[GLLUG] Broadband/cable provider [OT]

[Christopher Hunter]

On Tue, 2013-03-05 at 07:25 +0000, John Winters wrote:
> On 05/03/13 06:48, Christopher Hunter wrote:
> [snip]
> > Is there anyone competent, that doesn't charge the earth, and doesn't
> > cap or otherwise abuse traffic?  BT have restricted access to about a
> > third of the web, and along with that Plus Net use all the same
> > infrastructure.  Zen is expensive, and A&  A is eye-wateringly costly
> > and restricted....
> 
> You're caught between a rock and hard place here - it sounds like you 
> want a quality service at a gouging price.  It just isn't going to 
> happen.  It's like asking for burgers at £0.99 for 20 and expecting not 
> to get horse in them.
> 
> I can't say I recognise your description of A&A though.  Yes, they don't 
> do an "all-you-can-eat for £7.99 (* note in small print - this is a lie) 
> and free for the first 6 months" deal, but they do offer an excellent 
> service at a very fair price.  If you want to do large downloads in the 
> middle of the day I can see them getting expensive, but otherwise 
> they're extremely reasonable - a top rate service at a fair price.  Very 
> puzzled about your description of them being "restricted".  One of the 
> main things that attracts me to them is their complete lack of 
> restrictions of any sort - just a clean and complete 'net connection, 
> including native IPv6.
> 
> There are some good explanations on their pages (and on Adrian Kennard's 
> personal blog) of why the services advertised at silly prices will never 
> actually be able to deliver what they claim.  A&A *do* deliver, and in 
> my view that's well worth paying for.
> 
> > Is there an ADSL service I can sign up to and get good results?  Ideally
> > with helpdesk staff who can speak comprehensible English and don't just
> > read out their useless scripts?
> 
> Have to recommend A&A again.  Their service is (generally) delivered 
> using BT's wires, but they do their level best to insulate you from BT's 
> incompetence, and quite effective it is too.
> 
> John

I don't want a "gouging" price at all - I want effective service and a
worthwhile hell-desk rather than script-monkeys.  I'm happy to pay a
realistic price (like Be charge me) but I don't want my packets
inspected, routing restricted, downloads limited and morons on their
phone lines.  

Be scored on all points.  

To get anything approaching similar from A&A, I'm looking at paying over
TWICE as much and their downloads are limited!  If that's all that's
available, then I'll have to swallow the cost and give them huge grief
if (when) they screw up in ANY way!  

The last ISP who messed me around ended up in Court and paid me a huge
amount in damages and reparation (and discovered in the process that
British Contract Law often is weighted in favour of the consumer!). 

C.