Broadband Reviews – Tiscali

The biggest recent news in the UK broadband industry was Carphone Warehouse’s acquisition of Italian broadband provider Tiscali. Carphone Warehouse has now become as big as BT, with its additional takeover of TalkTalk and AOL. Unfortunately, although many broadband users – and Tiscali customers – had high hopes for the recovery of this beleaguered broadband provider, the acquisition seems not to have made much of an impact on its less-than-sterling reputation, at least for the time being. Although Tiscali broadband has more than 1.6 million subscribers, complaints are abound regarding its lagging technical support and its slow, unresponsive customer service, causing many customers to jump ship. As of now there is no clear-cut evidence of improvement as a result of the Carphone Warehouse takeover.

Taking advantage of Tiscali’s woes, other UK broadband companies have been offering good deals to customers who are willing to switch service providers (and there are plenty of takers out there). Tiscali, based in Italy, has been known for its years of bad service and expensive deals. The latter complaint is somewhat unwarranted, however, as some of its packages are attractive. For £25 a month for instance (and £99 in set-up fees), Tiscali offers a wireless router, digital television with 70 channels, and no line surcharges. If one is just a bit computer-savvy and can get by with minimum customer service, Tiscali Broadband is still a decent option in the UK market. Hopefully, under Carphone’s wing, the situation will only get better in the near future.