Broadband UK - Options and Help!

TaKYoN · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 1:51 pm **Post subject:**

Hhhm, going by the comments being voiced on the BY newsgroups, they will lose huge amounts of customers if they introduce caps. Trouble is then, as I pointed out to some other BY customers, ppl like us that need uncapped then begin an endless cycle of changing ISP's to keep up with the ones that offer the best prices and uncapped. Up unitl now I have stuck with TX, even though they were not the cheapest, simply because the connection is so reliable and uncapped.

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:30 pm **Post subject:**

NTL don't care about customers, simple as that, you leave and there less maintenance issues.

On the same note, I'm about (tomorrow) to have a BT line fitted and don't want to be without BB for ANY time at all, given that I'm getting cut off on wed from NTL are any of the self install ISP's any good / uncapped OR useable for a month just to tide me over.

Demon seem to fulfill the self install and the no cap part of that, but are they any good? I've heard some horror stories about them.

spudthedestroyer · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:42 pm **Post subject:**

they're an isp, they all have horror stories.

Because your line is brand new, it should be good quality if the technician does it right, so its a simple matter of getting it activated. There shouldn't be any delays or anything, most of these horror stories come from people migrating and the downtime and "co-operating" between bt who are complete plums and the isps who are all failed IT students that have no idea what they are doing.

Since you'll be just ordering ADSL, you won't have to get a cease date, then an activation date, etc. Shouldn't be many problems. (notice i said many not any, this is the BT factor :lol:

)

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:53 pm **Post subject:**

I realise that no ISP is going to be blemish free, has anyone got any experience of Demon though?

One of my "Real world" friends swears by them, but he thinks the 13 ghosts remake is a good film so I take things he says with a pinch of salt :lol:

(You reading this Gav?)

TaKYoN · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 3:00 pm **Post subject:**

Well, I used them for several years on dial up before moving over to TW BB, they were always great then, but this was years ago now.

Worst ISP I ever had is probably BT, altho most of em had faults.

spudthedestroyer · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 11:46 pm **Post subject:**

NT-HELL SMELLYWEST Merger

Quote:

Landmark agreement announced

ntl and Telewest announced today a definitive merger agreement under which ntl will acquire Telewest, creating the U.K.'s second largest communications company and leading triple play service provider. The cable footprint will cover more than 50% of U.K. households.

The objective is to combine the best of both companies into a business that will delight customers, whether families at home or a large multi-national corporation.

This is good news for customers, suppliers and business partners. It makes sound commercial sense, and will ultimately provide the scale and resource needed to compete more effectively.

As separate companies we're already well known. Together, we will develop next generation services, while maintaining the ongoing improvements to existing products and customer services. We'll be better positioned to meet the future needs of our customers.

No change to your services

It's business as usual. There is no change to existing products, services and prices. There are also no changes to contracts or terms and conditions. We remain focused on delivering the high standard of products and services you deserve.

What happens next?

The transaction is subject to agreement by shareholders. There are also some important regulatory and other steps that have to be satisfied before the deal can be closed. This could take several months, depending on how we progress through the process. This site will continue to be updated when key developments are announced.

Questions and Answers
What have you announced today?
Why are you doing this?
How will this affect me?
Do my services change?
Will my bill change?
Does this mean that my contract becomes void?
Will my service be disrupted as a result of this news?
Will you be changing my Ts&Cs?
Will our contacts change?
So are ntl and Telewest one company now?
What's involved in this regulatory process? What happens next?
How long will this take?
As a customer of Telewest, will I be able to choose one of ntl's services?
Who do I speak to for more information?

What have you announced today?
Today ntl and Telewest have announced a definitive merger agreement under which ntl will acquire Telewest, creating the UK's second largest communications company and leading triple play service provider. The cable footprint will cover more than 50% of UK households.

Why are you doing this?
We'll be better positioned to meet the future needs of customers and more able to compete in the highly competitive markets in which we operate.

How will this affect me?
Today it's business as usual. There's no change to your services, contracts or prices. However we'll be better positioned to meet your future needs.

Do my services change?
No. Your services remain unchanged. There are also no changes to your prices, contract or terms and conditions.

Will my bill change?
No. Your services and your usual billing process will not change.

Does this mean that my contract becomes void?
No. It's business as usual.

Will my service be disrupted as a result of this news?
No.

Will you be changing my Ts&Cs?
No.

Will our contacts change?
No.

So are ntl and Telewest one company now?
No. ntl has entered into an agreement to acquire the Telewest business. The transaction is subject to agreement by shareholders. There are also some important regulatory and other steps that have to be satisfied before the deal can be closed and we become one company.

What's involved in this regulatory process? What happens next?
There are some important regulatory and other steps that have to be satisfied before the deal can be closed. The OFT and OFCOM are aware of the transaction. Formal notification containing detailed information about the transaction and the operations of both companies will be submitted to both organisations shortly.

How long will this take?
The OFT will review possible implications of the proposed deal and either approve or refer it to the Competition Commission for more detailed review. S o how long the whole process takes depends on the decisions the regulators take at each stage.

As a customer of Telewest, will I be able to choose one of ntl's services?
No. Today, both ntl and Telewest offer a similar range of services, but to customers on their individual networks, which do not overlap.

Who do I speak to for more information?
This website will be updated when key developments are announced.

Quote:

Will you be changing my Ts&Cs?
No.

*COUGH* BULLSHIT *COUGH*

Excuse me...

I was on bt (aka. The Filth) and only had a problem with their dumbass phone service people and their general laziness. The service itself was okay. They ain't as bad as Telewest are in west yorkshire, i can tell you that for nothing :lol:

hehe:
BT calls for closure of BTIrelandsucks.com

Quote:

Lawyers representing BT Ireland have called on the owner of BTIrelandsucks.com to pull the plug on the site claiming it has been registered in "bad faith".

In a letter to site owner Adam Beecher, BT Ireland said: "You have no right, title or interest in respect of the name BT Ireland and we require that you remove the website and cancel the domain name without delay."

The telco is also submitting a complaint under ICANN's dispute resolution service because BT reckons the name has been "registered in bad faith".

But Beecher shows little sign of giving up the domain without fight. He set up the site to highlight customer service problems he's experienced at the hands of BT Ireland.

"The main problem with BT Ireland, in my opinion, is their billing system. It doesn't work," he writes, explaining how he wasn't billed for three months and the matter only came to light when he contacted the telco.

Or as he puts it so eloquently at the top of the page: "Fix your f*cking billing system you muppets!"

Then there's his gripe about having to pay a €125 deposit for his broadband service and not receiving a receipt to acknowledge that he's coughed up.

"I don't have a problem with being asked for a deposit...however BT don't issue receipts for this deposit, and despite being told that a letter is sent out to customers explaining the deposit, I've never received one. That's just bad business," he says.

Not content with shining a light on what he believes are BT Ireland's failings, he then turns his attention to the letter from the telco's legal team.

"I have as much right to say that 'BT Ireland sucks' as you or anyone else in the country, or the world; and until the law is changed to make criticism a civil or criminal offense, I'm afraid there's bog all BT Ireland can do about it."

He also details exactly why he believes BT Ireland's dispute resolution request will fail.

A spokeswoman for BT Ireland declined to discuss the matter since it was in the hands of lawyers.

However she told us: "We're doing what we can to protect our brand." ?

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:20 pm **Post subject:**

Just ordered Bulldog, let's hope they're as good as Spud says they are :lol:

spudthedestroyer · **Posted:** Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:35 pm **Post subject:**

ahem... I don't ever recall calling them good, i just merely stated i have never had any problems with them. Quite different, except it seems to be taken as an all singing, all dancing endorsement given the press they get.

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:40 pm **Post subject:**

I know, I'm happy enough though as long as they get me up and running soon.

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Tue Oct 11, 2005 2:26 pm **Post subject:**

1Mb only for me though

Back to the dark ages speed wise, I'm too far from the exchange for anything better - does anyone know if Bulldog write should faster speeds become possible?

spudthedestroyer · **Posted:** Tue Oct 11, 2005 8:03 pm **Post subject:**

eh how come your on 1mbit only? I thought u lived down south with the rest of the shandy drinking tossers? :googley:

Too far from the exchange? I got 2mbit and i live in friggin Royston Vasey (more or less).

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Tue Oct 11, 2005 9:28 pm **Post subject:**

Well, that's what they said

I'm quite a way from the exchange apparently

Although it's better than the 512Kb I'd be on with NTL :lol:

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2005 9:20 am **Post subject:**

I must be honest, so far Bulldog have been excellent. Because of "issues" with my line I've received contradictory information between the web site and emails so I phoned customer services to clarify.

They answered pretty much straight away, clarified the issue, explained why the website was wrong and offerred to let me know by SMS / mobile call when my line was up and running.

Compared to NTL they are absolutely superb.

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2005 6:10 pm **Post subject:**

I take it all back, Bulldog have fucked up :evil:

They aren't going to activate today as promised, I'm looking at another 3-5 days, the guy earlier was wrong, pissed off now. It's total incompetance on Bulldog's part.

How fucking difficult can it be for god's sake.

spudthedestroyer · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2005 9:47 pm **Post subject:**

a delay of 3-5 days? for an isp in the uk that's actually quite reasonable :mrgreen:

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 11:45 am **Post subject:**

3-5 days was a lie though unfortunately :evil:

REALLY getting fed up now, I've got an activation date of the 21st

Utterly hopeless, looks like they lied to me on the phone to stop me from cancelling last night, thing is though I can't get connected anywhere else any quicker (can I? - if so PLEASE let me know)

TaKYoN · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 12:31 pm **Post subject:**

Hhhhm, believe it not, and this no use to you PCA I am afraid, but TW have always been the quickest for me. I waited just 2 days for initial installation, and I have only had to wait for more than 2 days for a fault to be corrected properly.

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 1:54 pm **Post subject:**

NTL weren't as bad as this either, I've never had a fault with them, but thry installed pretty much straight away

spudthedestroyer · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:43 pm **Post subject:**

The thing is with cable is, they actually employ their own engineers, on ADSL, they hire bt engineers, or rather they have no choice but to ask bt to do the work for them since its still regarded as bts network. i suspect that might be your problem, although bulldog probably are intentionally deceiving you.

How did you find out it was going to be the 21st btw? Did bulldog or bt tell you? As is my understanding you don't get any direct communications with bt, they tell everything to the isp then the isps pass the information on to you, or don't if that is the case. So you can't find out who's fault it is, although its safe to say they are both 90% retards, 10% lazy sods.

the whole system is a fuckup, I leave it up to judgement who's fault it is and how it can be fixed, because imo its a pathetic situation. ISPs are blaming bt, and bt blames the isps:

1) you phone isp
2) ISP takes order
3) ISP phones bt to check line
4) bt checks line
5) BT reports back to isp. If problem, report to user, if not ISP orders activation date
6) BT organises activation date then schedules engineer
7) ISP receives info and reports to customer
----

Either A followed by B, if they are efficient, or B followed by A if they are crap wankers (ie. even after connection, you can't connect since your not setup on the isp server):
A) ISP sends out your connection details, modem whatever, which means your all ready to connect to their servers. Then waits for
B) BT engineers active line
----
9) Once you have the details and the activation date passes, you can connect.

With cable its one company and very linear, they tschedule their own engineers, etc.

Now if i were a speculative man, i would say BT have failed to activate your line, and bulldog have then strung you along trying to make it sound all technical. That means either Bulldog hasn't booked the date right, or BT hasn't made the scheduled date. With me, I was waiting for BT to discconnect me from their service, which they didn't do when they said they would. Then i had to be reactivated which bt didn't do when they said they would, or rather when bulldog said they would.

There's one exception to the ADSL model, BT, since they own their own engineers.

Its definitely not all bts fault of course, and i'm not shifting the blame, i think bulldog has more than proved their incompetance with all the administrative cockups. However, It wouldn't surprise me that "we don't work afternoons" bt is in this equation somewhere

Its funny how bulldog always are the isp that piss people around more than others these days... remember i never said they were good... don't go blaming me :lol:

However, my point is, i think that shows why ADSL is never going to be as efficient as cable, because with cable you only generally deal with the one company who does everything with their own technicians.

Have you received your details/modem/whatever?

PC_Arcade · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2005 5:13 pm **Post subject:**

Yeah, I've got an activation date from Bulldog and connection details just waiting for a connection

Broadband UK - Options and Help!

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