Switching from Demon - but where to?

Hi all.

New on here and need advice from those who know.

I've been with Demon Internet since way back in the mid '90s. They've been pretty good over the period but since the support desk switched over to India I find it nearly impossible to have any resolution whatsoever to ongoing issues. The final straw has come with the changeover to ADSL2+. I've had intermittent connection problems since which they can't or won't help with.

So, I was looking at Be or O2. Are they essentially the same ISP and would I be connected through exactly the same equipment at the exchange if I signed up to either? Any experiences with the helpdesk? O2 advertise UK based and when I asked Be, they told me it's in Bulgaria. Anybody had any good/bad experiences?

I need a static ip address which Be would provide at no cost and I'll be using the connection for business as well. Does anyone know if there is any difference in contention ratios between any of their offerings or is that even a relevant question any more?

I occasionally do a little bit of P2P. Does Be or O2 practise any bandwidth shaping?

Also, anyone else should I be thinking about?

Cheers

Ed

Be's a good choice. Same equipment as O2 LLU - O2 Access uses BT stuff.

I was having problems with Entanet.

I am now with O2 pro, and signed up using quidco for a large cashback amount.
Also signed up to O2 mobile pay as you go phone to get a monthly discount.

Research had initially drawn me to BE, but got a better deal with O2.
Same llu network, just a branding exercise difference.

I recommend you review the O2 discussion thread, find posts by some guy called MKD, and check his signature for a link to a comparison document on BE/O2, and how to get the deals.

No real limits, and I'm geting a steady 15.5M download on Annex M.

Thanks for that.

I'm already on O2 with the iphone so will get the discount anyway.

I'll check out the discussionyou suggest.

Cheers

Ed

I'm going through the same process myself having been a demon customer since 97. Moving their helldesk to India has rendered them totally useless and, like you, the ADSL2+ upgrade has messed up my connection. I'm thinking Be as well, but maybe I'll go with O2 if it really is the same network. One thing I did try was calling Be's technical helpline - it was answered by someone with a Scottish accent and there was no noticeable time delay on the line. I've not tried that with O2 yet but I will and, if the call is picked up by someone in an overseas call centre, then I'm definitely going with Be.

Just in case you haven't found it - link to MKD's document.

I'd recommend SAQ www.saq.net - uk customer service and good honest products.

Strange how Anonymous(ISP) recommends SAQ(less)...just log on and be honest