Moving home can be frustrating, but BT take the biscuit when it comes to adding to that frustration! As you all know (or most of you might know), I've now moved home. Literally moved just over a week ago now. The new place is really nice, easy for Joy to get to work (she can walk it in 15 minutes - bonus). All seemed well until I decided to keep BT for this new property... So anyway.. I told the agent I was moving and he asked if I wanted to take my package with me, I agreed and gave him my new full address. I knew there was an issue when they insisted on a slight amendment to my first line of the address - but I figured, so long as the bills reach me, who cares (silly of me - but had other issues more pressing at the time). So I was promised an engineer would turn up on Thursday 5th September to sort out a new line, switch on the broadband and all would be good. Thursday morning, I was up at 7.50am (was my day off of work) and I was waiting in from 8am.. I even had a friend turn up super early with a drill and some tools to put up a new computer desk I'd bought that week. He was round at about 9am and gone by 11am.. BT had still yet to show... And so I gave them until 1pm before I called them up to see where the engineer was. Now, going through to their Indian call centre is a bit of a pain when you don't have your order number. My old phone number was now switched off and somehow it took the agent a good 5-10 minutes to get my details up.. But I was patient.. So I asked where the engineer was and was told of some minor problem and I would get a call back by Friday. And so I waited.. And waited.... On Friday afternoon (after 4pm) I decided to call BT again. I went through to another agent in India who informed me that I hadn't moved into my flat as the current occupier to it had informed them they had not moved out at all!! In other words, they had been trying to take over my next door neighbour. I was then informed it was my fault for supplying the wrong information and the order would be cancelled and I need to make another order, and it might require a new connection charge. Took my order reference number and thanked the agent for his time. Then I called Sky as there was a satellite dish outside the window and the cables running round the carpet, so I assume the previous occupant had Sky installed.. Sky found the address without any fuss. Going through all of the info, they asked me what we would want and I managed to get a pretty good package for TV, Broadband and a phone line (with some extras) for £55 (BT came to about £47 all in - no TV included). Though they did inform me that the phone line had previously been disconnected so I will have to wait 3 weeks for that, but the TV can be installed in 6 days. And so... Sky won me over. BT take 3 weeks to install a new line (I recall the wait a year ago) and at least next week we will have a good 250+ channels to keep us occupied and not killing the internet from our mobile phones. So this means another 3 weeks without internet from home But at least I know that this coming Thursday I can be watching Big Trouble in Little China in HD And with Sky there is no connection charge, free box for TV with Sky+ and Wifi router.. The downside is I think they work out slower in terms of speed. But still enough to stream YouTube and Netflix so not too worried about losing some speed..
BT is fine unless you need to contact support. We had a problem with our broadband for over 2 weeks (random DNS errors apparently), and each time, I called, I got the Indian call centre, and each time I was given excuse after excuse, promise after promise. In the end I got really shirty with them I told them I'm going to cancel my broadband as I've had enough of being messed around, and then as if by magic, the problem was fixed. I used to have broadband with Aquiss, they were the best ISP provider IMHO. However they were expensive, BUT the support team are UK based (in Shropshire to be exact) and the one time I had to call them with a fault with the broadband service, I got through to the guy who ran the company, and he called me back with updates. He didn't bullshit me, he didn't make promises he couldn't keep, just honest good old customer service that many big corporations seemed to have forgotten about.
I am with Manx Telecom The service is good. But they are never cheap compared to whats on offer in the UK.
When I reported a problem with my aunt's phone lines to BT, some fraudster at BT ordered an extra phone line in my name at my address. Strange thing was when I called BT my number was withheld and I was not a BT customer. and I never told them my own name or my address. Later, I found out that even if you call BT from a non-BT line and withhold your number, BT can see your number and old account details if that number was formerly with BT. Someone at a BT Call Centre in Bangalore, India used my real name, a fake phone number, fake email address and fake date of birth. He bypassed any credit check requirements (which requires call centre manager intervention) As soon as he set up the order, he changed the only contact method from post to e-mail so I only knew of the order 2-3 weeks later when a BT Broadband router arrived by post and an Openreach engineer arrived to install a second phone line. I got a recording of the phone call from which my order supposedly arose from, which proved that I placed no order and that I did not even give BT my name or address. I also recorded a phone call from a BT employee telling me how the scam operated. Officially, however, BT claim it was a clerical error but I got compensation out of them in the end.
As an existing TalkTalk customer, I have just signed up for TalkTalk's TV Plus Package. I don't have a TV licence but getting their Plus TV package (TV/Internet/Phone) is cheaper than their Plus package (Internet/Phone) since you get the first six months half price. I could sell the TV box (YouView) on eBay. I could keep the YouView box and just connect it to the TV to watch iPlayer etc, as no TV licence is needed. Just a shame that the YouView box has no wi-fi connection. In order to qualify for the Talktalk TV Plus package you do need an internet speed of at least 3 Meg. My internet speed rarely reaches that, so every time I tried to sign up it said the TV package was not available in my area. Anyway, I persisted, re-booted the modem several times. Switched off WiFi on the tablet and phone, just trying to get that bit of extra speed when line tests were performed. After around two hundred attempts, I finally succeeded and placed the order on-line a few minutes ago. The TV box should be here within 3 days. Luckily there is the self-install option, which costs nothing. It would cost £25 if a TalkTalk engineeer came out to install the box and that would have failed because I don't have a live TV aerial! I get free UK calls 24/7 to 01/02/0870/0845 numbers. free voicemail, free calling features (three way calls, call divert, ringback, reminder call, call waiting). truly unlimited internet, so great for Internet TV. I have also managed to retain free international calls to 36 countries, but new customers won't get this. You can also pay one year line rental in advance (£114) which works out @ £9.50p/month, instead of £15.40p/month. The TV package is £15.50/month but half price (£7.75p/month) for the first six months. New customers only have to commit to an 18 month contract and also get a £50 voucher. Existing customers have to commit for two years and get no voucher. New Customers (assuming new phone number is NOT needed) Contract: 18 months Connection charge: £0 You View Box: £0 YouView Box installation: £0 (if self install) or £25 (engineer install) Line rental: 15:40p/month or £114/year if paid in advance Plus TV package: £7.75/month (first six months) £15.50p (thereafter) Love2Shop Voucher: £50 (can be spent at several stores) The YouView box is a freeview box that can record two channels at once, even when you are watching a third channel. It will also connect to your router to get premium content (no requirement to purchase premium content if you don't want to) and it will also allow you to play catchup programmes (eg BBC iPlayer) It easily beats other TV/broadband/phone packages on the market and even if you don't want TV it is still a no-brainer as the TV cost is £0 and you get a YouView box which you can sell on eBay.
We used to have BT Broadband but we decided to cancel it. We just find it too expensive. We waited till my mobile contract ends and cancel it but we took a new one with unlimited data usage. Which is a lot cheaper and i can even go on skype to chat with with kids and family. My husband got this mobile wifi which is absolutely better than the BT. We didnt even need the landline telephone as we are in work almost all week apart from weekend. It has really saved up a lot and away from hassle calling the company all the time regarding our bills and slow internet sometimes.
Very topical and interesting thread, we are moving, we are with Talktalk but were thinking of moving back to BT as the new house is within a fibre optic zone
If you can get broadband via fibre optic cable, then the speed can be brilliant. That said, I've got standard Sky broadband (unlimited though) and I don't find any problems with streaming videos, music or online gaming. If I did, I could also get the fibre optic stuff as well.
Ive taken oer a talk talk acount that has no contract term left so just 30 days and their customer service is comical. Im using it now but they still dont have an account in my name although we sent the transfer form 3 weeks ago I did manage to get 2 line rental months free from them ,if they ever issue a bill lol I also am thinking i will prepay the year for line rental to get it for £9.50 its ok for utube streaming
Even more frustrating for me, 3 years ago I ordered a new phone line to my house and was offered to keep the package I had from BT. Since then I have had my phone number transferred to someone else twice, My broadband choked to less than 28Kbs from a 7Mbs connection 3 times and the exchange that is situated in the next village is not up for refurbishment for another 10 years. The really funny thing about it all is that there is a fibre optic cable running to an industrial estate within the village that runs at 100Mbs, but BT completely refuse to connect it up to the exchange as it is running old technology and can not facilitate fibre optic, regardless of roughly supplying well over 10,000 homes to surrounding villages and areas! Further more I get really fed up with knowing I am getting 3Mbs connection speeds for around 50.00 GBP and the people that have fibre optic broadband in and around my area pay less than me, let alone all of the savings they offer constantly to new customers. I was also told under the radar by an engineer that no matter who I went with for my broadband, it all went through the same BT exchange anyway! So much for living in a modern society, hey?
Yes a very interesting thread, if you do go to Phil don't buy a USB broadband, believe here we call them broadband dongle, it doesn't work and was a right pain, your time is taken up by connecting and disconnecting, you had a full signal but it made no difference and was a total waste of money , it was very frustrating and didn't have any time for googleing...! it was with Globe, we did also try Sun and that was a only a little better but still..!, and before anyone mention using laptop in room with poor signal, we took it outside to the street and the tower (transmitter) was just up the road.
