Broadband/phone packages UK

[Non-Driver]

Maybe I'm being a tight-wad, but.....

Have been with Tiscali for about 3 years and now that Talk Talk have completed the takeover they have kindly informed me they're jacking the price by 25% for the same package. Whilst the overall hike ain't a great deal of cash (not a heavy user of phone or broadband) it does grate. That said I can't find anything much cheaper and a key point is I don't want to change e-mail addresses. We do have Sky so was wondering if that incremental cost was better but can't confirm categorically if the tiscali e-mail will still work on POP3 with Thunderbird through Sky (Talk Talk claim it will stay live if I use it every 30 days). I have a general dislike of webmail (must be my age).

Any thoughts on Sky as a provider, any alternatives and a robust way of continuing POP3 service on same address ? We have a ~5MB performance limit on current BT line and whilst we have had a couple of very frustrating outages, on the whole the current service is fairly reliable. I have tried negotiating with TT but the best I can get is 0870 numbers thrown in

[al446]

To ensure your email is safe, why not just get a Hotmail or Google account? OK it's a one-off change but will remain no matter who your ISP is.I have never regretted it.

Due to price and caps I moved from Zen, who were excellent, to Plusnet. This is for BB only and I notice the difference, this may be just a local issue, they claim it is not contention ratio but I do not believe them.

You pays your money and take your chances for 12 months.

[P.Pilcher]

Another vote for both of al446's suggestions. I've been with plusnet ever since my exchange was broadband enabled six years ago. I rarely bother them, they host my website - it just works!

P.P.

[call100]

I have Gmail and GMX mail.....Although you say you do not like webmail it makes sense to have something like these or Hotmail. When you use an email client like Thunderbird or outlook you won't know the difference and you will have total flexibility.
I have cable BB so no little about ADSL. Don't Plusnet offer a rolling 30 day contract if you pay up front for equipment?

[Don Coyote]

I set up my own domain with 1 and 1, I can now change broadband provider whenever I like without worrying about having to change my email address.

I don't mind hotmail or gmail for forums but it never felt right for formal emails.

[Keef]

As Don Coyote says! I set up my own domains (one private, one Church, one flying group) many years ago, and have changed ISPs a few times since. Nobody needs to know I've changed, and there's no problem with e-mail addresses changing.

A friend of mine went with Sky, and wishes he hadn't. Their server will only let you send using the Sky e-mail address they give you, and it blocks stuff he doesn't want blocked. It's cheap, but it's user-unfriendly.

I use PlusNet in the Norfolk hideout, and it "just works". I get 7 - 8 meg pretty much any time of day or night - but this is a little village and there aren't many people to "contend" with.

My former neighbour in Essex is with TalkTalk, having moved her telephone to them, and she has terrible problems with it not working on various occasions. Once the contract period is up, I reckon she'll be going back to BT and PlusNet.

So: buy your own .uk domain - should cost about £6 for two years, with basic mail and web (no hosting). Set up mailboxes to forward to your ISP address, and webforwarding to your ISP webspace, and job done. When you change ISP, you go into the control panel and change a couple of settings, and job done.

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Non-Driver. I've got the same problem with TalkTalk. Their latest reply to my complaint was:

I have looked into your account and can see that you have been on Tiscali Max 40GB plus Anytime Talk II since December of 2009. In your July invoice your subscription was 19.99 and in your August invoice a price increase is showing from 20th of July. This brings your monthly subscription to £22.48. If you are not happy with this change in your price plan, I have to advise you to contact our Re-pricing team. They may be able to put you back on your old price plan.

One of our guiding principals as Tiscali becomes part of the TalkTalk group is to ensure we are transparent. With that principal in mind, we have aligned all of our product packages and pricing within the TalkTalk Group. This means some customers will get a price decrease, some customers’ prices will stay the same, and some will receive an increase.

Anyway, I've just telephoned 0800 1105850 and they put me through to the Tiscali desk; result, refund of the additional charge for August and I will get the next 6 Months at the £11.99 introductory rate. I haven't had my confirmation e-mail yet though. Being firm, insistent and indignant but polite seemed to do the trick.

[mixture]

Any thoughts on Sky as a provider

The underlying Easynet core network (which they got their hands on via acquisition) is excellent BUT I suspect you will only see the benefit if you are on Easynet's own branded DSL (which is targetted at businesses). I've got the feeling Sky's own product might be the same old rate-limited, packet-shaped stuff you'll see elsewhere.

UKOnline might be worth a look. They were an Easynet (long before Sky) acquisition and therefore probably of reasonable quality.

Otherwise, I've yet to hear a bad thing about Zen. Who I gather are well worth the slight premium price.

(Don't have any incentive to promote either of the above)

[Mike-Bracknell]

Whatever you do, check the term lengths on your broadband. I have a sneaking feeling once FTTx is rolled out in a great way at the end of the year, we're going to have one hell of a price and performance war between the FTTx providers and Virgin Cable. We as an ISP are ramping up our offering to take into account the ability to resell FTTx at the start of next year, and I expect the takeup to be quite strong.

[mixture]

I have a sneaking feeling once FTTx is rolled out in a great way at the end of the year

Being a bit optimisitc aren't we MB.....

[papabravowhiskey]

UK Broadband/phone packages

Another vote for Plusnet. I was with NTL (their ADSL offering rather than cable), then Freedom2surf, then Tiscali took over F2S and degraded the service. Moved to Plusnet's basic broadband service ("up to" 20 Mb/s - I get 8 - and a 10GB monthly download cap) plus phone line for under £18/month all in. Plus is a BT subsidiary.

Regards
PBW

[mixture]

Plus is a BT subsidiary.

You missed out an important word...... independent

Post-merger, they currently operate as a wholly owned independent subsidiary of BT Retail.

Which is a good thing for reasons best left unsaid.

[jxc]

For my internet hosting i use freeola

Freeola UK Internet Service Provider. Cheap internet access with free web hosting and unlimited free web space.

And for website design diy very easy

Free Website Builder - Moonfruit - Beautiful websites, simply

[Cornish Jack]

...and another for Plusnet. Have tried, in order of succession, AOL, BT, Tiscali TalkTalk and Orange. Each became progressively more and more rubbishy with TT having made irritating uselessness into something approaching an art form!!
Asked on here for recommendations and went with Plusnet. Helpful to a fault and, so far, providing a (subjectively) faster and more reliable service. Since this is on the same bit of copper wire, it seems odd but long may it continue Pays yer money and takes yer choice

[BOAC]

Being a bit optimisitc aren't we MB.....

- indeed - he obviously believes Mr Vaizey and Hunt and BT (small club), although it may well happen in Bracknell I suppose.

Out 'ere in t'sticks it will be a decade before FTTC arrives, I reckon, and FTTP- well, I may get it piped to my coffin. Obviously MB has no idea of the state of our 'local copper' (and I don't mean PC Plod).

[crewmeal]

If you have an o2 mobile, broadband can work out really cheap. I've just negotiated 7.50 a month with the first 3 months free. I can't get more than 7gbs in my area so there is no point in try to get a service with 20gbs. There are certainly some bargins to be had if you look around.

[390cruise]

Avoid Talk Talk at all costs !!

Hi

Cornish Jack said 'TT turned irritating uselessness into something approaching an art form' .


Well all I can say is my experience with them is much much worse.

I will not bore you with details but would say if you think the period under contract is bad, regular loss of broadband both at the start and during use.

Then you should see what happens when you try to leave them!!!!!

Try unhelpful, incompetent, dishonest and in the end just nasty!!

Apart from that they were very good!!

390

[Crashpad]

I have been at a friends today sorting out his Computer. He is currently with AOL, usual mess, useless and burrows into the computer messing it up....Looked into changing his ISP and the only option he has is TalkTalk and BT. He can't get any other providers at his location.....Between the Devil and the Deep by the look of it.. As budget is tight the TT package is in the lead at the moment.

[390cruise]

BT Line

Hi Crashpad

If he has a BT line then he has a number of options

390

[jimtherev]

AOL

I'm sure that AOL deserve some of the stuff that is said about them, but I've had an AOL contract since 56k days (not changed for a number of good-to-me reasons), and,

- now a rock-solid 6.5 - 7M on an 8M contract,
- never a sniff of an 'unreasonable usage' penalty, ever, tho' I give 'em some hammer from time to time,
- not one outage for the past 6 months; a few hours in the past 5 years,
- they can be talked down from their published prices if you approach 'em right, and
- their spam filter and 'away message' services work impeccably for me.

I'll maybe change when I move out of London in a year's time, but I've no reason whatsoever to do anything now.