Caution when changing providers broadband and phone.

[onesea]

Well today was the great change day new internet provider.

 

Was not that we where unhappy with Vodaphone,  however we where no longer going to get the new customer discounts and the secondary discount for not getting the service they promised.  They where about to become expensive.

 

I have grumbled before about where we live and our rubbish internet, at best it’s slow.  WhatsApp calls and TV on Saturday night are not going to happen, often we have to turn our phones off to stream a movie. Mobile calls on a good day we get 1 or 2 bars and maybe 3G.

 

Sky came in at good price with what appear(s) to be a decent router. A poor one doesn’t reach the back of the house/ garden shed. I know I can can do and have extenders but they are a PITA never quite seamless.

 

So off we go, they did not port our old number across.
Contact Sky:

Sorry we cannot change that, can I put complaint in no there’s nothing we can do.

They also do not highlight there line is internet only.

 

This causes additional problems we live a couple of  100m from the edge of our exchange.  On a good day we get 25mb on a bad day that can fall to single figures. Had it of been clear on the site that they where making it internet phone we would of looked elsewhere.  There I have to live with my mistake.

Goto ombudsman:

 

Call CISAS they will not do anything without a “dead lock letter”. Sky will not issue dead lock letter as they have no dead lock, they have given us a new number.  
 

There is no complaint to dead lock as far as they can see.  So then you are left with nothing you can do, except loose a few old family friends who only would use the landline.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 23, 2023 by onesea
Rant over unless some one has a bright idea.

[Fiddlesticks]

It can be a bit of a minefield.  We were out of contract with Virgin and paying some ridiculous sum.  I got in touch with their live chat to get back into some kind of an introductory deal.  What I wanted was the basic 100Mb broadband only deal for the same price as a new customer.  One message over the live chat every ten minutes, repeated questions just to delay the conversation, offers to me as a longstanding valued customer which were way less attractive than for new signups.  Once it was clear they weren't going budge I gave them the 30 days' notice.  Price came down a bit (but not enough).  No, thanks.  Price came down a bit more.  No thanks.  (Bear in mind, it took 10 mins for each message to come through).  Eventually they agreed the cancellation date.

A few days later got a call from a mobile number I didn't recognise.  "Hiya mate, it's Geoff from Virgin Media cancellations here.  Can I interest you in staying with us for under £20 a month?"

"Too late.  I've already signed up with Plusnet."

I could have cancelled the Plusnet installation, but the moment had well and truly passed.

For the landline , we've had IP phones for the last ten years, meaning you plug the phones into your internet router and get a geographic number from a Voice over IP provider.  Charges are minimal.

The other advantage of Plusnet is that you can use your own Wifi router and can order a fixed IP address for £5.

Switchover in a couple of weeks, hopefully all will go well.

[Steve_M]

We’ve just changed our BT contract to a slightly more suitable one, still with BT. Just attempting to understand the options was a nightmare. My good lady said you needed a degree to understand it (which is why I left it to her). The whole rigmarole is a nightmare. 

[Guest]

We're currently waiting for fibre to the house to be installed by County broadband. Was meant to be this month but nothings happened and they are shit to get an answer from which bodes well for the contract. In the meantime we are stuck out of contract paying an exorbitant rate. Can't get a cheaper rate without signing up for at least a year. 

 

Before that we were with John lewis via plusnet. Got a deal through topcashback, £25 a month 1 year contract, £50 cashback and  £75 John lewis gift card.

[Bender]

Lots of providers are dropping std call ability, all of our providers are now Internet phones, not an issue for us we've not had a phone plugged in for 10yrs.

[Steve_M]

1 hour ago, goat said:

We're currently waiting for fibre to the house to be installed by County broadband. Was meant to be this month but nothings happened and they are shit to get an answer from which bodes well for the contract. In the meantime we are stuck out of contract paying an exorbitant rate. Can't get a cheaper rate without signing up for at least a year. 

 

Before that we were with John lewis via plusnet. Got a deal through topcashback, £25 a month 1 year contract, £50 cashback and  £75 John lewis gift card.

We had fibre when we lived in Norwich (NR4). Now on old GPO lines and unlikely to be anything else for the foreseeable. 

[Gerontious]

I don't have any kind of internet being delivered by cable etc to my house.

 

But, sitting as I am at my computer, a test of the speed is thus.

 

 

Internet is being delivered to the computer by my phone, which is sat on the desk.

 

My contract is £21 per month - unlimited.