How To Avoid Cheap Broadband Pitfalls

The broadband market is very competitive, and while ten years ago it could cost as much as 40 a month for even the slowest form of broadband, some companies are offering monthly packages of up to 8 Mbps for as little as 5. Are these deals good value for money or are they cutting corners? We take a look at some of the things consider when looking at getting the cheapest broadband package, using a comparison site.

Speed

Speed doesnt have as much to do with pricing as it has to do with where you live. Generally, most of the cheaper packages will offer speeds of up to 8 Mbps. This is a top maximum speed and unless you live very near an exchange, its likely youll see speeds slower than this. More expensive connections can offer faster speeds, but all the money in the world wont make your broadband any faster if you live a long way from a BT exchange and cant receive cable services in your area.

Download limits

Download limits are likely to be a big part of cheaper broadband deals and these can be very restrictive, so its important to be aware of them. A 10GB usage limit, for example, is going to drop quickly if you plan on using your connection to watch television, or to download. Remember, theres not much point having a really fast connection if you have to be incredibly careful how and when you use it. Make sure you aware of the download limits before you buy, and check out what might happen if you go over the limit, because it could end up being very costly.

Customer Service

If youre not particularly technically minded, its not unusual that you might be making a few calls out to technical support, especially when your connection is first set up. These lines are often busy and can make you wait a long time in various queues and automated systems, so having to call a premium rate number can get very expensive. Even if you know your way around a router, youll still have to give your provider a call if something goes wrong on your end, and even though it might be their fault, itll be you paying for the technical support.

Things to think about

Just going over your bandwidth limit and giving the technical support line a few calls can easy add up to more than you would be paying had you picked a more expensive provider that provides such services free of charge.

That doesnt mean that cheap broadband isnt an option, but it does mean that you should look at more than just the price if you want to end up with a package that suits you or your family. Taking time to research how much bandwidth you are likely to use and make yourself aware of additional costs like phone charges, line rental and cancellation fees can help make sure you dont get any surprises when your bill comes though the letterbox.