Which Fibre Broadband (Openreach) for modest streaming.

Skipped

Please give your real world recommendations.

If Plusnet have been great....please tell me.

If BT are worth the extra 4 or 5 pounds for customer service, let me know.

What price increases have you seen during your contract.

Thanks.

Kittyfrisk

Well, for what it's worth, Plusnet have been very good with me.
I had years of interruptions, unsatisfactory responses & missed appointments when with BT (I live in a rural location).
When I eventually switched to Plusnet, they got the issue sorted out (the engineer had missed the corroded cabinet connections) & I have been fine ever since.
The existing ustomer  'mates rates' deal means that they are now also my mobile provider (unbeatable offer), so I guess that says it all.
YMMV 

DiscoStu

Plusnet has been brilliant for us. Had BT Infinity 80Mb fibre but it was constantly dropping out and where I was paying £55 a month for 'up to' 80Mb I was regularly only getting around 5Mb. Many phone calls and no progress later I switched to Plusnet.
£35 a month (with calls package) and usually full speed connection and occasionally just around the 45-50Mb mark during busy periods.

Been nearly 2 years and no complaints. Faster and cheaper than BT, yet the same company...

DiscoStu

Oh, and Plusnet don't block certain sites the way BT do. Which is handy.

Skipped

Well....this is interesting.

Do the Plusnet price increases within contract  seem to be based on inflation? (OK I suppose). As opposed to taking the piss. (Not OK).

Kittyfrisk

^ Good question.
I can't recall having had price rises from PN while in contract.
Doesn't mean it didn't happen, just that if it did, it didn't annoy me enough to remember it.

Kittyfrisk

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2019/10/plusnet-to-hike-broadband-and-phone-charges-from-december/

DiscoStu

When my initial contract period ran out the price went up, but a quick phone call got the previous discounts reapplied so I'm still on the same price.
I had an email about December's price changes. As it's a fixed price contract there will be no increase on my line rental, however add-ons ARE subject change which in my case is the evening and weekend calls package and that's going up by £1. Hardly a deal breaker as the service has been great and the price is still a bargain compared to BT.

thumpingrug

Im about to switch away from plusnet after 2 years.  Had problems from day one and their "award winning" customer service was a) impossible to get hold of, b) not interfered fro months and c) when they finally recognised the issue decided they probably couldn't fix it.  Prior to them we had Utility warehouse (talk talk) and that ran very smoothly but became very expensive after the initial period. EE (via BT) have offered a great deal so we shall see what that brings come wednesday.

paulnb57

I've been with BT for years, with no issues

Snags

Courtesy of work I get to see a lot of different ISP scenarios. I will never go to BT Broadband (as in, the retail arm; obviously most people are on OpenWound underneath).

As with so many things,  when it works it's OK (but not stellar). When there are problems,  particularly niggly ones, they are impossible to deal with. 

If you're happy with Plusnet, stick. If not, Zen.

scrumhalf

I switched to Vodafone about six months ago after they closed the Demon brand which they'd acquired. I'd been with Demon for about 25 years.

Apart from the occasional 30-second stutter it's been fine, and they don't block anything.

Skipped

All very interesting. Thank you.

kaypeejay

I'm  with PlusNet and they have been very good, including the customer service. My only gripe is that they don't do FTTP and to get it I will have to cancel my contract with them - which will cost me.

Grumpyrocker

paulnb57 said:

I've been with BT for years, with no issues

Same. And we've got a very good mobile phone package included too.

Fretwired

DiscoStu said:

Oh, and Plusnet don't block certain sites the way BT do. Which is handy.

What sites does BT block?

Fretwired

Skipped said:

Please give your real world recommendations.

If Plusnet have been great....please tell me.

If BT are worth the extra 4 or 5 pounds for customer service, let me know.

What price increases have you seen during your contract.

Thanks.

I'm with BT - speed and service are very good. However, I am close to the cabinet and a mile from the exchange.

I suggest you ask people locally - try a local Facebook group or join a group like Nextdoor where you'll find your neighbours and people who live locally. Ask them as broadband services can vary by location.

JezWynd

I had PlusNet previously and was very happy with their service. Since moved to BT (change of address forced move) and they are more expensive but the service is very fast and has been rock solid.

Snap

been with Sky for a long time. On the fibre max, we live out in the sticks, I get about 45-50 mbs, very few if any problems in about 20 years. Customer service has always been good as well.

digitalscream

Plusnet here - I'm not bothered about the price increases, because their service is rock-solid and the best I've ever had. I rely on it for my work (which includes keeping this place running...), so their service is worth more than an extra £2 to me anyway.

I also live about 30 yards from the cabinet, so I'm getting 78Mbit/s sync speed, and I've never had bandwidth limitations (unlike my neighbours, who are with TalkTalk and Sky respectively, and are constantly getting slowdowns at peak times).

bloodandtears

Took up BT when FIbre was first rolled out to our local cabinet..  prices kept rising.. jumped to Plusnet several months ago.. no noticeable change in speed or performance; but cheaper. Happy so far..