Zen or Plusnet

I am on BT Satellite. Looks like my local exchange is getting ADSL in about
a months time. BT Satellite will not transfer my account to an ADSL one. I
have to cancel loosing all my e-mail addresses and then get a new BT Connect
Broadband account. I can not access my old e-mail addresses as they will
have been marked cancelled. I cant even downgrade them to PAYG.

Anyway to the point of the question. After being with BT forever - since the
early dialup days - I thought it was time to change. Looking through
www.adslguide.org.uk both Zen and PlusNet seem constantly to be up there. I
have a small network of 5 computers at home. I surf, my son will play online
games (can't at the moment the Satellite latency is to great) etc. I don't
mind about binary news groups and get my news at the moment via
news.individual.net.

Two questions. Which should I choose and why. Also straying away from BT to
a 'smaller' company makes me worry they could go under. Could someone
reassure me please.

Many thanx

John

Go with Plusnet

WWW.plus.net

"Kimball K Kinnison" <nospam@(nospam)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bmmb0h$o59um$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I am on BT Satellite. Looks like my local exchange is getting ADSL in
about
> a months time. BT Satellite will not transfer my account to an ADSL one. I
> have to cancel loosing all my e-mail addresses and then get a new BT
Connect
> Broadband account. I can not access my old e-mail addresses as they will
> have been marked cancelled. I cant even downgrade them to PAYG.
>
> Anyway to the point of the question. After being with BT forever - since
the
> early dialup days - I thought it was time to change. Looking through
> www.adslguide.org.uk both Zen and PlusNet seem constantly to be up there.
I
> have a small network of 5 computers at home. I surf, my son will play
online
> games (can't at the moment the Satellite latency is to great) etc. I don't
> mind about binary news groups and get my news at the moment via
> news.individual.net.
>
> Two questions. Which should I choose and why. Also straying away from BT
to
> a 'smaller' company makes me worry they could go under. Could someone
> reassure me please.
>
> Many thanx
>
> John
>
>

"Kimball K Kinnison" <nospam@(nospam)yahoo.com> wrote in
message news:bmmb0h$o59um$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> Anyway to the point of the question. After being with BT
forever - since the
> early dialup days - I thought it was time to change.
Looking through
> www.adslguide.org.uk both Zen and PlusNet seem constantly
to be up there. I
> have a small network of 5 computers at home. I surf, my
son will play online
> games (can't at the moment the Satellite latency is to
great) etc. I don't
> mind about binary news groups and get my news at the
moment via
> news.individual.net.
>
> Two questions. Which should I choose and why. Also
straying away from BT to
> a 'smaller' company makes me worry they could go under.
Could someone
> reassure me please.

Both appear to have good reputations, can't comment on Zen
but can on PlusNet.

Force9, a PlusNet brand, was my first ISP way back in 1998
(£108 for a year's 0845 access). PlusNet, Force9 and
Freeonline (another PlusNet brand) are still around and
doing good business. Don't think they are likely to
disappear overnight. Should the business begin to flounder
the first casualty is likely to be customer support so there
should be warning.

They have had ups and downs since 1998 but are, imho,
currently amongst the better ISPs. Not problem free but
usually fairly open in announcing problems with explanations
as to their actions. Having been with a number of ISPs I
rejoined PlusNet (this time) at the beginning of last year
first of all FRIACO and then ADSL when it became available
to me. In this time, FRIACO has had a couple of periods
with connection problems, you may have read about the most
recent recently. However they seem to have rectified these
problems each time.

Converted to ADSL in March this year. Conversion went
smoothly and I have had no problems.

You can read the PlusNet internal forums by signing in as
"guest" if you wish to see what their customers are saying
and what problems might be arising.

PlusNet operate a referral system so, if you do eventually
go with PlusNet and feel so inclined, "safeprod" in the
referral box will give me a small discount on my subs
(depending on the account you choose).

HTH

--
Old Codger
e-mail use reply to field

What matters in politics is not what happens, but what you
can make people believe has happened. [Janet Daley
27/8/2003]

Nothing wrong with PlusNet, if you don't need binaries or P2P, it's only
£18.99 for 500kb/s,
best value. My connection hasn't missed a beat / byte / bit since May
install.
If you feel like it use me as referrer 'jerryw'
Regards,
Jerry

Gort reckoned that:
> Go with Plusnet
> WWW.plus.net

Well that's a convincing argument.
--
www.unlockingshop.co.uk
Motorola remote unlocking - £10 (includes A920 on '3')
Now unlocking Siemens x5x (SL55, S55, A55 etc) - £10
Change 'spam' to 'jon' to email

"Kimball K Kinnison" <nospam@(nospam)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bmmb0h$o59um$(E-Mail Removed)...
-snip-
> Two questions. Which should I choose and why.
-snip-

1. Zen
2. Reliability, consistent top speed ratings (top 3-4 anyway)

Gary

Sheer speed... perhaps Zen. Loads of extras (fax2email, unlimited mailboxes,
huge webspace, fully configurable account via portal etc) - PlusNet.

Yep - I'm a PlusNet user on DSL since March 2002. Overall very happy; good
service that's reliable; only downsides are NNTP service isn't the best.
Mail services have suffered of late but are due for a complete overhaul.
However, they're very honest and open about their foibles. They have a
following. And they're cheap.

- Basil

"Kimball K Kinnison" <nospam@(nospam)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bmmb0h$o59um$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I am on BT Satellite. Looks like my local exchange is getting ADSL in
about
> a months time. BT Satellite will not transfer my account to an ADSL one. I
> have to cancel loosing all my e-mail addresses and then get a new BT
Connect
> Broadband account. I can not access my old e-mail addresses as they will
> have been marked cancelled. I cant even downgrade them to PAYG.
Oh dear oh dear - you would think the least they could do is let you
download your email from mail.btinternet.com or whatever.
>
> Anyway to the point of the question. After being with BT forever - since
the
> early dialup days - I thought it was time to change. Looking through
> www.adslguide.org.uk both Zen and PlusNet seem constantly to be up there.
I
> have a small network of 5 computers at home. I surf, my son will play
online
> games (can't at the moment the Satellite latency is to great) etc. I don't
> mind about binary news groups and get my news at the moment via
> news.individual.net.

First of all if they appear near the top then they are probably both very
good.

I am a plusnet customer though and have been for many years (using their
unmetered for a while and for just under a year ADSL, before that I used
other awful isps but kept my force9 account - a plusnet brand as backup).

One of the key things about plusnet for me is their services - you get
unlimited email addresses, generous webspace and loads of other extras like
fax2email, mailing lists etc included - at a price lower than some 'no
frills' services. Obviously that is all very nice but the other nice thing
is support; whilst the phone isn't free it is local rate and you do get to
talk to a team of proper technicians that know what they are on about when
it comes to networking and don't mind helping you with your network etc if
you are having trouble - i'm sure certain isps would just say 'we don't
support networking on home products'. The other postitive support thing is
the newsgroups service - plusnet do respond to usenet posts and this can be
helpful to other users as well (it also reassures you the support is still
there even if you don't need it).

As for reliability and speed its generally very good, they have glitches
sometimes but nothing terrible, its fast and if there are any problems you
can see the network status, they will post to service status newsgroup, wap
etc and keep users informed about whats going on. I like the fact that they
are open about their network and will help you as simply or technically as
you need them to - they tend to be attractive to network and experienced
users for this reason so I wouldn't have any problem recommending them to
you.

As others have said they have different brandings, I chose force9 because I
like (E-Mail Removed) better than (E-Mail Removed) (and
similar webspace).

As for will they go bust - I severley doubt it, they aren't really that
small and have been going for years, I think you benifit from the size
though in that it isn't as impersonal (i.e. I could name some of the support
team) as say BT Openworld and you feel more valued as a customer. I think
you've got to look at their product and the way a company operates - they
charge 'enough' but don't spend masses on advertising, if they are supplying
a good product then I would hope that a company won't go bust, if they
aren't and the price doesn't seem quite right then I think you should be
worried.

HTH, but certainly compare zen and make your mind up.

Sam
(Force9 user: Homenet)



>


> Two questions. Which should I choose and why. Also straying away from BT
to
> a 'smaller' company makes me worry they could go under. Could someone
> reassure me please.
>
> Many thanx
>
> John
>
>


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Sent from \\STN1 on HOMENET1 by user Sam Albrow 'Administrator'.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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> Sheer speed... perhaps Zen. Loads of extras (fax2email, unlimited
mailboxes,
> huge webspace, fully configurable account via portal etc) - PlusNet.
>
> Yep - I'm a PlusNet user on DSL since March 2002. Overall very happy; good
> service that's reliable; only downsides are NNTP service isn't the best.
> Mail services have suffered of late but are due for a complete overhaul.
> However, they're very honest and open about their foibles. They have a
> following. And they're cheap.


Their new usenet server is working excellent now so that I *think* that is
fixed now, as for the email, if you can stand it being late occasionally
then its ok, but they give you the choice of SMTP delivery for no extra
cost. Loads of extras like fax-2-email, games servers, 250mb webspace
(everything but the 18.99 account) with MySQL/PHP and CGI, webstats, FP,
good customer service I think, as they have an ever-presence on their own
plusnet newsgroups which is handy. I have been with them for 9 months now
and recently upgraded to the 2mb service and although its just gone up in
price, i can't complain about the service really, blisteringly fast and no
errors on the line, and one outage since I joined. All in all, I rate
PlusNet very highly (as one of the many followers... lol)

Nathan

"Kimball K Kinnison" <nospam@(nospam)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:bmmb0h$o59um$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I am on BT Satellite. Looks like my local exchange is getting ADSL in
about
> a months time. BT Satellite will not transfer my account to an ADSL one. I
> have to cancel loosing all my e-mail addresses and then get a new BT
Connect
> Broadband account. I can not access my old e-mail addresses as they will
> have been marked cancelled. I cant even downgrade them to PAYG.
>
> Anyway to the point of the question. After being with BT forever - since
the
> early dialup days - I thought it was time to change. Looking through
> www.adslguide.org.uk both Zen and PlusNet seem constantly to be up there.
I
> have a small network of 5 computers at home. I surf, my son will play
online
> games (can't at the moment the Satellite latency is to great) etc. I don't
> mind about binary news groups and get my news at the moment via
> news.individual.net.
>
> Two questions. Which should I choose and why. Also straying away from BT
to
> a 'smaller' company makes me worry they could go under. Could someone
> reassure me please.
>
> Many thanx
>
> John
>

Funny reading all of the replies to this post, that none appear to be from
Zen users. Is it because Zen users don't frequent this group as they have
absolutley no problems with their ISP? I know people of PlusNet, Pipex and
we use Mistral at work. No real probalmes with any of them. I'm using
Nildram and probably paying slightly extra than the others (I only chose
them because of their ranking, no restrictions, 0845 backup, and a mate
works for them ).