Advice please-on changeing to a new ISP

[Gordon Booth]

I'd appreciate any input to help me choose. I'm on talktalk with 16 months of contract to run-cost £23/month, all calls(except 0870/0845) free.
We're moving house(and area) early Jan. talktalk want 10 days from the day we move to connect the phone and ANOTHER 3 weeks to get me back on the internet. AND it will be a new 18 month contract at £34/month( they say the old package is dead). If I don't stay with them they will charge £130 cancellation fee, even though THEY are closing the old contract and putting me on a new one.
After an hour and a half of arguing and being passed arround South Africa they finally said they would only charge £18/month while I had phone only and £23(my old rate)for the rest of the year.Then it would go up to £34.
The connection closes quite often(although I can reconnect quickly) so that's annoying but I'm so angry I'm inclined to cancel, pay up and go to another provider. BT seem to have a decent offer(although only 5.5 GB, not the 8.2 I get now) and on their website SAY(?) they can connect me NOW!.
Advice, please, from all you experts(and non-experts) on your experience.
Thanks, Gordon

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

I'd appreciate any input to help me choose. I'm on talktalk with 16 months of contract to run-cost £23/month, all calls(except 0870/0845) free.
We're moving house(and area) early Jan. talktalk want 10 days from the day we move to connect the phone and ANOTHER 3 weeks to get me back on the internet. AND it will be a new 18 month contract at £34/month( they say the old package is dead). If I don't stay with them they will charge £130 cancellation fee, even though THEY are closing the old contract and putting me on a new one.
After an hour and a half of arguing and being passed arround South Africa they finally said they would only charge £18/month while I had phone only and £23(my old rate)for the rest of the year.Then it would go up to £34.
The connection closes quite often(although I can reconnect quickly) so that's annoying but I'm so angry I'm inclined to cancel, pay up and go to another provider. BT seem to have a decent offer(although only 5.5 GB, not the 8.2 I get now) and on their website SAY(?) they can connect me NOW!.
Advice, please, from all you experts(and non-experts) on your experience.
Thanks, Gordon

I gather from this that you pay by direct debit, one solution would be to close that bank account, open a new account with another bank, then ring talktalk, and tell them to stuff their old, and or new contract. They will most likely ring you back offering a better deal. It would cost them more in legal fees than what they could gain, by sueing you.
Try google for different rates on internet connections and ISP's.
I'm with postoffice, and their call center is in Ireland. BT keeps ringing me about going back to them, giving me all sorts of fancy deals, trouble with BT is every time they come with fancy new free calls etc, they put line rental up so they still make the same profits.
Retlaw

[mez]

i gave talk talk 2 weeks notice prior to moving in october of this year, they said i would get my phone reconnected the day after i'd moved in, lo & behold i got a text of openreach to say my landline was up & running as they promised, then to my delight so was my broadband ....then i got my bill of £34 whoa thinks i!!!!! it wasd only £24 before i moved so i rang them up & told them " i do NOT want this ..that & the other !" i finished up saving £12 on my next bill it pays to look carfully at your bill to argue the matter, they had done the same with me put me on a different contract as my old one had run out, they aint playing with no dumb kid here.

[jaysay]

I've never had any trouble with BT hav been with them for years and it costs nowhere near as much

[Margaret Pilkington]

My experience is the same John........I have no quibbles with BT......when I have had a problem it has been sorted pronto.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

My experience is the same John........I have no quibbles with BT......when I have had a problem it has been sorted pronto.

By the way Margaret BullGuard is first class too, far better than Mcafee

[JCB]

Originally Posted by jaysay

BullGuard is first class too, far better than Mcafee

Thanks . I'm with Talktalk and McCafee .

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by JCB

Thanks . I'm with Talktalk and McCafee .

I had a hell of a lot of trouble with MCafee JCB totally screwed my compute up Dell had to reset to factory settings and a new mother board to solve it

[Margaret Pilkington]

Glad my recommendation has been helpful to you John.

JCB, I reckon if you took the 60 days free trial on Bullguard then you would be a convert too......it is excellent, with 24/7 online support(they get back to you within an hour with solutions and help)

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Glad my recommendation has been helpful to you John.

JCB, I reckon if you took the 60 days free trial on Bullguard then you would be a convert too......it is excellent, with 24/7 online support(they get back to you within an hour with solutions and help)

And its cheaper than Mcafee too Margaret, and protects 3 computers too

[Barrie Yates]

I am having to virtually start from scratch - did have SKY TV before I moved back but a local French Co for phone & Brodband.
Really getting screwed about by SKY. Told them of the change on 6 December, changed TV package effective from installation date, required Broadband and phone from that date.
SKY+ installation all in order, superb job by the technician who told me that the modem/router would arrive in a few days and only needed plugging in to initiate the system.
Wednesday, no sign of the kit so telephoned them - what an automated system they have. Spent over an hour at 8p/min and determined they hadn't even changed my address. Gave me another number to ring. Did that - another hour, address still hadn't been changed. Finished up sending a formal complaint on their email system - waiting for a response.
Yesterday we received a package from Virgin which looks good - at first, but on more detailed examination, quite a number of pitfalls.
I will look at BT but want to actually talk to someone rather than try and pick my way through the BS on the website. Woud appreciate any experiences/advice from anyone who has a total package from BT - Broadband, phone and TV.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I have my broadband and telephone line.......my calls are with Onetel....and TV is with Sky.

I did contemplate changing to Sky for Broadband, but knowing just how difficult it is to get in touch with them when things go wrong I decided against that.
They are the pits when you need to complain about anything....and as for phoning them, well you might as well try getting through to the Angel Gabriel....you'd have more chance of actually speaking to someone.

[Margaret Pilkington]

On reflection Barrie.....I'm not sure it is a good idea to have everything from one supplier.

My friend who is with Sky, has phone, broadband and TV, had some technical problems with her line and it meant she was without TV, Phone and internet...she said it was very frustrating to try and get things sorted out.

[Gordon Booth]

Barrie,so how are you accessing the internet?
I think talktalk may take so long because they havn't a line at my nearest exchange and they said they would have to borrow a connection/line from BT,who were making them wait-could be just an excuse.
The reason I'm favouring BT, besides price, is THEY own the exchange and the line. They may give priority to connecting a new customer whilst making talktalk wait!

[K.S.H]

I'm with Vodafone, pay nothing at all to BT and never will if I can help it, £25 a month for line rental, broadband (unlimited) and free calls 24/7 to Uk landlines (except the usual 0845, 0800, 0870 numbers etc)
Been with them a few year and never had any problems - touchwood!