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CIX Reviews

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Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Empty Star
57 Reviews
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Empty Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Empty Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Posted: 13th Apr, 2023    By: Anthony Woodhouse
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
First-class response to my issue and sorted it on the first call to support. Their guys are superb.

This was my mail to them: Just a general thank you for the superb support from CIX. when I needed it. A pleasant change from my previous fttp suppliers.
I also appreciate the openness of the dashboard.
Extremely well done all.

…and I meant every word of it.

First class in all respects and I save money every month too.

Time With Provider: 3 Weeks
Package Name: 330/15 FTTP
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Posted: 16th Aug, 2022    By: aY2woV2Y
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Very comprehensive user interface and excellent (human) service with knowledgeable geeks!

/48 IPv6 address blocks available (more addresses than most people could ever hope to assign).

Port 53 unblocking by request (for those of us wanting to run our own DNS servers).

IPv4 subnets available.

Option to set own PTR records.

Happy to take on OpenReach over unfair line fault charges.

Arguably the *only* ISP who supports DNSSEC [DNS Security, for those of us with Draytek routers].

Diagnostics and tweaks all in-house (no third-party nonsense).

What's not to like? - I have been using their services on and off for several years, now, and always return to them even on the odd occasion when I have used another provider.

- J

Time With Provider: 2 Years
Package Name: SOGEA 80/20
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Posted: 15th Aug, 2019    By: 23dash
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
I've been with CIX (and its parent ICUK) for more than 12 years. Recently I also moved my landline from BT to CIX to benefit from a better deal.

In those years customer support has been outstanding with an expert taking my call within a few rings. No push button selection for different departments, just straight through to one of their team in Croydon. Any issues (mainly with local infrastructure (BT cabling and TalkTalk unbundling)) have been dealt with quickly and with patience on those occasions when I've become frustrated with BT's behaviour (i.e. charging when they shouldn't have).

When I switched to VDSL 3 years ago speed went up to 39Mbps and has stayed there consistently. I've never noticed any issues with throttling/hesitation during streaming of HD movies.

I consider pricing to be fair (I'm billed £39 per month which includes line rental and calls).

The control panel is extensive and provides as much detail as anyone could need.

I bought a domain using the control panel and CIX host the email accounts associated with that domain.

All in all highly recommended.

Time With Provider: 12 Years
Package Name: VDSL 40Mbps unlimited with Telecoms
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Posted: 10th Aug, 2018    By: Jimbo1954
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
I've been with CIX, and their previous incarnation ICUK, for more years than I can remember. There have been problems, mostly due to OpenReach engineers not being able to read a patching plan, but in general, the service has been at least OK, at best outstanding, especially given the pricing. I especially like the fact that in the rare event of an issue, I can call a UK service desk and talk to a human being.

They also have the customer's best interests at heart. I spent days emailing back and forth with their service desk recently, trying to work out if I could go FTTC (I can't, the Cab is too far away and so the minimal speed benefits and lack of link stability made it a non-starter), and even considering FTTP (available, but beyond my budget). The guy I spoke to, Leslie, was helpful, knowledgeable and didn't hit me over the head with a stick when after days of conversation, I said I was going, reluctantly, to stay with what I have got.

They have served me well.

Time With Provider: 6 Years
Package Name:
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Half Star
Posted: 19th Feb, 2016    By: Kelpy
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
I've been with ICUK since 2011 and can honestly say they're a brilliant provider. Never had any major problems, speed has always been good and consistent, ping perfectly acceptable for gaming, downtimes are very infrequent and most likely for maintenance so nothing to complain about.

Support is excellent, friendly and prompt.

Oh yeah and loyalty pays off with cheaper bills and unlimited downloads so that's fantastic.

Switching my line rental over to them because cheaper than BT.

Go ICUK! :) They're freaking AWESOME! :D

Time With Provider:
Package Name:
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Posted: 02nd Oct, 2015    By: BrianWilliams
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
This i one of the worst ISP's i have been with its slow i can't even watch Youtube or netflix without it buffering every 5 seconds It takes around 2 Hours to download a 1GB file this is one of the worst for me i don't suggest you move or go to this ISP
Here is a speed test i've just done just saying im not downloading anything
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4712796960

Time With Provider:
Package Name:
Value
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Speed
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Support
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Empty Star Empty Star
Posted: 12th Jul, 2014    By: John Davis
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Having been with ICUK for several years we’ve experienced first-hand the gradual degradation of the quality of service and network performance of this ISP. Once a shining example of a British broadband provider who worked hard to stand out from the big players by providing a premium but reliable internet service, ICUK is now nothing more than an overpriced minnow.

The Service

Firstly, ICUK are a BT reseller. As a result, they cannot (or at least have been incompetent in doing so) quickly and responsively regulate the amount of bandwidth available to their subscription base. As the slow speeds in certain areas and cripplingly frequent packet loss demonstrate, the small company don’t possess enough clout to force BT’s hand to increase their bandwidth when they need it most. Prime examples of this include major sporting events. During the Olympics, for example, we could barely load webpages for a fortnight whilst ICUK support staff complained that BT hadn’t yet processed their request for more bandwidth (the request being two weeks outstanding by that stage). This leaves you and I, the paying customers, with high pings, packet loss exceeding 10% and sore fingers from typing so many frustrated emails to their support staff over the weekend.

Telephone support is only available on weekdays and ends at 17:30. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that most issues occur outside of working hours when the majority of people are actually using their internet after coming home from a hard day’s work. Even on ICUK’s more expensive ‘business’ package (as we were) the worst times for congestion were evenings and weekends; not standard ‘business’ hours – don’t fall for this scam like we did.

When you find you can only download at 150kb/s (likely due to network congestion from the aforementioned lack of bandwidth for the entire ICUK network or as a result of traffic shaping implemented to compensate the lack of bandwidth), your only means of resolution is to fire off an email to their support team which will go unanswered until the following day. By this time, tests and assessments of your service will be performed outside of peak hours and an email will follow asking for you to provide more information as they ‘cannot see a problem from their end’.

The Support

That last line will probably be one of the most common phrases you will hear from ICUK. During the Olympics fiasco mentioned above (one of many, I must add) ICUK went to the extent of sending an engineer to our house to check the BT lines (all which were of perfect working order) before finally letting slip that it might have been their chronically oversubscribed infrastructure that was causing the problem. This was quietly admitted to us in what was probably the 50th email exchange between us and four different members of their support team (most of whom are very friendly and genuinely seem to want to help, it must be said). After that point we were implicitly invited to leave ICUK by their staff and it was implied that the problems we suffered as a result of the oversubscription would be a regular occurrence. This was indeed the case.

Our household have since changed to a similar small UK ISP and could not be happier with the quality of service we’ve received. Given the countless hours of frustration and time we’ve wasted with ICUK I can only make one good faith recommendation to other consumers: AVOID.

Time With Provider:
Package Name:
Value
Full Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Speed
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Support
Full Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star
Posted: 11th Apr, 2014    By: Seamus
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Below is my review from 2012. I went back to ICUK after I had been disconnected whilst away from home for a while after being given assurances that they could provide a decent service. Despite a written promise that they prioritised streaming, the speeds were so poor that streaming anything was impossible. Service buffered so frequently that not even a single sentence from a programme could be completed without pauses and breaks. I gave up watching my first streamed programme after 8 minutes, I just could not watch it.

Download checks via BBC IPlayer not only showed that their download speed was well below those that I should expect on my exchange, but that ICUK throttled streaming services which were about a quarter of the speed of other general download traffic, less than 0.7 mbps. The BBC streaming checker rates this as only suitable for audio streaming and not suitable for any video traffic even the lowest quality. I previously received 7.8 mbps from Zen on my exchange which is still on the first 8mbps ADSL system. My house is just yards from the exchange.

I do not know why this company have a good rating. I was previosuly with Zen who managed much faster service with little or no buffering. After just a few days with ICUK, I intend to move away and either go back to Zen, IDNet or another company whose reputation is justified.

Do not touch this company, they are dishonest about the service they offer.

Below is my original review from 2012:
=========================================
ICUK are not that great. They shape traffic, which although they say is only to restrict gamers at peak times, I have real trouble with streaming services such as BBC iPlayer. It constantly buffers and pauses and makes programmes unwatchable.

I live only yards from the telephone exchange and there are only a couple of hundred houses on the exchange so it is not the ADSL equipment at the exchange or the line distance. My previous provider did not have this issue at all and I was with them for around four years, I now wish I hadn't left them. Support was mediocre and email only at the weekend. Sometimes you have to wait until Monday to get a reply to your email.

I found the peak/off-peak bandwidth limiting unless you pay quite highly for a large peak time download limit.

Whilst I wouldn't they are terrible, neither is it outstanding. After a few months with ICUK I am now moving on.

EDIT: Just switched to IDNet and have both services live on my line at present on Saturday morning. What a difference, ICUK have all the usual delays and buffering, IDNet have no buffering and such a fast experience I wish I had never been with ICUK at all or at least switched away from them six months ago.

Time With Provider:
Package Name:
Value
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Speed
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Support
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Services
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Posted: 10th Aug, 2013    By: Charleville
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
I've been a very happy ICUK customer for a number of years.

I started with a web hosting reseller account and over time transferred my broadband from BT to ICUK followed by two telephone lines ( 1 x BT and 1 x TalkTalk) to ICUK. In all cases I've enjoyed reduced costs and a far superior service.

What do I like most about ICUK…

1. Fair, clear and transparent pricing.

Web hosting reseller package is excellent value and easy to understand and operate.

With BT & TalkTalk phones I had so called 'Free inclusive minutes' but with ICUK I simply pay for what I use which has reduced my bills by around 40%. They also have confidence to offer a minimum 1 month only contract – now that speaks volumes!

Broadband cost are also considerably less than I was paying with BT.

2. Reliable connections and service

It's very rare that I have issues with connections and broadband speed. I very much depend on the internet and phones for business and ICUK simply deliver what I need.

3. Support

Because the service is so good I don't have much need to contact ICUK, but on the odd occasion when I've needed their help by phone or e-mail they always respond quickly and fix any problems with the minimum of delay. Gone are the days of waiting on the line for 30 minutes to speak to someone at BT only to be passed around various departments.

I can't praise ICUK enough I only wish all companies adopted the same fair and honest policy with customers.

Time With Provider:
Package Name:
Value
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Speed
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Support
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Services
Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star Full Star
Posted: 30th Jan, 2013    By: progeek
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Been with ICUK for a few months now and from the start I had problems. First off the prices shown on the signup page were listed as inclusive of VAT and when I went through the process it turns out they were EXCLUSIVE of VAT. Argued the toss with them and despite being told I'd get the fixed IP FOC nothing changed. Wonder if that marked my card? Speed is dismal, we've bumped the limits a couple of times, I've no idea how - we mostly watch the streaming TV services and a few bits of download, but the traffic shaping (if that's what it is) is awful - iPlayer runs most of the time (occasional pauses) but try to do anything else and forget about it. If we get an email telling us we're close to our bandwidth allocation they seem to throttle us from then on. On a poor connection as this it just makes matters worse. Given up complaining as it's clearly not going to make any difference, no problems with the support and site, but they can't do anything for me, should have never left Entanet, don't know why I did (in part due to reviews on here alas) - give me a MAC code, I'm off, avoid, avoid, avoid.

ISPreview Sanctioned 'Right to Reply' (RtR) by ICUK Follows (DO NOT REMOVE)

Related Rule(s) - http://www.ispreview.co.uk/rules.shtml#3

All broadband prices on our web site include VAT, and confirmed on our sign up pages, with excluding VAT prices shown for accounting purposes. Static IP address are not, and never have been, provided for free by default. All our customers are warned if they are likely to exceed the quota on the package they've purchased, and with the default being the connection is slowed down if they do not wish to upgrade or pay for additional ad-hoc usage. Unfortunately live streaming and downloads will consume data transfer, but in addition to this, we provide a generous 100GB off peak allowance for the majority of our broadband packages. Our Support team will always do their best to ensure a customer receives the best speeds possible for the broadband link purchased.


Time With Provider:
Package Name:
Value
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Speed
Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Support
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
Services
Full Star Half Star Empty Star Empty Star Empty Star
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