FireFly

I signed up with Firefly quite a few years ago - it was a breath of fresh air after the people I was with previously. I am now in the process of leaving them. Why?

I have had a long term ADSL dropping problem, which I reported to their support people more than 6 months ago. At that time it occurred maybe once or twice a week, and I went through all the usual diagnostics - reset the router, check the config, try another router (which of course I had to buy for the purpose). I even queried whether Windows 7 could be the problem, since it showed up as a "connected but no internet access" problem, for which one temporary fix was resetting the router.

Firefly support made it clear this was my problem ("must be a duff router") and they could do nothing more to sort it. So I gave up and put up with it.

Recently the line has been dropping several times in one hour - then it will be fine for several hours on end. Response from their SMTP server is decidedly dodgy too - sometimes it works straight away - sometimes it takes 7 attempts to send a mail. I decided it was time for the ultimate fix - change ISP. I couldn't be bothered to have another go with their support.

And now I want out - they have taken the huff. I have requested a MAC code - but they tell me I won't get it until 1st May, which is way beyond the Ofcom 5 day limit.

I think I have given them fair ratings, which look beyond the immediate problem I have with them. But the question is why bother with an "also ran"? If you are looking for something better than TalkTalk, there are so many highly rated ISPs out there with similar or better pricing - that you don't need to mess about with people like Firefly.

I was a customer for over 6 years but decided that the service I was receiving was no longer worth the premium I was paying. The overall speed I received was good but the price/usage limit and overall service was poor value.

They used to be an excellent ISP when I first joined but over the last few years the service has deteriorated. On most of the occasions that I had to contact them with queries I found their customer service to be poor. It always seemed to be a 'battle' to get problems resolved or answers from them. I once tried to join their support forum but it would not allow you to register, when I asked about this they said there was a problem and didn't know when it would be fixed. The reply seemed as though they didn't care. Also their website had not been updated ever since I joined and was poor, funnily it was updated after I had migrated. It seems from the new site that maybe they are more interested in corporate/business customers.

Since migrating to a new ISP my speed has increased, and overall a much better quality service and I'm paying less with an unlimited usage! I would not recommend FireFly to anyone as there is much better elsewhere.

Pros: good speed
Cons: expensive, poor usage limit, poor customer service

I have been a customer of Firefly for over five years and there is little doubt that they provided a good service initially.

I have seldom needed to contact them, although I did so today after the credit card details they were using for payment had expired. It was no big deal, as I'd received a new one about four months ago. It was clearly an administrative error, but instead of just pointing it out, Firefly threatened to suspend my account in seven days (I wonder how long it would have taken me to find out what had happened if I'd returned from holiday and hadn't been checking my e-mail).

The phone number they supplied wasn't recognised and a second one on their website didn't connect. They ignored an e-mail, but I got through on the second number in the end. I almost wish I hadn't. The man who answered had a Scottish accent, otherwise he could have been Basil Fawlty. He was extremely rude and tried to talk down to me. When I said I was moving my custom elsewhere, he volunteered to send me a MAC. Needless to say, he hasn't but I have.

Don't go or stay with this ISP if you expect to be a valued customer. Only put up with them if you don't mind the odd bit of verbal abuse should things dare to go wrong.

[Edit] To be fair to Firefly, I received a very good e-mail from them, and spoke to an exceptionally pleasant and helpful person on the telephone this morning. It seems the company can be a bit Jeckyll-and-Hydish, which is a pity.

I'm one of the great V21 'unwashed' and decided to try Firefly after reading the reviews. I'm delighted! The connection was seamless and the support is first class. The speed is excellent and consistent. All in all, one happy bunny. Highly recommended! 2010 update. Firefly offered a swap to ADSL2+ for free and at the same price. My speed was a various 4-5mb. Now after some very satisfying customer service I have a consistent 13mb. Bloody marvellous! I've switched to their telephone service which includes line rental. Smooooth service and restored my faith in proper caring companies. Swap, you'd be daft not to....

Rarely have I found the time or felt the inclination to review a service of any kind; however this ISP is undoubtedly the exception to the rule, with friendly efficient staff and a top quality service you will think you have died and gone to ISP heaven – if SKY, BT and other so-called market leaders were even 5% as efficient as Firefly it would be a frosty day in hell...
If it’s fast efficient service you require then Firefly should be your first stop – don’t get fooled by the glitzy promotions on offer by the major market leaders – they will cost you more time, money and frustration in the long run.
With Firefly you can gladly say goodbye to horrifically expensive call centre numbers that keep you on hold for days at a time with no resolve – or surly staff that have more interest in their next lunch break than providing you with helpful communications or god-forbid may actually get your security details correct.
I cannot express enough how gratifying it is to communicate with staff that actually care about the business they work for – something that has unfortunately been lost within the realms of the corporate business world.
Firefly is absolutely superb in every way and in my eyes are the true market leaders!