I want to move away from Virgin broadband. Can someone recommend an
ISP whose support line isn't a premium rate one? Don't mind it being
0845 or even 0870, but 50p a minute to find out why they're not
providing the service they promised to is taking the piss.

<dpydotsmw@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1183651970.025023.68730@q75g2000hsh.googlegro ups.com...
ftr is 25p per min with virgin. and they refund if its an issue of their
making! I am not saying its right though!!

dpydotsmw@hotmail.com wrote:
If you have a BT line how about LLU via BE Internet
https://www.bethere.co.uk/homebroadband.do

Their member support number 0808 234 8566 is a free phone and service is
very good - I moved my main connection from VM to them when VM lost the
plot and started faffing around with STM.

Also dispensed with the telephone and TV as well

Regards

A

On 5 Jul, 17:12, "dpydot...@hotmail.com" <dpydot...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Hi there,

Watchdog has said that BT Total Broadband is the top ISP and yes it is
an 0845 number. 0845 6007030 to get connected.

PlusNet now owned by bt have 0845 and a normal landline; for many
latter
is free call dependent on phone package.

http://www.plus.net/



On Jul 5, 6:24 pm, "paulphan...@gmail.com" <paulphan...@gmail.com>
wrote:

How often do you need support? If it's zero times per year, the rate is
irrelevant ;-) If it's many times per year you need a better ISP ;-)

It's 25p, and they refund if it's their fault.

Seriously, I never worry about the cost of support because I've never,
ever, needed it. How many times have you had to call VM for support?

Al.

On 5 Jul 2007 20:42:48 GMT, in uk.telecom.broadband , Al
<alnews67@hotmail.com> wrote:

For myself, regarding broadband - zero times in four years*.

I've phoned sales to change my services several times but of course
thats free. I've also reported a fault with the phone twice but thats
also free to report.

*I've reported a couple of non-urgent problems via the "contact us"
section of the website.
--
Mark McIntyre

<dpydotsmw@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1183651970.025023.68730@q75g2000hsh.googlegro ups.com...
Why do you need support from the ISP? No one I know ever calls an ISP, they
use web sites or the help guides to set up email, news and browsing. Most
ISPs provide a CD anyway that does it for you.
If you have a complaint about an ISP you just get on to www.ispa.org.uk and
they sort it out in no time. They speak to the ISP and they call YOU! And
it's an English speaking person, not someone from India reading a script.

If your connection goes off, what is the point in ringing the ISP, they know
it has gone off. Just go and do something else and check every few hours to
see if it is fixed. Some ISPs flick a few switches to generate income via
their support numbers and use people like you!

There should be NO NEED to phone the support line of an ISP.

Tell us what sort of things you will be asking, or what you have had to ask
in the past and I will point you to some help guides in order to print out
and keep near your computer.

<paulphanson@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1183656289.146310.124190@n2g2000hse.googlegro ups.com...
complaints about them recently. Their incompetent engineers that couldn't
keep things running or fix the system for weeks and the mail server
failure/configuration errors was one example.
Statistics can say anything you want them to with the right interpretation
of answers. Check BT for value for money, port blocking, port throttling,
user restrictions, peer2peer blocking and capping.

TJY wrote:
Problem is what happens if you can't get on at all because the router
(which the ISP supplies & ties your service to) goes phut.

You don't just have to phone up once but several times before the
eventually agree to send a new one & that's only after you put your
foot down & state fix or else I'm leaving.
Except for when their is a system failure localised to your ciruit, it
could be your router, some problem with your line, your DSLAM port may
have locked or even the DSLAM card may require changing.

Yes the ISP should be able to remotely see this & be able to test &
diagnose, but so often they don't. Don't know whether it's the front
desk people just being thick or they just don't understand the test
results they get, if they bother to run them anyway (neighbour with a
dead router was told to leave it plugged & it would fix itself over
the next 24 hours, I kid you not, only problem is that the faulty
router was putting out any interference signal affect several other
circuits, causing unstable connections or at the very least slower
connections)

The front desk tech support on many ISPs just work thru a scripted
flow chart & if it don't fit the chart then they just make pathetic
guesses, very often incorrect
How do they know what their future problems are going to be, but here
is one to start you off, you have a line problem, everything is
testing ok but it's slow speeds with lots off errors that's if you can
connect at all, you have tried from the test socket & you have swapped
filters & even possibly another modem/router. How are you going to
get Openreach to investigate if you don't contact your ISPs service
deck & probably more than once?

On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 23:47:03 +0100, in uk.telecom.broadband , "TJY"
<nonews@tjy.com> wrote:

When your BB connection is down / keeps crashing?

When your BB connection is down / keeps crashing?

Er, the CD is usually full o' junk you really don't need.

I should bleedin' coco. ISPs do /not/ monitor everyone's connection in
realtime!

--
Mark McIntyre

TJY wrote:
That will depend on which package you go on...

On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 23:02:59 UTC, Mark McIntyre
<markmcintyre@spamcop.net> wrote:

Well, most don't. At least I get a text on the mobile, when the line
goes down. But that's my router failing to respond, and the ISP doesn't
know whether it's me or the line.

--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
euthanasia recommended. ]

On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 22:47:03 UTC, "TJY" <nonews@tjy.com> wrote:

Well, no point in calling Tiscali, is there? No chance of an intelligent
conversation. Others have a better experience.

--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
euthanasia recommended. ]

"Al" <alnews67@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9964DCE1B78ECalnews67hotmailcom@130.133.1. 4...

Every time the modem loses connection, which on average seems to be once
every three months or so in recent years. Just to make sure they know about
it. Several times I have been the first to let them know, but recently I
have become wiser and wait an hour or two, or until morning if the outage
happens late at night, before phoning. Then they can tell me it is an
outage and not waste my time telling me to disable the firewall etc.
--
Tony W
My e-mail address has no hyphen
- but please don't use it, reply to the group.

"paulphanson@gmail.com" wrote:

LMAO ! Based on the number of customers. The most unscientific survey I've ever
seen.

Graham