Cheapest broadband provider??
John
a flat of her own 3 days ago and money is very tight for her so what's her
best option for broadband?
She won't be downloading music/films etc., and really just wants it for
basic websurfing, emails, and Skype to her family and friends. Any ideas as
to who's the cheapest provider for her to use?
Cheers,
John
Pete Smith
"John" <no...@used.co> wrote in message
news:p56dnSJveus...@bt.com...
If you offered to find something why don't you go and search ? You will get
many answers here so how will you check they are correct?
Never promise to do something if you can't. She will only see all this once
connected anyway, so you might not be such a hero!
The Natural Philosopher
Tom
Cheep isn't always the best (I know this from bitter recent experience).
Apart from checking the reviews, find one that doesn't have offshore
call centers for support and doesn't use premium rate phone numbers for
any technical or billing issues - otherwise when you have a problem you
go through hell... and you'll be footing the bill for it.
And avoid Tiscali - google tiscali crap and you'll see why.
Andy Burns
> what's her best option for broadband?
Unlikely to coincide with the cheapest.
John
You know, I first got internet and usenet access over 14 years ago, when a
14.4kbps dial-up modem was blisteringly fast, cutting-edge technology (and
cost more than £250!). In those days there was a true spirit of friendship
and helpfulness and when a question was asked, many people went out of their
way to help and to provide useful answers.
Thankfully, most decent people still stick to that ethic but it seems, Pete
Smith, that you are not one of them.
Nowhere in my original posting did I say that I had "offered to find
something"; nowhere did I say that I had "promised" anything, and nowhere
did I ever say that I wanted to be a hero. I have not promised my friend
anything at all - in fact I've not even mentioned it to her. I just thought
I'd ask in here first because (a) I'm expecting her asking me at some stage,
(b) there are some very knowledgeable and helpful people in this group, over
a wide range of service providers and (c) although I've been on the internet
for more than 14 years, I was a beta tester for the Microsoft Network and
then later on a beta tester for BT Internet, remaining with them ever since,
so I only have experience of those two providers (and I don't think the
Microsoft Network exists anymore, does it?).
If you can't be helpful, don't bother replying at all.
John
John
I appreciate that Andy but, circumstances dictate that cheap is the only
consideration here in this case so cheap it has to be.
John
Andy Burns
Having used Demon for yonks, I switched to Plusnet, they've had a couple
of dodgy spells (like anyone else) but seem OK again now, I'd recommend
avoiding the Tiscali, CPW(AOL in diguise) etc providers.
For a "light user" they offer £10/month,
http://www.plus.net/residential/broadband/?WT.svl=bbyw_ban
only a 1month contract, so she can up sticks of she doesn't like it, but
make sure she realises if her usage does increase without changing plan
she'll get bitten.
Eeyore
John wrote:
Whoever is the CHEAPEST today is unlikely to be a GOOD choice unless saving
tuppence is all you care for.
Graham
HVS
My sister-in-law is using the 3 Mobile modem at £10/month for 1 gig
of downloads, as she's living where she can't use a fixed-line
service.
She uses it for e-mail and surfing with virtually no downloading, and
managed to use a grand total of 56 MB in December. I don't know what
sort of traffic Skype manages to generate, but my guess is that 944MB
would get you a whole heap of talk time....
It's not incredibly fast, but it might be worth considering for her.
--
Cheers,
Harvey
Eeyore
John wrote:
If support calls cost £1 a minute what may appear to be the CHEAPEST
headline price is unlikely to be CHEAP in the long run.
OTOH, those who think CHEAP (or rather are incapable of thinking beyond
'cheap') *deserve* to have their wallets cleaned out.
Most CHEAP ISPs have Indian call centres whre you may end up getting
ensnared in dialect issues.
Graham
HVS
Which is all very fine to say for fortunate people like you -- and me
-- who aren't forced to consider every bloody penny they have.
For some people, UP-FRONT CHEAP *has* to be the primary factor.
John
> John wrote:
>
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>> On 27/01/2008 13:05, John wrote:
>>>
>>>> what's her best option for broadband?
>>>
>>> Unlikely to coincide with the cheapest.
>>
>> I appreciate that Andy but, circumstances dictate that cheap is the
>> only consideration here in this case so cheap it has to be.
>
> If support calls cost £1 a minute what may appear to be the CHEAPEST
> headline price is unlikely to be CHEAP in the long run.
In more than 10 years on BT Internet, I've only had to call the support desk
twice. Most problems can be attributed to, and sorted out, locally.
> OTOH, those who think CHEAP (or rather are incapable of thinking
> beyond 'cheap') *deserve* to have their wallets cleaned out.
Did you even read my original posting???
She's just split up from her husband and has the cost of setting up a home
of her own to consider. *EVERY PENNY COUNTS* in her circumstances - CHEAP is
a *need* not a choice.
> Most CHEAP ISPs have Indian call centres whre you may end up getting
> ensnared in dialect issues.
As above. Most issues can be put down to the sysop or software conflict
after updates or whatever. Two calls to the helpdesk in more than ten years
is all I've ever needed.
John
John
Thanks, I will.
John
John
Thanks Tom. It's going to be a delicate balancing act because her
circumstances dictate that cheap is a necessity, not a choice.
John
John
Thanks very much Andy, good info.
John
spack
John
> and IDNET are very good and very helpful .
Thanks for that Rick, certainly food for thought.
John
John
Thanks Harvey, that looks like it may well be a high contender.
John
Tom
Yeah, know what you mean. It's a sh*t situation because there doesn't
seem to be any minimum standards of service out there. I pay about £12 a
month, but the cost of support calls last month added over £10 to that.
Then I bought a new filter (£13) and wire (£10).
So all in all, I paid £12 + £10 + £13 + £10 = £45 for some very crap
broadband last month, and had to explain to a bunch of kids why they
couldn't use the internet over christmas. I'm going to see how much I
can get back off them but I'm not holding my breath.
Bob Eager
> >> I appreciate that Andy but, circumstances dictate that cheap is the
> >> only consideration here in this case so cheap it has to be.
> >
> > If support calls cost £1 a minute what may appear to be the CHEAPEST
> > headline price is unlikely to be CHEAP in the long run.
>
> In more than 10 years on BT Internet, I've only had to call the support desk
> twice. Most problems can be attributed to, and sorted out, locally.
Then you've been lucky. Problems such as dropped lines, etc. are
definitely ones you have to pursue with the support desk.
> > OTOH, those who think CHEAP (or rather are incapable of thinking
> > beyond 'cheap') *deserve* to have their wallets cleaned out.
>
> Did you even read my original posting???
>
> She's just split up from her husband and has the cost of setting up a home
> of her own to consider. *EVERY PENNY COUNTS* in her circumstances - CHEAP is
> a *need* not a choice.
Then perhaps she should forget about broadband and look at PAYG dialup?
Or no Internet at all?
Look, people are telling you of cheap providers, and telling you the
problems so you can sort out the cheapest that will be 'good enough'.
What's the max?
--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
euthanasia recommended. ]
Eeyore
John wrote:
> Most problems can be attributed to, and sorted out, locally.
Not if the call centre's in India.
Graham
zaax
If she has Sky TV broadband is free.
--
---
zaax
Jim Crowther
NewNet or IDNet, both small and savvy, with real UK human beings on the
end of the phone for tech support - which shouldn't be required anyway.
;)
--
Jim Crowther
Abo
> You know, I first got internet and usenet access over 14 years ago, when a
> 14.4kbps dial-up modem was blisteringly fast, cutting-edge technology (and
> cost more than £250!). In those days there was a true spirit of friendship
> and helpfulness and when a question was asked, many people went out of their
> way to help and to provide useful answers.
When I first started using Usenet c.1992, I remember it having it's fair
share of nobheads then. Things haven't changed...
--
Abo
V90
<Abo>
<Sun, 27 Jan 2008 17:02:32 +0000>
<fnidcs$m7f$2...@news.albasani.net>
Nah - they just got faster connections :-)
John
I actually meant locally as in the computer, not geographically - a hardware
fault or a software conflict or whatever. I have things like a spare,
known-to-be-good router, spare microfilters etc., etc., that can be swapped
with her stuff to prove a fault to be either on "their" side (thereby
necessitating a call to the helpdesk) or "her" side (which I can sort for
her).
In my experience (and I've been building/upgrading/repairing PCs for many,
many years) most problems are not with the ISP but rather are with the sysop
and/or some update or other software that's just been installed and/or a
hardware fault, and can be sorted locally.
John
John
Cheers Jim, that's another one for the list of possibles.
John
John
Again, every penny counts so she hasn't got Sky, just Freeview. She may find
herself better off in the long run getting Sky and the broadband thrown in
though, so thanks for that suggestion Zaax
John
> On Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:57:02 UTC, "John" <no...@used.co> wrote:
>
>>>> I appreciate that Andy but, circumstances dictate that cheap is the
>>>> only consideration here in this case so cheap it has to be.
>>>
>>> If support calls cost £1 a minute what may appear to be the CHEAPEST
>>> headline price is unlikely to be CHEAP in the long run.
>>
>> In more than 10 years on BT Internet, I've only had to call the
>> support desk twice. Most problems can be attributed to, and sorted
>> out, locally.
>
> Then you've been lucky. Problems such as dropped lines, etc. are
> definitely ones you have to pursue with the support desk.
>
>>> OTOH, those who think CHEAP (or rather are incapable of thinking
>>> beyond 'cheap') *deserve* to have their wallets cleaned out.
>>
>> Did you even read my original posting???
>>
>> She's just split up from her husband and has the cost of setting up
>> a home of her own to consider. *EVERY PENNY COUNTS* in her
>> circumstances - CHEAP is a *need* not a choice.
>
> Then perhaps she should forget about broadband and look at PAYG
> dialup? Or no Internet at all?
>
> Look, people are telling you of cheap providers, and telling you the
> problems so you can sort out the cheapest that will be 'good enough'.
> What's the max?
I honestly don't know. She hasn't even asked me to find out for her but I
thought I'd just ask opinions of the group now, in preperation for if/when
she does ask. I've known him for 41 years and her for 42 years, and I've
built and maintained the computers they've had over the years so I'm
anticipating that she will be asking me who is the cheapest broadband
provider given the situation she now finds herself in. As I said in an
earlier post, I've only ever had experience of two providers, one of which I
don't think exists anymore and the other is definitely not very cheap, so
I'm just asking for suggestions.
John
Bob Eager
> > Look, people are telling you of cheap providers, and telling you the
> > problems so you can sort out the cheapest that will be 'good enough'.
> > What's the max?
>
> I honestly don't know. She hasn't even asked me to find out for her but I
> thought I'd just ask opinions of the group now, in preperation for if/when
> she does ask. I've known him for 41 years and her for 42 years, and I've
> built and maintained the computers they've had over the years so I'm
> anticipating that she will be asking me who is the cheapest broadband
> provider given the situation she now finds herself in. As I said in an
> earlier post, I've only ever had experience of two providers, one of which I
> don't think exists anymore and the other is definitely not very cheap, so
> I'm just asking for suggestions.
The suggestions you've had have concentrated on customer service,
because that's a major issue with low cost providers. Get a budget, and
then you'll have a better idea. If the budget is very low, you'll have
to select the 'least worst'.
You may need CS for all sorts of things; watch out for premium rate CS
lines. You say you haven't needed them, but not all problems are local.
Failure of DSL service due to exchange fault; failure due to BT
misconfiguration; account problems; billing problems (more likely with a
low cost provider IMO); line problems resulting in intermittent service;
low speeds; etc.
For example, with an intermittent line problem a low cost provider is
likely to get the user to do multiple reinstalls of Windows.
Or, I had a case where service stopped overnight, and I told the ISP at
0900 when I got to work. BT closed the fault at noon saying 'customer
router'. My ISP reopened the fault (most wouldn't have) and BT finally
fixed it (network misconfiguration at their end) at 1500.
Or, the line has a fault. The ISP won't call BT unless they really have
to, as it costs them money.
Just some examples of why CS *is* an issue, so try to get the best you
can for the money. Your 'mainly local' experience is not the only
possibility.
Colin Wilson
> 14.4kbps dial-up modem was blisteringly fast, cutting-edge technology (and
> cost more than £250!).
Hehehe my phone bill was of that magnitude every quarter as well
(actually it was closer to £300 IIRC - more than my mortgage at the
time !)
John
OK Bob, point taken mate and I'll bear it in mind when recommending, if/when
she asks.
Cheers,
John
Mike G
I've been with PlusNet for a couple of years now. As Andy says, they have
had problems, but they seem to have affected heavier users more than light
users like myself.
I've rung support a couple of times. Got through fairly quickly and had my
query dealt with by someone who knew what they were talking about.
A hassle free ISP IMO. One I'd certainly recommend to a light user.
Mike.
Peter Crosland
They also have a terrestrial number for tech support. 0114-296-5198
Peter Crosland
fred
<no...@used.co> writes
geographic number, but the person I set up is paying 12.99 for low user
so much as I hate to say it the 10quid vanilla offering from Plusnet may
fit the bill for your friend. As you can see from the sig I don't hold
them in high regard but one of their plus points was a half decent
online ticket tracking system which I haven't seen anyone match since.
--
fred
Plusnet - I hope you like vanilla
pjlu...@yahoo.co.uk
>She won't be downloading music/films etc., and really just wants it for
>basic websurfing, emails, and Skype to her family and friends. Any ideas as
>to who's the cheapest provider for her to use?
>
>Cheers,
>
>John
>
I've been with TalkTalk for 5 months and it's working okay so far.
Jim Crowther
You must either be very near an exchange, or you haven't been
transferred yet to LLU.
--
Jim Crowther
Alan P
> Jim Crowther wrote:
>> In uk.telecom.broadband, on Sun, 27 Jan 2008 13:05:49, John wrote:
>>
>>> A couple I know have just seperated and are getting divorced. She
>>> moved into a flat of her own 3 days ago and money is very tight for
>>> her so what's her best option for broadband?
>> NewNet or IDNet, both small and savvy, with real UK human beings on
>> the end of the phone for tech support - which shouldn't be required
>> anyway. ;)
>
> Cheers Jim, that's another one for the list of possibles.
>
> John
Madasafish ????
Free conection
Free D-Link DSL G624T Wireless Router
(there is a delivery charge )
£11.99 for first 6 months
£17.99 thereafter
5GB/month download cap
Alan P
Mark BR
> Andy Burns wrote:
>> On 27/01/2008 14:47, John wrote:
>>
>>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>>> On 27/01/2008 13:05, John wrote:
>>>>
>>>
>>> I appreciate that Andy but, circumstances dictate that cheap is the
>>> only consideration here in this case so cheap it has to be.
>>
>> Having used Demon for yonks, I switched to Plusnet, they've had a
>> couple of dodgy spells (like anyone else) but seem OK again now, I'd
>> recommend avoiding the Tiscali, CPW(AOL in diguise) etc providers.
>>
>> For a "light user" they offer £10/month,
>> http://www.plus.net/residential/broadband/?WT.svl=bbyw_ban
>>
>>
>> only a 1month contract, so she can up sticks of she doesn't like it,
>> but make sure she realises if her usage does increase without
>> changing plan she'll get bitten.
>
> Thanks very much Andy, good info.
>
Not quite true, Set your option to not allow you to go over the 1 gig limit
and you just get a slow connection for the rest of the month and blocked p2p
etc, the slow speed is double dial up!
--
mark BR
Andy Burns
> Not quite true, Set your option to not allow you to go over the 1 gig limit
> and you just get a slow connection for the rest of the month and blocked p2p
> etc, the slow speed is double dial up!
ok, I'm on one of the older and more expensive tariffs, so wouldn't know
the options on the lowest one, but the portal easily lets you make such
changes.
Jim Crowther
>Madasafish ????
Now owned by BT, so who knows where it will be in a few months or years.
--
Jim Crowther
Andy Burns
> [Madasafish] Now owned by BT
As are PlusNet.
> so who knows where it will be in a few months or years.
Who knows with any ISP? So far it seems to have improved PlusNet.
Eeyore
John wrote:
> In my experience (and I've been building/upgrading/repairing PCs for many,
> many years) most problems are not with the ISP but rather are with the sysop
> and/or some update or other software that's just been installed and/or a
> hardware fault, and can be sorted locally.
My experience is exactly the reverse. I don't make silly mistakes, so if my
connection fails, it's NOT down to me.
Having an ISP whose tech support's first language is ENGLISH is worthwhile.
Graham
{{{{{Welcome}}}}}
> Andy Burns wrote:
>> On 27/01/2008 14:47, John wrote:
>>
>>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>>> On 27/01/2008 13:05, John wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> what's her best option for broadband?
>>>> Unlikely to coincide with the cheapest.
>>>
>>> I appreciate that Andy but, circumstances dictate that cheap is the
>>> only consideration here in this case so cheap it has to be.
>>
>> Having used Demon for yonks, I switched to Plusnet, they've had a
>> couple of dodgy spells (like anyone else) but seem OK again now, I'd
>> recommend avoiding the Tiscali, CPW(AOL in diguise) etc providers.
>>
>> For a "light user" they offer £10/month,
>> http://www.plus.net/residential/broadband/?WT.svl=bbyw_ban
>>
>>
>> only a 1month contract, so she can up sticks of she doesn't like it,
>> but make sure she realises if her usage does increase without
>> changing plan she'll get bitten.
>
> Thanks very much Andy, good info.
>
Though be careful with those that offer heavily reduced download / upload
limits as Skype can become a super-node and eat into that easily. You could
avoid that by using a real VoIP provider and not a toy town service.
--
http://www.dodgy-dealer.co.uk/pcpro
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/dyna/rapex/rapex_archives_en.cfm
http://www.nhsconfidentiality.org
{{{{{Welcome}}}}}
Skype is P2P so I suppose that could get stuffed?
PlusNet Support Team
> Skype is P2P so I suppose that could get stuffed?
Skype is signature detected by our traffic management kit and is bundled
in our highest priority traffic queues (Titanium).
Rgds,
--
|Bob Pullen Broadband Solutions for
|Support Home & Business @
|PlusNet plc. www.plus.net
+------ PlusNet - The smarter way to broadband ------
{{{{{Welcome}}}}}
> {{{{{Welcome}}}}} wrote:
>
>> Skype is P2P so I suppose that could get stuffed?
>
> Skype is signature detected by our traffic management kit and is
> bundled in our highest priority traffic queues (Titanium).
>
> Rgds,
>
That's good to hear.