I was on the light user scheme a few years back and I used to get a hefty saving on line rental - downside was I couldn't get broadband on the landline so used a '3' 3g usb dongle for connecting to the internet (which when it was first introduced was pretty good - strong signal and reasonable speeds.)

If I remember correctly I think my aunt had to declare that she was in receipt of a benefit, i.e. Attendance Allowance, before she was transferred from light user to BT basic and I must confess that I assumed broadband would still not be possible on her line...

Have you thought of a mobile broadband dongle and a preloaded SIM like:

amazon

£11.81 for 3 GB over 3 months plus 1 off cost of a dongle or wifi mobile router.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

I doubt if anything would show up. If there is a restriction I would expect it to be purely at the contractual level and anything nasty would happen after a signup to a different broadband.

Just asked my aunt about the possibility of checking for broadband availability on her BT Basic line but, as I anticipated, she was unwilling to let me try

Probably, as an alternative to BT broadband, Plusnet would certainly be worth trying - however I've read that Zen refused to supply broadband on a BT Basic line but I'm not really sure that all the details were accurately described in a post on another forum.

Surely you can just put her phone number into the BT Retail checker and see what it offers?

That's a great idea, but unfortunately without her permission I wouldn't put her phone number into any form of online checker...

In reply to a post by 4M2:

That's a great idea, but unfortunately without her permission I wouldn't put her phone number into any form of online checker...

Probably wise, many companies take that as being a green light to ring up and flog broadband.

In reply to a post by Oliver341:

In reply to a post by 4M2:

That's a great idea, but unfortunately without her permission I wouldn't put her phone number into any form of online checker...

Probably wise, many companies take that as being a green light to ring up and flog broadband.

Especially TT LOL!

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Especially TT LOL!

Yeah, they are the worst offenders. They do say "Please be aware that if you use the speed checker, TalkTalk may call you to discuss your broadband requirements". Checking on postcode/address might be an option, but would they then send junk in the post?

Well, I didn't put my phone number nor post code into the TT checker a few years ago, rather I rang them directly on their free phone number to check whether LLU or IP Stream would be available on my line. LLU was indeed available for new customers but for my unfortunate cousin, who lives close by using the same exchange and had been a TT customer for several years, he was still being billed for IP Stream with a surcharge of £15. This was part of a long running battle that he had, as an existing customer, with TT with regard to a transfer to LLU and his billing.

I was not personally interested in ordering TT broadband rather I just wanted to gather evidence on my cousin's behalf that new customers were being prioritised over existing customers in terms of LLU capacity.

Anyway TT never called me back, because I stressed that it was an enquiry only, and eventually my cousin's problem was sorted out

Giving only a postcode could perhaps result in oneself and nearby neighbours getting junk mail I guess�

Edited by 4M2 (Sat 18-Aug-12 18:54:12)

In reply to a post by 4M2:

Giving only a postcode could perhaps result in oneself and nearby neighbours getting junk mail I guess�

When you give it a postcode, it demands a house number. If you're feeling evil, I suppose you could give a neighbour's.