h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

 I don't mean for my journal entry to sound like an advertisment for a phone company.
I just want to let all you h2g2 members (the ones who live in UK) who haven't herd, you can connect to the internet for free now if you change your phone account to Localtel.

The line rental is the same as BT's but calls are 10% cheaper plus you can connect to the net for free from 6.pm till 8.am Mon-thurs and 6.pm fri till 8.am monday.

Its still the same telephone line and you still have the friends and family No.s & the same services IE: call waiting. Diversion, Call minder etc...etc.

So just go to your nearest Tempo store and pick up the free cd rom,
or take a look at http://www.localtel.co.uk/ and you find out all you need to know.

The only drawback is it takes a few times to connect to your new ISP in the evening and there is a 2 hour timeout but all you have to do is connect again, you can still connect to your existing ISP and pay for the call as usual if you need to.

If you're an insomniac like me you will connect first time after 12.pm. I great being able to browse the web and send your emai knowing it's not costing you a penny.

Brilliant! I shall definitely have to check this out ('specially as the phone bills just arrived - oh s**t). Cheers.

Sounds too good to be true!, I'll check it out!

Have you checked it out yet? and have you changed to localtel yet? I just got my phone phone bill from them and I cant believe I was conected to the Internet for 66 hours hours last mounth for free

Have you noticed how freeserve have started to advertise free conection, there free offer is a bit of joke in comparison to localtels but any free conection is a good thing.
The compertition is hotting up, give it about six mouths and even BT might start a flat fee tarrif (i.e. £15.00 a mounth for free local calls)

Yeah, I checked it out. Tempo had stopped giving out the CDs because of the 'unexpected' demand! Me heap big phone bill.

Hope this other totally free (24/7) ISP works out.

'sus

If (24/7) doesn't work out ok I think you can still change to localtel without the disc from Tempo as long as you are using IE5 as your browser, you can change your phone account to them at http://www.localtel.co.uk
I reckon it must have saved me about 35 quid last month

Many thanks for the tip, Pauline! I've just registered. Bearing in mind the Phone Bill From Hell I paid last Friday, I can't believe that localtel can be any worse than BT. (If they are, of course, I'll let you know!)
By the way, I'm an insomniac too, and I've often noticed your name in the "who's online now" box after midnight. Let's face it, it is a name that sticks in the mind. It's not every day, even in h2g2, that you encounter someone bold enough to name themselves after their undergarments!
Ah well - thanks again. See you here in the small hours!

The only problem I had when I changed to localtel was the amount of time it took BT to transfere my account, once it was changed everything was hunky dory. The good thing about Localtel (apart from the free connection)is you can change your friends and family numbers and your services like call waiting etc etc...online.

They have had a lot of complaints about the amount of time it takes to connect to the screaming net phone No. in the evening but I think this is very petty as they are the first company to offer free connection to the internet during the off peak hours. There are a couple of ISPs who offer free connection but it is only for a couple of hours a week, whereas you can be connected to screaming net for 86 hours a week for free if you want.

Perhaps I'll have another go at getting this, though I haven't got IE5. Do you have to sign up for a minimum period though? (Cause I'm moving home)

'sus

The minimum period is a year but when you move just inform them and they take over the phone line at your new address. By the way I just had a look at there site and you can register if you are using either IE4 or IE5.
If you are using IE4 why not upgrade to 5, there are loads of improvements. it is available on loads of the free cd roms that come with computer mags. I got mine with the mag Internet @ccess Made Easy.

I'm moving home next month , I hope you're not finding it as difficult as me to find a new house. I've sold mine and I've got to be out in three weeks and I still haven't found anything I like.

Haven't put the house on the market yet - trying to find somewhere else first. Did it the other way round last time, and ended up like you! Have you considered a new property? You can usually get it to tie in with your sale then.

Really should try Localtel again, though I'm also waiting on another free access 24/7 ISP I registered for. Don't want to commit myself at just the wrong time...

'sus

I'm on screaming.net myself, tho' I use freeserve for e-mail as its more reliable - but I have heard that they're not taking on any new customers.
I hope that its right that you can move the account when you move house though as I probably am moving before Christmas!

Everyone's moving! Is it the h2 influence? Are we all having to move to pay the bills, or find a place with more room for more computers to log on with?!

'sus

I use Lineone for my email as well as screaming but I don't seem to have any problems with either of them. The reason I still use Lineone as an alternative ISP is, if it is difficult to connect in the evening to screaming cause everyone connects about this time (8.00pm)I can connect to Lineone straight away if I need to. I'm using the Lineone connection at the moment cause I tried to connect to screaming about 15 times, usually it only takes three or four attempts but it seems to very busy tonight.