Are there any good phone and broadband providers left out there?
First I was with Virgin and ended my contract for being overcharged repeatedly but thats another story...

So on the 16th of December I decide to sign up with BT online. Pretty good. Didn't have to do anything other then wait for the installation date which was the 16th January. I nearly went with Sky who could install a line and dish in the first week of january but I thought I would stick to BT being british and quite patriotic.
It's the 10th of January and I receive a text from BT, my engineer will arrive on the 25th January. Hmm.. thats a littel frustrating. I need my home broadband to work from home sometimes. Ah well, I shall wait patiently. On the 24th I decide it's a good idea to sign into BT's website and double/triple check my installation date. Thats odd, it's says the 28th of January on their website I better call them. After a long and tedious phonecall with a customer service representative of BT ("British" Telecom) who could barely speak any english at all I discover there has been a problem and it will now not get fitted until the 28th February!!?? I think this is unaccaeptable. I explain everything to the rep and get transferred to an american sounding chap who was very helpful. He said he was one of the managers and would get my date changed, apologised for the delay and promised to call me back personally the following day. I took his name and was very pleased. 3 days later I have received no phonecall still. I call BT and nobody seems to know who I spoke to and the name is unknown. I will just have to wait until the 28th February. By this point Im a little sick of the situation so I cancel my BT installation, once by phone, once by email and once by live chat on their website with a Rep. 2 weeks later I receive the router. At this point I give in, fine, I'll have your BT broadband. Anyone who has ever had BT installed will know that if you already have a BT line coming into the house it's just a case of plugging everything in and a technician flipping a switch in the green metal box at the end of your road. So I call BT. It's all connected, Im ready to go. "Unfortunately sir, an engineer cannot attend your address for 2 weeks, when your scheduled date is, the 28th feb" "But they only need to flip the switch in the box" "No sir, it's a little more complex then that, they need to attend your address" "oh ok". Things must have changed so I wait patiently until the 28th when they are due to arrive sometime between 13:00 and 18:00. It's the morning of 28th Feb and Im very excited about getting my broadband installed. Why? Probably due to waiting so long. So it's 10am, not long to go and I receive a text from BT. Your service is now active and ready to use. So wheres my engineer? It really was just flipping a switch at the end of the road. I booked the day off work for nothing? Waited around all day. So 2 weeks ago when I plugged my router in I was just waiting for an engineer to pull up in a van and flip a switch in the green box. I am not happy at all. I complained in writing twice and never got any response. Worth complaining? I think not. Do BT care? na uh.

Within a week I have a problem with the service. My dial tone now sounds like an international one not that it bothers me, what does bother me is that I now have to dial the Area code to call people in my area. WTF? If I was to call my next door neighbour where no area code is required and just dial their local number my line goes dead. I can only call out using the area code for everything and everywhere. I once again call BT but this time their faults line, again must be somewhere far away as neither of us actually understood each other. He was polite though, No faults there. He checks my line and calls me back, theres no problem with your line it's a problem with the BT exchange which has nothing to do with us. Erm, say what? You are BT right? "Yes sir but BT Open Reach are in control of the exchanges" Well can you not ring them for me or let them no I have a fault? "No sir, you need to contact them, heres their number" The number just rings and rings with no answer. I have since given up. I just settle for dialing the area code for everything. I will be moving house soon and I will be leaving BT where it is and giving Sky a try.