The Only Broadband Choice (02 Broadband)

Member Name: Smokindave

Product:	02 Broadband
Date:	06/06/09 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Freephone help line, excellent service, fantastic communication

Disadvantages: I can't think of any

Right, the first thing you should know is that I am an ex-Virgin customer and so am obviously physiologically damaged to some degree. If you can get past this and trust that the healing power of O2 has greatly reduced my need for anger management then read on (I fully intend to review the Virgin brand at some time but.... one day at a time and all that).

Okay so why did I choose O2? For all those of you out there who know the answer shout now...Quality, Delivery and Price. After that nothing really matters. Basically I just did what you are doing now, read a lot (and I mean a lot) of reviews until I was satisfied. Sure there were times after a couple of glasses of red, when the lure of cheap Sky TV thrown in made me sway ever so near to the dark side (Tiscali), but again the reviews were to be frank, absolute pants! So with BT line installed and ready I clicked okay.

Now if you have an O2 mobile contract or pay as you go Sim, you can get a discount on all O2 services. However I do not, so I opted for their basic £12.50 per month up to 8 meg service. Technically it is now a little less (£12.23) after that funny little VAT reduction thing that makes all prices look strange but it was refreshing to see the saving passed on, unlike some companies who swallowed it whole, I digress.

Sign up online was painless, and for the one year contract they also offer money back peace of mind if not completely happy. You also get a free wireless router, free connection and very importantly a FREE helpline number. I was so pleased with this last fundamental item that I was tempted to just ring the number to say well done, but I resisted on the grounds of...... well that would be sad.

Now the one thing you will hear time and time again from O2 Broadband customers is this, you will be kept informed of everything they do for you. After signing up online for the service I must have got half a dozen texts (emails too) in the following few days, telling me everything from my direct debit was being set up to my package was being sent out. At first I found this a little strange if not over the top, but after a little thought, it was very reassuring at that time when you are in the limbo state of signing your life away for another year of DDs' and wondering if you made the right choice.

So after a short wait (I can't remember exactly how long but it was quick) the package was delivered, again I was told exactly which day and could amend if required. The set up was so simple I do believe my four year old could have managed it! Basically you put the cd in the computer and then follow the instructions (and simple animations). My old PC needed to be hard wired and couldn't make the leap to wireless, but my laptop was happy to connect wirelessly. The security options are simple to operate so you can be isolated from those opportunistic neighbours with ease.

What about the actual performance? Well you get McAfee Security thrown in with the service, so at last a non-free piece of software on my PC.........for free! But that is just the icing on the cake of what is a superb service. It is difficult to tell you how good it is because well it just doesn't let me down. I have measured my download speed regularly which rarely drops below 6.9 meg per second, with an upload speed of around or just under 1 meg per second. There is no download limit unless you seriously take the biscuit on fair useage. I can't advise on this as I don't.

I have had the service for just over 6 months now and have no complaints. The only time I have had reason to ring the help line was when I accidentally blew the power supply for the router (okay I was using a grinder on the same extension, it all made perfect sense at the time). It was so refreshing to ring the free phone number and speak to someone in the UK who could help me quickly. They arranged next day delivery of a new complete package and pick up of my old one (including free bag to put it in). Needless to say I was up and running within minutes of it arriving. In conclusion what can I say but Bravo O2.

Summary: If you want a Quality service delivered with speed at a decent price, here it is!