Currently on BT Openworld - seems a bit expensive at c. £27 a month for 1Mbps (the maximum available in my area).
I looked on Uswitch.com and amongst the options is TalkTalk, who I've already got a phone deal with. Any thoughts on TalkTalk for broadband,
and/or on any other providers?
Could I still use my existing modem/wireless router?
Also, most of my subscriptions to online newsletters, etc. are currently on a BT Openworld email address - anyone know if you can have forwarding for
a while, like when you move house?
Cheers,
Simon
Sould be fine with existing modem router. Not sure if you can forward mails though.
Be very careful in your dealings with BT -- keep copies of everything they have a habit os still deducting thier monthly charge after migration.
Also check any new broadband suppliers out carefully at the adslguide.org.uk forums
TalkTalk rate slightly lower than BT but not by much-- in many cases this is because it is more difficult to persaude the some internet providers to
call out BT enginners for line problems.
Can't comment on broadband providers, but if it helps they will all be using the BT lines and exchange, so it should make little difference to
your equipment or access speeds.
As for forwarding, any email system can do this, getting BT to set it up may be a problem though, they are not always the most helpful, it can
certanly be done so ask and see what they say.
Cheers
Alex
PS
Get yourself a domain name, costs a couple of pounds a year and means you can have a permanent mail address no matter who your provider is 
If you have a line problem on a BT line it's up to BT not your ISP to fix it. There are lots of cheaper ISP's now so scout round a bit. Your
modem and router should work fine on the same line. Could you revert to a BT pay as you go to keep your mail address for a while?
[Edited on 23/1/06 by Peteff]
It's worth checking for 'changeover fees' when you go another ISP - some make a charge, others don't.
I'm with PlusNet, and they will set you up without a charge. They have some reasonably prices packages too,
according to your useage. The reason I like them is that they're totally transparent about the service status of their machines - if something
isn't working right they'll tell you on their website. They also give very good e-mail support when you have a problem.
But I'm sure that others will give similar reports of their own favourite ISP!
I will also agree with the 'watch BT billing' warning given above. I used to be with them, got fed up and left, then 12 months after
leaving they started to do a direct debit from my account again! Getting that sorted out meant either e-mails that never got a response, or
premium-rate phone calls. Took a phone call to OffTel to get a number that got a response...
David
Thanks for the various replies. I think the BT package I am on now is more expensive than some of the no-frills packages that BT does. Certainly TalkTalk has a package for £14.99 a month for 1Mbps and no download limit, which is a lot cheaper than my current package.
Must say I don't seem to have any problems with Tiscali 1mbs ( most my line will allow 
) for £14.99
Romer
Simon - I did exactly what you are propsing about a year ago with a move from BT to Talk Talk and it went very well, also no complaints at all about
the level of customer service from Talk Talk (unlike Tiscali who I could write a book on!). Change over was pretty instant, I got a new modem so used
that, although you could just as easily continue with the one you have.
As for mail forwarding - as long as you keep checking the BT account for mail it will stay on for a while. I can still receive email at my BT account
now, in the summer they said they would be cutting it off, but it hasn't happened yet!
wannadon't
quote:
Originally posted by andyps
Simon - I did exactly what you are propsing about a year ago with a move from BT to Talk Talk and it went very well, also no complaints at all about the level of customer service from Talk Talk (unlike Tiscali who I could write a book on!). Change over was pretty instant, I got a new modem so used that, although you could just as easily continue with the one you have.
As for mail forwarding - as long as you keep checking the BT account for mail it will stay on for a while. I can still receive email at my BT account now, in the summer they said they would be cutting it off, but it hasn't happened yet!
I got a good deal with Talktalk - £14.99 for a 1Mb broadband connection which also included free telephone calls evening & weekends. I have since
upgraded to a 2Mb connection for £17.99.
Customer service is much better than BT (who were always very slow to respond if things went wrong)
Hey you lot
spare a thought for us in Hull
we can only use Kingston comms as they have a monopoly of the city and you can't request a bt line !!!!
than means I get stung on calls and charged £25 for what you lot are paying £15 for.
I'm sure there must be a monopolies issue here but there is nothing I can do about it
Lee
I agree with getting your own domain to save telling people about new addresses - although it is amazing how long it takes some people to change their address books! I bought one two years ago with my surname through easily.co.uk - £9.99 for two years with free email forwarding for up to 20 addresses, so all the family have a personal address which goes to their email account with talk talk. When I moved from BT I just changed the forwarding address. Takes a couple of minutes to set up outlook so it looks like the email has come from the domain I own and replies go through it.
I like V21
8 mb for 9.98
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no contract just month to month
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[Edited on 23/1/06 by Mr G]