[rockmonkey1973]

Ok

The time is ripe for me to change my broadband and my line rental packages.

I am currently with o2 and am on one of the old legacy packages. i get 16MBps for 9.46pm. However my contract has ended and the price has shot up to 14.50. So i call them up and this sound knowledgeable lad starts telling me about the works (which is now truly unlimited) and the phone line which after discounts i can get for 23.50. I hesitate as one does and say i will need to see what i am paying bt and how it all compares.

So i call back today to order and the bafoons on the phone want me to pay 26 quid and then three separate o2 reps tell me that not only do they want more than i was previously offered but the the works isnt unlimited at all. so i check the website and sure enough it states that the works does provide unlimited downloads with no traffic shaping policy.

So to the meat of the thread.

So a little bit put off by o2s inhouse confusion and their inability to give me what they offered four days ago i start hunting around. i head to quidco and notice i can get sky unlimited with the weekend evening phone package including line rental for the grand sum of 12.25 per month after discounts. not only that but quidco will give me 95 quid cash back and to top it off i get an m and s voucher worth 25 quid.

I mean this is a billy bargain. unlimited downloads, same speed as i have now no peer to peer or iplayer/ youtube restrictions, phone rental, free calls, money back and a few days worth of shopping from one of the best food stores in the uk. in fact assuming the cash back tracks then i will pay 4.30 per month for all that.

So the cynic in me says whats the catch? i have asked how good sky are before and as per normal got a right mixed bag of answers. i know that not everyones experience is going to be positive. i for instance have been with o2 for about 5 years and never had any bother (aside from today) but other people will have not been happy at all with the service they got. it is almost pot luck.

i guess my biggest question is how long will i/ should i be without a line when it is changed and do people get the advertised speeds? i live pretty close to an exchange and think i would get what they say i will but despite the amazing offer i am slightly wary. should i be or shoud i just grab this deal with both hands and say thanks very much while i sit down to a very tasty on the house marks and spencers salmon steak and thick cut chips!!!

EDIT: I have just realised that the monthly cost is 12.25 for the first 6 months only and it then rises to 22.25. however this is still a great deal in my eyes and i am very very tempted especially with the 95 quid cash back and m and s voucher.

[EndlessWaves]

O2 are not unlimited, specifically:

4.4 If you have signed up for our All Rounder or The Works packages then you can download as much as you like. If we feel that your activities are so excessive that other customers are detrimentally affected, we may give you a written warning (by email or otherwise). In extreme circumstances, if the levels of activity don’t immediately decrease in line with our instructions after the warning, we may terminate or suspend your Services.

O2 | Broadband Terms and Conditions - Home Broadband Acceptable Use Policy

I don't know what the change over times are like, but to answer your second question speed doesn't vary much between ISPs outside of throttling because the limiting factor is your local line and they are share that.

[rockmonkey1973]

yes well thanks for that but on the legacy package i have never had a problemo and i may be wrong but i bet if you were downloading 24 hours a day 7 days a wekk most isps would be slightly miffed and may have much the same term in there agreement. i might be wrong here but hey ho.

too be honest i dont use peer to peer that much... a few tv shows every week max of two or three a day at peak in winter when the best shows are playing.

other than that not a lot. however i do like to ensure that whenever i decide to download it it will download at speed. i guess i dont like restrictions of any sort for any reason.

anyway thanks for pointing that out but i honestly think that for 99 per cent of people that 4.4 clause will never come into play. i am more concerned about sky. i guess as much as i want to change i dont like the hassle of it all. however my bank balance and the thought of a free meal may get the better of me this time.

EDIT: I have 6 days to decide because that is when the quidco offer ends. i am sure another will take its place but this one just seems very very good.

[LJx]

I switched to sky when I moved, it costs me about that £22.50 you mentioned I think now that the initial discount has worn off, that includes line rental, phone, broadband. You can't get a better price I don't think anywhere for unlimited / unthrottled broadband, that's why I chose them. They never slow you download speeds even if you are downloading torrents 24/7

[rockmonkey1973]

hey up mate.

how long did you lose your connection for? did the phone and broadband activate on the same day?

[LJx]

Well, I never had a connection because it was a new build apartment but they sent me out a router and then the day the Openreach guy came round to setup the phoneline the broadband worked straight away as soon as I plugged the router in.
I think it should be easier for you anyway because before when I have switched you get a MAC code from your old isp and give it to the new one, when i did that I just plugged in the new router at the time they said and it worked with no downtime. I don't know if it is anymore complicated when switching line rental but I would probably just call sky and ask or search the website / forum

[Stevenage Neil]

Originally Posted by LJx

I don't know if it is anymore complicated when switching line rental..

It isn't.

You should suffer no downtime.

[rockmonkey1973]

righteo.

i think i am gonna take a chance and go with sky, at least for a year and if i aint happy then i can always switch back to o2.

the thing about skys website is it keeps trying to sell me a tv package which is all very annoying. it is like a bloody automatic pushy sales executive. this in itself is almost enough to persuade me to stay well away! sort it out murdoch please!

it is strange but i have never ever liked the brand i cant quite put my finger on it but i have always viewed the company in a negative light. maybe that is why i have such resistance to snapping up what should be on paper a spanking deal.

anyways i will be about 180 quid better off and should theoretically still get the same service as i do now. in this age of skintness that, at least in my book, is not to be sniffed at. it does though feel like i am somehow selling my soul!

fingers crossed it all goes smoothly.

[enigma1701]

Its 12.25 for 6 months then 22.25 for 6 months.

I was looking at this myself the other day, works out at £9.33 a month assuming the quidco cashback tracks alright!

I was trying to save money last year and moved to primus for line rental and plusnet value for internet. Primus are now increasing the line rental and although plusnet are still 6.49, if I were a totally new customer moving to them for internet and line rental I could get a great deal with 50 quid cashback!! Typical usual from companies not offering same deal to current customers!

Anyway, I think I'll transfer over to sky too! Internet speed I get is only about 3Mb no matter who I get it from! I WISH WISH WISH you could get the internet cheap without the linerental, I dont need a phone :-)

Moan over lol :-)

Edit: Sorry rock I just seen your edit about the price! Thats what I get for being a smart arse and not reading fully :-)

[middleweight]

Originally Posted by enigma1701

Its 12.25 for 6 months then 22.25 for 6 months.

I was looking at this myself the other day, works out at £9.33 a month assuming the quidco cashback tracks alright!

I was trying to save money last year and moved to primus for line rental and plusnet value for internet. Primus are now increasing the line rental and although plusnet are still 6.49, if I were a totally new customer moving to them for internet and line rental I could get a great deal with 50 quid cashback!! Typical usual from companies not offering same deal to current customers!

Anyway, I think I'll transfer over to sky too! Internet speed I get is only about 3Mb no matter who I get it from! I WISH WISH WISH you could get the internet cheap without the linerental, I dont need a phone :-)

Moan over lol :-)

Edit: Sorry rock I just seen your edit about the price! Thats what I get for being a smart arse and not reading fully :-)

is that price for free time or unlimited

[enigma1701]

Unlimited :-)

I'm having a dilemma now, seems by fibre is due to be in the Dumfries exchange in December! I am really interested if it on time! As I wouldn't move into another 12 month contract if I can get fibre when it arrives! Internet speed in Dumfries suck no matter who your with!

[rockmonkey1973]

Ordered... fingers crossed. The cashback had best track as well otherwise i wont be a happy bunny.

[enigma1701]

With any luck mate! It's not a bad deal!

[rockmonkey1973]

my cash back has tracked. i hope o2 dont go and spoil the party by cutting me off early or causing me any hassle because the likelihood is i will return to them next year just for the quidco and new member offers (unless sky come up with some decent retention offer to keep me... and assuming they havent given me any reason to leave).

if anything untoward happens then i am pretty well covered because my 3 mobile package includes unlimited internet and i can use tethering to this for a few days if needed.

at the end of the day the price and cashback is simply too good an offer to turn down. If it all goes well i may even upgrade the package to fibre because it is only 20 quid for a pretty swift 40MBps.

if only i could reduce my electric bill to 12.25 with 100 quid cashback!

[enigma1701]

Don't we all wish that lol :-)

I do like quidco! I just wonder if all that money can be paid to them for referring, then we're all getting screwed by every company on the planet!

[banjo21]

Mate I did exact same thing. One warning, be sure to cancel O2 yourself. Sky said they would and didn't and I got O2 charging extra month! Still fighting for money back. Only last month btw.

[rockmonkey1973]

will take heed of the warning mate. my activation date is due on the 9th so will be calling o2 as soon as i am live.

cheers

[enigma1701]

Originally Posted by banjo21

Mate I did exact same thing. One warning, be sure to cancel O2 yourself. Sky said they would and didn't and I got O2 charging extra month! Still fighting for money back. Only last month btw.

Surely only one company can provide you access at once, so when sky take over from x a date, it must be disconnected from O2? You know something similar to transferring your mobile number with a PAC code? If that's not the case, why do you need a mac code?(I'm trying to remember if macs the right acronym)

[rockmonkey1973]

sky dont use the mac code. they didnt even ask me for one when i signed up. o2 did provide me with one though and they were the ones who told me sky dont need it or use it.

so technically (although i arent a lawyer) while only one company can provide you with the service you are until you cancel still contracted to both.

[enigma1701]

Originally Posted by rockmonkey1973

sky dont use the mac code. they didnt even ask me for one when i signed up. o2 did provide me with one though and they were the ones who told me sky dont need it or use it.

so technically (although i arent a lawyer) while only one company can provide you with the service you are until you cancel still contracted to both.

Wow I thought it was always needed! I don't know how adsl works but I just assumed your line is connected to a specific service, if thats not the case what in earth do they charge a transfer fee for? (I don't think it's called a transfer fee but you know what I mean)

[Stevenage Neil]

Originally Posted by enigma1701

..what in earth do they charge a transfer fee for? ...

Somebody, (ISP's normally contract this out to OpenReach), has to physically swap wires over in your local exchange from one set of equipment to another.

[Miss Chief]

If Sky are moving you to their Sky Voice and Broadband Network (SVBN) then you won't need a MAC.

[enigma1701]

All seems like a con to me, I cant imagine in this day and age they still manually swap over wires! - Im a non believer!

[Hedgehog1979]

Moving from one provider to another does involve swapping tie pair cables at the exchange. It is not unknown for people who may experience issues to have a tie pair shift so basically a swap of these cables to resolve their issue

[wormvortex]

Originally Posted by Stevenage Neil

Somebody, (ISP's normally contract this out to OpenReach), has to physically swap wires over in your local exchange from one set of equipment to another.

They don't contract it out to openreach at all. Openreach are not contractors for the ISP's. The ISP's use openreaches network to deliver there products.

[Hedgehog1979]

Originally Posted by wormvortex

They don't contract it out to openreach at all. Openreach are not contractors for the ISP's. The ISP's use openreaches network to deliver there products.

Completely correct, it is Openreach's network and Sky like most ISP's simply use it and Openreach maintain it.

[Stevenage Neil]

Originally Posted by wormvortex

They don't contract it out to openreach at all. Openreach are not contractors for the ISP's. The ISP's use openreaches network to deliver there products.

Originally Posted by Hedgehog1979

Completely correct, it is Openreach's network and Sky like most ISP's simply use it and Openreach maintain it.

Are you saying that Sky will send a Sky person to the exchange to swap tie pairs or perform a lift and shift? (Genuine question)

[Stevenage Neil]

Originally Posted by wormvortex

Openreach are not contractors for the ISP's.

Then how come OpenReach installed my Sky fibre modem and changed the ties in the cabinet?

[Hedgehog1979]

You are quite right it will still be an Openreach engineer who does any cable swaps but it is not contracted out to them. The ISP's will run test to try and determine where the fault is and if they determine it is something external then they raise the fault to Openreach to highlight there is a problem and allow Openreach to fix the fault on their network. There is no extra cost or contracts agreed to between Openreach and the ISP's for logging a fault unless it was logged unnecessarily.

[Stevenage Neil]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog1979

You are quite right it will still be an Openreach engineer who does any cable swaps but it is not contracted out to them. The ISP's will run test to try and determine where the fault is and if they determine it is something external then they raise the fault to Openreach to highlight there is a problem and allow Openreach to fix the fault on their network.

Again, just clarifying, if I was on Talk Talk full LLU and I wanted to switch to Sky full LLU, the cable swaps in the exchange would be physically done by who?