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Best way to go on phone, broadband and digital tv package? Help me choose!

  • 18-02-2010 10:17pm
    #1
    tommy21
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,419 ✭✭✭


    Hey all, was not sure which tech area to post this in as I talk about phones, broadband and digital tv so feel free to move mods:p

    At the moment, I have Sky Digital (about €25 a month, basic package). We took out the house phone about 8 months ago (Eircom) in order to save money (line rental was a fortune and we barely used it except for incoming calls) but this was a mistake for two reasons. The first was that we are now spending a fortune on mobiles, the second we in fact need a working line for our alarm system monitoring (doh!). Finally, given that when we were with Eircom they refused to upgrade our line, despite the exchange next to us having it, I could not get fixed line broadband. I went with a Cork company called Nova Networks (I receive signal through a dish though its not satellite based, its terrestrial through ground stations), which is quite expensive at €45 a month for 3M download (though often higher), 1M upload. Its saving grace for that price is that I've had no problems, great customer care, fab speeds (to me) that always work, no contention ratio I can notice. I play Xbox online too and it works great for this, this is also a consideration in any switch.


    I originally just planned to get Smart Telecom phone line and solve our alarm problem, but they tell me they can only connect us by switching us from Eircom, they can't actually reconnect us (madness). So the only way I can see for this to work is either go back to Snarecom and stick with them, go back to Snarecom and then pay about €500 to break a six month contract to go to Smart, or get Chorus which I hear brings the telephone line in via cable, thereby avoiding the problem in the first place.

    I then figured since Chorus do all 3 for it would save me a fortune , considering currently we pay sky tv (€26/month), the eircom package I would have to get is €40 month (appears best deal for our needs considering most of them are a cop-out) and broadband (€45/month) is costing us €111 or €1332 per annum where as Chrous appear to do the same thing but better for €70 per month or €840 per year if I took the the Fibre Web package (15mb per month with no cap on downloads, channels I want , phone with unlimited peak and off peak calls nationally and select places internationally). There are higher packages but if 3mb is doing me now I imagine 15mb will blow me away if it is as they claim. The only thing I can't verify are the phone charges to mobile networks.

    I guess I'm just afraid to go tinkering. Sky works perfectly. Broadband works perfectly. You hear horror stories no matter what company it is. What do you think, any advice? Many thanks boardsies, I've a rake of thank-yous for everybody in the audience.:eek::o:p


Comments

  • #2
    Damien360
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,784 ✭✭✭Damien360


    The only way you will save money by going to UPC is to get the whole hog of 3 packages.

    I love my sky so I will not give it up. The UPC box is terrible slow in comparison to skys with respect to the EPG and changing channels.

    I went with broadband and phone fron UPC. In comparison, eircom 3Meg plus phone using their all landlines calls free anytime package works out at 60 per month before mobile calls.

    I currently have the UPC 10Meg package using their all landline calls free anytime also. It works out at about 60 per month before mobile calls. It is due a free upgrade on 15Meg in March.

    I am not really comparing like with like but I compared the phone packages. Mobile call charges are similar. They are a killer to any bill ! On the other hand, the broadband is noticeably faster. I can go online on the PS3 while my wife is on the net. That was impossible with eircom. My eircom broadband stopped too often to stick with them. Mind you my UPC has been crap here in Newbridge over the whole weekend. Outages for hours on end. Phone dies at the same time as it is IP based.

    Eircoms tech support is easy to get to but useless. Never had to wait at all.

    UPC's tech support is frustrating with half hour waits to get through but they are equally useless. Re-boot your router lark like eircom.

    If you are saving money then all 3 is a must.

    If you want a better package for the same money then stick to sky for TV and go to UPC for phone and broadband.

    There is another option of getting rid of sky and going to freeview for your TV. Lots of crap channels but most of what you want there also. Since you are on the basic sky package this might be good for you.

    Good Luck

    Damien


  • #3
    tommy21
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,419 ✭✭✭tommy21


    Damien360 wrote: »
    The only way you will save money by going to UPC is to get the whole hog of 3 packages.

    I love my sky so I will not give it up. The UPC box is terrible slow in comparison to skys with respect to the EPG and changing channels.

    I went with broadband and phone fron UPC. In comparison, eircom 3Meg plus phone using their all landlines calls free anytime package works out at 60 per month before mobile calls.

    I currently have the UPC 10Meg package using their all landline calls free anytime also. It works out at about 60 per month before mobile calls. It is due a free upgrade on 15Meg in March.

    I am not really comparing like with like but I compared the phone packages. Mobile call charges are similar. They are a killer to any bill ! On the other hand, the broadband is noticeably faster. I can go online on the PS3 while my wife is on the net. That was impossible with eircom. My eircom broadband stopped too often to stick with them. Mind you my UPC has been crap here in Newbridge over the whole weekend. Outages for hours on end. Phone dies at the same time as it is IP based.

    Eircoms tech support is easy to get to but useless. Never had to wait at all.

    UPC's tech support is frustrating with half hour waits to get through but they are equally useless. Re-boot your router lark like eircom.

    If you are saving money then all 3 is a must.

    If you want a better package for the same money then stick to sky for TV and go to UPC for phone and broadband.

    There is another option of getting rid of sky and going to freeview for your TV. Lots of crap channels but most of what you want there also. Since you are on the basic sky package this might be good for you.

    Good Luck

    Damien

    Thanks for the reply Damien. The fates have decided for me unfortunately. Unbeliveably despite living in the middle of Cork City, chorus tell me there is no line or cable near my house. When I asked them was it just my house or everyones, the woman told me "probably everyones":rolleyes: Feck sake like not much I can do I guess. Freeview might be a good idea, how do I go about doing this though. Are Sky entitled to take back the dish etc.?


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