NTL

I have been using NTLworld since it started and had the old 1p a minute one before that.
Initially NTLworld was disappointing. We were warned that there would be a phased mailing of the software and they weren't wrong. Ours came nearly 3 months after we ordered it(we had a pre-release order).

With great excitement we installed the software. We were delighted to see that we had a choice of IE or Netscape. Then the long and frustrating wait to get connected. We soon learned that if you tried to go online after a phased cd delivery had taken place then you could forget it! Because of this we had AOL as a backup.

When we could get on line everything was fine, if a bit slow. If you idle for 10 minutes you get disconnected. Frustrating if you are having to wade through loads of e-mails! Or writing a long review.

Other than that you have to re-connect every 2 hours.That isn't much of a problem as you can generally get straight back on. Remember to save any important work fairly frequently, for that reason.

It is easy to grumble about these bits and bobs but hey! this is free! The savings on my phone bill with 4 teenage children plus ourselves make it invaluable.Prior to having NTLworld the kids were running up the monthly internet phone bill to the tune of approx £90. If we hadn't found NTLworld I think the internet would have been banned or something drastic might have happened to the kids.

As time has gone on the service does seem to have improved. I don't get thrown off every 5 minutes any more and generally connect at the first attempt. If you have an ntl phone line it doesn't cost a bean.It even makes it worth having a second line, which we have done, especially for the internet. Sometimes NTL do a special offer and install a second line free of charge. We took advantage of this and were very pleased that we had.

The connection speed is usually very good. Mine connects most often at 50kbs and sometimes a bit faster.

I know that there are certain areas which are still having problems with having to wait for ages for the CD and others that don't seem to have Ntlworld as an option. That's a shame as it is very good. If you are lucky enough to be able use it it is well worth trying. BT customers can purchase a re-routing box and if their monthly call costs amount to £10.99 (that amount might have changed recently) they can have NTLworld as well. I don't know anybody that does that, so I am unable to comment on how successful it is. Sorry!

Well done NTL- you have improved my bank balance enormously!