Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!news From: Al Newsgroups: scee.yaroze.freetalk.english Subject: Re: All gone a bit quiet Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 01:41:54 +0100 Organization: PlayStation Net Yaroze (SCEE) Lines: 51 Message-ID: <378939D2.32ECA0FA@breathemail.net> References: <7m8dtp$dq819@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <7m8mv4$dq821@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <7m8suf$dq822@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <7m9nde$t1v1@chuka.playstation.co.uk> <7ma0fa$t1v4@chuka.playstation.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: 194.176.208.58 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 [en] (Win95; I) X-Accept-Language: en,ja > - You have to transfer your phone connection from BT to a company called > LocalTel. They use the same equipment as BT, so no hardware needs > changing. The thing is you can only transfer from BT, I'm on cable and wireless, so I can't change! But there's a new C&W scheme where for 6 quid a month, you get 12 hrs free internet time a month, I think 12 quid you get 30, and it goes up in similar increments. The good thing is from what the bloke on the phone said, is that you use your "free" time like mobile phone "free" time. i.e. your 12hrs can be more, afternoon, evening, weekend, whatever, doesn't matter. I don't know what the service is like 'cos I haven't connected to it yet. I use breathe.net 'cos it has all the newsgroups i want, and I always (I shouldn't say this, bound to tempt fate) can get through first time any time, unlike freeserve ;) A friend of mine tried Screaming.net and said that the rare occasions he could connect, he couldn't even get any web pages to fully load, which pissed him off 'cos he had just go a new 56k modem, d'oh! > guaranteed 10% cheaper than BT. BUT, it took them (BT) nearly FIVE weeks to > transfer my phone account, allegedly due to overwhelming demand. And, when > it finally was transfered, I discover that I'm being charged line rental > from BOTH BT and LocalTel for the same period! But can I get through to > LocalTel customer services? - can I f***. There's been lots of bad press recently about BT blaming Screaming, and them blaming BT for the unorganized transferring accounts lark. Some ppl being left with no account on either etc. Oftel apparently were gettinga ridiculously large number of complaints. I think they said they had no idea demand would be so high so basically they didn't(don't have?) enough modems, 'cos the number of ppl tryng to enrolee would double each day. Funny thing is i remember reading before it started that they had a definite cap on the number of ppl who could join! When X-stream.net do their "free weekends" or "free-evenings" you have to really lucky to connect. I think the only times I found it was worth it, when I wanted to download a big file from somewhere so it was worth the redialing, rather than just using my regular ISP AL -- http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/3657/ music 'n' computers 'n' piercing 'n' stuff