Just finished with BT, Which ISP to go with for a stress free life???

Joined
9 May 2005
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Let me fill you in with some background info with my poor success rate with trying to find a decent isp, I originally was with Wanadoo/Freeserve but there internet service was poor, the speeds were rubbish and their customer support left a lot to be disired.

So I then tryed AOL out, let me just say that in 14 months I never had 1 problem with there internet service, they gave me excellent speeds and never 1 disconect, so why didnt I stay with them I hear you ask, well there customer support was twice as bad as Wanadoo's and they had a nasty habit of taking 3 times as much money as they were supposed to and not refunding it for ages.

Last but not least I moved to BT and let me just say that everything to do with them was cack, there support just involved transferring you round most of there staff until you got bored/frustrated and hung up, there speeds were insanely bad, disconnects were far too frequent with drops lasting days at times and they make you pay for internet 3 months in advance.

Needless to say I moaned and moaned at them and they have agreed to cut my contract short 6 months of the 12 and gave me my MAC code, so my question is "who's next". I have studied round the net and these forums and am unsure which to go for, I know you only hear 1 side of the story on the net as 1 customer can think a company is the best thing since sliced bread with no troubles at all and the next can get a nightmare time like mine with BT.

Is it worth trying out 1 of the smaller companys? Have AOL got any better with their support? I even thought about Sky as I could spend 30 on a TV package and get free internet although I bet theres a catch. Sorry for the long post and I appreciate any recomendations given.

I basiclally have 30quid a month to spend, no contract would be better as would high usage but not too important
 
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Agr3sive said:
I even thought about Sky as I could spend 30 on a TV package and get free internet although I bet theres a catch. Sorry for the long post and I appreciate any recomendations given.

I basiclally have 30quid a month to spend, no contract would be better as would high usage but not too important

must admit does sound to good to be true but what you got to lose????

should be on max myself by the end of next week :D
 
Have had BT for 2 years now and we pay on a monthly bases. I agree with you that the speeds quite frankly suck, at least during the day. At times I cant download much more than 150Kb/s and I am on a 7.6Mbps connection. I havn't noticed any disconnects though and its always on.
 
Zen have been the best ISP I've used. I can't in all honesty recommend any other one from personal experience. Bulldog were brilliant, about 2 years ago, now they're absolutely atrocious for service, customer service and pings.
 
Zen have been flawless for me for the past 3 years at home. I've also recommended them to clients and friends and none have had a single bad word to say. Their customer service is fantastic too.

You'll hate the 50GB transfer allowance if you're a warez whore but for 'normal' home/small business internet users they'll be great :).
 
Thanks for the replys guys, I have looked at AOL and they are still £30 for their top package (8mb/unlimited), Zen appears to be £35 for the package I would want.

Cabke is a no go really as NTL are not in the area, Telewest are but I would rather not go down that road as I wil be moving in around 12 months and need to take my isp with me.

Just spoke to Sky on the phone and they say that LLU will be in my area within 2 months, for all the channels bar sports and movies it works out £21 with £17 for broadband which is just £8 more than I pay now, in 2 months they say they can give me the 16mb max package which is only £10quid so that would work out £31 which obviously sounds the better deal.

They will install everything for free as well with only a £30 charge for moving house.

Sky TV + 16mb unlimited broadband for £31 - There has to be a catch :confused:
 
nildram have there on line not reseller good thing if u ask me

never once in 2yrs had to ring them full 10 out 10 no line problems i could not prise them any more
 
danieln1 said:
nildram have there on line not reseller good thing if u ask me

never once in 2yrs had to ring them full 10 out 10 no line problems i could not prise them any more

Hmmmm, they dont look too bad on prices, £26 for the pack I would want, what sort of contract is on that mate?
 
£35 for Zen is a bargain. Their profit margin on that is tiny after BT costs, transit, support. The reason people are unhappy with their internet connections is because, due to market saturation and massive competition, people expect the earth for very little money. If your internet connection is important to you it's worth spending a few quid extra per month on a provider who can afford to hire decent staff and provide a decent level of service.
 
Adz said:
If your internet connection is important to you it's worth spending a few quid extra per month on a provider who can afford to hire decent staff and provide a decent level of service.

I could'nt agree more, there does seem to be lots of good opinions on the company and they also do 1 month contracts so you could almost "test it" to see how good it is.
 
Zen really are worth the extra. They are by far one of the best ISP's. Remember, you only get what you pay for. I'm on Nildram and they have been excellent so far, but if I could have afforded it, I would have gone for Zen.
 
I've been with Zen for 3 months now, on Max at £24.99pm and it is a monthly contract. The only time i have contacted C/S was before i ordered, the phone was answered in under 30 seconds. Before moving to Zen i was with F2S for 2 years, most of which was good. But the last 6 months with F2S was a nightmare, constant disconnects, speeds up and down like a yoyo, the worst thing about it though was not being able to get C/S. Zen has been spot on since day one and i know that i can get hold of C/S peeps that know what they are talking about. So whoever you end up with, ring C/S first and see how long you have to wait for an answer, than decide with the speed of answer in mind.
 
Im really liking the looks of Zen, I have been nosing around on the net and there is hardly a bad word spoken about them, the overall report on here seems to be excellent as well. I think I would have to go for the 34.99 pack but paying that doesnt bother me if its worth it, the inclusion of only a 1 month contract also is a key turning point.

I would be lying though if the Sky package was'nt trying to tempt me, at the end of the day in 2 months time I would be paying less for twice the speed broadband which is not limited like Zen, and obviosly not forgetting the whole TV part.
I have a feeling though if one of the options was to give me hassle down the line I would be willing to bet on it being Sky.

Decisions, Decisions.
 
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