Can anyone recommend a reliable internet service provider?

[Max X 2]

We switched to talktalk & after waiting & waiting & alot of hassle we eventually got connected.  However, weeks on we have still not received the modem or installation CD.

The last few days I've been unable to connect & when it does it disconnects almost immediately & giving various error messages.

I've looked on their website this morning (from work) & our go-live date is February 2007!!!

OH is getting very angry  as he sometimes needs to access net for work so I'm looking for an alternative supplier for the internet & maybe phone too.

I've picked up on here that a few of you have had problems with BT, so shall avoid them.

So, if anybody can recommend somebody who they haven't had any problems with & can connect to internet when they want to I'd be glad to hear about it.

It's a good job I can access COL at work 

Thanks

Maxine

[Joules]

I have been with Freeserve which then became Wanadoo and now it is called Orange for quite a few years now - probably about 5.  Have had no problems with connection or anything else apart from when they first started and I think the system was overloaded.  I pay £17.99 a month for broadband,  Hope this helps and you get something sorted soon 

[Holly]

Hope I'm not tempting fate by posting this but I have had very few problems with BT, and when I have they have been quick to sort them. I have been with them for about 15 years. Having said that I believe they now have a call centre in India

[Elisa]

We are with Telewest.  We have our broadband service, telephone and cable television with them and it costs about £70 per month for everything. 

We rarely have any problems with them, and if we have had the occasional blip, it has been sorted very quickly. 

[Harriet]

We have been with AOL and Tiscali before but are now we are on BT. At the start we had a few problems and in the end had to get a technician out but if you move alert them 10 days before like we did at we got our Broadband up on the day we moved in! 
To be honest I think I prefer BT out of all of them.
Good Luck 

[hamfam]

Telewest

Broadband - no complaints at all in over 5 yrs, high speed and high quality

Phone - no problems but can work out more expensive than some competitors

TV - Service is very good most of the time but does have the occasional glitch about once a month.

[Annette]

We have a very well-priced package from ntl, tv, phone and broadband. So far we have had very few problems.

Their customer support lines are always busy, but I guess they are all like that now.

[Max X 2]

Thanks everyone for the info.

I managed to look on the net briefly from work (in between COL fixes) & unfortunately we can't have cable.

I guess ISP's all have their moments, some people have better luck than others.
There doesn't appear to be a right or wrong answer.

I'm only whispering as at the moment the connection hasn't disconnected by itself tonight.
Maybe as it's getting late & most sensible people are in bed & not overloading the servers.

[Gilly]

Telewest here for Broadband, TV and phone all in can't complain, especially with the Boradband service, 2nd to none, mega fast and unlimited downloads 

[debbie321]

I'm with NTL for phone and broadband and the service has been good so far!

I was collecting my daughters phone from the Car Phone Warehouse after a repair yesterday and had to wait for ages as the woman infront of me had a big complaint.  She has signed up for talk talk and apparently had been charged lots of money without any broadband connection!  She had her phone disconnected as she'd canceled a direct debit as complaint and then had to pay over £30 to get it reconnected.  Poor woman was at her wits end but handed over more money with the promise that (4 months late) the broadband would be up and running 'soon'.

I think I'll stick with NTL 

[miche]

I was with AOL and they were really good, I didn't have any probs in 6 years and the online help was great and their call centre was good too.  They did offer my phone calls and broadband for about £18 a month when I told them I was moving over to Talktalk and I think they do a package with Sky if  you wan't TV.

The only prob though is that the UK side of AOL have just been bought out by Carphone Warehouse (talktalk), seems like they're taking over the world. 

I am with Talktalk and they're nowhere near as good as AOL but I can live with it for the £21 a month for my calls and internet.  I was paying over double that with AOL.  The problem I have with Talktalk is staying connected and it's not as fast as AOL.  My brother told me to get a router instead of my talktalk modem and set it up myself.  He said he got a really good one for about £50 and he reckons I won't get any of the disconnection probs if I get one of them - he said it worked for him.  He also said Talktalk send out rubbish modems.  I might give that a try because it will cost me a fair bit to get out of the 18 month contract I have entered with Talktalk.

[Max X 2]

I was with AOL and they were really good, I didn't have any probs in 6 years and the online help was great and their call centre was good too.  They did offer my phone calls and broadband for about £18 a month when I told them I was moving over to Talktalk and I think they do a package with Sky if  you wan't TV.

The only prob though is that the UK side of AOL have just been bought out by Carphone Warehouse (talktalk), seems like they're taking over the world. 

I am with Talktalk and they're nowhere near as good as AOL but I can live with it for the £21 a month for my calls and internet.  I was paying over double that with AOL.  The problem I have with Talktalk is staying connected and it's not as fast as AOL.  My brother told me to get a router instead of my talktalk modem and set it up myself.  He said he got a really good one for about £50 and he reckons I won't get any of the disconnection probs if I get one of them - he said it worked for him.  He also said Talktalk send out rubbish modems.  I might give that a try because it will cost me a fair bit to get out of the 18 month contract I have entered with Talktalk.

Somebody posted a link where you can now get out of the 18 month talktalk contract - I think it's in anything goes - anyone with talktalk?

Yes, I have the disconnection problems & I'm still using my old tiscali modem (which was also free so obviously not great quality either) as talktalk STILL haven't sent me one.

I managed to stay connected for quite some time last night - right up until I did a search for telewest & NTL - which unfortuantely I can't get cable in my area.

I bet AOL won't offer the £18/month for new customers though.

[LoveCatz]

We had AOL prior to TalkTalk for years and never had a problem. I've been lucky with TalkTalk until a week ago. It now no longer recognises my password and when I try to ring to sort it out I get a message saying that all their operators are busy and to call back later.  We're moving in less than two weeks so I'm going over to cable then.

[Tracy S]

Steer clear of TalkTalk or anything to do with the CPW, they won't ever see a another penny of my money   (long story)

We have Wanadoo and have never had any problems with it.   

I did hear something on TV sometime ago about AOL, it was about the software and how it damaged/corrupted some computers when you tried to uninstall, don't know what they're like  now though   My sister had problems with their billing department.

[LoveCatz]

I had no problems uninstalling AOL which I used before Talk Talk. The online assistance is excellant too.