IS THE GRASS REALLY GREENER ELSEWHERE?

I joined IDNet 14 months ago, and for all of that time experienced rock steady speeds. As I am amazingly lucky, I live on a FTTC exchange, and close to my cabinet, so got DL 37 mbps, UL 8 mbps, varying by only decimal points during that period.

IDNet's tariff states the maximum peak time download per month and after a couple of months I was on the correct tariff, with a pretty steady 30GB per month usage.

Downloads were amazingly fast, and even uploading pictures to Flickr or video to YouTube never seemed too bad.

However, IDNet are not cheap. OK I know a Merc or BMW costs more than a Mondeo, but the cost was high enough that I was aware of it.

So at the end of the year contract I looked around and found another ISP (PlusNet) with which I had good experience in a rental property I look after. After a bit of calculation, I worked out that my 30 GB usage would cost far less on PlusNet so migrated.

Now, I was really sad to leave IDNet - I had loved the helpfulness of the team and the forum, but I thought that this was a positive move.

So - why am I posting this?

Well, firstly, I found out that PlusNet charge for both UL AND DL data, so my usage was going to push me into the next tariff up. That largely erased the cost saving I had planned to make.

And as PlusNet profile bandwidth, if I wanted to watch Netflix or download video that was shaped unless I paid another £5 per month!

THEN I found out that PlusNet also cap UL speeds at 2mbps, and I was only getting just over 1mbps UL - so my video and image uploads were suddenly going to not only be charged but take a long, long time!

So - back to my spreadsheet and it worked out that I was actually cheaper when I was on IDNet for my usage (which is not high, really) and I would get the whole bandwidth for which I was paying - no caps or profiling!

So a rapid cancellation later, I am returning to IDNet, wiser, chastened, and very unlikely to go after "greener grass" elsewhere again without a huge amount of research and a lot of thought.

How long did you stay, and how easy was it to leave?

Post deleted by Sadoldman

You would not have used censor avoidance if you did not know that expression was not acceptable. There were alternatives that would have still conveyed your meaning.

It's nice that you apparently seem to believe that you know I attempted to circumvent the censor avoidance system you have in place here. But unfortunately, you're very much mistaken. I was merely quoting what's already on AAISP's website, here: http://aa.net.uk/support.html

You could have chosen to manually edit my post, but instead, you removed it in its entirety. Keep up the aggressive moderating. I note your objection for any future posts I make.

?
What's the "taste" or lack of on AAISP's website got to do with an edited-by-you version of it that you post on this forum, (where you know the rules), in relation to Plusnet?

I frequently see words in The Times that are banned here. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't use those words here, and most of them extremely rarely in real life. There's no need.

You also probably know that the mods never edit posts here except for such things as removing the posters' phone numbers and IP addresses. And that normally only when it is too late for the poster to do so.

Nor do they object to you editing the deleted post, including the "Deleted" in the header, to restore an acceptable version.

Edited by RobertoS (Fri 03-Feb-12 23:45:59)

Why does everyone knock BT providing fibre, been over 12 months no problems speed has only dropped low still above 20meg once or twice.

Cost effective

Edited by deleted (Fri 03-Feb-12 23:10:41)

The truth only became apparent after a day with PlusNet. Being honest, I had a request in to leave in little over 36 hours when the scale of the situation became fully clear.

It would likely have been even quicker had their network not been almost wholly down for the first 15 hours I was with them.

And now they are dragging their feet over issuing a MAC code - everywhere else I have been took an hour, even minutes to issue it. PlusNet need almost a week!

http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/t/4078441-o...
http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/t/4082586-r... (my reply to the OP contains the above link so don't bother clicking it).
http://forums.thinkbroadband.com/plusnet/t/4085642-f... (and the answers to it).

I suggest you post a new thread there as well. Please don't do the shouty Subject though .

Yes - done, but with a slight refocussing of the thrust of the post.

I do think PlusNet are pretty good in most situations (I use them in a rental property as I say) but the way I was hooked into their FTTC product over a lengthy phone call which avoided all of the real problems is very close to misselling.

The sales guy even raved about my line stats and how great my upload speed is - NO mention that they would not let me use it!

What's the "taste" or lack of on AAISP's website got to do with an edited-by-you version of it that you post on this forum, (where you know the rules), in relation to Plusnet?

Sorry Rob, answering that would only require me to re-construct my deleted post, so let's just let that rest. If you missed what I wrote, then that's unfortunate (or maybe fortunate, depending what side of the fence you wish to position yourself). As for "knowing the rules", you're right. But hear me out...

I frequently see words in The Times that are banned here. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't use those words here, and most of them extremely rarely in real life. There's no need.

I'm not an avid Times reader so remain uncertain as to your underlying point here. In terms of using such words in every day life and on here, I don't. In the context of this moderated (deleted) post, they were being flamboyantly quoted with asterisks (*) for most of the letters, leaving enough information for the reader to deduce what they were. Apparently this is circumvention of the censorship controls (news to me). And as I have already said, I note this rule for any future posts I make.

You also probably know that the mods never edit posts here except for such things as removing the posters' phone numbers and IP addresses. And that normally only when it is too late for the poster to do so.

You're presumption is wrong. I wasn't aware of that. You see, out of the 700 odd posts I've made here since I joined 9 years ago, this has been the first to be aggressively moderated (complete deletion). First time for everything eh? But I'll keep this mind, as per my previous post, that any attempt to circumvent the censorship control (even just one or two words out of a post of several lines, two words in my case) results in the entire post being erased - that's clearly the way mods work around here. I have a one word reply to that: noted.

Nor do they object to you editing the deleted post, including the "Deleted" in the header, to restore an acceptable version.

Wasn't aware of that either, but having just tried this, the edit time has now expired. Game over!

Thanks for your constructive reply anyway.

Is the grass greener?

Maybe not greener but just the same shade, maybe!

I was with IDNET for ADSL then FTTC from initial launch. No real issues and consistent speeds.

Recently moved to the BT Infinity product and you really can't tell I have changed provider. Speed and quality of connection are identical. The only change has been my IP address and cost.

The only gain being unlimited usage now.

O2 Standard LLU (up to 8Mbps as my line maxed out in the mid-6000s), >> IDNet Starter Fibre >> Plusnet Value Fibre. Gains with Plusnet 40GB in peak, unlimited off-peak, £16.49pm, instead of 15/45 at £25.52, or £23.30pm if paying the full year up front which I did.

Losses, the download speed doesn't seen quite as consistent but only noticed it occasionally, and the upload is only 2Mbps giving speed test of 1668kbps as against IDNet 10Mbps giving around 8300kbps. Also a true dynamic IP address instead of the IDNet fixed - but the only way that affects me is that I can't run a tbb BQM. Ah - the IDNet BQM was a consistent 13ms, and by cheating I have run the BQM on PN and it is 15ms.

Pings reported at these figures from speedtest.net as well.