Recently our Virgin Media contract came to an end and we had not been very happy with the basic service we had paid for. This included a small surcharge for unlimited broadband which took it to just over £40 a month; considerably cheaper than our previous £150 a month all-singing, all-dancing service. Hilary and I discussed what we should do next. We accepted that our broadband demand was greater than the cheap contract could supply so we knew we would have to pay more. My brother had introduced the collaboration between BT and Fon years ago and, after consulting with him, we decided to change our broadband supplier to BT.
We intend to travel more in the future, so the main advantage to us would be using the BT partnership hotspots in the UK, France and a few in Spain. I am posting this today as it's the first time we have been out in the motorhome since the switch. We are sitting in a CS in Wroxham on the banks of the Norfolk Broads using a stronger BT signal than the WiFi supplied in any campsite we have visited. It is early days yet but we are satisfied so far. For those interested in the details of the switch, please read on ...
The BT website is not immediately easy to navigate. It is not obvious but, to see the full range of products, you have to type in your postcode; I assume because some products are not available in all areas. After doing this we could see the full broadband range and decided to go with their Ultrafast service as it was the same price as the slightly slower option, gave £150 gift card, unlimited weekend telephone calls and free use of the BT WiFi with Fon hotspots. We had looked at the hotspot coverage before making this decision and, although it was very limited in Spain, we wish to explore France in the warmer months so this could go a long way to meet our broadband needs when travelling if it worked.
We pressed the right buttons, the computer said yes, and we waited with bated breath for 16th April when the service was due to be connected. We were deluged with texts and emails confirming that the equipment was going to arrive prior to the date and that the engineer would be there at the appointed time. A few days before I realised that I had to have a working aerial for freeview channels, otherwise all we would get was BT Sports included in the package we had paid for. The next morning I was lying face forward on the roof, my head and arms overhanging the gutter, with visions of Rod Hull's fate running through my mind! I successfully cut the aerial where it entered the upstairs bedroom and relocated it to the downstairs TV.
Courtesy of BT the rest of the switch was completely painless and by the evening of the 16th we had TV, broadband and phone, all as before, but now provided by BT.
I only have two complaints, and a strong word of advice.
If you choose a BT package which offers a reward card or money back, take screenshots of your choice and the adjoining offer. I say this because the reward card should have been available to us on connection, but there was no sign of it on our online account. Neither did we receive an email offering it. It took a lengthy online chat (which failed to deliver despite numerous promises) and a subsequent phone call which resulted in 5 emails each confirming different amounts, with a total of £145 being credited to our account. A little nudge from me gave the remaining £5 owed. I felt confident that I was eventually going to get the £150 credit as I had the screen prints to prove it was owed.
The other minor niggle was the continuous flow of texts for two weeks after connection reminding me that the engineer was due to arrive on 16th April!
Despite the extra effort involved, at the moment it appears we made the right choice, but only time will tell if other hotspots are as conveniently located and as strong as this one.
We intend to travel more in the future, so the main advantage to us would be using the BT partnership hotspots in the UK, France and a few in Spain. I am posting this today as it's the first time we have been out in the motorhome since the switch. We are sitting in a CS in Wroxham on the banks of the Norfolk Broads using a stronger BT signal than the WiFi supplied in any campsite we have visited. It is early days yet but we are satisfied so far. For those interested in the details of the switch, please read on ...
The BT website is not immediately easy to navigate. It is not obvious but, to see the full range of products, you have to type in your postcode; I assume because some products are not available in all areas. After doing this we could see the full broadband range and decided to go with their Ultrafast service as it was the same price as the slightly slower option, gave £150 gift card, unlimited weekend telephone calls and free use of the BT WiFi with Fon hotspots. We had looked at the hotspot coverage before making this decision and, although it was very limited in Spain, we wish to explore France in the warmer months so this could go a long way to meet our broadband needs when travelling if it worked.
We pressed the right buttons, the computer said yes, and we waited with bated breath for 16th April when the service was due to be connected. We were deluged with texts and emails confirming that the equipment was going to arrive prior to the date and that the engineer would be there at the appointed time. A few days before I realised that I had to have a working aerial for freeview channels, otherwise all we would get was BT Sports included in the package we had paid for. The next morning I was lying face forward on the roof, my head and arms overhanging the gutter, with visions of Rod Hull's fate running through my mind! I successfully cut the aerial where it entered the upstairs bedroom and relocated it to the downstairs TV.
Courtesy of BT the rest of the switch was completely painless and by the evening of the 16th we had TV, broadband and phone, all as before, but now provided by BT.
I only have two complaints, and a strong word of advice.
If you choose a BT package which offers a reward card or money back, take screenshots of your choice and the adjoining offer. I say this because the reward card should have been available to us on connection, but there was no sign of it on our online account. Neither did we receive an email offering it. It took a lengthy online chat (which failed to deliver despite numerous promises) and a subsequent phone call which resulted in 5 emails each confirming different amounts, with a total of £145 being credited to our account. A little nudge from me gave the remaining £5 owed. I felt confident that I was eventually going to get the £150 credit as I had the screen prints to prove it was owed.
The other minor niggle was the continuous flow of texts for two weeks after connection reminding me that the engineer was due to arrive on 16th April!
Despite the extra effort involved, at the moment it appears we made the right choice, but only time will tell if other hotspots are as conveniently located and as strong as this one.
