844 Customer Reviews over 22 pages
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- Location
- BORDON
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-05-16
- Comments
-
Wish ide never heard of this broadband provider since going over to them my computer takes ages to get on internet keeps buffering my tv keeps going off as there is not enough speed it supposed to be 2.5 mpm but only delivers .75 as they are not providing me with the service i'm going to leave without penalty
- Location
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- Location
- swindon
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-05-16
- Comments
-
I applied for broadband with shell not yet been on line as they have gone pass their date for me to be up and running and still nothing . when I call them I am told give it another day call back tomorrow .the router shows no broadband connection . 3 days still waiting and have to call them back again no good service sorry I joined them with their false advertising
- Location
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- Location
- London
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-04-30
- Comments
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I have had First Utility for energy and broadband and have never experienced such a poor service from broadband. The ideal situation for me was to have all services from one supplier so I was happy to sign up for broadband when it became available. I have now changed energy supplier because of the association with broadband being so shoddy, and can't wait for the contract to end so that I can switch broadband as well. My previous broadband speed was 12Mbps and when I was quoted an average speed of 11Mbps I accepted that because of the aforementioned convenience with energy. In reality I have never received 11Mps and because of failures to connect devices I started monitoring line speeds. The maximum speed measured was 7Mbps but more often than not this was around 4 or 5. Sometimes it is not possible to connect at all. Constant reports to the service line have not made any difference to the service even after telling them that previous suppliers have had no problems in the feed. I do not know what difference Shell will make to the services but on what I have experienced I would recommend that any prospective customer look very carefully at the provision and try to get some assurances before signing up. Thankfully my contract expires in June and I will be looking for a proper broadband service.
- Location
-
- Location
- West midlanda
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-03-16
- Comments
-
AVOID AVOID AVOID
no internet even after ringing up and complaint still no internet. Rang back a couple of days later they will send an engineer out which you have to wait in half the day for and couple be charged for.
Takes 2 weeks plus to switch company by the time you realise that they are an awful company it's too late your outside your 14 day cooling off period with no I internet an increasing phone data bill and a life dial engineer charge.
CAN NOT WARN YOU ENOUGH PLEASE AVOID THIS COMPANY
- Location
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- Location
- Southampton
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-03-12
- Comments
-
I have been the first utility customer for 18 months! As I had to move house I had to stay and prolong my contract for another 18 months so now I have 6 lengths left. First year was OK. Now, the last 6 w notes since I moved to the new house were a joke. Internet was slow, unreliable. Theirs customer service said that they can upgrade me to fiber for 24 gbp and I negotiated that this will be only for the remaining 6 months. Otherwise I would have to pay exit fees! Also, I ensured that they will drop the contract if the speed is not as we agreed on the phone. If yiu can avoid that company please do! If not then ensure you have all terms and conditions clarified with as they will black mail you or robe you!
- Location
-
- Location
- northwest
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-03-05
- Comments
-
Having read all the reviews i can only endorse the negative points made by the broadband customers of First Utility.This company should not be allowed to offer broadband as it doesn't appear to be able to keep its promises regarding speed etc plus the fact the customer service is terrible to say the least.It costs a small fortune how they keep you hanging on with only an occasional robotic voice and dreary music for company,this might be acceptable if your problem was sorted by them but alas no this is not the case as all they could offer was an engineer in three days time,no offer of compensation only to be told if the hub has been tampered with the engineer will inform you that his visit will cost you £140. So come the end of my contract its bye bye First Utility broadband and thanks to customer service it will be bye bye to gas and electricity too
- Location
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- Location
- Bolton
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-03-04
- Location
-
- Location
- Emsworth
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-02-28
- Location
-
- Location
- Falkirk
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-02-21
- Comments
-
Oh how I wished I had read these reviews before switching to First Utility.I moved from Sky through the Carphone Warehouse. I have had nothing but bother since I joined them 6/7 months ago on an 18month contract. The internet speed is not just slow, at times its non existant.When it does work, it constantly buffers or loses connection completely.I am now at the stage of cutting my losses paying up for the remainder of the contract and moving to someone more reliable. Be warned stay clear of First Utility Broadband or anything else to do with them for that matter.
- Location
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- Location
- Rainham, Essex
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-02-21
- Comments
-
I don't believe that First Utility have the technical capability or business acumen to offer a broadband service. They fail miserably on aspects of delivery and support. They should be avoided at all costs. I would also add that no organisation that I am aware of can take so much negative reports without attempting to even investigate the criticism. I firmly believe that we have been conned.
- Location
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- Location
- Rotherham
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-02-16
- Comments
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Not too bad until you decide to leave.£15.00 cease fee and £35.00 charge if you don't send their router and wires back within 30 days.
- Location
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- Location
- Woodford Green
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-02-06
- Comments
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Been stuck with them for over a year. Broadband speed very slow (8mbps - should be getting 35+). They said there was nothing wrong with it. Eventually I got fed up and paid for BT put in another line. BT coming down at 35 - 45 Mbps. turned out the First Utility engineer had split the wires when connecting the service which led to their dodgy speed. First utility customer service not interested so I paid up the contract and left. Absolutely useless customer service, terrible broadband - I will never use them again.
- Location
-
- Location
- Richhill
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-29
- Location
-
- Location
- London
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-23
- Comments
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This company broadband is RUBBISH please AVOID AVOID, If you planning to switch broadband to the First Utility may face huge financial debt If you terminate a contract, or you may get stress until the end of the contract. I don't recommend First Utility broadband.
- Location
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- Location
- South London
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-20
- Comments
-
The broadband kept cutting out so we would have periods throughout the day when internet wasn’t available. This happened nearly every day over the 12 months we were with First Utility. It was also slow. They blamed other households using internet but we have never had these issues with the other 4 providers we have used. So could not receommend this company
- Location
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- Location
- Scotland
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-19
- Comments
-
One star is too good for this company, took out a contact with these cowboys in September and have had nothing but problems. Had no service with them for a week and a half when the broadband went live, the router they gave us looked like it had came from a kids toy box was so flimsy and just absolutely rubbish, had to go buy extenders to try and get a connection in our one bedroom flat because it look about 1 hour to stream anything. Router packed in about 3 weeks into the service and they sent a new one for free which was probably the high point of this service. Highlighted the contraction issues and was advised an engineer would come out, couldn’t make the appointment and the girl I spoke with wouldn’t cancel the appointment even though I had called due to an emergency I had to leave the property. Phoned again and was told I would get a call back (this was November) they never called me once or made any attempt to call me back. I was promised money off my bill twice and found out today that hadn’t happened. I owe £96 and they have a collections company hounding me via email so I messaged them on Facebook, social media team are appalling, I was told 4 days in a row I would be contacted and it never happened. I also received a message from the social media team that was highly unprofessional, been on the phone today and now have been told nobody can deal with it because I have raised an executive complaint and went to the ombudsman. Once my contract is finished I will be going to another company!
- Location
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- Location
- Londin
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-09
- Comments
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Changed over from EE on the 18th, changed cos it was half the price i was paying with EE, but not even a month yet and it keeps crashing, not happy, going back to EE
- Location
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- Location
- Suffolk
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-03
- Comments
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AWFUL - DO NOT USE.
We swapped from Sky Broadband and it was a massive mistake.
This was 3 months ago. Wifi drops out all the time, speeds are rubbish (7mb on router, 0.5MB wireless).
Should have stayed with SKY broadband - didn't have any problems for the 5 years I was with them.
Tried to get help from them on the phone - waited AN HOUR for someone to answer.
- Location
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- Location
- Wales SHEFFIELD
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-02
- Comments
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DONT USE. Not much better speeds than the old dial up used to be. Definitely DONT GET IN FRONT WITH PAYMENTS. I've been waiting over 4 months for money they owe me. Appalling service!
- Location
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- Location
- Southampton
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2019-01-02
- Comments
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I have had the Broadband contract for the last 13 months and it will finish in another 5. I have already put into my calendar that I need to look for another Internet provider.
The speed of the Internet dropped when I moved my house. I have logged in a complaint as that's what they suggested to do. Well, it sounds that they have theirs house in order however it is just to delay your decision about the change. It took me about three months, one visit of the engineer to hear that the speed of the Internet is as expected. It was such a waste of time. They have offered that I an cease my contract only for 58.5 not the full price. Well that is not a solution for me, they also said that the speed is ok even though the Open Arch engineer came and said that is is slow and the fault is on the Internet provider side.
Another problem was just at the time when I started with them. They just simply never send to me the broadband starter kit! I rang them few week after that as I was travelling and they said they will send it again. They have never refunded the days which I didn't have the Internet!
If you have a choice go to someone with good customer service and actual broadband.
Thank you.
Anna
- Location
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- Location
- Falkirk
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-31
- Comments
-
Constantly crashing every 5/10mins. Takes me 2hrs to watch a 20min prog on now TV. They have admitted they can see it dips constantly (I've kept screenshots) yet it's still the same. Asked to send a pic of my setup....yeah my setup has worked perfectly for every other provider. Perhaps start providing the service you are paid for. Can't even get dates right on emails. Claimed I had a missed payment on Xmas Eve when in actual fact they went in on the 21st for it! Then when you screenshot emails and bank statements and send them they start slavering about 3days to clear. Avoid avoid avoid. If I can get out this contract without being hit with their RIDICULOUS termination AND cease charges I will. I'm off to citizens advice! Why should I pay to terminate a contract THEY are not FULFILLING
- Location
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- Location
- sunderland
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-28
- Comments
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changed from virgin media was paying 48.00 a month now pay only 27.00 a month for much faster broadband glad i changed should of did it years ago everything very good and good customer service too very happy
- Location
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- Location
- ossett
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-27
- Comments
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was on plusnet befor useing bt hub6 worked fine wireless printer, moved to first untily router would not sink with computer when useing rj45, or wireless, but would not print wireless, technicolor tg588v2 given ttal wat of time still not printing wireless first untill cannot help as part of talk talk.
- Location
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- Location
- Essex
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-20
- Comments
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Appalling broad band service struggles to get 6Mbps off peak time and no more than one device can reliably connect at any time. Constant calls to customer service were totally waste of time and resulted in being told that the welcome email warned me that average speeds could be this low. I have complained to the watchdog authority and to the Ombudsman as I believe that they are mis selling their service. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU
- Location
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- Location
- Basildon
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-20
- Location
-
- Location
- London
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-11
- Location
-
- Location
- Kent
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-10
- Comments
-
So angry with that company. Internet not working 5days. They said someone will come today to look it from 8-13 i called them to say that no one not came and they answer that i ha e to wait more 2 days to see if internet will come back to broadband and then if nothing will be happening they will send someone. I'm so angry as we paying 34.99£ per month and it's only second month we are with them. Disgusting service!!!
- Location
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- Location
- west sussex
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-09
- Comments
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Beware - Be Warned. These sharks offer a £19pcm deal. Once installed they slow you down deliberately then offer their more expensive faster service - they operate a no contact 'service' too - avoid as you would the plague.
- Location
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- Location
- England
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-05
- Comments
-
On the 24th October 2018 i cancelled my broadband account due to unforeseen circumstances. The account was only opened within 14 days of cancellation so i should have had a cancellation free of charge but i didn't.
I understand that there is a 30 day cancellation period, so my account was cancelled on the 24th November and i was told i could pay my final bill from then. I phoned yourselves as i had not received an email with my final bill and was told that i would get it on 5th December instead for £266. Today, 5th December, i still have not received a final bill so i called you again and was told the bill had not yet been produced. How long does it take to produce a bill!?
Meanwhile, i was receiving emails from yourself stating i owe £72 to recover my account, if not debt collectors will be at my door. I do not want to recover my account as i personally closed it. When i called and asked about this, no-one really knew what i was meant to do, whether i needed to pay it or wait for my final bill...
I have now been told i will receive my final bill around the 19th December which will include the £266 cancellation fee, plus £20 usage fee and possibly plus the £72, which has randomly been added!
Every time i have called to speak to someone, i have waited over half an hour and never got an answer by the first person i have spoken to, My average phone call with you is usually around an hour long... absolutely ridiculous!!
So now, 6 weeks after i cancelled my account with you, I am still waiting my final bill! All i want to do is pay you and yet i am receiving hate mail stating that you are sending round debt collectors when i do not even know what i am meant to be paying yet!!
I am 19 years old and on minimum wage, I hope you feel very proud of yourselves for making this such an horrific experience for me! I will be taking this further, as i am absolutely fuming!
Disgraceful company!
- Location
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- Location
- Edinburgh
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-12-05
- Comments
-
Very very disappointed that companies like this exist these days. The customer service is shocking and they use outright fraud to retain customers who find them out.
Look for reviews and talk to a customer service rep before committing...trust me...this is the first time I ever feel angry with a company as I feel defrauded.
First Utility were due to install broadband on 5th December. By which point I'd had a little contact with them to try to arrange an alternative installation date, and realised that they were incredibly aggressive, arrogant and inflexible. The individuals I dealt with weren't the root cause, I felt they wanted to help but referred to 'our policies don't allow us to do this' or 'I'd get hung for this', etc...
Anyhow, the day the line was due to be installed the engineer couldn't install it and said first utility should have known this as this engineer mentioned there were challenges installing this line in our postcode.
So I ended up being charged for internet without internet!!!
So I phoned them expecting some apology or action, and what I got was too late, that's always a risk and we will install it when we get a chance, when pushed, they said a couple of months at best. In the meantime, I'm expected to pay for using my non existent broadband.
I then said this is shocking, I would like to leave first utility to which they said you will have to pay £136.60 early closure charge. I calmly explained the 14 day returns policy to which the response was, oh that won't work because first utility start the 14 day counter 15 days before you get your broadband!!! I said you're having a laugh to which he explained, it's probably not fair but my hands are tied. Is this not fraud? I hope this review helps you. I am fighting this out of principle and have joined virgin media who got everything working within 2 days and start the 14 day returns counter AFTER you get the service.
- Location
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- Location
- Sidford sidmouth devon.
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-11-23
- Comments
-
This is dreadful .so many bad reviews why is no action taken they just don't care I was put onto this by carphone warehouse won't deal with either ever again .18 months of no hope .
- Location
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- Location
- Norfolk
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-11-22
- Comments
-
Impossible to contact first utility via email or their pathetic online 'chat' thing. No matter what you ask, it always comes back with "I'm sorry, i'm not trained to answer that"
My monthly DD was supposed to be £18.99, after 4 months into the contract they upped it to £19.00 without saying a word to me. Regret going with this shabby company.
- Location
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- Location
- Rochester
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-11-19
- Comments
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Really impressed so far, no hassle setting up and really fast speed considering it's only standard package
- Location
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- Location
- London
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-11-12
- Comments
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Anyone who is looking to switch to first utility broadband please don't they are the worst internet provider ever. I have been having problems from day one and still have.I wish i read reviews before i joined, but its too late now.
- Location
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- Location
- ossett
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-11-05
- Comments
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moved from plus net no broadband for 7 days I was told it was my socket and line in house, funny how it all worked with PlusNet. the ip not valid router issue was told Openreach would look into but it router issue not line fault,
so will leave go back to plusnet
- Location
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- Location
- Bedford
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-10-18
- Comments
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Have been with First Utility for Gas and Electricity for around 4 years and never had a problem so was happy to take their Broadband. Get close to 80Mb on fibre at a great price. I have been with them for nearly 2 years now and service still great and price still the same, haven't seen a big price rise at end of first 18 months. Would thoroughly recommend.
- Location
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- Location
- Cornwall
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-10-13
- Comments
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Was very dubious joining this company for broadband after reading the reviews. But I went ahead anyway and well. What can I say. Faster speed than I had with sky. Reliability is brilliant. Online gaming has become fluent and no disruption at all. I highly recommend first utility !
- Location
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- Location
- Kent
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-10-08
- Comments
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I guess it was policy to restart my contract with the company when I moved address so I shouldn't really hold that against them. But it has only gone downhill since then. The person who administered the move told me that it would be a new, 15-month contract (which ill come back to).
Internet was intermittent for months at my new address. It should have been around 25-30mbps but was more like 3mbps. After months of complaint and finally threat that I would leave, they finally pulled their socks up and started asking OpenReach to come over and sort out the issues.
They agreed to recompensate me for the really poor service for I think what was around 4-5 months with a month-and-a-half refund. OK not the happiest, but I accepted it was all they were willing to offer. 2 months later, I start to get emails that I was behind on payments due to the 1.5 months that I had not paid. I was a little tired of this so I asked the person on the phone how long I had left on my contract and was surprised that it worked out that I was an 18-month contract since moving and not a 15.
I asked them to investigate the conversation I had with the person who arranged for the internet to be set up at my new residence (because all calls are recorded for training purposes) and 3 phone calls later they apologise for not having followed the issue up earlier will be raising the issue and (promising this time) they will be letting me know of the outcome of their investigation. My internet speed has improved I guess so I shouldn't really complain.
Oh! I shouldn't leave out that for the period it was really bad and I threatened to leave (for the 3rd time) I couldn't receive a WhatsApp message on the wifi without it affecting another service in the house using the internet.
- Location
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- Location
- Malvern
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-10-07
- Comments
-
Very slow broadband and First Utility are not interested in improving their broadband speeds. They tie you into an 18 month contract and they know that there is nothing you can do until your contract expires. They have no interest in improving their download speeds because of their long contracts
- Location
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- Location
- Devon
- Reviewing
- Shell Energy
- Date
- 2018-10-06
- Comments
-
The biggest issues with the company that I've experienced are a rubbish router and poor customer service. I was paying BT a fortune so decided it was time to change providers, the second I switched to FU (how ironic) the performance dropped to zero. I'm supposed to be on the 35Mbps product, but I couldn't even get a stable connection to Netflix servers let alone actually watch a programme or film from start to finish.
I raised the complaint immediately and it took them a couple of weeks to even respond. It's clear they allocate your message to a new advisor each time you respond, as it's like you're starting again from scratch. About two months into trying to resolve and getting nowhere, I got an email from one first-class complaints advisor who stated "there is no issue". Okay mate, nice one. Another advisor stated "we can send someone around to check your hardware, but you'll probably have to pay for it". Not happening.
So this morning, granted my TV and phone are both WiFi and will have been potentially doing their own thing in the background, but I'm trying to load a webpage on my laptop and it's like dial-up over a modem in the 90s. So I run a speedcheck through a website and it gives me 0.32Mbps, absolutely laughable. I live in a 1 bed flat and the router has to be in the kitchen because that's where the master socket is, so I went and sat on the kitchen floor and to be fair, it did then manage a lightning fast 7Mbps (of the 35 that I'm paying for). I turned my TV and phone off, and ran a wired connection into my laptop, and did finally manage to get 32Mpbs out of it. Unplugged the cable and again, sat a foot from the router and with no other devices switched on except a fridge, the speed dropped to 12Mbps.
In conclusion, the router is dog-poop - this is despite the fact that the one half decent thing one of their advisors has done is send me an "upgraded" router. If this is the best they can manage, I'd a) factor the price of your own router into the deal you're looking at, or b) just go elsewhere. I considered looking up the settings and then trying to get my BT router set up to connect to their network instead, but their website is unsurprisingly rubbish and I absolutely dread the prospect of phoning them up and having to speak to them, given the experience so far. I certainly won't be staying with them beyond the end of this contract.
- Location
The reviews published on this page are those of the individual authors who have warrantied that they abide by our review guidelines. Reviews are not the opinion of Broadband.co.uk.