bigboss:
Gozaradio: I ended up going with a small company called Fast. Have been with them nearly two years now and can't praise them highly enough. They're regularly near the top of the ispreview list of ISP's.
Blimey.....they are expensive!!
The only problem with these small companies is.....they get swallowed up by larger ones & their customer service plummets.
Absolutely, and the moment this happens, I'll move on to the next one. It has happened to me twice with domain and web hosting companies but there's always someone else out there. However, comparing my experience with Fast versus my own experience with Tiscali, my friends experience with Virgin, my fathers experience with BT, my brothers experience with Orange and my brother-in-laws experience with Talk Talk, I'm happy to pay the extra. As much as anything, I need business-like uptime and support without paying astronomical business rates.
I'm currently on a Fibre To The Cabinet Package (40Mb Down, 2Mb Up) with a 45Gb Download limit, unlimited uploads (which is important for me). There is no port blocking, absolutely no throttling and no restrictions. Instant knowledgable English speaking human on a standard rate landline number and excellent service. Worth every penny of the £26.99 I pay a month.
Like I say, I've been with them 2 years and nothing but praise. It's like all the kit we talk about on these forums, you generally get what you pay for. I view the likes of Sky, Orange, Talk Talk, etc. in the same way as a cheap all in one home cinema system or mini hifi; perfectly adequate for many people's needs but if you want or need the best, separates are the only way to go.