Best internet-phone packages?

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Permalink Reply by K.Christie on September 5, 2012 at 15:19

Hi there,

Perhaps you could check out Plusnet:

http://www.plus.net/

It's also worth comparing different packages on these websites:

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/

Katherine

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Permalink Reply by gilly on September 5, 2012 at 18:56

Thanks Katherine will check it out, have you had any experience with Plusnet?

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Permalink Reply by Yvonne on September 5, 2012 at 23:14

Have you tried calling them and choosing the "I want to leave" option, then negotiate a better deal? It's worth a go as they will want to keep you.  My partner and I now have mobile packages of 600mins + more texts than we can use + data, upgraded from 300mins + 300texts for £10ish per month (sim only deal). We were paying "10 per month for the lesser deal. There are comparison sites (as above) where you can see what deals there are out there. Go into the conversation armed. Give it a go. The worst they can say is "bye, bye".

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Permalink Reply by Marek on September 6, 2012 at 0:09

Hi Yvonne.
A very good approach as the loyalty towards the Virgin by not demanding, no-complaing and quiet customer never brings any benefits. Yes you need to take the risk and try. No other way

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Permalink Reply by K.Christie on September 6, 2012 at 8:05

Hi Gilly,

Yvonne & Marek are right in saying you should negotiate with your current provider.  If you tell them that you want to leave, they usually try to find a way to keep you.  It's very competitive out there!  If your contract with your current service provider has ended, or you don't have a contract with them at all, then you have the upper hand and can call the shots!

Last week, we negotiated our current broadband deal with Onetel, and changed our phone line rental from BT to Onetel as well.  Before we changed anything, we spent a few hours doing a lot of number crunching, and checking terms and conditions of both our current service providers and possible new service providers.  You need to make sure you don't get charged for leaving your current provider, or get tied into an unacceptable contract with a new provider.

We have been with Plusnet for 2 years now, and until last week, our phone line was through BT.  We wanted broadband with unlimited monthly usage (we recently got NetFlix, so watch a lot of movies and TV shows online).  So, we decided to look at other deals online, and found there were much better deals out there for broadband. 

We called Onetel and told them we were going to change broadband service providers, and they asked why.  We told them it was because we wanted unlimited monthly usage, and that there were better deals available from other providers, and that  Onetel weren't offering unlimited broadband usage on their website.  The best usage Onetel offer online at the moment is their fibre optic broadband with a 250MB usage limit, but this involves an engineer visiting your home and providing you with a new router & modem, and adding a faceplate to your existing phone line point.  Their fibre optic broadband is also more expensive.

Onetel then told us that although they don't offer 'Unlimited' broadband usage as a standard package, they were willing to offer us, as a 'loyal customer', unlimited broadband if we also used Onetel for our phone line rental.  We did all our calculations, and found that both the phone rental and broadband deal they offered ticked all our boxes.

So, we are now saving £10.00/month compared to what we were previously paying, and now with unlimited broadband service.…so we are happy with that :)

All in all it depends what you want from your service provider, i.e. how you use the internet, do you need calls included etc.

Definitely negotiate, compare deals, and as Yvonne said, the worst they can say is bye bye!

Katherine

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Permalink Reply by gilly on September 6, 2012 at 8:48

Thanks every one I did call Virgin and certainly am not a quiet customer:). They first offered me free 0845 calls as these were bumping up the price of phone package and then offered to upgrade me to the super hub 60meg (which someone stated was only working at 20meg on this site this week) they did not make it clear to me though that they were going to tie me into a yearly contract (I am not tied in with them anymore) and that it was for a limited period at the end of which the package would go up! When I received a contract I called to complain and was offered an extended two year deal on that price. But I made it clear that I do not want to be tied into a contract and that this had not been clear so i have cancelled that option.  I am staying on my old package now whilst I look for a better deal elsewhere.

I have mentioned the price I am paying above does anyone have a better deal I am wondering?

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