What starting date can I get?

[Terps]

I've gone through filling in details for the Fibre Plus broadband contract, but I'm stuck. It says, "Choose when you'd like your broadband service to start. You can pick the next working day (if your order by 1:30pm) or up to two months from now." Well, I'd certainly like the next working day, or any day in the next week. I badly need it before 9th Sept. But the system makes me select from a calendar and won't let me pick any day earlier than 15th Sept. What am I missing?

[XRaySpeX]

You're missing the fact that a BB install always takes at least 2 weeks from order whoever the ISP. Hence the 15 Sept at the earliest. It can never be the next working day. 

[Northerner]

Hi @Terps 

I would add to @XRaySpeX comments that BT and Openreach are on strike so this may also impact your installation as there will be ongoing delays/backlog from this action.

Thanks 

[Terps]

Right, thanks. I guess whoever wrote the text on that page didn't know what you've just said. Very confusing.

Could you just clarify something? I'm coming across from Three, with whom my contract ends in the next week. With them, I had no installation as such, just a plug-in hub they sent by post. I had assumed it would be the same here, since the offer said "no landline". So it's not clear to me what what will be installed by the engineer. If it isn't a landline, what is it?

[XRaySpeX]

Looks like it but whoever did the calendar did know.

With all fixed BB except Full Fibre (FTTP) there's always a landline to host the BB, even if you are not paying for a voice service (called by EE "Fibre W/out Landline").

What product were you getting from 3? If it did really have no landline other than by name only it could only be FTTP or mobile BB. What speeds were you getting?

[Terps]

The package is called "4G Home Broadband plan". I cannot now remember what download speeds were claimed (and it seems to be info that's hard to find on the internet; it isn't on their website anyway) But my reason for leaving them is that connectivity in the last month has been abysmal. I tested my download speeds 3 times last night:

8 pm - 0.2 Mb/s

10 pm 0.4 Mb/s

12 am 0.4 Mb/s

1:00 am - 6.4 Mb/s

Having to wait till the early hours of the morning before I can get  usable internet time is not what I paid for. I'm thinking they should change their logo from that big curly "3" to a slowly rotating ring in the middle of the screen.

[XRaySpeX]

Well that's a 4G mobile plan. No wonder you didn't need an eng. or landline. It all comes delivered over the mobile network from the air. So unlike Fibre BB & I hope the speeds you get will be too.