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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask you to recommend a broadband provider? Both technical and customer service good

33 replies

Graphista · 30/03/2021 09:11

I have been with Plusnet a long time, when I was first with them I found the service (both technical and customer) to be excellent.

In recent times...not so much!

I've just had an...interesting call with a supposed technical adviser who was so clearly utterly clueless and working off a script. This never used to be the case they used to have excellent, knowledgeable and practical technical staff.

When I challenged his ability to do the job (as politely as possible, no raised voice, bad language or accusations) he got incredibly defensive and frankly rude!

Put me on hold when I was saying not to.

I'm so disappointed in the service.

In addition I'm finding the quality of my connection becoming poorer and losing connection altogether at times.

I'm seeing on forums that outages are being reported and they are denying this is the case and blaming individual setups.

I lost connection last night is why I was calling them. It's now back (happened after I ended the call with the defensive guy) but I am so annoyed!

Clearly there was an outage as it wouldn't just come back on its own! Why not just admit this? Or are their staff not being kept informed?

So frustrating!

Virgin and sky are not companies I wish to deal with, i don't think I can get virgin here anyway (despite them keep mailing me!)

So who would you guys recommend for quality provision, without being extortionate and with good knowledgeable customer service?

I'm so annoyed because as I say been with them for years and have even recommended them on several occasions to others.

OP posts:
LadyPoison · 30/03/2021 09:28

Zen

We’ve been with them almost right from the start. Good customer service and tech support. Not the cheapest but you get what you pay for there.

skirk64 · 30/03/2021 09:38

Service depends so much on your local infrastructure it is difficult to compare accurately. My old home had a new Virgin Media installation which ran perfectly for years, my current one has an old NTL setup which broke every few months. I switched to TalkTalk who were great for my first contract, but as soon as I renewed it has turned to shit.

I've never found a broadband supplier with good customer service though. But Virgin, TalkTalk, BT - all are shit.

LetsGoChamp · 30/03/2021 09:39

We’re with vodafone after years of suffering with crap providers. Been with them a few months, no problems so far, every time we check the speed it’s always above ‘average’. 2 phones, tv box, laptop, 2 smart TVs and an Alexa are normally always on/running at same parts of the day too.

We had free installation and we pay £17 a month for the basic internet but could upgrade at no extra cost (we checked) if it wasn’t good enough. We haven’t had to contact them so can’t question their customer service though.

BarbaraofSeville · 30/03/2021 09:41

We've actually done alright with Virgin Media. It's not perfect, but I don't think any of them are.

I've just renewed after paying a discounted rate for the first 18 months. I rang them and asked if there were any offers to stay or else I'd swap to someone else and straight away, they kept the price at more or less the same level for another 18 months.

BIoodyStupidJohnson · 30/03/2021 09:47

This one depends on your infrastructure but if you can get Hyperoptic I can recommend them. We've been with them almost five years and it's been excellent.

I've heard great things about Zen as well -- if we move house in the foreseeable and can't stay with Hyperoptic I'll investigate them.

londonrach · 30/03/2021 09:51

I could write your op word for word. Been with plusnet for years, been great but the last year really struggled with connection. Watching with interest for replies x

poppycat10 · 30/03/2021 09:57

Hmm interesting, I was going to suggest Plusnet. Maybe Utility Warehouse then?

Definitely not Virgin Media or Talktalk.

MiloAndEddie · 30/03/2021 10:02

We’re with EE and have been for years now.
Can’t really speak for the technical support because we’ve never needed any which I guess is also a plus!
We aren’t on their top package, and I can run my work laptop, Netflix, MN and Netflix on another tv simultaneously with no issue.

SisyphusDad · 30/03/2021 10:07

Another vote for Zen. Not cheap but very good. They're top in this month's Which?' Broadband Provider survey.

HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 30/03/2021 10:17

Plusnet. You're going to get the same provision with any supplier, but customer service from Sky/TalkTalk/Virgin/etc is woeful. Plusnet is one of the better ones.

stackemhigh · 30/03/2021 10:19

We’ve had Sky for years with no issues.

Elphame · 30/03/2021 10:21

We’ve just ditched Utility Warehouse which came with the property. Along with being a MLM they are expensive. There’s the upline to support after all.

We get 8mps with them. Zen give us 66mps for the same price.

Saving a fortune on electricity as well sinking cancelling them as UW
try and take over all your services!

Original poster
Graphista · 30/03/2021 10:22

Zen, hyperoptic - never heard of them, I must admit I'm a bit wary of going with a company I've never heard of

@skirk64 the customer service is what I used to love about Plusnet. I've had problems at times as we all do - you're right about local infrastructure being a major factor I live arse end of nowhere which doesn't help! Eg I checked no virgin connection possible here - but before I'd say approx 18 months ago the customer service was always polite, knowledgeable and swift. That all seems to have gone out the window!

@londonrach the speed and reliability of connection, the loss of connection, and the customer service have all gone SERIOUSLY downhill in last 12-18 months in my experience

@HeyDemonsItsYaGirl did you read op properly? It's Plusnet I'm currently with!

If Plusnet is one of the better ones re customer service I dread to think what the rest are like!

Parents are with BT (they don't trust others as not familiar with them) and pay extortionate fees for poor service all round

OP posts:
ShrinkingViolet9 · 30/03/2021 10:27

Zen.

Been with them since 2007. Currently on Unlimited Zen Fibre 1.

Very rarely a problem and on the rare occasions when there has been one, the technical staff are good and UK based.

As LadyPoison has said - Zen are not the cheapest but you get what you pay for.

TrickorTreacle · 30/03/2021 10:44

I second some of the other comments that Plusnet is one of the better providers. If you do want to switch, then I suggest BT as they use the same line.

Stay away from Virgin Media because once you have signed up to them, it is near-impossible to cancel with them. Cancelling an ADSL provider (as opposed to cable) is a piece of cake in comparison because you can get one of the utility sites to cancel on your behalf e.g. uSwitch or Quidco.

RonObvious · 30/03/2021 10:49

I used to use Freeola, and they were always excellent. We now have Plusnet, because they are much cheaper, and we haven't really had any problems with them. Connection over the last year hasn't been the best, although I suspect that that could be true for everyone - the infrastructure must have taken a bit of a hammering recently!

Original poster
Graphista · 30/03/2021 10:49

Which? Have them as 3rd best too, would love to know how they do their surveys as this isn't the first time I've been surprised by results

I'm a which member for some time now I've never been surveyed for anything

OP posts:
Iloveyogurt · 30/03/2021 10:50

EE customer service has been absolutely excellent and we have had issues to solve in the past, not necessarily their fault, more the creaking infrastructure in the village!

Newnamefor2021 · 30/03/2021 10:57

I've been with sky and BT and not had any issues. Sky were a bit pants when I moved as they wouldn't upgrade our internet to fibre so we switched to BT (and then has sky saying they would but we stayed away as they were more expensive anyway).

BT have been great, don't have issues like our neighbours on virgin, any problems were dealt with quickly and even with compensation off our bill of the inconvenience.

Price has risen and risen year on year, which was the same with Sky. So that's a pain in the ass. We haven't switched as we have phones etc with them now and it's convenient and easy.

We have no issues whatsoever and customer service has always been great.

Biggest down side is price and increases in price.

StCharlotte · 30/03/2021 11:06

I've been with Plusnet from the start and I think their service is one of the best. There was a dodgy period a few years back but when I started wfh last year, they were really good. But sometimes every firm has problems.

I realise this depends where you are but if I had a pound for every time I saw on our local Facebook page "has anyone else's Virgin Media gone down?", I wouldn't have to work at all!

All of which is no help whatsoever I'm afraid. Sorry!

Wingedharpy · 30/03/2021 11:08

I'm in a similar position at the moment, Graphista, ie. looking to switch for a better service.
My brain is fried reading reviews on broadband providers.
Trouble is, once you read the reviews, you end up crossing all of them off the list of possibles.
Zen have been around for quite a while and consistently come up top trumps for customer service. I've never been with them as I'm too tight to pay their prices.
I was considering Plusnet, but you've just helped to put me off!
I suspect, as RonObvious says, that most of them have struggled a bit this last year, due to excessive demand.
Following your thread with interest.👍

Hiddenmnetter · 30/03/2021 11:23

If you are in an area served by a local cooperative who provide bespoke fiber to the home they will be the best most reliable internet you can get. Hyperoptic are an example of a major company doing this, but they only serve whole buildings because of the cost of installing infrastructure. My parents live outside Preston and have signed up to a local coop providing rural fiber internet and they have full 1 gigabit up and down fibre that is rock solid steady for around £40/month. I wish I could get the same in London, but the cost of laying cable under footpaths is so extortionate that only big companies can do it.

DynamoKev · 30/03/2021 11:51

Zen. The reason you have never heard of them is they don't spend millions chasing customers - they spend money on the technical stuff and customer service, which is what OP said they want.

Sparticle · 30/03/2021 12:01

@Hiddenmnetter

If you are in an area served by a local cooperative who provide bespoke fiber to the home they will be the best most reliable internet you can get. Hyperoptic are an example of a major company doing this, but they only serve whole buildings because of the cost of installing infrastructure. My parents live outside Preston and have signed up to a local coop providing rural fiber internet and they have full 1 gigabit up and down fibre that is rock solid steady for around £40/month. I wish I could get the same in London, but the cost of laying cable under footpaths is so extortionate that only big companies can do it.
Is that B4RN? We've just moved from a village outside of Preston and I miss the superfast broadband already!!
pontiouspilates · 30/03/2021 12:03

We are with Vodafone, but not for much longer - I've never had WiFi drop out like it does with them.