Switching broadband provider

Reasons for switching

First up, you might be wondering what the reasons for switching might be. There are a few different reasons that you might look to change provider, each of which will have a solution, so don’t worry.

Upgrade your service

One reason that you might be looking to switch is due to below par performance from your existing provider, or the need for an upgraded package due to increased demand in your home. If you’ve recently had new additions to the household, or have started working from home, you may have noticed that your current bandwidth allowance isn’t quite enough, so a larger, more expansive package may be more practical. If you’re looking for faster speeds or higher data caps, you’ll want to make sure that you’re looking for fibre optic broadband packages, particularly ‘Ultrafast Broadband’, which offers speeds of up to 900 Mbps!

Moving home

Another reason to consider changing provider is if you’re moving home - some providers may have poor service quality in certain zones, or perhaps aren’t even available in your new area, so it’s worth checking this out before you commit to a provider long term. To make this a little easier for you, most broadband providers have a simple coverage checker located on their website, allowing you to find the packages available for your postcode in just a few clicks.

End of contract

The end of your contract is a good time to evaluate whether it’s worth staying with your current provider or looking for something new - you’ll have used the current service for an extended period of time, so should have a good gauge of how satisfied you are with the service you’ve been offered. If you’re happy with your experience, this could be a good time to upgrade or see what other packages and benefits are available - it’s likely that there’s something new that can be added due to the ever-changing nature of the broadband market.

If you find that you aren’t too pleased with your package, you could look at upgrading to a different service or change to a new provider in the hope that they are able to offer a more fulfilling service. For those of you who are going to be new customers with your next provider, you may be eligible for special deals or extra bonuses reserved for first time buyers!

How to switch broadband provider

Most broadband providers are surprisingly helpful during the changeover process, assisting you throughout by carrying out the majority of the legwork to get you switched as quickly and stress-free as possible. The main issue that you may be faced with is changing to a provider who uses a different infrastructure to your existing provider, as this will require a little more physical work from the technicians, but don’t worry - that’s all done for you.

Once you’ve found out which providers are active in your area, it’s simply a case of browsing the deals available and finding the one that best fits your household’s requirement - be sure to watch out for possible price rises as these can come back to bite later down the line if you aren’t protected. Zen provides a lifetime price guarantee with their packages, so you can surf the web with the security of trustworthy pricing for your full tenure with them.

Openreach to Openreach

If you’re switching from an Openreach provider to another Openreach provider, you’ll be able to make use of the one-stop switch system - this means you won’t even need to contact your existing provider as all the work can be done for you by your new provider! Following your switch, you’ll receive letters from both your old and new provider outlining estimated start dates, any outlying fees, and the services that will be switched.

Openreach to other networks

For those switching between providers that don’t operate on the same network, you’ll need to make sure you’ve contacted both your new and old providers to ensure that everything is in place to switch. Once you’ve done this, you will most likely need to wait for an engineer to set your home up with your new service.

To make things a little easier, we’ve put together a list of all the cancellation pages for the biggest providers:

●      BT

●      SKY

●      TalkTalk

●      Plusnet

●      Virgin Media

Does it take a long time?

In general, no! The process is actually fairly straightforward and, depending on how busy the technicians are at your time of switching, you could be operating on your new service in just a few days! Under special circumstances, you may see a longer wait, but even then you should be able to operate on your new network in a few weeks, which isn’t too much of a wait for your shiny new broadband setup!

What to consider before switching

Before you make your switch, you’ll want to consider all of the following things; once you’ve thought about how all of these factors affect you, you’ll have a better idea of whether you actually need to switch, as well as the kind of package that you’re best switching to.

Speed

One of the key things to consider when finding any broadband is the speeds that you’re being offered. Ideally, your speeds will offer enough bandwidth and data allowance to provide comprehensive cover for your entire household over the course of the month, with a little extra in reserve for any particularly demanding and consuming activity. Your provider will more than likely provide you with an estimated average speed, which will be the minimum speed experienced by at least 50% of users on the network.

Customer service & technical support

Another major factor is the quality of the support that you’re offered - this can differ massively from provider to provider, so be sure to research your potential new provider before making any commitments long-term. If you’re looking for Which? recommended service - Zen Internet is sure to be top of your list: we’ve got a top-class customer service and technical support team based right here in the UK who are on hand to help you out if you encounter any problems during your service or changeover process.

First year price vs second year price

An issue that many customers are forced to deal with is that of price hikes, whether those be mid-contract or at the end of the first year - providers often offer an enticing initial deal that becomes extortionate after the first 12 or 18 months. At Zen, we provide a lifetime price guarantee that protects our customers from these dreaded price hikes, meaning you’re always safe in the knowledge that your bank account isn’t in for a shock when it comes to renewal time.

Connection and exit fees

These are often the fees that really sting during the switching process, but if it’s done right you can keep the costs fairly low. We recommend switching when your contract is over or when your price has recently been raised but your broadband quality hasn’t increased - in many cases, this means you can exit your contract for free or for a reduced fee. Connection fees are standard in the broadband industry, covering the costs that it takes to get you up and running, however you may be able to find deals with no joining fee if you take a look around.

Download limits

Download limits essentially limit the amount of browsing that you’re allowed to do in the month - you have a capped amount of data and once this is reached your service will either halt until renewal or will proceed to operate at an additional cost on top of your monthly fee. Data caps are less common now than previously with many providers, including us here at Zen, offering unlimited packages that allow customers to browse as much as they’d like throughout the month without having to worry about reaching their data limits.

Browse Zen Internet’s broadband packages by using our smart broadband postcode checker that’s located on our home page!