TalkTalk Essentials (+ Boosts) Broadband & Phone Bundle

• Speedy up-to 24Mb TalkTalk broadband
• Free off-peak calls to UK landlines
• Free international calls to 36 destinations
• Jaw-droppingly low price with first six-months free
• Massive 40GB usage allowance
• 30 day moneyback guarantee

TalkTalk broadband review: Essentials

IT was only a matter of time, but 5 years ago when we were all paying over £30 a month for our broadband, who'd have thought we'd one day be getting it for the price of a couple of pints?

Or, looked at another way, when they said broadband will one day be as cheap as chips, did we really think it would actually cost the same as a portion of chips on Southend seafront?

Free unlimited evening and weekend calls

We certainly wouldn't have expected to get free unlimited evening and weekend calls to UK landlines and anytime free calls to 36 major Global destinations including to your uncle Dick down in Wollangong, New South Wales!

And would we have expected to get speeds of up to 24Mb? No, we would have childishly guffawed like a cartoon donkey. That shows us.

Actually, though, the guffaw moratorium isn't quite upon us yet. Although independent tests have shown that TalkTalk broadband has the third fastest actual speeds in the UK - even with the high-speed rivals like Be, O2 Broadband, Virgin Media and Sky in the mix - just 30% of their customers can actually receive more than 8Mb/s.

We expect this to improve in the coming months as TalkTalk continue to update their network but remember that the estimated speed that TalkTalk will give you when you sign up is likely to be a lot lower than 24Mb.

Less-than-£7 broadband

So here we have it - TalkTalk Essentials: The UK's first sub-£7 broadband package. £6.99 to be more exact!

The first six months are free but there is a - previously waived - £29.99 connection fee which ruins this slightly.

Still, over the six months you'll save £41.94 in broadband costs so you're still saving £11.95 compared with the old deal.

TalkTalk broadband is not entirely without other catches.

You have to sign up for 18 months which is a bit of a bothersome bind but it's not unusual on popular, low priced packages with other companies too.

For your troubles you'll now also get a free wireless router which is great step up from the old wired modem that TalkTalk was previously offering.

Add more speed, more usage and lots more with 'Boosts'

The greatest thing about this TalkTalk Essentials package - and possibly the single thing that makes this one of, if not the, best broadband deals ever is the ability to customise a variety of the package's assets.

Called 'Boosts', TalkTalk has a number of optional bolt-ons you can assign to this basic package.

Each 'Boost', or bolt-on, will cost £4 per month on top of the basic package price except for the speed boost which is now included free if you're in an ADSL2+ area. Other boosts include:

• Download Plus: Increase your monthly usage limit from 40GB to 80GB.
• Security Boost: Access to the F-Secure security package (for up to 3 computers)
• Anytime Calls: Boost your call package to include unlimited inclusive landline calls at any time.
• Half Price Mobile Calls: A 50% discount on all calls to UK mobile phones.
• Calling Features: Add customisation tools to your phone package, including call waiting, call divert, ringback etc.

The download plus boost is particularly worth-while: if you go over your 40GB TalkTalk Essentials limit you'll first receive a warning and then be charged at least £5 a month, maybe more if you're seriously over the limit.

Adding the usage boost to that, turns this into a stupendously competitive package.

30 days to change your mind

TalkTalk offer a 30-day no quibble moneyback guarantee, so it's not too risky at all signing up for the compulsory 18 months that this package requires as you'll have the chance to bail out if you find TalkTalk's broadband is not right for you.

With so few broadband providers offering moneyback guarantees, we have to say that this is one feature we really love about TalkTalk as it absolves any doubts you may have about trying out the TalkTalk broadband service.

We doubt you'll need to though.

TalkTalk has invested huge sums in sorting out the customer service debacle of their crazy first few months when they were clearly overwhelmed by the response to their free broadband offer.

Now, TalkTalk receives accolades for its customer service - not least because it is actually free to call from your TalkTalk landline - and in our experience they are easy to get in touch with and usually solve issues straight away.

Don't forget that you will need to get your line rental from TalkTalk in order to get these prices, but their rate will be the same as BT's come October (£12.04) and in fact offers more features than BT.

No cost telephone support

Your TalkTalk line rental allows you to call TalkTalk's technical support for free, as well as free unlimited calls to all other TalkTalk customers.

So what about all the bad reviews of TalkTalk?

For starters, we're hugely impressed with TalkTalk's rapid rectification of their once shaky customer service. Now you can call them free (most other broadband providers charge you for that privilege!) and for the most part they are fast and efficient.

Yes, there is still work to be done; records are not always kept and there are instances of being passed from one TalkTalk department to another, but this is always going to be a trade-off when plumping for a low-cost broadband product.

If you want a brilliant, uninterrupted and reliable service try Zen, Eclipse or Madasafish, but don't expect prices anywhere near these.

The other thing to remember about bad reviews is this: ALL broadband companies get bad reviews.

This is because angry customers take time to write them while content and happy customers don't. When you have gigantic numbers of customers, as TalkTalk do, coupled with the fact that broadband does go wrong sometimes and in many cases is hardware related and not connection related (ie. harder to diagnose) you're going to get angry reviews.

Just ask BT, Virgin Media, Sky, Tiscali and AOL!

Stunningly low cost

The bottom line is the TalkTalk Essentials is a stunningly low-cost, surprisingly high-class broadband package that could literally save you hundreds of pounds a year - and that's not even counting the extraordinary value offered by the 'Boosts' you can apply to it.

With it's 30 day moneyback guarantee and its pleasingly improved customer service, we see no reason not to recommend this package wholeheartedly.

A little more detail...

Broadband		Special Note...
Package:	Essentials	-
Connection:	ADSL2+	Telephone line
Max Speed:	Up to 24Mb
Usage Limit:	40GB
Totally Unlimited:	No
Hardware:	Wireless Router	-
Internet Security:	Available	Free for the first 90 days only (£2.49 per month thereafter)
Online Gaming:	All major consoles supported

Home Phone
Summary:	Choice of call plans TalkTalk line rental required
Choose a package option to see more details