Home broadband and landline - help me choose a new provider
Discussion
Hi, I thought I'd spend a bit of time this morning at looking to switch from our current 200Mb broadband and unlimited landline calls with Virgin Media to another provider. I've called Virgin Media and the best price they will do is £51/mth which I feel is too much.
So, I have made the decision to switch.. BT are offering Fibre2 (66Mb) and 700 inclusive minutes for £36.99/mth. EE are £35/mth but require a £50 installation charge.
Any other recommendations please? I appreciate there's lots of comparison sites on the internet but I've always had better advice from PistonHeads so thought it'd be rude not to ask here first
So, I have made the decision to switch.. BT are offering Fibre2 (66Mb) and 700 inclusive minutes for £36.99/mth. EE are £35/mth but require a £50 installation charge.
Any other recommendations please? I appreciate there's lots of comparison sites on the internet but I've always had better advice from PistonHeads so thought it'd be rude not to ask here first
Thanks for replies so far 
I need a BT line putting in so would I need to go direct to BT?
Zen - I use these at work and yes very happy when I do need to call them.
Just had a quick look at Plusnet and they are £33.99/mth but again need to add £50 installation fee.
I'm just worried about the broadband speed - the lady at Virgin Media reckons I will notice dropping from 200Mb to 66Mb. We are a family of 4 and all have our own devices / Tv's / Netflix etc etc etc. Would 66Mb be ok for all this?
I need a BT line putting in so would I need to go direct to BT?
Zen - I use these at work and yes very happy when I do need to call them.
Just had a quick look at Plusnet and they are £33.99/mth but again need to add £50 installation fee.
I'm just worried about the broadband speed - the lady at Virgin Media reckons I will notice dropping from 200Mb to 66Mb. We are a family of 4 and all have our own devices / Tv's / Netflix etc etc etc. Would 66Mb be ok for all this?
My Infinity 2 runs at around 67Mbps, there are 6 of us in the house, again all with our own devices, Netflix, online gaming etc and we’ve never had an issue of contention.
We’ve had a few technical issues over the last 5 years, initially BT were a bit slow to fix things, but more recently they’ve been on the ball and have sent an engineer within a day or two of a reported fault even during CV.
I did have to get an ex-BT engineer out to tidy up all our internal wiring a couple of years back, but he was well worth it.
We’ve had a few technical issues over the last 5 years, initially BT were a bit slow to fix things, but more recently they’ve been on the ball and have sent an engineer within a day or two of a reported fault even during CV.
I did have to get an ex-BT engineer out to tidy up all our internal wiring a couple of years back, but he was well worth it.
I’ve been with BT, Vodafone and Sky over the past 5 years. No difference in the broadband, although BTs routers are better than any of the others. Never needed to call customer service so for me I’d just go with the cheapest.
Make sure you order via quidco or similar as they always offer decent cash back for new customers.
Might also be worth looking at deals for companies you already use as they often have preferential deals for existing customers of their other services.
Make sure you order via quidco or similar as they always offer decent cash back for new customers.
Might also be worth looking at deals for companies you already use as they often have preferential deals for existing customers of their other services.
wiggy001 said:
Make sure you order via quidco or similar as they always offer decent cash back for new customers.
If i buy BT Fibre2 through Uswitch I can get a £90 voucher, but when I go to take up the offer the Mb goes from 67Mb to 46-50Mb. I wonder if BT throttle the Mb because of the cashback??This is what Uswitch are offering (67Mb and £90 cashback)
When i take Uswitch up on the offer it reverts to 46-50Mb
If I go direct to BT 56-73Mb
Ideally I want the £90 cashback but don't want the Mb reduced
67 mbit/s is average across all customers. The lower range is probably after you put your line details in, so is an estimate for your particular installation.
After a few ISPs over the years, mainly BT, I switched our broadband to Zen. Very happy with them and have stuck with them after the initial contract period as no price rises guaranteed. Sometimes it is worth paying more than chasing the cheapest and constantly switching.
After a few ISPs over the years, mainly BT, I switched our broadband to Zen. Very happy with them and have stuck with them after the initial contract period as no price rises guaranteed. Sometimes it is worth paying more than chasing the cheapest and constantly switching.
Phooey said:
If i buy BT Fibre2 through Uswitch I can get a £90 voucher, but when I go to take up the offer the Mb goes from 67Mb to 46-50Mb. I wonder if BT throttle the Mb because of the cashback??
This is what Uswitch are offering (67Mb and £90 cashback)
When i take Uswitch up on the offer it reverts to 46-50Mb
If I go direct to BT 56-73Mb
Ideally I want the £90 cashback but don't want the Mb reduced
Not sure but quidco are offering £96 cash back for Fibre 2so I’d give that a try This is what Uswitch are offering (67Mb and £90 cashback)
When i take Uswitch up on the offer it reverts to 46-50Mb
If I go direct to BT 56-73Mb
Ideally I want the £90 cashback but don't want the Mb reduced
wiggy001 said:
Not sure but quidco are offering £96 cash back for Fibre 2so I’d give that a try
Cheers for that.I made a right c0ck up yesterday. I started signing up via Money Supermarket (£90 cashback) for the BT offer. I was directed via some kind of portal which strangely needed refreshing before I could review the order. When i refreshed the page it came back with "Thank you for your order". I didn't get chance to review it. Anyway I rang Virgin Media and cancelled my existing contract and was given a cut-off date of 8th Feb. FWIW if you try and cancel VM you will get passed to some arrogant prick who keeps you hanging on the phone for 1 hour whilst he "checks a few things". After all this I thought I would ring BT and check the order went through successful because i need an engineer to put a line in (Covid??). BT said the order number did not exist and they have had LOTS of problems with Money Supermarket recently. He suggested I contact MS and try and cancel my order and put a complaint into OFCOM (?).
So, I have had to call back Virgin Media and cancel the cancellation. Daughter is home schooling so can't be without WiFi.
Lesson learned - don't mess around changing providers whilst i need an engineer visit in the middle of a lockdown.
The service from Virgin Media yesterday was shockingly bad when i confirmed I 100% wanted to cancel. The adviser I was passed through to was having a 3-way conversation with a mate or colleague in the background. He said hang on whilst i check the date of the cancellation and left me for 1 hour waiting before i just put the phone down.
The Money Supermarket portal is corrupt. Weirdly I could not load the official BT web-page after I had (apparently) signed up to them. Could Money Supermarket of put corrupt cookies on my computer?? It loaded with another browser.
BT - the quickest to get to speak to someone and the chap I was put through to was very knowledgable. He tried for approx 30 mins to find my order and repeatedly mentioned a few things about Money Supermarket. I think he knew more but possibly couldn't say too much
Conclusion, I am stuck with VM for now but after Covid I will cancel and never return to them. I will possibly go with Zen, or direct with BT because to be fair to BT they were very quick to get through to someone who knew what he was talking about.
I will never do business through Money Supermarket again... just need to find the best way of putting in a complaint and making sure others don't make the mistake i did. Dirty b@%$@£$'s
Yes you will find you'll need an engineer to connect a 'new' line. I had the same issue last March when I tried to switch away from Virgin, no 'Openreach' engineers available to install new line because of COVID. Annoying thing is I do have a physical line installed as I was on BT/Sky/Now before. The mistake I made was porting my landline number across to Virgin, this then showed my property as having no BT line.
Note there will likely be a £50 charge to install a line, something to factor in to your calculations.
As for your speeds, your area may not be able to get the fibre 2, I can only get standard speeds, around 35Mbs down my BT line, doesn't matter which ISP.
My Virgin contract is up in March so will be do the ring around again to get a deal, currently paying £28/m for 100mbs, going up £2.50, will stick with Virgin if they do a deal as it has been fast and reliable.
Note there will likely be a £50 charge to install a line, something to factor in to your calculations.
As for your speeds, your area may not be able to get the fibre 2, I can only get standard speeds, around 35Mbs down my BT line, doesn't matter which ISP.
My Virgin contract is up in March so will be do the ring around again to get a deal, currently paying £28/m for 100mbs, going up £2.50, will stick with Virgin if they do a deal as it has been fast and reliable.
megaphone said:
Yes you will find you'll need an engineer to connect a 'new' line. I had the same issue last March when I tried to switch away from Virgin, no 'Openreach' engineers available to install new line because of COVID. Annoying thing is I do have a physical line installed as I was on BT/Sky/Now before. The mistake I made was porting my landline number across to Virgin, this then showed my property as having no BT line.
Note there will likely be a £50 charge to install a line, something to factor in to your calculations.
As for your speeds, your area may not be able to get the fibre 2, I can only get standard speeds, around 35Mbs down my BT line, doesn't matter which ISP.
My Virgin contract is up in March so will be do the ring around again to get a deal, currently paying £28/m for 100mbs, going up £2.50, will stick with Virgin if they do a deal as it has been fast and reliable.
Thanks. I also ported my number across to Virgin - must be why I need the visit too then. Aside from that I think the cable broke when i had the garden landscaped / block paved. BT are waiving the installation fee - normally £140 I think?Note there will likely be a £50 charge to install a line, something to factor in to your calculations.
As for your speeds, your area may not be able to get the fibre 2, I can only get standard speeds, around 35Mbs down my BT line, doesn't matter which ISP.
My Virgin contract is up in March so will be do the ring around again to get a deal, currently paying £28/m for 100mbs, going up £2.50, will stick with Virgin if they do a deal as it has been fast and reliable.
Annoyingly new customers can get the 100Mb deal for £24 plus cashback through some of the discount sites. I would be very happy at £24/mth! Sadly for me (existing customer) the 100Mb contract with inclusive landline calls and NO TV is £50!
It's the landline calls that are jacking the cost up. I have my mother on a Virgin deal inc phone calls. Scaled back BB as she hardly uses it, still gets 100mbs but I think she is limited to 30mb download a month. She also has 'anytime calls' . Paying £39.50/m. Will be having a haggle again soon.
Do you really need anytime minutes? Have you looked at a VOIP phone service?
Do you really need anytime minutes? Have you looked at a VOIP phone service?
Edited by megaphone on Sunday 10th January 11:41
megaphone said:
It's the landline calls that are jacking the cost up. I have my mother on a Virgin deal inc phone calls. Scaled back BB as she hardly uses it, still gets 100mbs but I think she is limited to 30mb download a month. She also has 'anytime calls' . Paying £39.50/m. Will be having a haggle again soon.
Do you really need anytime minutes? Have you looked at a VOIP phone service?
I've not looked at VOIP to be honest. We all have mobiles but I'm a bit old fashioned in so far as enjoy picking up a proper traditional phone vs using my mobile. We use approx 2-300 minutes. BT do a 700 minute inclusive add-on for £7.00. Not sure what the actual cost is on VM for all-inclusive anytime minutes but would guess at approx £10-15. The chap I spoke to yesterday at VM said we (as a family) are using approx 500mb download per month. Do you really need anytime minutes? Have you looked at a VOIP phone service?
Edited by megaphone on Sunday 10th January 11:41
Phooey said:
I've not looked at VOIP to be honest. We all have mobiles but I'm a bit old fashioned in so far as enjoy picking up a proper traditional phone vs using my mobile. We use approx 2-300 minutes. BT do a 700 minute inclusive add-on for £7.00. Not sure what the actual cost is on VM for all-inclusive anytime minutes but would guess at approx £10-15. The chap I spoke to yesterday at VM said we (as a family) are using approx 500mb download per month.
Surely you don't use a landline to call other mobiles when you have free minutes on your mobile phone contract? You can add unlimited calls to landlines for £6 with Zen.The BT & Plusnet prices you have quoted are for 24 month contracts. Are you sure you want to be tied down for that long?
Mr Pointy said:
Surely you don't use a landline to call other mobiles when you have free minutes on your mobile phone contract? You can add unlimited calls to landlines for £6 with Zen.
The BT & Plusnet prices you have quoted are for 24 month contracts. Are you sure you want to be tied down for that long?
Inclusive minutes with VM are to mobiles and landlines, but no not usually, out of habit I tend to use mobile to mobile and landline to landline, but I could do either and it wouldn't cost any extra. The Zen deal sounds good. I don't mind being tied into a contract.. usually stay with the same providers for many years. Been with Virgin since the old days of NTLThe BT & Plusnet prices you have quoted are for 24 month contracts. Are you sure you want to be tied down for that long?
Phooey said:
Mr Pointy said:
Surely you don't use a landline to call other mobiles when you have free minutes on your mobile phone contract? You can add unlimited calls to landlines for £6 with Zen.
The BT & Plusnet prices you have quoted are for 24 month contracts. Are you sure you want to be tied down for that long?
Inclusive minutes with VM are to mobiles and landlines, but no not usually, out of habit I tend to use mobile to mobile and landline to landline, but I could do either and it wouldn't cost any extra. The Zen deal sounds good. I don't mind being tied into a contract.. usually stay with the same providers for many years. Been with Virgin since the old days of NTLThe BT & Plusnet prices you have quoted are for 24 month contracts. Are you sure you want to be tied down for that long?
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