XLN Phone and Broadband Business Bundle?? [Archive]

NatWAnytimeFilms

28th January 2009, 18:21

Just about to invest in a phone and broadband service for a new office, what are fellow members experiences with XLN Telecoms???

Ive read a few bad reports, a few really bad reports and fewer good ones (I suspect that the latter are written by XLN employees tho).

Bad reports say the internet is down 5 days out of 7. Good ones say its good service over BT, super fast and they cant see what the fuss is about.

But at 100 quid set up fee, £30 inc VAT per month, which is calls to any landline and your broadand - its mighty tempting over bill-happy BT.

Thanks in advance for your feedback :)

SFD

28th January 2009, 19:02

I'd be interested to know too as I have been looking into using xln.

Tabbie

28th January 2009, 19:13

I spoken to them myself today as well but could only find bad reviews

Dragon Media Group

28th January 2009, 19:37

If you google them all that comes up is a few ofcom problems from a few years back, nothing very recent.
My parents have a small chain of kitchen and bathroom shops and they have the total business package in each. We used to have the same at the old office but the new place is on cable and it's not worth paying the money to get ported onto the BT network so alas no more.
All phone services are provided by BT Openreach so are identical to any other BT line.
The broadband is provided by Griffen and in my experience it is fine. It went down once for 24 hours which was annoying but the rest of the time it was reliable enough and as quick as any other non cable service.
Be careful not to be mis-sold though. The big XLN selling pint is the 60 day no obligation trial, but if you have a broadband service it doesn't apply so make sure you want it.
If there is already a phone in the building you can keep your number and there is no £100 charge, that is just if you need a new line installing and is simply them passing on the cost from BT as all lines are maintained by BT engineers.

Draugen

28th January 2009, 19:48

I've heard a lot of bad things about XLN too, but the deals they offer are almost too good to resist! My BT contract is about to expire and I have no intention of renewing it.

In fact, even if I couldn't get my line rental and calls for less, I'd still leave BT!

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 20:12

HI I am with Utility Warehouse, We do an office Broadcall package which gives you a Phone Line, broadband up to 40 gb monthly down load at speeds up to 24mbps for £25 per month. Calls are 1.9p peak and 0.9p off peak. Set up is £106 if there is no active line going into your premises.

pm me if I can help

Best wishes with your business

Avril:)

www.savemoneywithus.co.uk

Free utility health checks for all your utilities

Dragon Media Group

28th January 2009, 20:26

I thought only Virgin/telewest could offer that kind of speed?

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 20:29

I thought only Virgin/telewest could offer that kind of speed?

No we can too . It is dependent on how far away you are from the exchange box. And that applies to Virgin too.

Give me a ring if you would like to know more or pm me

Avril:)
02920212965
www.savemoneywithus.co.uk

affordable Utilities for businesses and residential

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 20:30

Hi cjd how are you ? :D

cjd

28th January 2009, 20:35

Just about to invest in a phone and broadband service for a new office, what are fellow members experiences with XLN Telecoms???

Can't say I know them but they're pretty much all the same.

When you say 'setting up an office', do you just need a single telephone and a broadband connection or something a bit more sophisticated? Do you think you will need to add more phones or more offices or work from home sometimes?

It's best if you start with something expandable than get into 12-18 month contracts with something that is basically a consumer service that can't grow with you.

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 20:37

Can't say I know them but they're pretty much all the same.

When you say 'setting up an office', do you just need a single telephone and a broadband connection or something a bit more sophisticated? Do you think you will need to add more phones or more offices or work from home sometimes?

It's best if you start with something expandable than get into 12-18 month contracts with something that is basically a consumer service that can't grow with you.

Hey CJD I couldn't agree more with you. Try to keep out of a contract that can be crippling if the "get out" clause is bad news.

Avril:)

Dragon Media Group

28th January 2009, 21:01

No we can too . It is dependent on how far away you are from the exchange box. And that applies to Virgin too.

Give me a ring if you would like to know more or pm me

Avril:)
02920212965
www.savemoneywithus.co.uk

affordable Utilities for businesses and residential

Virgin offer upto 50mb and cable operates differently.

Why do BT only offer 8mb, any ideas?

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 21:06

Virgin offer upto 50mb and cable operates differently.

Why do BT only offer 8mb, any ideas?

Ok I am being honest here I dont know why BT are only offering 8 but uw can offer up to 24 mbps, as I said before dependent on the distance from your nearest exchange box to you. As to Virgin offering 50... well I think that is a dream unless you are right on top of an exchange box, both cable and standard lines need that. We are actually only 50 yards from the Virgin Box and only get 10 mbps, but with UW we get 24. Have kept both to do a comparison.!!

Hope that is helpful

Best wishes

Avril:)
www.savemoneywithus.co.uk

affordable utilities

cjd

28th January 2009, 21:19

Virgin offer upto 50mb and cable operates differently.

Why do BT only offer 8mb, any ideas?

You shouldn't get too hung up on the headline 'up to' claims. Not one of the sevice providers live up to them. Consumer internet services are very heavily congested in their core, backhaul, networks and never get even close to what they advertise.

The only number worth anything is what they call 'guaranteed throughput' - consumer services generally do not publish this figure and even the most expensive business broadband only guarantees 10% of the headline figure.

BT retail and wholesale mostly flog their MAX products which are 'upto' 8mbs. They will soon provide ADSL2 which is the 25mbs 'upto' product but that's only the maximum theoretical speed between your home/business and the telephone exchange - the speed that you actually achieve is determined by the distance between you and your local exchange, the quality of the copper in your line and what happens after the local exchange - the backhaul network. What happens in the core depends entirely on what you pay.

I used to recommend the ADLS2 25mb products because they were genuinely fast but as they have been heavily promoted and price discounted their core networks are now stuffed and they are crawling and unreliable.

Even so, if your requirements are relatively low, they're fine but if you rely on your DSL you really need to invest in a business product.

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 21:21

Very sound advice CJD

Dragon Media Group

28th January 2009, 21:22

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 21:26

Nothing odd in that I have to say it is better sense to be cautious with the overall download speed if you are as big as BT and having customers like my friend in Abergavenny, who is lucky if she gets 2 or 3 mbps on a broadband connection because she is three miles from the BT "box". You dont want to over sell.

www.savemoneywithus.co.uk (http://www.savemoneywithus.co.uk)

cjd

28th January 2009, 21:35

I am not in the market or considering moving from Telewest Business Broadband, I get 20mb which is what I pay for and am very happy with, just seems odd that BT are not offering the fastest 'phone line' broadband.

Not really, BT have a huge network and it takes them a lot of time to change. 25mb (ADSL2) services are only available to 50% of the population which is cherry picked by the LLU operators like Be, 02 and Tiscali.

Telewest uses a different technology altogether and in theory at least could have dominated the fast broadband market but they have fluffed the opportunity over and over again.

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 21:37

Not really, BT have a huge network and it takes them a lot of time to change. 25mb (ADSL2) services are only available to 50% of the population which is cherry picked by the LLU operators like Be, 02 and Tiscali.

Telewest uses a different technology altogether and in theory at least could have dominated the fast broadband market but they have fluffed the opportunity over and over again.

LLU operators like Utility Warehouse too! :rolleyes:

cjd

28th January 2009, 22:12

LLU operators like Utility Warehouse too! :rolleyes:

Owl, you are part of a MLM scheme, you have no connection to the company you are recommending to others other than via commission based referrals.

By your own admission, here and elsewhere, you have not the first clue about the products and services that you are recommending.

For anybody considering Utility Warehouse, please read this thread first - you may need to be quick, I'm sure UW will be trying to get it removed.

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/community/forums/t/utility-warehouse-1586.aspx

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 22:24

Owl, you are part of a MLM scheme, you have no connection to the company you are recommending to others other than via commission based referrals.

By your own admission, here and elsewhere, you have not the first clue about the products and services that you are recommending.

For anybody considering Utility Warehouse, please read this thread first - you may need to be quick, I'm sure UW will be trying to get it removed.

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/community/forums/t/utility-warehouse-1586.aspx

CJD you are out of order. I have got a lot of knowledge about our products, but as I admitted to you earlier this week was unsure that the VOIP you promote is the same system as ours. I think that is fair as a new distributor of a company. Ask the questions get the answers. That is honest isnt it!

I give a balanced comment of what I know to be correct.

I have tried to invite you into friendly cooperation as a phone competitior but you do nothing but bad mouth me. Shame on you. as to the link you have set up we do not have anything to do with comparison site. As is pointeed out on this link. I do challenge those who do do comparision sites to do them once then to put in their recommended provider by the comparison site a 2nd time as the company that are already giving them the services... and bingo another better provider comes up!! oh surprise surprise. They have both paid their subscriptions to the comparison sites when we do not, WHY cos we want to give our customers the best prices we can. We are not 100% of the time the best price, 99% though! but we do offer an honest good service and give our customer 200% good UK customer service and the best value we can afford which is usually the best.

If you would like me to do a comparison I am happy to for anyone, even you CJD. xx

Avril:)

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 22:44

By the way for members information Utility Warehouse does operate an LLU service with their phone lines, we now provide up to 24 mbps with our broadband services, we also can provide an internet phone which gives you a UK landline number that plugs into your broadband for £2 per month line rental that can be used anywhere in the world where there is a broadband connection,and for 85% of Uk households and businesses we are cheaper than your regional provider for both gas and electricity.

We, that is Utility Warehouse, gives on going full training for all our distributors, totally free. As a distributor you can access a cross section of training courses to enhance your business, and meetings with the Directors of Utility Warehouse are on a regular basis at quarterly functions around the country so you can network with them and find out more about the products we are all promote and the innovations that are going to be promoted. Our business is in the FTSE 250 and in 2011/12 will be in the FTSE 100 and it's shares are are one of the few to still be climbing. I am very proud to be part of this company, but like most new members on a learning curve, wich I am absorbing quickly.

Best wishes to all of us for a succesful 2009

Avril:)

www.savemoneywithus.co.uk

cjd

28th January 2009, 22:50

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 22:58

Read the post Owl, it has nothing to do with being on a price comparison site. The thread exposes who UW are (aka Telecom Plus), how they are structured and how they sell.

Plus customer and 'distributor' comments about the products themselves and their recruitment policies.

UW is yet another MLM company whose 'distributors' know zilch about their industry or their products and services and sell in pyramid fashion to friends, family and fools. And now UKBF; but luckily most here know better.

Do you always behave in this fashion. I know about my products, am trained, DO NOT BELONG to a pyramid fashion and have alot of clients throughout the UK. BEHAVE! If you read the post to moneysupermarket you put up, nearly all of them are good. I find your way of doing business offensive, and unworthy of any forum. Please stop this now. Good Night!:mad:

Draugen

28th January 2009, 23:12

My Owl 1

28th January 2009, 23:19

I don't see how CJD is being offensive, he's not wrong for the most part.

I'm a Utility Warehouse distributor. I know very little about the products and don't use them, as I've found better deals elsewhere. I'll still sell them to anyone that wants them however, as it makes me money!

What bugs me is how my "sponsor" and his superiors keep bugging me for dragging my feet. I have a successful business which takes up most of my time, therefore Utility Warehouse is never going to be a priority for me, but they're so obsessed with getting a few pence from me signing up new customers they advise me to allow my business to go bust and concentrate on UW!

Madness!

Who on this earth is your sponsor that they are that mad. I do think that having the products and doing the training has worked for me and I know I know more than the averge distributor, no offence, like yourself, but as to advising your business to go bust and concentrate on UW that is a new one on me and not one that I would ever expect my sponsor, an MD to adovocate, or me to my team.

Totally bewildered though I do know there are a few distributors who have no idea of how to treat their team and give us a bad name.

So sorry you feel so badly, but CJD has also been behaving as badly as the sponsorhas to you in not helping you, mentoring you and supporting you. I should say here I am not expecting CJD to mentor, support or advise me just show some mutual business respect.

avril

NatWAnytimeFilms

30th January 2009, 08:26

Well thanks for the info folks. And the debate!

So in summary, whats the verdict on XLN? Yey, or indeed Ney?

:)

SFD

30th January 2009, 08:28

Well thanks for the info folks. And the debate!

So in summary, whats the verdict on XLN? Yey, or indeed Ney?

:)

Give them a try and then let me know if they are any good ;)

cjd

30th January 2009, 08:54

Well thanks for the info folks. And the debate!

So in summary, whats the verdict on XLN? Yey, or indeed Ney?

:)

They will be the same as all the others because they use the same networks as all the others.

Their basic telephony will be fine because it's BT and 100 years old.

Their broadband will be a bit rubbish because they are only concerned with price matching so their backhaul network will be as congested as the other consumer products.

But none of that matters much if it's just you in the office not doing anything particualrly difficult with it.

You haven't said yet what you need the service to do so it's rather hard to advise.

My Owl 1

30th January 2009, 12:11

Hi

I would suggest seeing if Which has a report on file for Office broadband and phone bundle. Might give you an unbaised opinion.

There does seem to be a migration of XLN customers to other providers and I have had one customer who found it extremely difficult to get out of the XLN contract and whose services were awful with their broadband going down all the time. They have transferred to us and have had no problems.

Anyway, good luck with your quest to find a affordable, good provider.

Best wishes

Avril :)
www.savemoneywithus.co.uk (http://www.savemoneywithus.co.uk)

affordable utilities with 100% customer service

KM-Tiger

30th January 2009, 13:02

They have transferred to us and have had no problems.

But problems are when, not if, and IMHO one important measure of a good supplier is their ability to properly deal with problems, in a timely manner.

So don't buy on price, buy on value, in which good customer service (preferably a UK call centre at geographic rates) is a vital component.

My Owl 1

30th January 2009, 16:06

But problems are when, not if, and IMHO one important measure of a good supplier is their ability to properly deal with problems, in a timely manner.

So don't buy on price, buy on value, in which good customer service (preferably a UK call centre at geographic rates) is a vital component.

Yes couldn't agree with you more and UW have been awarded by Which best customer service.:)

Avril
www.savemoneywithus.co.uk