I have never understood why people pay top dollar for AAISP, they can't even manager to swallow the install charges like most other niche providers do. I have always stayed with the massive market providers on FTTP and fingers crossed never had an issue but its probably one of those things that gives some people comfort which then justifies the cost.
May be the same logic is used when choosing between Aldi/Lidl and Waitrose, its all food at the end of the day but some feel the food is better because they have paid more for it although if you scan some of the Aldi/Lidl food barcodes with a mobile phone app they come back with Waitrose as the brand as they are the identical product.
Each to their own.
It is a different market, a lot of people who use A&A need the net for work or business and as you said they think the cost is worth it for better customer service if things do go belly up.
I realise that broadband is now more reliable than ever before, but things can and do go wrong, certainly with hardware and A&A may be better at sorting these things out.
I did think of them once, but the lack of unlimited put me off and I have recommended them to some people, but again the lack of unlimited and maybe the higher price.
i have normally gone for larger providers, a couple of times sin the ADSL days I have gone for the smaller ones, like Metronet and I went for a local Wireless network until they could not cope and by then FTTC was here, so I went with plusnet and stayed with them until changing to ZZoomm last year. Stayed with Plusnet for over 9 years.
Zzoomm is pretty small compared to some of the others, while I was a bit unsure when i first change, i think I made the right choice.
Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are not.
Adrian
Desktop machines Mac mini pro with macOS Ventura, also pc Ryzen powered with windows something or other.
Zooming with Zzoomm FTTP,