Changing phone and internet suppliers.

Sickening - and apparently legal.

Many years ago, I was daft enough to think that we had to have our house insurance with our mortgage provider, the Halifax. When I finally cottoned on and rang to say we had been offered a better insurance deal for just over a third of the price, they immediately offered to match it. I was appalled that they'd ripped us off for so many years and took the other offer. Their excuse for charging so much for so many years? They'd only been using the first 3 characters of our postcode, lumping our quiet residential area in with one with a much higher crime rate. Apparently I should have rung to ask them to use the full postcode, even though I didn't know this was happening!

I really do think that this is immoral. The cost of a service should be what it costs in hardware plus staff plus overheads plus a small profit. It should not be negotiable, as if bartering in a Greek market.

I really do recommend phone coop - our bill really has not changed in years.

It's the same with insurance, isn't it, Luckygirl? If you stay with the same company, your premium inevitably increases. The only way to keep it down is to change every year or two.

I just think it is wholly wrong that people should have to be negotiating deals with these companies. This clearly implies that they try it on with an overpriced package and then come down when challenged. Does that not seem slightly immoral? Is this what privatising phone services was meant to be about - companies conning the public? I find it sickening.

I am with phone coop which acts as a cooperative owned by its customers. Our monthly bill has barely changed in the many years we have been with them. And their service is good - we rang yesterday to say we would like to subscribe to Caller Display and bingo there is was a couple of hours later.

Hi I'm not sure if this is allowed or not did any one ever think of joining
Gif gaff it's a mobile phone provider.My daughter told me about it.Any
One on gif gaff on the very basic package gets free calls .i put £12 pound on every 3 months .i get free calls to anyone on gifgaf cheap texting

If you are interested would you use the link below please to be honest I get £5 you get £5 free calls

WWW.giffgaff.com/orders/affiliate/Fallsroadgirl

Thank you. little Anne

I've had several different suppliers and despite not being especially 'technical' plugging in new routers is pretty straightforward. You can normally keep your old email address, and if you get yourself a back up gmail address that's simple too.

SAS someone who is not technical I would be interested to know the experiences of anyone that changes providers, is the new router, in my case wireless difficult to set up, can you keep your old e mail address etc.

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Anya Just going off topic for a minute regarding DVLA,OH needed to replace his driving licence with 70th Bday coming up in May,I went on line did the required bits & bobs and hey-ho the replacement was with us 3 days later now that is what I call service.

I understand your annoyance Jen and it's about time BT informed it's customers when their contract is coming to an end. After all they are supposed to be in the communication business! The DVLA have an excellent system for reminding us after all, and my energy supplier too.

Glamma obviously has a better handle on it than I do because I always forget, but this time I had a problem with slow WiFi and asked when my contract expired.

Every August (the second week actually) I ring BT to ask what incentives they will give me if I decide to stay with them and for the past 4/5 yrs I have had a reduction in my bills and freebies added,I always ring loaded with comparisons and ask them to beat them and up to now it has always been in my favour,it certainly depends who you manage to speak to though.

I am not bothered about the fact that I could get a good deal now, Anya, but that I was conned a year ago when someone phoned me up to ask if I wanted to extend my contract. So for a year I have been paying twice as much as I should. Anyway, it was the first person I spoke to who nearly matched it, except for £1 per week. Or only £1 per week more to do without the hassle of changing my email address. I told him that that's a week's shopping for a single pensioner, and that I am used to changing email addresses, it's not that much of a bother.

i am with Plusnet and because I have been with that company since 2011 and my contract was up for renewal, I was given a very good deal. I had not said that I was leaving but that was my next sentence if I had not been offered a good deal. I pay my telephone line annually and also save on that with Plusnet.

True Anya
We are with Sky and my first query about recordings disappearing was answered by someone reading from the notes they put on the screen. I'd already tried that solution and it didn't work,but that was all the help we got. A second call, got a very knowledgeable assistant who talked us through the solution. Having said that, we are looking for a less expensive option.

I'm sticking with BT having phoned and got more for less. I was with Plusnet and TalkTalk at one time but not impressed.

Jen it does depend on who you get to speak to. The first BT 'customer service' person was totally useless, so I said 'thanks but goodbye' and rang again. The next person I spoke to was wonderful.

Four months, not four moths.

It is madly annoying that we as customers have to keep providers on their toes. I can't wait for our contract with BT to come to an end, it will be bye-bye from me.

I'll remember that in future, Elegran. The difference is £25 per month, not to be sneezed at. When I told the BT lad that Plusnet were going to give me fibre as well for the price, he didn't say anything. I know it's here, because they have been upgrading for months at the telephone boxes on the roadside. We've had traffic lights being moved all over the village for four moths at least.

No, but DS alternates between BT and Plusnet. He gets a good rate each time. It pays to keep them on their feet.