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How easy is it to change CityFibre ISP?

Johnmcl7

Pro Member
Rather than hijack this thread I thought it made sense to start a separate topic:


This person has lost their CityFibre FTTP connection due to a Talktalk error but in their last post, Talktalk are claiming they can't reconnect the line as it's a one time deal which is concerning.

I'm coming to the end of a Talktalk CF 18 month contract and chose the because I had poor service from all the options but Talktalk were the cheapest. Since then there's more options and Talktalk are not the cheapest so planning on changing provider but sticking with Cityfibre which I assumed would be fine since I have the line installed already. However it's something I have no experience with and concerned it may cause problems I'm not aware of as in the thread above.

So just looking for any thoughts or advice to be aware of when changing CityFibre ISP.
 
I have been reading that thread and the answer he got from TalkTalk seems very weird to me. It doesn't make sense to have a "one time use" line. There are however many "valid" reasons as to why you may not be able to order a service even if it was previously available. Sometimes there are limitations at the pole, at the node, at the exchange. Sometimes the ISP withdraws the service from the area due to congestion (Sky 900mb for example). Also once a line becomes available it may be quickly grabbed by another ISP so when the previous customer tries to re-order the service it's not longer available. I think your best bet is to contact the preferred new ISP and see how they will handle the migration. Hopefully they can "transfer" the service rather than having to disconnect your current service and provision a new one.

Here is the list of ISPs which provide gigabit service with National Coverage that use the CityFibre network ordered by price ascending:

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/isp_lis...arch+Listings&orderBy=ufbb_total_price&page=1
 
I just seen this topic from google searching and this is worrying me immensly. I did not think it was that massively complicated to switch ISPs.

Does anyone know when the April 2023 easy switching ISP law applies to CityFibre so it can be an easy switch to a new ISP with them? (is it active for them now?)

I do not want to phone up my ISP and have to cancel my service. With the full retentions going in full annoying mode to keep me. Then wait 10 days with no internet and then have to wait for someone from my new ISP to come to my house again and install their service for what should be a simple thing like switching from one ISP to another.

That is absurd of a notion in 2023 but it seems what you need to do to change ISPs with CityFibre until this new April 2023 law applies to them.
 
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I just seen this topic from google searching and this is worrying me immensly. I did not think it was that massively complicated to switch ISPs.

Does anyone know when the April 2023 easy switching ISP law applies to CityFibre so it can be an easy switch to a new ISP with them? (is it active for them now?)

I do not want to phone up my ISP and have to cancel my service. With the full retentions going in full annoying mode to keep me. Then wait 10 days with no internet and then have to wait for someone from my new ISP to come to my house again and install their service for what should be a simple thing like switching from one ISP to another.

That is absurd of a notion in 2023 but it seems what you need to do to change ISPs with CityFibre until this new April 2023 law applies to them.
Well TalkTalk are a bit of a service nightmare at the best of times tbh.

I would look for a new CityFibre ISP that has less focus on the 'pile them high, sell them cheap' approach and takes a more proactive customer service attitude, and they should hopefully make the transition a bit easier.

Who is on your new ISP short list?
 
Who is on your new ISP short list?

Vodafone was my first choice/plan. But I have seen multiple posts/comments that they just cancel peoples orders if they are currently with talktalk and insist you do the cancel, wait 10 days and then they come and install fresh approach. But these were old posts from 2021 and 2022. There is nothing from after April 2023 so I am hoping this may have changed.

My second choice was Giganet.

I seen on the national social broadband site that runfibre offer 100mb/s up/down on a social contract and they would be perfect but I am not sure if they are with CityFibre. Their website is strange as it says its available at your postcode, lets you sign up with them and then when you do it just says, thanks we will see if we can offer you into our plans and then that is it. No further information than that given to you.
 
Vodafone was my first choice/plan. But I have seen multiple posts/comments that they just cancel peoples orders if they are currently with talktalk and insist you do the cancel, wait 10 days and then they come and install fresh approach. But these were old posts from 2021 and 2022. There is nothing from after April 2023 so I am hoping this may have changed.

My second choice was Giganet.

I seen on the national social broadband site that runfibre offer 100mb/s up/down on a social contract and they would be perfect but I am not sure if they are with CityFibre. Their website is strange as it says its available at your postcode, lets you sign up with them and then when you do it just says, thanks we will see if we can offer you into our plans and then that is it. No further information than that given to you.
Runfibre do operate on cityfibre but I think it’s only in Gloucester since that’s their local area.
 
Vodafone was my first choice/plan. But I have seen multiple posts/comments that they just cancel peoples orders if they are currently with talktalk and insist you do the cancel, wait 10 days and then they come and install fresh approach. But these were old posts from 2021 and 2022. There is nothing from after April 2023 so I am hoping this may have changed.

My second choice was Giganet.

I seen on the national social broadband site that runfibre offer 100mb/s up/down on a social contract and they would be perfect but I am not sure if they are with CityFibre. Their website is strange as it says its available at your postcode, lets you sign up with them and then when you do it just says, thanks we will see if we can offer you into our plans and then that is it. No further information than that given to you.
Giganet will give you better service than you'll ever hope to receive from VF.
 
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Well TalkTalk are a bit of a service nightmare at the best of times tbh.
Sorry to worry you Anth and I think this post is likely correct, my thread was based on a single case and given how useless Talktalk are I think it's likely they're the problem in the other thread rather than CityFibre. I was just looking for reassurance about changing CF ISPs but I guess it's all pretty new so there's not much information out there.

I chose Talktalk on CityFibre as they were the least worst of the three CF ISPs available when I started with them (I know that's really hard to believe, it was a surprise to me as well) but when it ends in September I'd want to change anyway as there's more choice and better deals.
 
I have just this moment received an email from Cityfibre (at 7.30pm on a Sunday). I sent them this question asking this over a month ago in March.. I had forgot I even sent it to them...Here is their response which I think in 2023 is pretty shocking

"Good Evening Anthony

Thank you for your enquiry. To be able to change package, you would first need to cease the line with the current package and re-arrange the line with TalkTalk on the new package.

Dates of cease and re-connection can be arranged with TalkTalk. Apologises I am unable to assist further.

Kind regards
Sophie
CityFibre Issue Resolutions Team"

So to change Cityfibe it seems you are going to have to have an extended period with no internet. This is utterly absurd!! Ofcom needs to intervene in this as Internet these days is an essential utility like Gas, Water and Electricity. To go 10 days without internet (this is how long TalkTalks forum told me it takes) just because CityFibre are useless is a joke
 
Yes agreed. That’s extremely poor.

Changing provider on the same physical network should be seamless as it is on Openreach FTTP.

OR get slated on here and elsewhere, but the process to move is transparent to the end user.

Last time I did a change from Cerberus to TalkTalk Biz a few years ago the downtime was 12 seconds. Enough for the PPPoE session to drop and reconnect.

CityFibre need to pull their proverbial socks up. Doesn’t need Ofcom to sort their own backyard
 
I have just this moment received an email from Cityfibre (at 7.30pm on a Sunday). I sent them this question asking this over a month ago in March.. I had forgot I even sent it to them...Here is their response which I think in 2023 is pretty shocking



So to change Cityfibe it seems you are going to have to have an extended period with no internet. This is utterly absurd!! Ofcom needs to intervene in this as Internet these days is an essential utility like Gas, Water and Electricity. To go 10 days without internet (this is how long TalkTalks forum told me it takes) just because CityFibre are useless is a joke
you'd think it would be the same as OR's system, phone line gets taken over
 
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It's frustrating to hear you're having such problems with making what I'd thought would be a simple and quick change. I was thinking about trying to negotiate a free upgrade to one gig if I stayed with Talktalk since there's another provider offering that for the current price I'm paying but it doesn't sound worth the hassle.

I don't regret taking Talktalk CF FTTP as it was the best option at the time with no BT FTTP option here, even then I think I'd still be inclined to go with CityFibre as the faster upload is fantastic.
 
It should be a simple upgrade. Even in 2001 when broadband was at its complete infancy this would (and was from my memory) a very simple upgrade for Openreach to do.

Cityfibre are just being beyond all levels of awkward.

They cannot possibly think this is acceptable process. It is so obviously unacceptable to anyone who would hear this is the process of making a simple switch with Cityfibre.

Is there anyway Ofcom can get involved in this. They just produced a law in April about easy switch overs and here is Cityfibre coming out with the most stupid system known to man. 10 days without internet for a simple switch over of services is a joke.
 
In my experience near enough impossible, I'm one of the ZYBRE/Air Broadband customers that got cut off and CityFibre told me lie after lie stating their happy to cease and that ISP's can do a working line takeover, had Vodafone, No One, and Octaplus all attempt takeover with Cityfibre and they kept coming back saying no even after sending us a letter literally telling us to switch.

A cancelled order cock-up meant a Kelly engineer ended up attending after I sent the first guys away telling them I'd cancelled with Vodafone, he gave me a new ONT and plugged me into a new port so in theory I can order with whatever ISP I like now.

I'm already live with the Devil BT, CityFibre is awful and incompetent in my experience!
 
Just going through the rigmoral of migrating from TalkTalk to Zen.. Been without FTTP since 5th May.

The full story.. I cancelled my TalkTalk service with 30 days notice to be carried out. So I ordered with Zen and informed them that the cease date was the 5th May. They contacted CityFibre to let them know it was going to be a working line migration for the 5th May. However, CityFibre required an email from the losing provider to say when this is going to cease.

I managed to get an email eventually from TalkTalk after numerous calls and forwarded this to Zen, Who forwarded to CityFibre.. Well the 5th May came and my TalkTalk connection was ceased.. But because TalkTalk didnt reply to CityFibre's direct requests, the migration didnt take place. Obviously with the bank holiday impacted the response times etc. But CityFibre suggested it would take up to 24-48 hours to resolve.

So I called Zen this morning for an update and they chased CityFibre, still no update.

Surely this is just a case of changing the VLAN ID on their back end to route to Zen's Radius servers etc?

I will update as soon as I get something back from them.
 
It's not the answers I wanted to hear but it's been very useful to hear people's experiences and answered the question I had which is clearly that migration between CF providers at the moment is highly problematic.

I wish I could do more than offer good luck for those battling it out but sadly not.
 
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Is there anyway this ridiculous situation with Cityfibre switching can be added to the news page as this seems to get ISPs quick to promise a fix and we'll never do it again response

Three people all posting disasters about switching with Cityfibre should be enough proof needed?
 
I have just this moment received an email from Cityfibre (at 7.30pm on a Sunday). I sent them this question asking this over a month ago in March.. I had forgot I even sent it to them...Here is their response which I think in 2023 is pretty shocking



So to change Cityfibe it seems you are going to have to have an extended period with no internet. This is utterly absurd!! Ofcom needs to intervene in this as Internet these days is an essential utility like Gas, Water and Electricity. To go 10 days without internet (this is how long TalkTalks forum told me it takes) just because CityFibre are useless is a joke
This on its own is enough to convince me not to bother. The month-long wait for an email response, and when it comes it's late on a Sunday evening and full of typos, suggests chaos behind the scenes over at CityFibre.
 
I switched from one CityFibre ISP to another yesterday...was very smooth. Old ISP disconnects and you disconnect their router. Then plugin new ISP router and setup. Off you go. Really smooth. They call it "working line takeover"
 
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