Virgin Media or Sky.

Another +1 for Virgin. Their customer service isn't the best when you have to use it but I believe the packages to be pretty good value. We get fast enough broadband (no idea what speed but it's quick enough for me, I don' do downloads or owt), phone with free evening and weekend calls, V+ with XL TV channels and Sky Sports for about £50 all in. The on demand stuff is great, as is the V+ facility.

Can't fault it really.

Cheers,
Matt

[gruntygiggles]

Well, had the top package with Virgin Media in the old house and Stretchie will tell you as well that it was awful. If you want to have more than one computer connected either wired or wireless it's a stupidly overcomplicated process. Also, we had the 10mb broadband, but when tested, it was only just over 3mbs. Then, we had a couple of storms that threw the service out and it took three months to get everything back to normal. Then, I called to say I MIGHT BE moving, they checked and I couldn't have Virgin in Old Sodbury, so I said thanks and left it at that. Two days later, no services available as apparently I had called and cancelled the service.....I had said I MIGHT BE moving. We never got it back on. They said an engineer needed to come and reset the connection or something and there was a three week wait for that, then they double booked so it was another three weeks, then I told them I was now moving so they could take their service and shove it a certain somewhere.

Moved in here, got Sky total broadband, phone and tv package and we've not had one single problem. I had sky a few years ago too and had no problems then.

I have always found Sky to be really easy to use, really reliable and worth what you pay for it.

EDIT: Yes, Virgin+ is great for the on demand music and tv and when it did work, it was great. It's just when it went wrong, it went really wrong and we were left with no service for almost two months which is unacceptable when you work from home like I do.
A few years back, I had a problem with Sky and they were out two days later and the problem was solved!

As I said, customer service ain't the best but the packages are cheaper than Sky on a like-for-like basis!

[jamesterror]

Originally Posted by gruntygiggles

Well, had the top package with Virgin Media in the old house and Stretchie will tell you as well that it was awful. If you want to have more than one computer connected either wired or wireless it's a stupidly overcomplicated process. Also, we had the 10mb broadband, but when tested, it was only just over 3mbs. Then, we had a couple of storms that threw the service out and it took three months to get everything back to normal. Then, I called to say I MIGHT BE moving, they checked and I couldn't have Virgin in Old Sodbury, so I said thanks and left it at that. Two days later, no services available as apparently I had called and cancelled the service.....I had said I MIGHT BE moving. We never got it back on. They said an engineer needed to come and reset the connection or something and there was a three week wait for that, then they double booked so it was another three weeks, then I told them I was now moving so they could take their service and shove it a certain somewhere.

Moved in here, got Sky total broadband, phone and tv package and we've not had one single problem. I had sky a few years ago too and had no problems then.

I have always found Sky to be really easy to use, really reliable and worth what you pay for it.

Its not that complicated to get more than one computer on the network?

Your customer service does sound typical of Virgin Media, when our internet down once they said you need to restart everything, did so. Then they set an engineer out a week later after it was one of the local exchanges down. Muppets.

Your speeds are strange though as the lines they run are cable I thought so the distance to the exchange was less of a difference to ADSL? (Soulkiss help?) Only thing I fault with VM is the crappy upload rate, get Be Broadband and then the rest with VM.

Originally Posted by Luckypants

What makes you say it is crap? What is wrong with it as a systemic failure rather than local capacity issues?

Personal experience for me was the customer service. I am contracted to BT so do not get the full package for free like the regulars. But I did get it at a reduced rate. But the service was terrible. I had constant line issues and used to get fobbed off all the time. It was only because of where I worked I was able to over-ride the technical help line and get an engineer out to fix the problem. I then told them I wanted to upgrade from 1 meg to 2 meg (the maximum I could get in my area) despite repeated requests, they quite simply just did not bother to upgrade me. I switched to talktalk and now have a constant 4 meg connection that has never in the two years I have had the line, dropped out for any reason what so ever.

Ive never had any problem with virgin. we have two comps hardwired to the router and 4 laptops on wireless, no issues ever. except when we got cup off afternot paying the bill. but thats fair i guess!

Not read all the posts but here's my opinion....

The only thing Sky has over Viring is the HD channels and the menus are a little quicker, other than that Virgin broadband is muuuuch better than sky, plus there are 3 tv cards with virgin so you can record 3 channels at a time, or watch 1 and record 2 others, which is 1 better than sky.

I will always choose Virgin if only for the broadband benefits.

Originally Posted by gruntygiggles

we had the 10mb broadband, but when tested, it was only just over 3mbs

maybe I have been lucky with virgin, my 10mb broadband constantly averages 8.5mb when tested. I'm moving soon so hope that continues, you've worried me now ....

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by BigApe

Personal experience for me was the customer service. I am contracted to BT so do not get the full package for free like the regulars. But I did get it at a reduced rate. But the service was terrible. I had constant line issues and used to get fobbed off all the time. It was only because of where I worked I was able to over-ride the technical help line and get an engineer out to fix the problem. I then told them I wanted to upgrade from 1 meg to 2 meg (the maximum I could get in my area) despite repeated requests, they quite simply just did not bother to upgrade me. I switched to talktalk and now have a constant 4 meg connection that has never in the two years I have had the line, dropped out for any reason what so ever.

I hear what you are saying about customer service, I have heard that from many others. As mine is a corporate provided service, I got great customer service the few times I used them. TalkTalk will (most likely) have an LLU service at your exchange so you got swapped out from BT's DSLAM which may have been limited to 2meg onto a TalkTalk DSLAM.

Just wondered why BT were rubbish because a large percentage of ADSL connections are over BT hardware, just re-badged and sold as someone else.

[mattSV]

Don't seem to have too many problems at all with Virgin broadband, even when running a PC and two wireless laptops - just done a speed test now and got this:-



Think I pay about £40 per month for 10mb, XL TV & phone with free calls. I think we have about 120 channels or so, however still sit there moaning that there is bugger all worth watching