Just to balance the last company recommendation, a company warning. BT don't even do the little they say they will.

Last September, I finally escaped from BT's shoddy telephone service to a 12-month contract with 'it' http://www.itplc.com/ - they're OK, but probably not the best or cheapest that you can find now. I wrote and told BT exactly why they lost my account (basically, bad customer service habits, combined with only offering "bundled calls" packages so other calls providers are less attractive). I got an amazingly stupid typed reply explaining why BT's brilliant. Not a good answer. Like I'm going to read a sales pitch and thing "yeah, I imagined all those problems moving house, getting my business number, and so on."

In April, I had a letter from BT inviting me back with the first headline being "Enjoy low prices on all BT Together call options"

• "Together" being the package that I was moved to and quit. I

called the number on the sheet, asked to be removed from the "come back" mailing list and was assured it would be done.

Today, another letter from BT, now offering a "Special Offer" if I take one of their bundled calls packages. Amazing. The absolute clincher is that the letter finishes with an advert for "BT Privacy"! Not privacy from BT sales letters, I guess. Could these people organise a brewery event? Again called, again assured, and this time asked them to send confirmation in writing. Is it worth taking this further? I'm not sure.

In my opinion, anyone staying with BT should have a really good motive. There are many other line renters nationwide now, including phonecoop.

Hope your telephone behaves better,

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought the social list was for organising social events rather than random babbling about the company you happen to be annoyed with this week?

On Mon, Aug 22, 2005 at 08:58:51AM +0100, MJ Ray wrote:

Last September, I finally escaped from BT's shoddy telephone service to a 12-month contract with 'it' http://www.itplc.com/ -

...but they still use the BT network, lines etc. etc. (and resell BT Openzone vouchers).

In my opinion, anyone staying with BT should have a really good motive. There are many other line renters nationwide now, including phonecoop.

but you are still using BT, unless you go with an LLU ISP and get some kind of voip service, but then I have an issue with LLU as it will end up forcing smaller isps who can't afford (or don't have the expertise or actually want to) to do LLU out of the market which is going to be bad for choice overall.

I also note that the itplc.com people can't actually order you a new line (at least it isn't immediately visible) so when ordering a new line you still need to go to BT in the first place (and take a 12 month contract? I forget). I note that phonecoop.coop can actually install you a new line but is this just resold via BT? or is it there own LLU line? (I suspect not, as they would have to put kit in the exchange to do this, which would be prohibitively costly).

I must say that BT have screwed me over in the past (but then so has pretty much every telco company I have had to deal with) and may not be the best of companies, but if the worst you have to say about them is you got a few bits of postal junk mail from them then you are not doing too badly ;)

Adam