Broadband - are you getting what you pay for?

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Rachel Lacey
Wed, 19/12/2007 - 15:20

According to research from Broadbandchoices.co.uk - Sky and Virgin Media are the most consistent suppliers when it comes to connection speeds. Talk Talk looks to be one of the worst, offering an average 2.2 Mb on its 8 Mb package.

What do you think of your broadband connection? Are these results in line with your experiences? Post a note on our forums and share your views.

 

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beccabee:

i am with bt broadband which i signed up to as i was offered faster speeds of 8mb.upon checking the speed i found it was at 3mb. i got in contact with bt who informed me that i was not guaranteed speed of 8mb, only up to 8mb. This was not made clear when i signed up but seems to be standard practise among all the broadband suppliers.

Thu, 10/01/2008 - 17:19
Hannah Ricci:

Yes advertising speeds 'up to' does seem to be standard practice and is very misleading.



The speed you receive comes down to how far away you live from your local exchange point, and the advertised speeds are usually only achieved by those living literally on top the exchange points.


The link below gives an idea of what speed you can expect to get depending on where you live for BT lines, which could help to avoid signing up for speeds we'll never be able to receive.


Ofcom is calling on broadband providers to give clearer information, so watch this space.

Thu, 10/01/2008 - 17:46
frugal:

i am with talk talk can be very slow and sometimes i cant even get on well i suppose that is the down side of free internet access !

Mon, 14/01/2008 - 16:02
Max A:

I am with sky wireless, seems fine but then i do have a good computer. Last night though it wouldn't work unless I plugged the router into my computer... i called sky and they were really unhelpful, ended up saying they didn't know why and to phone my computer maker (acer).
Does anyone know which provider is the best for remote customer service?

Mon, 14/01/2008 - 17:44
ddtowe:

I recently switched from Virgin Broadband to Bethere.  Mainly because there is no cable in my area and Be and Bulldog where the only ones to have unbundled the local exchange.  Whilst I don't get the 24mb they advertised (as I am over 3k from the exchange) I do get between 3mb to 5mb connection speeds, which is two and three times I was getting at Virgin and I am playing less!

Interesting news about H2O and using the sewer system to provide super fast fibre (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7202396.stm).  Its about time there was some competition in the area.

Fri, 25/01/2008 - 14:47
tomser22:

I recommend virgin as with cable you get what you pay for, no problems with telephone exchanges.

Sun, 03/08/2008 - 15:00
emitcomputer:

When I moved to this house nearly 3 years ago I decided to go with Tiscali for my telephone and broadband. At the time I paid £19.95 / month for 1 meg broadband plus unlimited landline call to geographic UK telephone numbers. In addition I paid approx £11.00 / month line rental. In practice I got 1.20 meg of broadband and I was, at the time quite happy and recommended Tiscalic to various friends and neighbours, who were also happy.

Last autumn one of the friends saw the new improved version whereby for the approx the same £19.95 Tiscali would include the line rental and also include certain international call and upgrade the broadband speed to the nominal 'up to 8 meg' speed. He approached Tiscali and they duly up graded his service.

He is now getting approx 5,2 meg of broadband. He lives about 300 yards further from the telephone exchange that I do, just across the road.

Last December I also approached Tiscali to do the same upgrade and they agreed to a change over date of 2 Jan. 2008. The change over duly took place and BT refunded the surplus on my a/c. So I have saved money. unfortunately the speed has not changed and I am still getting 1.2 meg. BT's website says my phone line is capable of 6 meg.

I have spoken to Tiscali until I am blue in the face. They keep promising that they will fix it within 5-7 days and giving me £10.00 cash back but nothing happens. I have written to the Chief Exec. but no reply.

Tiscali's prices are good, their promises are good, but their performance is rubbish. They really need to stop advertising for new customers until they have sorted out the ones that they have got.

Tue, 05/08/2008 - 16:22
Rebecca Atkinson:

New research suggests that introductory deals are the biggest draw for broadband customers... has anyone seen or experienced any intro offers that are worth getting excited about?

Mon, 11/08/2008 - 14:30
kieranmt:

I have been with Be for over 2 years and have had a very good service from them.

 

My average speed is 8meg.

Wed, 23/09/2009 - 12:56