Is Direct Save Telecom a good choice?
Our overall rating: 39 out of 50
Direct Save Telecom doesn't offer just one product, it’s a reseller. It has deals with a lot of wholesalers – the companies that provides the network infrastructures that physically cable up the broadband – so in essence it will see all your different options available to your postcode and get you the cheapest.
But when you look at the cost, it's not always actually cheaper. So, sometimes you are paying as much – or more - as the mainstream providers would charge, but not getting any of the bells, whistles or fancy TV packages.
On the plus side, Direct Save Telecom doesn't perform credit checks, so you've got access to all of the deals with no need for vetting. It also offers some decent, cheap call deals as part of its packages.
The positives
- A lot of options
- No credit checks
- Call packages
The negatives
- Too many options!
- Not always cheaper
- No entertainment extras
In our full review we take a look at the pros and cons of each area in more detail: speed, full fibre review, cost, setup and customer service.
How fast is Direct Save Telecom?
The speed you can get with Direct Save Telecom all depends on where you live. For those postcodes who still can't access full fibre, you can get standard and partial fibre services with average download speeds of either 35Mbps or 66Mbps.
Direct Save Telecom also offers ultrafast full fibre broadband to customers in certain locations – packages with speeds from 100Mbps to 900Mbps on offer.
Find out what Wi-Fi is available with our postcode checker.
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Speed is often the biggest consideration when choosing a broadband package. If you have multiple people using the internet at one time, then a higher speed and bandwidth will be essential. Equally, if it’s a small household using the internet for everyday usage, paying for business-grade bandwidth will probably end up being a waste.
You should decide what speed is right for you, based on your broadband habits at home. Here’s a handy guide to help show what bandwidth usage your different applications need.
Direct Save Telecom broadband speeds
As discussed already, Direct Save Telecom utilises several networks – including Openreach, Virgin, Open Fibre Networks Limited (OFNL), MS3 and FullFibre – to deliver its broadband deals.
Whatever your postcode has access to, Direct Save Telecom can resell and repackage to you.
If full fibre isn't yet available to you, you'll be offered:
35Mbps and 76Mbps.
And if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where Full Fibre is currently available, you'll be presented with:
40Mbps, 80Mbps, 115Mbps, 220Mbps, 550Mbps and 1000Mbps
Price-wise these will all depend on where you live and who is serving up the network. To make sure you are actually getting the cheapest package here we recommend that you put your details in their postcode checker and see what is available to you. Then compare these directly with providers or try our comparison site to see if what they are offering actually works out as a better deal.
Direct Save Telecom full fibre review
What exactly is full fibre?
Full fibre is the fastest available internet in the UK.
Around two-thirds of homes in the UK can now access ultrafast broadband via fibre-optic technology called ‘G.fast’ or ‘Fibre To The Premises’ (FTTP).
Full fibre is the next generation of broadband. It removes the need to rely on copper phone lines and instead connects fibre cables straight to your home. This means there’s no slowdown on the data between the street cabinet and your property and the speed and strength are much more powerful than any previous fibre broadband technology as a result. Common internet issues like buffering and outages become almost non existent.
This technology will future-proof homes and businesses across the UK because, once it’s installed, properties won’t need to install new cables for their broadband for decades.
If your home has full fibre availability, whether through Openreach, Virgin or another alternative network, Direct Save Telecom should be able to deliver this ultrafast broadband to you.
Our Direct Save Telecom rating for speed: 8
Does Direct Save Telecom have reliable connection?
It's difficult to answer this question accurately because your connection will depend on what network Direct Save Telecom are using for your home. But, on the plus side, the networks it does use are all firmly established and reputable companies.
Unfortunately it isn't signed up to Ofcom's voluntary code of practice of better broadband speeds, so you won't get protection from this if you're not happy with the connection you do end up with. But remember, you have got a 14-days cooling off period to protect your consumer rights if the speed you were promised doesn't fit.
Our Direct Save Telecom rating for connectivity: 8
How much does Direct Save Telecom cost?
Again, it all depends on where you live and which network will be serving up your internet.
Cost-wise, it isn't really the budget provider it sells itself as. Full fibre 100Mbps download packages start from £29.95. And the slower partial fibre packages start from £31.95.
For the gigabit packages you're looking at top end prices with deals costing about £47.
Average price guide
How long are Direct Save Telecom contracts?
We've heard rumours that Direct Save Telecom offers a monthly rolling contract, however whilst navigating the site we're unsure how to actually get access to this. Try speaking to their sales team to find out more.
There are 12-month, 18-month and 24-month contract options shown, but these don't seem to be a choice, rather a 'this is what this deal is' type offer.
Does Direct Save Telecom have any bundle options?
Direct Save Telecom doesn’t have TV or mobile packages you can bundle with its broadband, but it does have a phone line option which you can choose to add-on or even take out on its own.
Its digital landline service can be added to your broadband package for either £2.95 per month (pay as you go for calls), £6.96 per month (free UK calls to mobiles and landlines for up to 700 minutes) or £13.95 (free UK calls to mobiles and landlines with a fair usage limit).
On its own, the phone line costs £21.67 per month if you pay 12 months up front, then you choose from the above listed calling plan options as an add-on.
Direct Save Telecom rewards
Direct Save Telecom doesn’t really do promotional deals or incentives. Instead it has a free ‘Discount Club’ where membership gives you discounts to various retailers, hotels and utility companies.
Does Direct Save Telecom put up its broadband prices every year?
Yes, Direct Save Telecom does have mid-contract price rises. They state in their terms and conditions that they may increase prices annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus an additional percentage.
Our Direct Save Telecom rating for cost: 8
How easy is it to get Direct Save Telecom set up?
Once your order is placed, Direct Save Telecom aims to connect your broadband service up and running within two weeks. It depends on your postcode (this will decide what network you’ll be on) what plan you are having (full fibre or partial fibre) and what broadband you currently have, but you’ll probably need an engineer visit to get connected.
Your engineer visit will typically take two hours and will require one of their experts to install the optical network terminal and connect the fibre network to your property. They’ll also connect your router and make sure the service is running properly by performing a speed test.
Direct Save Telecom Wi-Fi routers
On the plus side, Direct Save Telecom now clearly state exactly what router you get with your package – it's a TWV-63381-UK11 hub with every deal.
On the minus side, this isn't the most modern of routers. It's not Wi-Fi 6 compatible and it can leave some areas of your home a bit patchy when it comes to signal distribution.
Our Direct Save Telecom rating for setup, installation & equipment: 7
Does Direct Save Telecom have good customer service?
Direct Save Telecom can pick up a few points here as all their customer service centres are based in the UK.
On top of this, Trustpilot gives them a positive 4.3 for its customer support score, although only 62% give a 5-star review. And 22% give a 1-star review. There's feedback that points to a helpful attitude, and clear, knowledgeable service.
Have a look at the latest reviews here.
How to contact Direct Save Telecom
Customer support: 01923 709709 (Monday-Friday: 8am - 8pm. Weekends: 9am - 5pm)
Sales enquiries: 01706 902573 (Monday-Friday: 9am - 8pm. Weekends: 9am - 5pm)
Leave your details and someone will respond within 24 hours: Contact form
Our Direct Save Telecom rating for customer service: 8
We’ve added up everything from each category making our overall average Direct Save Telecom rating score: 39/50
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