Orange broadband review

Orange are the biggest provider of broadband services within Europe. They have over 10 million customers across the UK, France, Poland, Equatorial Guinea, Spain, Senegal, Slovakia and Switzerland. In the UK Orange offer two different types of broadband services; ADSL broadband, and 3G mobile broadband.

The 3G broadband uses the Orange mobile 3G network, one of the most robust mobile networks in the UK. If you’ve had an Orange mobile phone you can expect a similar sort of coverage with the mobile 3G broadband. You can achieve theoretical speeds of up to 7Mpbs, although actual speeds may vary depending on network coverage, and with most broadband connections this speed can diminish during peak periods.

Orange broadband offer broadband through the telephone network, offering speeds of up to 20Mbps. This service is offered as stand along broadband or as part of a landline talk package. Orange broadband’s fixed line broadband is not reputed for quality, having struggled to deal with network issues since they bought broadband provider Wanadoo in 2000. As part of their tie up with T-Mobile, and a renewed focus on improving their service levels, Orange Broadband announced in that in early 2010 they were handing over the management their fixed line broadband to BT. This has proven to be a shrewd move as service levels have continued to improve significantly, although they are yet to catch up with those of their rivals.

Orange often provides discounted broadband (both fixed line ADSL and mobile broadband) to customers who already have a mobile phone contract with them. These discounts can be quite significant so it may be worth switching your mobile phone contract as well.

To read orange broadband uk reviews visit broadband comparison website WhyBroadband.co.uk.

XLN broadband review

XLN telecom are one of the UK’s fastest growing broadband providers, specialising in business broadband and telephony services. They offer a variety of services at lower than competitive prices to business across the UK. Founded in 2002, XLN telecom broadband now have over 120,000 customes (and counting), claiming to save their customers over £1 million per month.

XLN believe that good customer service is the key to keeping their customers happy. To promote this, they multi train their staff in all aspects of the business so that you don’t get passed from department to department when you have multiple queries. Their customer services team are UK based.

XLN broadband offer’s realistic option for any business wanting broadband and telephony services at a price lower than the “big boys”. They are well worth a look, and I suspect that if you look then you will buy too!

Compare XLN products with a broadband comparison website like WhyBroadband.co.uk

ZEN broadband review

Zen Internet, the company behind Zen Broadband was one of the founding providers of internet services in the UK. The company was founded in 1995 providing dial up internet services to schools and businesses in and around the founding city of Rochdale. The story behind the founding of Zen, following a chance conversation in a pub is now widely known.

Zen has a customer base of around 80,000, with over 200 employees, and an annual turnover of in excess of £15 million. The company has a whole host of industry and business awards including “best business ISP”, “best heavy business broadband”, and “best uncontended service”.

To read ZEN broadband reviews visit broadband comparison website WhyBroadband.co.uk.

Kwikfit breakdown cover review

Kwikfit insurance was founded in 1995 due to high demand from kwikfits garage customers, along with the strong brand recognition that they had built up. As well as breakdown cover, Kwikfit also provider a whole host of insurance products from car insurance, to home insurance.

Kwikfit breakdown cover are a big name brand who you can rely on, they will always try to look after their customers best interests. Their product range is vast and they are likely to have a product that meets everyone’s needs and required pricing point. The cheapest product starts at £18.25, they their most comprehensive product is £76.15 per year. These prices were correct at the time of writing.

 coverKwikfit breakdown use over 5,000 independent breakdown recovery agents and have an average response time of under 40 minutes which is in line with other providers within the industry.

Tesco breakdown cover review

Tesco car breakdown cover is sold by Tesco bank as one of their insurance products, and the breakdown cover service is provided by the UK’s second biggest breakdown provider; the RAC. When two of the biggest names in British business get together you can expect their offering to be both great in value and service. It may be worth pointing out that Tesco breakdown cover was previously provided by Green Flag (some of the Tesco customers still fall into this category).

Tesco offer three levels of car breakdown cover;

Value – This is basic roadside assistance, and you will also be towed to a garage within 10 miles of your breakdown if the repair can’t be made at the roadside.

Standard – In addition to the value package you also get cover if you breakdown at or near to your home (which isn’t available with the value package).

Finest – This is Tesco’s top package. You will get all of the above plus recovery (where your car will be taken either to your home or your final destination), and onward travel (where car hire or alternative travel arrangements will be provided which may include overnight accommodation).

As ever read the Tesco T&C’s for all the details.

If you want to find out more about Tesco breakdown cover or if you want to compare car breakdown cover from the UK’s biggest providers (with cover from under £19 per year), go to whybreakdown.co.uk
or read Start Rescue Reviews.

IC Breakdown cover review

IC Breakdown is part of the Insurance Choices group, selling not only car breakdown insurance, but also car, home, motorbike, travel, commercial vehicle, boat, health, pet, wedding insurance, plus much more.

For ease of comparison their breakdown cover plans are titled by metal (in the same way that medals at the Olympic games are).

Copper; is the most basic plan and starts at £19 per year (at time of writing). If you breakdown the provider will attempt to repair your vehicle at the roadside. If they are unable to repair your vehicle they will tow you to a local garage. This includes assistance when towing a caravan or trailer.

Bronze; includes the Copper cover options, and in addition to this you also get a emergency travel /  accommodation (read the terms and conditions for more information). This package also includes a messaging service where the breakdown provider will forward a message to someone in the UK to advise them that you’ve broken down.

Silver; gives you the same as the Bronze cover but also provides you with a Home Start service. If your vehicle breaks down at or near your home they will attend to attempt a repair

Gold; provides you with the same level of cover as Silver, but will also get you a key service (for when you lose your keys or lock them in the car), and also European cover.

All of the cover options include their caravan/trailer service. Some of the better packages are not available for older vehicles so it’s best to check out their website for full details.

IC Breakdown offer a similar service to that of the big providers such as the AA, RAC, and Green Flag, except they are offering it at a lower price. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are not up to the job just because you haven’t heard of them.

Check out breakdown products from a car breakdown cover comparison site such as WhyBreakdown.co.uk where to you can save over 40% off the standard breakdown cover rates. Compare and save now
or read Start Rescue Reviews.

Start Rescue breakdown cover review

Startrescue.co.uk offers quality and affordable car breakdown cover in the UK. For ease of use they rank their products using a star system where by 1 star is the most basic breakdown cover, and 5 stars is the most comprehensive.

What each package providers, this is a guide only, please check their terms and conditions for full details.

1 Star Package: will provide you with roadside assistance and recovery for up to 10 miles. They will attend to you at the roadside and attempt to repair your vehicle, and if they are unable to repair it they will tow you up to a maximum of 10 miles to a garage where you can have your car repaired.

2 Star Package: will provide you with the same as you will get from the 1 star package, plus you will get the nationwide recovery option. This will allow your vehicle to be recovered along with up to 6 passengers. The vehicle will be taken to a garage for repair, your home, or your original destination, which ever is the nearest.

3 Star Package: will provide you with the same cover that you get from package 2 plus you will also get home recovery. If you car breaks down at or within 1 mile of your home then it will be covered by the policy.

4 Star Package: will provide you with the same level of cover as the 2 star package plus you will have the European option. This provides assistance while you are travelling in Europe – ensure you read the terms and conditions.

5 Star Package: will provide you with the same cover as the 4 star package but you will also get the home recovery and theft, vandalism, and illness cover. This is the most comprehensive breakdown cover deal that Start Rescue have on offer.

In addition to the above, all of the Start Rescue plans come with the following options: Accident Recovery, Alternative Transport, Overnight Accommodation, Key Assist, and Message Assist. Once more we suggest checking the T&C’s.

As standard StartRescue advertise that they don’t charge any policy extras such as expensive policy excesses, and they also provide a user friendly policy which is easy to understand.

Start Rescue are backed up by Call Assist Ltd, who have been providing breakdown services on behalf of many other UK companies for more than 12 years. The service is provided through the use of a network of over 1,100 approved recovery agents in the UK plus additional providers in over 45 countries. The startrescue.co.uk insurance policy is underwritten by Groupama Insurances. Both Groupama and Call Assist are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority in the United Kingdom.

Before making any car breakdown cover purchase we strongly advise that you conduct a car breakdown cover comparison search at one of the comparison websites such as WhyBreakdown.co.uk. See what deals are available and at what price before you make your purchase to ensure that you get the best deal. Often you can achieve a discount of over 40% by purchasing online.

Comparing car breakdown cover deals

If you’ve had car breakdown cover for more than 12 months, then you are probably paying more than you could be. Either by signing up for a new deal with the same provider (with the exactly the same level of cover), or by changing your plan or cover provider you can save a significant amount of money. The amount you can save is even more significant if you didn’t make your original purchase online as you can often achieve savings of over 40% when you make the same cover purchase online.

You could try comparing products yourself, by obtaining price and cover information direct from each provider. This is very time consuming and can easily take a full day to do by the time you look at all the available products, even if you are only considering a handful of breakdown cover providers.

If you visit a comparison website you can compare products in a matter of minutes, and with their unique filtering and sorting features you can easily narrow your product search down from the hundreds available, to a handful that fit your specific search criteria. Not only will this save you hours but it will make your search much easier and will ensure you get the best value deal for your needs.

Buying breakdown cover online is often a lot cheaper than buying either over the telephone or from a concession stall. You may be surprised that by making this purchase online you can save over 40%. This is a massive saving and if this wouldn’t be useful to you then your either stupid, or a banker. Often online comparison websites are able to access products which are unique to them and are not available directly from the product provider.

When you are searching for car breakdown cover there are a number of points that you should consider. Firstly you should consider how your cover will be used. If you have a car which multiple people drive you should consider taking out a policy for the car, then it doesn’t matter who is driving the car (as long as they are insured), in the event of a breakdown then cover is in place. If you drive multiple cars then you should consider taking cover for yourself so that if any of the cars you are driving breaks down, you are covered.

Next you should consider what type of journeys that you will be making. If you only make short journeys near to your home you may want to consider homestart as this will provide cover near to your home address. If you make a lot of long distance business journeys then you may want to consider adding either the “tow home” or “onward journey” options.

It is important to ensure that you have the right level of cover for your needs as the wrong level cover could leave you in a similar situation as no cover. For example if you breakdown on a long journey many miles from your home and your final destination and you only have basic roadside assistance, the provider will tow you to a local garage but you will still be stranded until the garage is able to make a repair to you car. Make sure you compare breakdown cover first.

Is car breakdown cover really necessary?

You wont be surprised if I say that breakdown cover is a necessity. If you’ve ever broken down you’ll understand this, and if you’ve never broken down then you will no doubt understand this at some point in the future. I for one am very grateful that I’ve always had breakdown cover which has mad a big difference to me each time that I have broken down. This can be of particular importance if you travel long distances, travel at night, or fall into the potentially vulnerable category of either female or family. Being stuck at the side of a road without breakdown cover, and wondering what to do next isn’t fun.

 

I myself have basic car breakdown cover with one of the major providers. The most important use of this recently was on a trip to theme park Alton Towers when 10 minutes into the journey we broke down. We called the breakdown company and they arrived within 10 minutes. The car could not be repaired at the roadside (it was a major engine failure which took a garage 1 week to repair). We were towed back home and used our second car to continue the journey. Without this cover our weekend trip would have been ruined, well worth the £40 I paid for this service.

 

As this is being written, you can pick up basic annual car breakdown cover from as little as £19 per year, surprised? Not a high price when you consider the piece of mind that it offers you, especially when you consider that it can cost at least £40 to fill up with fuel on the smallest of cars and upward of £100 for a years worth of road tax. Definitely value for money I hope you would agree, and even if you go for a more expensive breakdown cover plan it can still offer significant value for money.

 

It may be that £19 car breakdown cover may not be sufficient for your needs, and if this is the case there is a big selection of policies and providers to choose from. Before buying breakdown cover there is a lot to consider including who will be covered, how often the vehicle is used, and on what type of journeys. If you look at plans from different providers you are very likely to find breakdown cover that fits your requirements, and also sits within your price range.

 

We recommend that you compare breakdown cover plans before you purchase. Always buy your policy online as there are often significant savings to be achieved by doing so (often over 30%) compared with buying over the telephone or from a salesperson. Comparison website often provide unique comparison tools which allow you to enter your specific requirements which then removes products that do not meet your needs. You can then sort the remaining products to find the product that is best for you.

 

Now, can you really say that car breakdown cover is not necessary? I’m sure you’d agree that car breakdown cover is necessary and with the low starting price this should not be a deciding factor. Take a look at what’s on offer and see what meets your needs.