Internet access for fledgling business

[The Old Bat]

Hi everyone

I have only just registered with the forum and am looking for advice regarding broadband providers for a new business. I apologise if this is somewhere else on the forum.

I currently do not have internet access at home. We were due to have Virgin cable installed last week but this wasnt able to go ahead. I (stupidly) didn't realise that the cables had to come into the front of our flat, which is the bedroom. This meant that cables had to go right round the bedroom, all the way down the hall, over 4 doors, and right around the living room. Decided that I didn't want that much cabling everywhere. We are now back to square one - which is where I am looking for advice ....

I have looked at prices for tiscali and Talk Talk and BT - BT being very expensive. We dont need TV package as we don't watch that much but are desperate for internet access and probably want to include landline telephone calls into the package.

What are your experiences and are there any providers that you can recommend. Looking for quick access, not necessarily to download films, but music would be good. Have not yet set up a website ... that's the next job once we have internet access.. and there's another question!

Think that will do for now - sorry for the long waffle

Please help

Bev

 

[doogie]

As I recommended on another thread, if your exchange has their equipment in it, O2/Be are the (IMHO) best broadband provider for the home. (You dodged a bullet there with Virgin because IMHO they are terrible!)

This won't get you any inclusive calls though as they'd have to come through your current BT contract - I assume you currently have a BT phone line installed and active?

 

[Canary Dwarf]

Another vote for Be/O2 if, as doogie says, they have their equipment in your exchange. They do offer an ADSL to subscribers at non-Be exchanges too, but that's not as highly regarded as their own service.

Another highly-rated provider is Zen Internet, a bit more expensive than your average, but have the plaudits to support it.

I'm with Pipex Business, which is consistently good, but has poor customer service. Fortunately, I've only needed it once or twice in six years. Customer Service might improve since TalkTalk bought them out recently, although, IIRC, TalkTalk didn't rate highly in my customer service book when I was with them, they put the phone down on me because I wanted to 'think' about their unbeatable bargain offer' but that's another story.

 

[The Old Bat]

Thank you so much for your comments - will need to do a bit more research. I'm glad now that we didnt go with the Virgin installation .. someone must have been looking after us!

Will have a look at Be/o2 and Zen internet. We have a BT line, so just need to find the best package for home/small business uses. Have also heard not great things recently about Tiscali.

I too have a real issue about signing up for things immediately, when making telephone enquiries. The way I tend to work is gather info first, analyse and then decide. Can't be doing with 'one off offers' that you have to sign up for there and then.

Many thanks
Bev

 

[doogie]

A very good approach... I never agree to telephone offers like that unless I know for sure it's the best price.

If you go for O2/Be they change about on a regular basis which one works out cheapest. To get the very best deal, you need to sign up through a cashback site, like Quidco - The web's cashback cooperative - simply by going through there and joining you'll get a cashback of £30-£70, depending on what offers are on at the time, plus any free month offers that are on at the moment.

If you go with O2, for the cheapest deal, you need to either have a mobile with O2, or get a pay as you go sim card and top up £10 every 3 months, which saves you about a fiver a month (therefore a net of £5 saving a quarter) - that additional step may or may not be worth the bother

No connection other than a happy O2 & Quidco customer

 

[Canary Dwarf]

Caveat emptor, put yourself in control an' all that - If someone like TalkTalk, BT, etc has an 'unbeatable' offer, you can bet they'll be pre-empting something even better from their competitors.