there are cheaper options

lady_noluck

Dont use AOL (A*seholes online, AOHell) I've been with them a year and have had numerous problems. Avoid unless you want lots of stress, hassle, expense of calling them, internet cutting out, customer services not understanding english, the list goes on......

LittleJo

Hi,
There is nothing wrong with AOL that a reformat of the hard drive does not cure!!!!!!
AOL takes over far too much of the system for my liking.
Jo

rogerramjet

Personally I wouldn't use either.... BT has caps on downloads whereas AOL has unlimited download so you would need to take into account what your going to be doing. I know someone who took out a subscription with BT recently and didn't reaslise they only had a 1gb download limit....after surfing and downloading movie clips for 3 days they had hit the limit...they managed to get out of the contract, lucky I thought

There are plenty of ISP's out there which are better than both and around the same price

HenrysCat_3

DO NOT USE AOL!!!!!
in fact don't use BT either. tesco are pretty cheap and i know a lot of people that have had no probs with them.

seaniboy

avoid aol, virgin are good plus only a 30day contract

gravitytolls

I love my AOL.

it's bright and colourful, and everythign is on teh home page - emails, news games shopping etc.

It has no download limits, great for my children.

I also use live help - help service in a chat room, they've always been v helpful.

If I can't get signed on, it offers me auto fix, which hasn't failed to fix the problem.

I tried freeserve before it was wanado, and they were dreadful. I couldn't find my emails, I couldn't get rid of them, customer service was unhelpful, and they kept popping up on my pc even after I'd deleted them.

They put me off trying any other server, but nonetheless I would heartily recommend AOL.

Ember999

Browntoa wrote:

if those are your only choices then BT.....read the threads on here about people NEVER being able to remove AOL's software off their Pc's when they wanted to change !!!

There is a thread about the cheapest broadband providers on here somewhere, there are cheaper options

This is so incorrect! I have been a happy AOL user for 5 years now and I have often removed AOL from people's computers very easily! AOL is user friendly, great value for money, superb at spam control, excellent for controlling what your kids do and see online (if you have kids!) and has no download limits at all. I wouldn't dream of leaving AOL for any other the other inferior Internet / Broadband suppliers. I recomment AOL.

nemo183

There are very many other broadband providers out there who offer better value. I personally can't stand AOL - just from the arrogant way it seems to want to take control over every aspect of how you view the internet. BT are often too expensive, but will at least pull out all the technical stops if you have technical problems with your line, if you live a distance from the exchange.

However, if you don't currently use either, then I'd suggest giving some priority to choosing an email address and service provider that is separate to your broadband provider first. Although free email addresses are normally provided with most broadband providers, once you've accepted one, it becomes a real pain to change broadband provider in the future, as you can't take the mail address with you - and changing is a real pain.

So, for email I go through https://www.mail.com - although there are many similar and for all I know better services. It also allows me to have an address like "JohnSmith@mail.com" - rather than JASmith234@btinternet.com. They offer several different services - including a free one, which I wouldn't recommend as it showers you with ads and pop ups. I think I pay them about £10 a year for my email address, and a reasonable amount of storage. There are probably other posters who can suggest better deals.

As far as Broadband provider goes, there are other forums which will list the cheapest deals available. However, not all deals are available to all people - it depends on a number of issues, including the proximity of cable, and how far you are in miles from the BT exchange.

You also need to consider if you want a limited or unlimited service. If you intend to use the internet sparingly, then a limited service will do. However, if you have children, and they discover the joys of downloading music, films and TV shows, you will be better off with a service that doesn't measure your internet useage.

If you're not sure how you will use the internet, then make sure you sign up with a company that allows you to cancel with between 1 and 3 months notice - many will want you to sign up for a year.

Personally, I was BT for about 3 years at around 26.99 a month, before switching to https://www.adsl4less.co.uk who give me a similar service for about half the cost. In my case, living miles from the exchange, although in theory there were many other cheaper providers, this proved my best bet. You should be able to do better.

Also, if you are a new Broadband customer, you'll need some technical equipment - a provider with a low monthly cost will probably charge you for this, whereas a more expensive (per month) company may well include it free. I'd suggest working out all the different deals as if you are going to use the service for about two years, in order to make a fairer comparison of the costs involved.

Good Luck!