At the end of my 12months but IDNet packages do not seem to fit my profile

BoobBoo · Dec 28, 2011, 18:57:21

Hi all,

I am at the end of my 12months of FTTC, I am honestly say that this product is amazing and changed how I use the Internet.

The only issue is that I have gone over my usage limits 4 times in the last 12 months, currently on the 30GB/120GB product. I could go up to another product, but it really does not feel right - the peak hours throughout the whole week really gets tiresome when many good ISPs give weekends as unlimited, also having 3 times the allowance for off-peak with less than 1/3rd the time to use it.

I presume that IDNet are not about to change their packages any time soon and so is my only course of action to move to another ISP, like Zen who have a bandwidth allowance of 200GB 24/7 for a similar price to IDNet?

Any advice/hints would be appreciated.

Thanks

Chris

Steve · Dec 28, 2011, 19:05:33

I think we all use the Internet differently and of course one package from one ISP doesn't everyone, I've no idea if IDNet are reviewing their packages but no harm in asking when they open after the New Year.

pctech · Dec 28, 2011, 19:08:37

You are unlikely to get a response to your question via the forum as it is publicly accessible.

Best advice is to mail IDNet directly and see if they can offer you anything, I'm not an IDNet customer so I don't know whether they will do any form of retention deal nor whether they have any scope to do this on this product.

Ardua · Dec 28, 2011, 19:26:19

Rik has said on another post that IDNet is likely to review its packages in the New Year. I am hoping to move to FTTC shortly and I looked at Zen but found them to be roughly the same price as IDNet (unless you take the 12 months for 11 offer into account which makes IDNet cheaper). Your comment about your change of usage pattern with FTTC is something that has been worrying me for sometime. Have I mis-read Zen's offer?

pctech · Dec 28, 2011, 20:23:04

Difference between Zen and IDNet is that Zen impose a hard cap, meaning if you hit your allowance you can't go anywhere other than the Zen site to buy some additional transfer, IDNet will charge you on next month's bill which is about £1/GB.

BoobBoo · Dec 28, 2011, 20:59:39

@Ardua - I definitely found my usage profile changed, for example I am now using iPlayer in HD not SD.

I do not keep everything I download "in case I need it again", with the bandwidth available I just redownload if needed.

@Pctech - I will be talking to them as everything they do is good and at a reasonable price, the only unreasonable thing they do have is their peak hours.

Thanks

Chris

zappaDPJ · Dec 29, 2011, 00:38:29

I think the move towards high quality digital data and downloadable applications is definitely going to be a factor in people's ISP choices in future but I'm not sure how much more ISPs can give away and still remain competitive. We all know that all you can eat packages generally come with payload be it fair use policies or some form of throttling.

I prefer to have the same level of provision within a capped allowance but I'd be lying if I said I find my current package fulfils my needs. I don't file share or download music and I only have one computer game on my PC. In spite of that I find I am unable to watch anything in HD or view any of the movies provided by my Sky package.

Tomorrow I have parts for a new PC arriving and I've calculated it'll consume my entire monthly peak allowance (30 GB) just to get it up and running. Nearly 20 GB will be lost to a single computer game along with another 5-10 GB for the applications I use. The move towards media-less applications and entertainment data coupled with the ever increasing requirements of high definition are really pushing the boundaries of capped packages but I doubt there's a short term answer to it unless BT drop their wholesale prices.

Anton · Dec 29, 2011, 11:15:13

Given what I'm about to say, it's probably best that I make it clear that I'm in no way connected to IDNet and have no axe to grind.

I have to admit I have very mixed feelings about the cost/bandwidth issue, but in the end, I find IDNet worth the extra and I have a feeling that most (if not all?) IDNet's residential customers have landed here because of a need/desire for quality reliable service and looking at the headline deals available from mainstream ISPs the cost differential can be huge so the service levels need to be so too. Currently the service differential IS there and the profile of the charging packages is one of the things that protects it.

Generally though, I'm still happy, and while over the past few months, since I came out of contract, I've been considering other options (Plusnet, Zen) I'm staying put for now. However, If IDNet are reviewing their pricing and caps and there's some favourable movement, I'd be delighted.

I know the team read these forums, so I'll make a suggestion or two.

1. How about a tied renewal option - I'm out of contract now but I'd be more than happy to sigh up to a fresh 12 (or 24 for that matter) months in return for a reduced monthly fee or an uplift in caps (how about a choice?). That'd give IDNet certainly of income so they can plan capacity and provide me with some loyalty benefits in return for the commitment? Frankly if I were offered a 24 month contract with a monthly discount or reasonable Peak cap uplift, payable monthly, I'd sign up today and take the uplift option! I know the pay annually option is there, but I don't want to swallow a cost of that size in one go!

2. How about a capped rate product with a higher overall volume cap? I imagine there's a market for a 15-20mb line cap with no peak/off peak split? I appreciate that their may be constraints with BTW around billing and administering, but there must be a market to use fibre for 'better than ADSL2' but not full on maxed out FTTC. Again I don't understand the commercials and technical constraints but this sort of offering would be popular I think, particularly in areas where copper limits speeds to <4mb or so?

ukwiz · Dec 29, 2011, 13:37:40

Quote from: Ardua on Dec 28, 2011, 19:26:19

Rik has said on another post that IDNet is likely to review its packages in the New Year. I am hoping to move to FTTC shortly and I looked at Zen but found them to be roughly the same price as IDNet (unless you take the 12 months for 11 offer into account which makes IDNet cheaper). Your comment about your change of usage pattern with FTTC is something that has been worrying me for sometime. Have I mis-read Zen's offer?

The Zen package seems to have a cap at 50GB but no off-peak allowance. Also, the up speed is only 2Mb

Regards
David

Lance · Dec 29, 2011, 13:42:37

David!

Steve · Dec 29, 2011, 13:52:54

I'm reading Zen FTTC 200Gb @ £66/month (in vat)

And welcome David

Glenn · Dec 29, 2011, 14:12:28

David.

Do Zen include uploads in their package, or is it like IDNet, only downloads are charged?

Ray · Dec 29, 2011, 14:16:36

David.

ukwiz · Dec 29, 2011, 15:21:36

Quote from: Steve on Dec 29, 2011, 13:52:54
I'm reading Zen FTTC 200Gb @ £66/month (in vat)

And welcome David

I was quoting like-for-like with boo-boos package.

And thanks for the welcome

pctech · Dec 29, 2011, 16:01:03

Zen do not meter uploads, only downloads.

Steve · Dec 29, 2011, 16:06:52

I wonder how often the home user needs more than 2Mbps upstream?

Glenn · Dec 29, 2011, 16:24:28

I do, to host my rfactor races.

Steve · Dec 29, 2011, 16:33:29

I use it to upload photos and it's a great benefit to have that speed.

Ardua · Dec 29, 2011, 16:56:49

Now I am confused. The OP said that he was reluctant to upgrade his IDNet package and he implied that he could get 200GB a month 24/7 for a comparable price. Putting BT to one side, I cannot find any ISP that offers this type of package for a price similar to the 30GB Peak FTTC package offered by IDNet. As said earlier Zen and IDNet do offer 50GB packages: Zen do not have peak/offpeak but IDNet does but gives a massive off-peak allowance. Even I can work out which is better value.

Surely, a more meaningful question to ask is whether the gap between Infinity Unlimited and IDNet 30GB FTTC has widened to the point where the answer is a no brainier?

zappaDPJ · Dec 29, 2011, 16:58:34

Quote from: Steve on Dec 29, 2011, 16:06:52
I wonder how often the home user needs more than 2Mbps upstream?

It's become pretty essential for me when I'm working on remote servers which I do almost every day. No more sloping off for a coffee and a smoke while I'm waiting for an upload

Steve · Dec 29, 2011, 17:08:59

So a higher upload has definite health benefits.

mervl · Dec 29, 2011, 17:21:25

Perhaps IDNet's review might conclude (as Voda recently did) the best thing is to sell their residential customer base to BT (well it was Plusnet in that case, but BT-owned), and we wouldn't have to worry! Would we have to re-name the forum BTNutters though?

Technical Ben · Dec 29, 2011, 17:46:32

Quote from: mervl on Dec 29, 2011, 17:21:25
Perhaps IDNet's review might conclude (as Voda recently did) the best thing is to sell their residential customer base to BT (well it was Plusnet in that case, but BT-owned), and we wouldn't have to worry! Would we have to re-name the forum BTNutters though?

No one is that cruel!

pctech · Dec 29, 2011, 18:11:59

I doubt IDNet would go to the expense of building out their own network and taking on a secondary LLU feed only to sell off to BT.

I maybe wrong but I think Voda's was always a rebranded BT Wholesale service.

Orange used to use the Energis service but then switched to BT.

Anton · Dec 29, 2011, 19:21:27

Quote from: pctech on Dec 29, 2011, 18:11:59
I doubt IDNet would go to the expense of building out their own network and taking on a secondary LLU feed only to sell off to BT.

Phew!

pctech · Dec 30, 2011, 10:13:23

Quote from: Anton on Dec 29, 2011, 19:21:27
Phew!

Unless of course the owners were offered a seriously large cheque

mervl · Dec 30, 2011, 11:21:09

I very much hope it isn't likely either, but I wasn't thinking of them giving up but concentrating on what I'd have thought is the more profitable business packages. Shouldn't say this but I'd even consider paying for a business package to stay with IDNet; but I'd guess what I think of as the "business class" service: the quality network at and out beyond the PoP, fixed IP address, IPv6, no throttling or "hidden" FUP - don't actually matter to many of us residential users: we worry more about the obvious limitations of the local loop, speedtest results and advertised data allowances. I could be wrong, of course. (

But I love the idea of PlusNutters!).

pctech · Dec 30, 2011, 13:56:14

I always tend to look at the ISP's network first.

pctech · Dec 30, 2011, 15:46:01

Though price was the deciding factor at the time I did go with Plusnet but swiftly regretted it.

Anton · Dec 30, 2011, 17:02:20

Quote from: pctech on Dec 30, 2011, 15:46:01
Though price was the deciding factor at the time I did go with Plusnet but swiftly regretted it.

I'm curious - How did they let you down?

pctech · Dec 30, 2011, 17:34:13

Quote from: Anton on Dec 30, 2011, 17:02:20
I'm curious - How did they let you down?

Went on their cheap as chips Broadband Your Way option 1 as it was then.

My line has never been great but combined with the heavy traffic management meant the service was unusable.

Personally I think the traffic management appliances were overloaded and I had discussions (at times heated) with technical support about this issue and they would constantly bang on that it was due to my line and that normal browsing should be working with no problems (so called 'gold' traffic such as DNS lookups would often fail or take an age, page loads would take ages)

As a test I upgraded to their pro product and the problems disappeared, by this time though I'd had enough and bought myself out of the remaining contract and went to a non traffic managed ISP.

I moved my line away too and it took 6 months to actually get through the droids on the front line in billing to actually speak to someone who was 'authorised' to actually stop their demands for payment for a line that even BT Wholesale acknowledged had transferred away from them.

BT by another brand, stck to IDNet, Zen, AAISP or any of the smaller ISPs that have put the time and effort into building their own networks and reputations and who don't traffic shape, avoid the 'big boys' like the plague.

I've also used Virgin ADSL which was another interesting experience.

.Griff. · Dec 30, 2011, 19:05:58

I'm also outside the 12 month contract period and I really hope IDnet look at tweaking the FTTC packages in the new year, especially the peak hour periods, otherwise I may be tempted to jump ship.

With the exception of one other ISP (PlusNet) IDNet seem to have the most restrictive/draconian approach to peak hours. AAISP, ADSL24, Aquiss, Vivaciti, Uno Broadband, Eclipse, and Titan all remove peak periods at weekends and have more generous definitions of "peak periods" during the week. AAISP for example lift the "peak period" at 6pm while the other stagger it throughout the evening. Only IDNet have lift the peak period so late in the evening. Others such as Zen have no peak period at all.

As a result I often find myself debating whether to stay up until 0.01AM and leave the PC downloading over night which is something I really don't want to do. If IDNet could just relax the peak periods hours even slightly it would be a big advantage.

pctech · Dec 30, 2011, 19:25:47

I did look at AAISP myself for that reason too but at the time I last reviewed my connection arrangements I was still working shifts so the Peak/off peak thing didn't really suit me.

Now am working office hours and am getting into gaming a bit more I may look again but like IDNet Zen are always very pleasant to deal with so am loathed to leave.

Just for reference I believe aquiss and Titan are entanet resellers so sell the entanet product, I did see when I last looked that entanet had mixed reviews so worth bearing in mind.