Tag: Which? Recommended Providers

Full fibre focus!

Zen switches on gigabit-speed broadband to Scotland’s capital

  • Zen, the only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband 2021 brings full fibre to Edinburgh over the CityFibre network
  • A quarter (24%) of adults in Edinburgh planning to move on to a different broadband provider in next 18 months
  • The new full fibre service can be accessed at a number of speed options starting at £29.99 per month

Residents in Edinburgh today have access to one of the fastest and most reliable broadband services available to any home in the UK, thanks to Zen Internet.

With a quarter (24%) of adults in Edinburgh ready to switch broadband provider in the next 18 months*, residents can choose and benefit from the UK’s only Which? Recommended Provider for Broadband 2021.

People living in Scotland’s capital can now access a reliable service, with award-winning support, from a business committed, through its B Corporation certification, to having a positive impact on the planet.

The latest move from Zen, in collaboration with CityFibre, aims to transform the city’s digital capabilities. CityFibre has invested £105 million into Edinburgh’s infrastructure deployment as part of its nationwide Gigabit City Investment Programme while Zen, as a certified B Corporation, is part of a community of organisations around the world, that believe in business as a powerful force for good.

The new service can be accessed at a number of speed options starting at £29.99 per month as a special launch offer. The service is available now to many homes, with Zen following the CityFibre rollout across the city over the coming months.

To check if the service is already available in your area or to sign up for availability updates visit www.zen.co.uk. 

World class infrastructure rollout

Full fibre broadband is transforming customers’ digital capabilities with speeds of up to 900Mbps. This service has the capability to unlock the full potential of every smart device in the home and provides a solid platform for fully enabling smart home applications and Internet of Things (IoT) devices of the future. Today, it provides a solid connection for hybrid working, entertainment and keeping connected post-pandemic.

Paul Stobart, CEO at Zen Internet, said: “The next few years will be absolutely pivotal for connectivity in the home. Deemed the gold rush decade, the 2020s will see implementation of full fibre across the nation.

“By 2030, everyone will have made the switch to full fibre.  Today, though, people in Edinburgh can get ahead of the curve by accessing Zen’s award-winning service delivered over CityFibre’s high quality infrastructure.

“As a B Corporation and with an ambition to be Net Zero by 2028, residents can choose Zen with confidence, knowing we are a provider that will always strive to do the right thing.

“We ensure that our responsibilities to society and the environment are embedded in our DNA.

“We want to inspire the residents of Edinburgh to choose the right path when it comes to their internet connectivity, which will in turn unlock the power of sharing, learning, and communication.”

What can you do with gigabit speeds?

Standard broadband (10Mbps)Full Fibre 900
Download a HD TV show (600MB)8 minutes 23 seconds5 seconds
Download a HD movie (4GB)57 minutes 15 seconds38 seconds
Download a game (60GB)14 hours, 19 minutes9 minutes 32 seconds
Upload a large file (1GB)2 hours 23 minutes9 seconds

For more information, please visit: www.zen.co.uk or call 01706 902 001.

Safe as houses: Which? annual mortgage survey reveals best and worst mortgage lenders

First Direct and Nationwide have come out on top in Which?’s annual mortgage lender survey, with both named Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs) for offering a combination of excellent customer service and consistently competitive rates. 

With speculation that interest rate rises could be on the way, it is more important than ever that prospective homeowners and remortgagers do their research and find the right deal and provider. 

The consumer champion surveyed more than 3,500 homeowners and analysed thousands of mortgage deals to find which providers offered impressive customer service and the best rates. 

Lenders were scored on multiple aspects of customer service, including: keeping customers informed, clarity of mortgage statements, transparency of charges or penalties, dealing with queries and complaints, flexibility of payments, online access and value for money. 

First Direct came out on top, receiving an impressive customer score of 81 per cent. Its customers gave it five stars across the board, and the lender consistently offered some of the cheapest deals on the market. 

Nationwide earned an overall customer score of 77 per cent and was also named a WRP for the eighth year in a row. The building society achieved five-star ratings for value for money and clarity of its mortgage statements.

Coventry Building Society received the joint-top score of 81 per cent, achieving five stars for customer service, clarity of mortgage statements and keeping you well informed, among others. However, it missed out on becoming a WRP because it did not offer enough market-leading deals. 

Royal Bank of Scotland received the lowest score in this year’s survey, with an overall customer score of 64 per cent. RBS received three stars for its general customer service, flexibility of payments and online access, among other criteria. 

While nearly nine in 10 (87%) respondents told the consumer champion that they were satisfied with their mortgage provider, a quarter (24%) said they had had a problem with their lender. The most commonly cited issues included poor customer service, a lack of flexibility on payments and poor interest rates. 

When asked why they chose a lender, around one in five (21%) respondents said the size of monthly repayments was important, while the same number said the overall cost of the deal was key. One in six (16%) respondents said an existing relationship with the lender (for example, having a bank account with the provider) was a key factor. 

Seven in 10 (72%) of survey respondents had a capital remortgage payment plan. However one fifth (20%) had interest-only mortgages. While the majority of respondents with interest-only mortgages had a plan for repayment at the end of the term, worryingly 9 per cent said they did not know how they would repay their loan – meaning they could be forced to sell their home at the end of the term to repay the balance.

Gareth Shaw, Head of Which? Money, said: “Buying a house is the most expensive purchase most of us will make in our lifetime, so finding a mortgage deal that’s right for you is essential – especially when the outlook for interest rates in the year ahead is uncertain. 

“Recently, we’ve seen reputable lenders offering record-breaking low rates, meaning it’s possible to find a deal that combines value for money with great customer service. As ever, doing a bit of research and talking to a whole-of-market broker before committing is likely to pay off.”