Advice on changing internet provider

My DD has Plusnet and has only good things to say about them.

I’d nothing but trouble with TalkTalk years ago and wouldn’t touch them again. Plusnet is owned by BT and their customer service is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Personally I’m more than happy with Virgin. Each year I managed to get my monthly payments reduced, but of course you have to phinebup and haggle. My broadband speed is 100+ mps and this year my monthly payments ate the cheapest ever.

phinebup? Phone up!

I switched to Plusnet a couple years ago from BT (even though they own Plusnet it was cheaper) and before that Virgin, they have been great. When I had a couple of queries they were easy to contact via online chat or phone.
My phone number has never changed.

Good luck with this morethan2, I'm interested in what people have to say in answer to your question. BT have been alright for us, we have not tried any other. About how much is most people's internet access I wonder, we pay about £50 p m, is it one of those services we should swop providers for like gas and electricity?

I pay half that Nana3 for top speed broadband and free ‘anytime’ phone calls.

Though I pay up front for yearly line rental but at half price.

Is that with BT OldMeg?

No, through Virgin.

Ring them. Say a friend has recommended but you’ve been a loyal BT customer for years and are loath to change, except you’re on a pension and looking to cut costs. Don’t accept the first deal they offer. Be prepared to say ‘no thanks’ and try again with a different customer service person.

I’ve just checked my bill Nana3

I paid £136 upfront for a years line rental and £26 a month for broadband and phone.

I had a complicated situation of having two lines in our house both with BT - one for business although it was a domestic tariff but the broadband was on it costing £56 a month. Due to work changes I've recently had to disconnect the broadband line and needed to add it to the home line - they have put me on a normal ASDL line as the super fast wasn't available on the home line (go figure - both in the same junction box at the top of the street!). Anyway the upshot is it's now costing half what I was paying and I can't say we've noticed much of a reduction in the bandwidth or speeds. I've been with BT for many years and never (fingers crossed) had an issue with them. That said we also had Virgin in another property and that was good too although again very expensive.

I don't know about keeping your existing number but I would have thought it should be possible with whoever you choose. Best to do some research for reviews on the best provider then give them a call to discuss your options.

We are with Sky, have just renegotiated our contract from £34.50 a month to £35.00 per month, 50p more which we think is good value, that includes line rental, Superfast Broadband, evening & weekend calls. They had wanted to put it up to £38 per month but we said we would go elsewhere and had an alternative price which we quoted to them, had to haggle a bit. We use our mobiles during the day as it is within our quota's. We have been with Sky for several years now and very satisfied with our internet connection. Previously with BT who were an utter disaster and totally messed up when changing to them, customer service was horrendous, hours on the phone, countless emails and weeks with no telephone let alone internet connection, soon as we could ended our contract. Would never, ever have them again. Do some research for new customer deals and check what is available in your area if you are thinking of changing.

morethan - the comparison sites do broadband now. We changed from Talktalk to Plusnet a few years ago and although I check my price every year they’re still the best for us. £36 a month for phone, calls and broadband for us. I like the UK call centre and their technical team are helpful.

morethan2 I changed from TalkTalk (who were absolutely awful) to PlusNet 4 years ago and have never regretted it.

PS. I kept my number.

I paid £197 for 12 months line rental and pay £13.99 a month for unlimited fibre broadband (Plusnet). I pay for calls but as we rarely use the landline that is usually only a pound or two a month.

Download speed is very important to me. 100+ mps. What download speeds do others have?

Just run a test and I’m gettIng 105 mps download and 6 mps upload at the moment

I am with Virgin, no problems.

TalkTalk tried to tell me I couldn’t keep my phone number. I told them, in no uncertain terms, that it had been my number for fifty years and I’d only been with them for three years and I was keeping it. If you leave them during your contract they will want you to pay for the rest of the period

Another Plusnet fan here. They're always helpful on the phone (Yorkshire) if any glitches occur.

Try money saving expert, they usually have excellent advice.

Thanks everyone I’m going to go ahead soon. I appreciate you all taking the time to reply.