changing......service providers

day spent literally on the phone - decisions made to change service providers for my broadband, mobile phone, home phone.
All the best deals are for new customers, and if you go armed to your current provder for any service, with a knowledge of current best deals are elsewhere, you often end up getting a better deal from your existing. Not always mind.
First stop is www.moneysavingexpert.com - highly recommended as a start point for these matters.
Next stop www.saynoto0870.com - never ever ring your customer service 'local rate number', be it 0870, 0845 etc. Always have a look at sayno site - type in search box the company, BT, O2, Orange,whatever, and sayno will give you usually an alternative 0800 number for each company.
This means your phone call,where you are kept on hold for an hour at a so call 'local rate' has to be paid for by THEM not YOU.....

Ok, so BT the evil ones, who have me by the nuts and like to squeeze when i go over my 'unlimited' download capacity each month, are the first i haggle with - currently i am paying 30 quid amonth for a service I can get elsewhere for half that. Trouble is, all my emails and website is linked in with them, so it would be a right chew to change, but I am in bullish mood.
First question to ask them, to put you in box seat is 'Can I have my MAC number?' (Migration Authorisation Code) - 'I have seen a better deal elsewhere and want to leave.
You will be on the phone quite a while as finally you are put through to 'retentions' (they dont call themselves that) - who try all kinds of tricks to get you to stay with them, and even spend more money on an upgrade......
Best offer I have from them is a 5 quid a month discount for a year, if i sign up for further 12 month contract. Hmmmmm...... mulling on it still .....

next is 02 - current mobile provider - contract up with them in 2 weeks - nice guy offers me a spanking new Sony Ericcson k800i for nowt, if i sign up for another 12 months paying 35 quid a month which I do at moment. Hmmmm nice camera on it by all accounts, 3G and bells and whistles....... not quite as good a spec as the jasjar I lost last month - but a damn site lighter and easier to fit in yer pocket. Other option is a mini xda - little brother of the jasjar - but no 3G and crap camera......
part of me kinda likes the fact that, cos of the loss of the jasjar last month I had to dig out my old banger of a phone to see me through til i get new contract, and hey - it is just a phone! does the job - feel slightly embarrased getting it out in public, but..........
Other option here is just to ask for the most expensive phone they will give me for nowt, then bang it on ebay and take the dosh. And keep the old banger phone. This is legal by the way so dont panic!
TIP - if you do sell your phone on ebay - watch out, cos the scammers and auction spoilers like mobile phones, they bid em up to ridiculous prices if you dont know how to avoid them letting em get away with it. I should do a 'How to Sell on Ebay' blog methinks.....

So, nothing decided, still to tackle the home phone provider, currently with Post Office for this, changed to them 9 months ago when they had a cracking deal to switch from BT,keep your old number and pocket around 100 quid in savings at the time and over first few months.
Trouble is they are extremely poor at customer service, even worse than BT (that is poor!).
And blocked me for using it too much! They wanted paying in advance for calls! Bollocks to that game. Currently only allowed to dial locally and emergency - so tomorrow find new home phone provider and decide on offers on table from above.

Decisions decisions.


just a word to acknowledge the death of steve irwin 'croc hunter' - great tv personality, way OTT, dangerman ......... me and jules once went to his Australia Zoo a way out ride from Brisbane, when we were there 5 or 6 years back. Took all day to find, when we eventually did......you guessed.......closed for the day. Saw a croc through the fence, and Steve wasnt there at the time. You can see how good we are at planning.......
Stabbed through the heart by a stingray........wow - how good will that look on his grave stone.
I am sure he wouldnt have had it any other way.
R.I.P fella.....