 |  | By Neil Hawkins Senior Staff Writer Friday, 25 April 2008 |
HERE at ChooseISP.co.uk we always get a warm feeling from being good Samaritans, so if we see something that could save you a quid or two we like to let you know about it.
There’s no let up this week either so keep reading to see how you could benefit!
Are you being overcharged for your Broadband?
BACK in March we ran a story detailing how the wise wizards of telephony at OFCOM were launching an investigation into the unfair charges being levied on consumers.
The charges they are looking into relate to broadband customers who don’t pay by direct debit or who want to get out of their contracts early.
Now, a recent survey has revealed that 1 in 4 people experience a charge that they weren’t expecting on their broadband connection.
Virgin Media, BT and Orange were among those singled out for charging if payment isn’t made by direct debit, whilst the worst offenders for late payment charges were Virgin Media and Sky Broadband.
They survey also highlighted how broadband users who exceed their download limits should take note of the price of each extra Gb they use.
It can range anywhere from 30p to £2.
Do not fear though! If you don’t want to be caught out by hidden charges then take a look at our articles which compare the best broadband providers for unlimited downloads or no contracts.
Free Home Hub with BT Total Broadband
DESPITE the slightly adverse publicity it received in the previous story, what BT taketh away with one hand it giveth back with the other.
If you are in the market for a new broadband package then check out BT’s latest offer of a free Home Hub with every online order of its popular BT Total Broadband packages.
There are three options to choose from, the imaginatively titled, BT Total Broadband Option 1, 2 or 3.
BT Total Option 1 is £15.99 a month and comes with 5Gb of usage, BT Total Option 2 is £20.99 a month with 8Gb usage and the big daddy, BT Total Option 3 comes with unlimited usage for £24.99.
You can have a 12 or 18 month contracts but we recommend the 12 month one because the modest savings on the 18 month contracts only last for three months.
Each of the options come with free UK evening and weekend calls via the Home Hub which acts as a second phone line thanks to the way it can make phone calls via your broadband line, separately from your existing landline which will remain unaffected.
There are loads of other nice extras, such as free 24/7 help and online storage so check them out on our review page.
Survey Reveals Average Broadband Speeds, ‘up to’ 3.18 Mbps
THE average speed of 90,000 speed tests carried out by research company Formula during March was a lowly 3.18Mbps.
I can hear some of you crying out already, ‘That’s not slow, that’s three times faster than my own connection!’
I agree, I am one of you!
What this does highlight importantly is the nature of broadband advertising which should be clearer than the current, ‘up to’ 8Mbps line that is consistently wheeled out like a Christmas Dinner tablecloth.
The top broadband providers in this survey were O2 Broadband and Be Broadband which doesn’t surprise us here at Choose Towers.
Check out their packages on our broadband comparison page.
Live in Manchester? Worried about crime? Get on Facebook!
EVER thought the police would never get a grip on cyber-crime? A little too much Sherlock Holmes instead of Bourne Ultimatum at your local station?
Well, now Greater Manchester Police have had a brainwave and have a Facebook application that keeps you up-to-date with the latest crime happenings on their beat.
It’s certainly innovative, but who is using it?
Only 150 or so concerned citizens have used it so far and they might just be criminals who are checking to see if their latest bank job has been tracked by the old bill.
In that case the police might be making friends with a few familiar faces.
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