Tekel Towers » TV, Broadband, phone package?

Andy · 25/11/2014 9:29 pm

Looking for some advice re the above gents.

I cancelled my BT phone and broadband and Sky TV package today, am currently paying about £105 a month fixed but also regularly £20 a month extra over broadband limit, total fucking sham, I didn't realise there was a 20gb limit when I signed up, my fault.

Anyway, got out of my BT 18 month contract after only four months today as they increased their prices, and an ofcom ruling in January this year says that if your phone or broadband goes up you can give 30 days notice without charge, price only went up 45p a month but I used the loop hole to my benefit, got a £100 Sainsbury's gift card for signing up too so that's well covered my excess broadband charges.

Sky offered me a shite deal to switch everything to them and stay and I don't live in a cable area so Virgin isn't an option.

So everything runs out on Christmas Day.

I have a Smart TV with Freeview HD built in but I've never used it, always had Sky.

Does anyone use Freesat?
Can I stream football on my smart TV?
Can I still use my Sky box to watch freeview (if ariel doesn't work)?
Is it easy enough to download movies off the net?
Same as above for live football games?

Pure murder long post by now but wanted to know what my options were outside of the "normal" providers? I know I'll need to get unlimited broadband but could do without phone line and pay TV if possible.

Tek · 25/11/2014 11:24 pm

FS Andy ahv had tae gub a couple of Nurofen after reading thon

Nae idea bud who's the best deal but hope someone on here can give ye more help than i can.

Andy · 26/11/2014 7:14 am

TEK wrote:
FS Andy ahv had tae gub a couple of Nurofen after reading thon

Nae idea bud who's the best deal but hope someone on here can give ye more help than i can.

Ken mate, cannae even bring myself to read it again.

Suppose I was asking is it easy to download movies and watch football online without a paid subscription or have ISP's blocked all that nowadays?

Or is it possible to get a dodgy foreign box that pubs have to watch the football?

Was hoping someone else done this or knew a man who did.

european_bob · 26/11/2014 1:56 pm

Have a smart TV with freeview. I was considering getting a package but not bothered now. Internet is unlimited package from Tesco; it was a toss up between them, talk talk and plus net.

Just watch freeview, catch up tv, Netflix and new downloaded movies off a hard drive - plenty to be getting on with for me.

I don't watch a huge amount of football other than United so probably won't give the best advice - I've streamed football onto the TV; quality is sketchy and liabile to freeze along with usual adverts. I may not be using the best sites but if you watch football all the time I think it would get on your tits.

Hamiltonarab · 26/11/2014 1:58 pm

I'm coming up to change mine soon as moving house. Currently on Virgin Media who I really like, but not in the new area. Well you can get phone and internet but it would be through BT nework so shite speeds. Currently pay £60 a month, but should be £70 as get £10 loyalty off. That gets me free weekend landline calls, 120mb internet unlimited and 2nd top tv package which means I get tivo box and BT Sport.

Basically I think I am going to go and buy a freeview + box (£100-150) for tv as I don't think I watch half the shite I pay for anyway. And going to maybe try out Plusnet Broadband or Talk Talk which the cost is Line Rental + £3-5 a month I think giving an approximate total of £20. Speed is only about 10-15mb though, but should be unlimited. Again these will be through BT network hence the shite speed, but minus the BT price tag.

So all in will be about £40 per month saving for me over a year, will see how it pans out. The only thing that I worry about is the internet, as I have had Virgin Media for a while and no other provider comes close to it in terms of performance. As long as I get decent internet and can go ok on the smart tv then all other tv isues are not a worry as the internet is now king. Scheduled tv will be a thing of the past soon I think.

Last edited by Hamiltonarab (26/11/2014 2:00 pm)

Andy · 26/11/2014 6:09 pm

Thanks for replies. Netflix isn't something I know of, have heard of it but never looked into it so will do now.

I think we'll need a TiVo type box where we can pause and record TV, Freesat smart boxes do that for £150, alternatively I can pay Sky £10 a month for that and use my existing Sky HD box as "Freesat from sky".

Deffo need to get unlimited broadband so will look into Tesco and Talk Talk.

Cheers.

Andy · 26/11/2014 6:10 pm

PS

I did think of just using my mobile with unlimited data as a WiFi hot spot but I don't think that's practical, anyone do that?

Andy · 27/11/2014 8:38 pm

So, to go full circle I got a call from Sky tonight begging me to stay.

Offered me £35 a month off my subscription for 12 months off the bat, I said I needed more.

He offered me £50 credit on to my account, I said I needed more.

He offered me free anytime calls from land line to land line, I said we're nearly threre but Talk Talk are still coming out cheaper.

He offered me free Sky Multi room (which is good as our freeview upstairs only picks up 10 channels) and another HD box for 12 months.

I said sold.

So, keeping the full package with Sky, moving broadband, line rental and call package to them from BT.

Tied in for another year, saving £49 a month for all the same channels minus BT Sport but now getting unlimited broadband and anytime calls where with BT I was 20gb and weekend calls only and also another sky box installed for free.

Will go up to full price again in 12 months but boy said just cancel again then await their call!

Happy with my days negotiating.

european_bob · 27/11/2014 8:59 pm

european_bob · 27/11/2014 9:01 pm

P.S - Netflix is only about £6.00 a month. Their back catalogue is getting better, worth a look when your deal runs out.

Hamiltonarab · 29/11/2014 8:47 pm

Nice work. That's how to play the bastards.

baldyeagle · 02/12/2014 5:26 pm

Andy wrote:
So, to go full circle I got a call from Sky tonight begging me to stay.

Offered me £35 a month off my subscription for 12 months off the bat, I said I needed more.

He offered me £50 credit on to my account, I said I needed more.

He offered me free anytime calls from land line to land line, I said we're nearly threre but Talk Talk are still coming out cheaper.

He offered me free Sky Multi room (which is good as our freeview upstairs only picks up 10 channels) and another HD box for 12 months.

I said sold.

So, keeping the full package with Sky, moving broadband, line rental and call package to them from BT.

Tied in for another year, saving £49 a month for all the same channels minus BT Sport but now getting unlimited broadband and anytime calls where with BT I was 20gb and weekend calls only and also another sky box installed for free.

Will go up to full price again in 12 months but boy said just cancel again then await their call!

Happy with my days negotiating.

Kerching!

bowers · 02/12/2014 5:49 pm

Im away to move house and have Virgin. xl package shitty tivo box all sports just no movie channels. internet and fone(that i have disconnected as both me and missus have unlimited calls on mobile contracts)
£92 a month or there abouts thats with 2 boxes although dont tthink they charge the 2nd.

Im going to be phoning them pretty shortly to see what they are offering and call sky aswell and see who comes up with the best offer.

bowers · 05/12/2014 10:31 am

Foned virgin about moving the offered me £30 off my bill for 12 month and the top internet speed and new boxes happy days

Hamiltonarab · 10/12/2014 1:43 pm

Another happy customer!

I think this is going to turn into Tekel Towers Money Saving Expert post!

Andy · 13/12/2014 10:01 am

Meant to add to this.

10 days ago the boy came around to fit Sky Multiscreen as part of the deal I negotiated, sound as a pound, while he was here he checked the main box for the settings and said the box was missing a cable and that I haven't been getting HD pictures despite having an HD box.

Boy fits the cable and the picture quality is very noticeably better, much better. He says that most houses he goes in to people are paying for HD but not getting an HD picture due to a shite installation.

So I phoned Sky saying I wanted refunded for 12 months of HD subscription as I hadn't been getting the service, if not I was cancelling, again.

Got an email a day later saying the engineer had added notes saying the same and they were refunding me £62 in back charges.

Tidy.

Hamiltonarab · 14/12/2014 9:52 pm

just keeps getting better for you!

Andy · 26/11/2015 4:22 pm

Just had my annual dance with Sky about renewing my contract, got an even better deal than last time!

I phoned to cancel about 3 weeks ago, 11 months into my 12 month contract. They offered me shit, £5 a month off, or remove packages to reduce the cost, told them to ram it.

Got a call from a girl today asking why I was leaving and I told her I was going to BT. Her FIRST offer was 50% off for 12 months!

Couldn't believe it, long story short I had a fine chat with her and got 60% off my total bill for 12 months, £50 credit to my first months bill and a new Sky+ HD box for the multi room (last year they gave us a wee box that can't pause, record or download).

Unbelievable, every year I do the same.

Your new Sky TV package is
• Family with Sports & Movies  £ 70.50
•11 months and 28 days Viewing Subscription Discounted- £ 42.30 £ 28.20
Your Sky TV package will be effective immediately unless otherwise agreed

You now have the following extras with your package
• Sky Sports 5
• Sky Multiscreen  £ 11.25
•11 months and 28 days Sky Multiscreen Subscription Discounted- £ 5.63   £ 5.62
• Sky+ Subscription  £ 0.00
• HD Pack  £ 5.25
•11 months and 28 days HD Subscription Discounted- £ 3.15   £ 2.10
• Sky Go Extra  £ 5.00
•Ongoing Sky Go Extra Subscription Discounted- £ 5.00    £ 0.00
Your extras will be effective immediately unless otherwise agreed

Last edited by Andy (26/11/2015 4:27 pm)

lifesanocean · 26/11/2015 5:11 pm

If it is films you want, download Showbox onto your phone or tablet for free then buy a Google Chromecast for £30. Absolutley huge range of films (much more up-to-date than Netflix) which the Chromecast will stream to your TV in very good quality. It is not strictly legal so some of the newest films are a bit hit-or-miss as to how well they stream but you can also download them onto your tablet and play them from there and still watch it on your Smart tv. Download Showbox from google rather than the appstore on your device because it won't be on that.

Last edited by lifesanocean (26/11/2015 5:12 pm)

Tek · 26/11/2015 5:41 pm

Showbox is the bollocks like.

Andy · 26/11/2015 6:08 pm

Done that showbox for my mum and Dad, also another app for streaming football, its decent but I don't think it's great quality when chromecasting to the TV.

SlatefordArab · 27/11/2015 1:30 pm

Jees-oh lads some of the cash you guys are shelling out each month is eye-watering! I pay £30 for Virgin 50MB cable broadband and use FreeView, downloads and streaming services for TV! Each to their own though

Tangerine_Ultra · 19/2/2016 12:33 pm

I'll also be looking for some kind of deal for broadband and Telly. Anybody know of any decent offers on the go?