View Full Version : UK ADSL supplier advice please
Daysleeper
1st Aug 2005, 19:51
Having used Bulldog for a year or so I'm now looking for a new "wires only" ISP in the UK. 1 or 2 MB/s any suggestions?
Bulldog were fairly quick and reliable but their billing and customer service were awfull.
By "wires only" I mean I dont need e-mail addresses, webspace or any of the modems/routers as I have all of that stuff.
Thanks
OzPax1
1st Aug 2005, 21:18
Daysleeper, You'll find a lot of us on here use Pipex. Their not the cheapest BB ISP, but they are very reliable. Never had a problem with them (and working in the IT industry I know how hard ADSL is to support). They come from a business ISP background who have moved into the small business/home market and it shows!
Link to pipex here. (http://www.pipex.com)
Spitoon
1st Aug 2005, 22:18
Pipex get my vote. As Ozzie says, not the cheapest but very reliable.
On the odd occasions that I've toyed with changing to someone cheaper I've listened to the stories about some of those other ISP.
Admittedly you normally only get to hear the bad stories rather than the good but I've always concluded that it's not worth the risk for £2 or £3 a month.
It might just be a case of you get what you pay for.
Conan the Librarian
1st Aug 2005, 23:41
Excellent experience and history with Surfanytime. Not the cheapest, but uncapped, reliable and unfailingly helpful.
1MB here and adequate - as performance is so good.
Conan
rotorcraig
1st Aug 2005, 23:56
Pipex also gets my vote
RC
P.Pilcher
2nd Aug 2005, 08:58
Well I use plusnet (www.plus.net/index.html) and have had no trouble with them during the two years I have had broadband.
P.P.
Diverse
2nd Aug 2005, 17:03
Pipex used to get my vote but I've now switched to Plusnet. It's only £15 a month too for 2Mb/2Gb limit.
Because I don't download a lot of music, video's, software etc. it surprised me that a 2Gb limit I got with Plusnet didn't get used up.
WeatherJinx
6th Aug 2005, 23:17
I can personally recommend Zen (http://www.zenadsl.co.uk/). Smallish outfit based Ooop North, they have a well-deserved reputation for customer service and their staff are regular contributors to Zen's message board on ADSLGuide (http://www.asdlguide.org.uk), where, unusually, they are often among the first to answer posters' queries.
ADSLGuide itself is also a great place to do some research - you can not only run service-level comparisons with multiple ISP's, but a dip into the message boards, where each ISP has a dedicated forum, will soon reveal what actual customers are experiencing!
Not the cheapest ISP by any means, but you definitely get what you pay for in this market. Zen provide me with rock-solid service that very rarely suffers interruption or deterioration of any kind. Finally, whoever you end up choosing, avoid 'special' offers or deals, as they are rarely very special for long. Good luck!
Jx ;)
Daysleeper
7th Aug 2005, 20:09
Thanks everyone. Mainly due to their standing on ADSL guide and the fact that I' going to be moving on again in about 8 months and they do a free moving package I've gone with Zen. They also advertise a dedicated Mac help desk.
We shall see how they do.
Today, an ADSL-only ISP has little physical presence; it is just a building with fibres into BT at one end, and fibres into the bigger networks at the other end.
Customer service is what distinguishes one from another, and Zen are excellent.
AppleMacster
13th Aug 2005, 12:48
Having moved to The Shire from London, where ntl provided me with a fairly reliable (300k!) "broadband" service, but terrible customer service, I am now enjoying a fantastic experience with Zen. Their customer service is brilliant - you actually get to speak to a human being very quickly.
As a long-in-the-tooth Mac user, it's a breath of fresh air to find a provider who welcomes us and doesn't treat those of us with the presence of mind to "Think Different" like pariahs.
It's not the cheapest, but it is unlimited and reliable. Zen regularly appears in the "top ten" of broadband providers.
AppleMacster