"Premium" broadband ISP's UK

[Private jet]

Are there any?

Background: Landline connection, not fibre optic but only 400 yards or so from the exchange. Up until a couple of months ago the download speed was super, enough to watch, say, youtube without buffering at all. Now, buffering most of the time, longer to download the vid than to actually watch it. I've had this situation before and fired off a communication to TalkTalk the "service provider" and it speeded up to previous high standard. This time no. Just the usual automated responses in the email regarding what i can do...NO, i know what the line is capable of, and the equipment is the same. I've tried 2 seperate PC's, modern routers, and both are creepy crawly slow compared to before.

Now, the crux of my question is; are there any ISP's that will give me what the line is capable of for a premium tariff? Or has it all gone the way of the loco airline? People will put up with any cr@p as long as its cheap?? In fact i'm on an old tiscali tariff. I don't want dirt cheap broadband i want broadband that actually works! It did before!! I know also that TalkTalk and the rest have to hire BT's lines (but i still pay line rental to Talktalk) is this one of BT's ploys to lever people back to them? Mrs Thatcher privatised BT, unfortunately she privatised a virtual monopoly. Any ideas? Thanks.

P.S. Had a flash player update come up today, started download and "error/timed out" before it had finished...so slow.

[mixture]

Private jet,

are there any ISP's that will give me what the line is capable of for a premium tariff? Or has it all gone the way of the loco airline? People will put up with any cr@p as long as its cheap??

Yes, there are still premium ISPs. You have to be prepared to pay though, because their prices are set realistically rather than the "race to the bottom" that everyone else is hellbent on.

BT Network Based you've got Zen and A&A (Andrews & Arnold) as two fine specimens. Never had any direct A&A experience myself, but have heard good things. Have had direct experience of Zen and would thoroughly recommend them (infact I've still got a small number of legacy contracts left over with them that I'm using for backup lines in various places).

Some people might say Plusnet, but Plusnet were acquired by BT Retail, so I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole as the long term strategy is probably uncertain (i.e. their customers will probably eventually at some point be swallowed up into BT and the Plusnet brand left to perish).

Claranet and Entanet might be worth a look, but don't know much about them other than I've heard of them and have heard the odd positive story here and there.

LLU based you've got Easynet (I don't know what the Sky branded residential product is like (Sky bought Easynet in 2005, so I assume they're running off LLU by now, but don't know for sure.... probably not if they're requiring an existing phone line) , but the Easynet Business Broadband - which, despite the name of the contract, you can get connected at non-business premises without problem - is certainly something I would happily vouch for any day of the week .... its near enough the Rolls-Royce of the ADSL world ... tiptop both in terms of service and support ).

Don't know much about Be and their LLU product, but I've heard mixed reviews.

LLU would be my first preference, just because you avoid as many of BT's sticky fingers as possible !

I know also that TalkTalk and the rest have to hire BT's lines (but i still pay line rental to Talktalk) is this one of BT's ploys to lever people back to them?

Yes, BT have their fingers in all the pies and the regulator has no teeth (even forgot to put their dentures in !).

If you go with an LLU ISP such as Easynet, then the only role BT have is providing the physical copper cable between your house and the local exchange. The copper cable is pretty much plugged straight into Easynet equipment at the Exchange, it does not touch any BT active equipment.

However, BT based ISPs such as Zen (or another good name) are just selling a rebranded BT Wholesale ADSL service. The benefit you get with going with Zen (or another good name) rather than BT is that they have intelligent human beings in an in-country call centre who know how to bash heads together at BT when things go wrong (albeit you are still at the mercy of BT for things going wrong in the first place !!).

[Private jet]

Thank you Mixture, that's exactly the kind of info i needed!

[mixture]

No worries.

By the way, on the LLU front, you're aiming for proper 100% LLU where the ISP rent the copper pair from BT to the exchange to give them maximum control. If possible, avoid partial-LLU products where the ISP relies on you having a separate contract with BT for a phone line and they just rely on some BT magic to give you ADSL via the LLU rather than BT network.

Be sure to check this when talking to sales reps at LLU operators.

[oldbeefer]

I use a small company, Vispa, based in Cheshire. Local rate calls to the engineer (not call centre) on the odd occasion when things have gone wrong. 4km from the exchange, and get 6 meg download. Neighbours on BT etc rarely get more than 3.

[Llademos]

If you're leaving TalkTalk give yourself plenty of time and expect problems! Not just my experience (I had to threaten legal action in the end) but they are usually at the foot of any customer satisfaction league. However, I expect you'll be glad when you do.

I am now with O2 (landline and broadband) and more than happy with them; bill for line rental (including unlimited calls) and unlimited broadband (I get around 10 Meg speeds) is around £30 a month depending on how many 09 calls the missus makes. If you get a cheap SIM card from them you'll get a few quid off per month from your bill.

Ll

[green granite]

I've been with BT for years and have always had brilliant service from them on the rare occasion that I needed it. Yes their initial help line is a bit of a pain but it is designed to help the ignorant, not people like Mixture, once you're call is escalated all is very well handled by knowledgeable people. My speed is nominally 8Mb and usually swings between 7.5Mb and 8.5Mb when downloading from a site such as Microsoft.

[Ancient Observer]

Are BT up to something???

BT sent me a letter last week,saying that they were going to give me fibre to the cabinet for free. - Rather, for the same price as I currently pay.

Previously, I had unlimited broadband, and since they put in ADSL2+ at the local exchange, I have been getting about 16 mega whatnots.
Now I am on ftc, (about 700 metres to the new lighter green cabinet) I am getting 40+ megawhatnots.

In the past, they have always wanted extra money for ftc. Why are they now giving it to me for no extra money? Do they have some targets to meet? Maybe they have told the Regulator/their shareholders that they will link up X million new customers to fibre? I am not a new customer....

[gehenna]

Ancient Observer

A word of caution!

I had the same offer from them, and went for the fibre-optic service 'at no extra cost.' I then discovered that is only so until your contract comes up for renewal, usually once a year. I ended up emailing the CEO of their sales department, telling him that I had be misled, which they denied. After some 'discussions' I had a payment as a 'gesture of goodwill.'

So please be warned that it is only 'free' until your current contract expires, when they will hike the price.

[mixture]

BT sent me a letter last week,saying that they were going to give me fibre to the cabinet for free.

Hah !

BT don't give anything to anyone free of charge. Even more so if you are the lowest common denominator that is the BT Residential customer.

Bargepole, touch, don't. Would be my advice.

But if you must, read the small print, and read it again.

[Ancient Observer]

gehenna and mixture are both right.
My contract renewal is due in June. I suspect they will want more money from me. The usual annual process is that I ring up to re-new, tell them that they are too expensive and say I will switch to their BT owned Plusnet, and then ring back a couple of days later asking to be put through to the "leaving BT team". (I used to quote Orange, but plusnet have been cheaper in the last couple of years)
This team appear to have more discretion about price, and last year did a good deal.
I'll see what happens this year.

[Daysleeper]

Go Zen for customer service.

Only issue is price wise they are about £10 a month more than a BT unlimited pack.

[P.Pilcher]

I have been with Plusnet for about 10 years now hving joined them when my local exchange was first broadband enabled. I hear what is being said about BT taking us plusnet customers over eventually (no doubt at higher prices) but I understand that their present policy is to leave us all alone and see what the benefits of good customer service really are. We can speak to an English call certre (O.K. they may have a Sheffield accent but so what?) and they know what they are talking about. I have never had a problem with them and have needed to use the call centre rarely. My broadband speed has dropped to unacceptable levels twice in the last year or so, On the first occasion, BT were alerted and checked out my internal installation, fitting a new master socket with built in broadband filter for free. On the second occasion a requirement for an exchange reset was the diagnosis. This they performed and my broadband speed was restored to its previous 6Mb/sec level. As a legacy customer they also host all my websites for free.

I really can't complain.

P.P.

[M.Mouse]

mixture's dislike of BT is well known and no doubt heartfelt and from experience given that he is in the business.

I was with a very good company called Nildram since 2002 and they were reliable and the service was consistent with a brilliant tech. helpline for the rare occasion when it was needed. Then Tiscali took over which became Talk/Talk and eventually I was transferred to Opal!

I suffered the same frustration and poor service from them as the OP when my speed fell through the floor. After a month of frustration I transferred to BT (Infinity) and so far it has been brilliant with outstanding customer service. I can only speak as I find but I can say anything with Talk/Talk associated with it makes me put on my running shoes and head in the opposite direction!

[Milo Minderbinder]

I had a similar experience to M Mouse with Pipex. They also ended up with TalkTalk, the performance dropped and in the end I broke the contract on the grounds of them not providing the required service
They threatened legal action for the unpaid bills. I'd cancelled the direct debits, and in theory owed them two months rental, but two months of substandard service - but they never came after me for the cash. I'd made a point of complaining on the online forum every day for weeks about the service, stating the speed, so they didn't really have any chance of enforcing payment. They would have been laughed out of court
I switched to Zen, guess what? End of problems. Back up to speed within a week

[mixture]

mixture's dislike of BT is well known and no doubt heartfelt and from experience given that he is in the business.

Indeed.

BT have their sticky fingers in way to many pies, their behaviour is as a result somewhat monoplisitic and the regulator has no teeth and refuses to put in any dentures. BT know they've got no real competition and will have no real competition for the foreseeable future......it is nigh on impossible to operate in the internet or telecommunications industry and not end up signing off payments to one part or other of the BT empire.

Sure they may try to put the wool over everyone's eyes by saying "ooh look... we've split into BT Retail, BT Wholesale and BT Openreach". They claim to have Chinese walls between the divisions, but the fact is that seeing as they are all operated under the main corporate umbrella of BT Plc with the same ultimate board of directors, that Chinese wall soon starts looking like a bit of a road hump that can easily be driven over.

Anyway, as MM said, my view are well known, the above is merely the tip of the iceberg. Its all based on solid experience, so I'm not just ranting away for the sake of it. My advice is to avoid any BT Retail product and deal with a provider who'll be dealing with one of BT's other parts, not necessarily because they'll be buying a better product off BT, but rather because your chances of having someone helpful to talk to and someone actually do something about your problems in a reasonable timeframe is quite possibly better outside of BT Retail. Obviously if you can find an LLU broadband provider with a substantial own-network then that's also an attractive option.