Very good (Tiscali (Lineone))

Member Name: johnsy32

Product:	Tiscali (Lineone)
Date:	18/06/05 (1716 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great speeds, reliable connection and reputable internet service provider .

Disadvantages: The waiting times to be connected to the exchange

I've been a user of Tiscali Broadband for about four months, and I signed up for the unlimited 512kb package. The packages available have now changed and they all have still have a great price ranging from 15.99 to 24.99 a month, but all packages now include a month download limit. I needed a package that included unlimited downloads so I chose Tiscali. I was already a user of their dial up service and I was already pleased with
the efficiency of this service so I thought this could be carried over into their other services. Tiscali is a well-respected and reputable company and I haven't really had any problem with connection or download speeds. The connection is always there and very, very rarely loses a connection. I've had a couple of problems though, that maybe should be taken into consideration, especially if you are planning to move house.

Waiting to be connected
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From the first day of making an order for Tiscali broadband, you are advised that it will take around 14 days for your connection to be available. On the fourteenth day of my order my ADSL line was available and I was very pleased. This is a long time to wait to get onnected, but it is the same with all broadband
providers.

Installation of Modem
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You're modem will be with you around seven days after you place your Tiscali broadband order. The modem comes included with all required software, hardware including two ADSL filters. Which if you have more than two phones in your household, you will need to buy extra filters. The instructions that come with the modem are very clear and you are guided step by step in a very clear manner. When you are installing all the software, it is a clear step by step process, and I was up and running on my broadband connection within fifteen minutes. The hardest part about the installation is connecting all of the hardware up. Some more advice I could give is that if your computer further than two metres away from the ADSL filter that is plugged into your phone, you will need to invest in a longer ADSL cable, because the one included is only about 2 metres long. I did have a USB modem, but now I have upgraded my hardware that that my connection is always on by using my PC network card.

Moving House
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This is where I had some problems! I moved house about a month into having my broadband connection, the first day I moved house I phoned Tiscali to set up the new connection on my new phone, I was advised it would take twenty days. Which is a long time, but this was the time that gave. Once the twentieth day came I had no ADSL connection, so I phoned customer care only to find out that my connection was never set up! Even though I had made the original phone and I had made a couple of phone calls within that time to make sure everything is going smoothly. I had to go through the procedure again to wait another 20 days, I was connected after 14 days. I was told that I could get in touch with Tiscali billing and they would come to some sort of compensation agreement with me. There was going to be a £50 moving fee, which I won't have to pay now and they said they will refund me a couple of months, this still has to happen.

Online Support
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I had to use online support a couple of times and they replied to my e-mails within 24 hours, which I was pleased with. It is quicker to phone the help line number.

Telephone Support
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I had to use the telephone support a few times, especially when dealing with the moving house problem. You have to choose your options and then you are connected to a helper on the help desk, you are connected very quickly with a minimal amount of having to hold. When contacting the billing phone number, I was on hold for 45 minutes, which is obviously not as good!

Conclusion
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As far as the connection and speeds go, Tiscali is great. Set-up times are what you can expect from all other broadband providers. Prices and packages are good, but they so all have monthly download limits. I would recommend Tiscali but if you have to move house and have your broadband connection changed, make sure that it is set up properly over the telephone with the help line!

Summary: