Shell Energy Broadband Reviews

I have been the first utility customer for 18 months! As I had to move house I had to stay and prolong my contract for another 18 months so now I have 6 lengths left. First year was OK. Now, the last 6 w notes since I moved to the new house were a joke. Internet was slow, unreliable. Theirs customer service said that they can upgrade me to fiber for 24 gbp and I negotiated that this will be only for the remaining 6 months. Otherwise I would have to pay exit fees! Also, I ensured that they will drop the contract if the speed is not as we agreed on the phone. If yiu can avoid that company please do! If not then ensure you have all terms and conditions clarified with as they will black mail you or robe you!

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  2 stars
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Having read all the reviews i can only endorse the negative points made by the broadband customers of First Utility.This company should not be allowed to offer broadband as it doesn't appear to be able to keep its promises regarding speed etc plus the fact the customer service is terrible to say the least.It costs a small fortune how they keep you hanging on with only an occasional robotic voice and dreary music for company,this might be acceptable if your problem was sorted by them but alas no this is not the case as all they could offer was an engineer in three days time,no offer of compensation only to be told if the hub has been tampered with the engineer will inform you that his visit will cost you £140. So come the end of my contract its bye bye First Utility broadband and thanks to customer service it will be bye bye to gas and electricity too

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Appalling service, no stars can be given. Bitterly regret leaving BT 4 months ago, since when we have received a totally inadequate service. The internet is very intermittent and cuts out continually. We have been quoted £290 to cancel the contract, which seems appalling. In any other circumstances, if goods prove faulty you can return them and go elsewhere. Shame on you First Utility, we have been very satisfied gas and electric customers for the last 3 years, but shall now go elsewhere in protest at your shabby dealings with us

Absolute dishonesty from start to finish. They get you aboard for £19pcm but forget to mention anywhere that it's £19 plus VAT. You get a max of 9 Mbps for 4 days followed by .08 Mbps. When you contact them they suggest you switch to £35 per month plus VAT for a faster speed. They will ignore all complaints except when you cancel the DD - then they write, boy how they write. When they know they've lost - as in when you are with a reliable supplier - you will hear nothing for 2 months. Then you will receive a threatening e mail from their 'collection agents' etc. I have opened a case against them with the CAB who believe enough other like complaints will see the Trading Standards take over, even the police maybe. Get your money back off these sharks, ask for some deserved compensation off them for their behaviour towards you; then register the complaint with the CAB.

Oh how I wished I had read these reviews before switching to First Utility.I moved from Sky through the Carphone Warehouse. I have had nothing but bother since I joined them 6/7 months ago on an 18month contract. The internet speed is not just slow, at times its non existant.When it does work, it constantly buffers or loses connection completely.I am now at the stage of cutting my losses paying up for the remainder of the contract and moving to someone more reliable. Be warned stay clear of First Utility Broadband or anything else to do with them for that matter.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

I don't believe that First Utility have the technical capability or business acumen to offer a broadband service. They fail miserably on aspects of delivery and support. They should be avoided at all costs. I would also add that no organisation that I am aware of can take so much negative reports without attempting to even investigate the criticism. I firmly believe that we have been conned.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Not too bad until you decide to leave.£15.00 cease fee and £35.00 charge if you don't send their router and wires back within 30 days.

• Satisfaction
  2 stars
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  2 stars

Been stuck with them for over a year. Broadband speed very slow (8mbps - should be getting 35+). They said there was nothing wrong with it. Eventually I got fed up and paid for BT put in another line. BT coming down at 35 - 45 Mbps. turned out the First Utility engineer had split the wires when connecting the service which led to their dodgy speed. First utility customer service not interested so I paid up the contract and left. Absolutely useless customer service, terrible broadband - I will never use them again.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

We are very unhappy with first Utility I would not recommend them at all. We always have interruptions to the service . Very slow internet speed and have always had trouble with the service and go hours without internet. We have complained but they have not helped out at all or even give us reasonable advice. They have actually been rude and unhelpful. My advice is to avoid first utility, I can’t wait until I am out of the contract so I can change provider. I would not stay with first utility even if they were giving it free as it is completely useless. We only surf the net we are not gamers and are not heavy internet users . So avoid FIrst Utility. .

This company broadband is RUBBISH please AVOID AVOID, If you planning to switch broadband to the First Utility may face huge financial debt If you terminate a contract, or you may get stress until the end of the contract. I don't recommend First Utility broadband.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

The broadband kept cutting out so we would have periods throughout the day when internet wasn’t available. This happened nearly every day over the 12 months we were with First Utility. It was also slow. They blamed other households using internet but we have never had these issues with the other 4 providers we have used. So could not receommend this company

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  2 stars
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

One star is too good for this company, took out a contact with these cowboys in September and have had nothing but problems. Had no service with them for a week and a half when the broadband went live, the router they gave us looked like it had came from a kids toy box was so flimsy and just absolutely rubbish, had to go buy extenders to try and get a connection in our one bedroom flat because it look about 1 hour to stream anything. Router packed in about 3 weeks into the service and they sent a new one for free which was probably the high point of this service. Highlighted the contraction issues and was advised an engineer would come out, couldn’t make the appointment and the girl I spoke with wouldn’t cancel the appointment even though I had called due to an emergency I had to leave the property. Phoned again and was told I would get a call back (this was November) they never called me once or made any attempt to call me back. I was promised money off my bill twice and found out today that hadn’t happened. I owe £96 and they have a collections company hounding me via email so I messaged them on Facebook, social media team are appalling, I was told 4 days in a row I would be contacted and it never happened. I also received a message from the social media team that was highly unprofessional, been on the phone today and now have been told nobody can deal with it because I have raised an executive complaint and went to the ombudsman. Once my contract is finished I will be going to another company!

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Changed over from EE on the 18th, changed cos it was half the price i was paying with EE, but not even a month yet and it keeps crashing, not happy, going back to EE

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  3 stars
• Speed
  3 stars
• Reliability
  1 star

AWFUL - DO NOT USE.
We swapped from Sky Broadband and it was a massive mistake.
This was 3 months ago. Wifi drops out all the time, speeds are rubbish (7mb on router, 0.5MB wireless).
Should have stayed with SKY broadband - didn't have any problems for the 5 years I was with them.
Tried to get help from them on the phone - waited AN HOUR for someone to answer.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

DONT USE. Not much better speeds than the old dial up used to be. Definitely DONT GET IN FRONT WITH PAYMENTS. I've been waiting over 4 months for money they owe me. Appalling service!

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  2 stars

I have had the Broadband contract for the last 13 months and it will finish in another 5. I have already put into my calendar that I need to look for another Internet provider.

The speed of the Internet dropped when I moved my house. I have logged in a complaint as that's what they suggested to do. Well, it sounds that they have theirs house in order however it is just to delay your decision about the change. It took me about three months, one visit of the engineer to hear that the speed of the Internet is as expected. It was such a waste of time. They have offered that I an cease my contract only for 58.5 not the full price. Well that is not a solution for me, they also said that the speed is ok even though the Open Arch engineer came and said that is is slow and the fault is on the Internet provider side.

Another problem was just at the time when I started with them. They just simply never send to me the broadband starter kit! I rang them few week after that as I was travelling and they said they will send it again. They have never refunded the days which I didn't have the Internet!

If you have a choice go to someone with good customer service and actual broadband.

Thank you.

Anna

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  2 stars
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Constantly crashing every 5/10mins. Takes me 2hrs to watch a 20min prog on now TV. They have admitted they can see it dips constantly (I've kept screenshots) yet it's still the same. Asked to send a pic of my setup....yeah my setup has worked perfectly for every other provider. Perhaps start providing the service you are paid for. Can't even get dates right on emails. Claimed I had a missed payment on Xmas Eve when in actual fact they went in on the 21st for it! Then when you screenshot emails and bank statements and send them they start slavering about 3days to clear. Avoid avoid avoid. If I can get out this contract without being hit with their RIDICULOUS termination AND cease charges I will. I'm off to citizens advice! Why should I pay to terminate a contract THEY are not FULFILLING

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

changed from virgin media was paying 48.00 a month now pay only 27.00 a month for much faster broadband glad i changed should of did it years ago everything very good and good customer service too very happy

• Satisfaction
  5 stars
• Customer Service
  5 stars
• Speed
  5 stars
• Reliability
  5 stars

was on plusnet befor useing bt hub6 worked fine wireless printer, moved to first untily router would not sink with computer when useing rj45, or wireless, but would not print wireless, technicolor tg588v2 given ttal wat of time still not printing wireless first untill cannot help as part of talk talk.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  4 stars
• Reliability
  4 stars

Appalling broad band service struggles to get 6Mbps off peak time and no more than one device can reliably connect at any time. Constant calls to customer service were totally waste of time and resulted in being told that the welcome email warned me that average speeds could be this low. I have complained to the watchdog authority and to the Ombudsman as I believe that they are mis selling their service. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU

• Customer Service
  1 star

Coming from a measured 40Mbps BT fibre to First Utility Standard Broadband.
The activation date was set for 4th of Dec 2018.
From the start the speed was comparable to dialup modem pace: 0.3Mbps to 0.4Mbps. I gave it a couple of days and it was still running those speeds. Their website insinuates they have a chat feature, giving you the impression you will be chatting to a human being, except you are not. There are only a few set responses, none of which are useful.
It is very difficult to get hold of a contact telephone number. I did manage to find an email address (broadband.support@first-utility.com). I emailed through my concerns and issue along with a screenshot of the my speed test.
On the 6th of December I did manage to find a telephone number in the end.(01926 320700). A recorded message immediately says that they are experienceing a high call volume today. I have now realised that this high call volume message is permanent, which you can draw your conclusions from. I got through to Techsupport, who unsurprisingly said it was the first 10 days of the contract and that the line would speed up.
On the 11th of Decemeber I called again and I explained to the agent the issue and he agreed the BB was running slow and with errors. Pointing out that I had reported this via email he then managed to find my email, and having seen my speed test took the opportunity to ask for a further 2 test over the course of the next two days.
On the 13th of Decemeber I called again. The agent explained that Openreach had been notified of the issue on my line and that it might take 24hrs to 48hrs get a response from them and something about we have to be sure that the line has got a problem before they have a look at things.
On the 15th of December I called again. The agent did not seem to bothered about reading the case notes, but decided to run through some troubleshooting steps. They were: Turn the router off. Reset the router using a pin. Pulling the RJ11 out of the socket. The agent then concluded there was sufficient evidence that a site engineer was required. The visiting windows of Morning or Afternoon would need to be chosen and I explained that I would need time to get home. It was explained that the engineer might call up 30mins before, but it was not guaranteed, and that if I was not at home I would be charged. Having scared me by saying I should be ‘working with’ to fix the BB issue I concluded that the agent was using the engineer visit tactic to make me feel the BB issue was moving along so I chose to change the subject and asked the agent to read the case notes of my problem; nb the first thing a TS agent should be doing before working on a problem for obvious reasons. She then changed tack and said Openreach were aware of my BB problem and acknowledged there was an issue with the line. I told her I would call back on Monday.
On the 17th I called for an update. I was told that Openreach would make a site visit, but I was not required to be present. Apparently they would walk around my street and make a visual inspection.
On the 19th of December I received an email requesting for a site visit. I need to provide 3 times of availablity and need to pay attention to TRC’s (Time Related Charges) These are charges that I need to pay so First Utility can recover any unneccessary Openreach engineer’s time. Keep in mind their first TRC is: If no fault is found at the time of appointment. Considering I came from a working BT infinity service, I suspect no fault will be found, and again I am suspicious as to why they appear to be wanting to send an engineer around other to make it appear things are moving forward with the fault.
I have reluctantly made a complaint to first utility. And will be waiting for first contact from a member of their ‘dedicated’ first utility complaints team.
Although the communication between myself and first utility has been civil, I can not help feeling this company have a typical 1990’s style of customer service. First Utility; probably not first.

Absolute worst broadband out there on the market, since i’ve signed up a month ago my broadband has been crashing every few hours we’re lucky to have 6 hours of internet a day before it goes down, customer service is absolutely appalling would definitely not recommend and looking to switch very soon.

So angry with that company. Internet not working 5days. They said someone will come today to look it from 8-13 i called them to say that no one not came and they answer that i ha e to wait more 2 days to see if internet will come back to broadband and then if nothing will be happening they will send someone. I'm so angry as we paying 34.99£ per month and it's only second month we are with them. Disgusting service!!!

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Beware - Be Warned. These sharks offer a £19pcm deal. Once installed they slow you down deliberately then offer their more expensive faster service - they operate a no contact 'service' too - avoid as you would the plague.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

On the 24th October 2018 i cancelled my broadband account due to unforeseen circumstances. The account was only opened within 14 days of cancellation so i should have had a cancellation free of charge but i didn't.
I understand that there is a 30 day cancellation period, so my account was cancelled on the 24th November and i was told i could pay my final bill from then. I phoned yourselves as i had not received an email with my final bill and was told that i would get it on 5th December instead for £266. Today, 5th December, i still have not received a final bill so i called you again and was told the bill had not yet been produced. How long does it take to produce a bill!?

Meanwhile, i was receiving emails from yourself stating i owe £72 to recover my account, if not debt collectors will be at my door. I do not want to recover my account as i personally closed it. When i called and asked about this, no-one really knew what i was meant to do, whether i needed to pay it or wait for my final bill...

I have now been told i will receive my final bill around the 19th December which will include the £266 cancellation fee, plus £20 usage fee and possibly plus the £72, which has randomly been added!

Every time i have called to speak to someone, i have waited over half an hour and never got an answer by the first person i have spoken to, My average phone call with you is usually around an hour long... absolutely ridiculous!!

So now, 6 weeks after i cancelled my account with you, I am still waiting my final bill! All i want to do is pay you and yet i am receiving hate mail stating that you are sending round debt collectors when i do not even know what i am meant to be paying yet!!

I am 19 years old and on minimum wage, I hope you feel very proud of yourselves for making this such an horrific experience for me! I will be taking this further, as i am absolutely fuming!

Disgraceful company!

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  2 stars
• Reliability
  2 stars

Very very disappointed that companies like this exist these days. The customer service is shocking and they use outright fraud to retain customers who find them out.
Look for reviews and talk to a customer service rep before committing...trust me...this is the first time I ever feel angry with a company as I feel defrauded.
First Utility were due to install broadband on 5th December. By which point I'd had a little contact with them to try to arrange an alternative installation date, and realised that they were incredibly aggressive, arrogant and inflexible. The individuals I dealt with weren't the root cause, I felt they wanted to help but referred to 'our policies don't allow us to do this' or 'I'd get hung for this', etc...
Anyhow, the day the line was due to be installed the engineer couldn't install it and said first utility should have known this as this engineer mentioned there were challenges installing this line in our postcode.
So I ended up being charged for internet without internet!!!
So I phoned them expecting some apology or action, and what I got was too late, that's always a risk and we will install it when we get a chance, when pushed, they said a couple of months at best. In the meantime, I'm expected to pay for using my non existent broadband.
I then said this is shocking, I would like to leave first utility to which they said you will have to pay £136.60 early closure charge. I calmly explained the 14 day returns policy to which the response was, oh that won't work because first utility start the 14 day counter 15 days before you get your broadband!!! I said you're having a laugh to which he explained, it's probably not fair but my hands are tied. Is this not fraud? I hope this review helps you. I am fighting this out of principle and have joined virgin media who got everything working within 2 days and start the 14 day returns counter AFTER you get the service.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

This is dreadful .so many bad reviews why is no action taken they just don't care I was put onto this by carphone warehouse won't deal with either ever again .18 months of no hope .

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Impossible to contact first utility via email or their pathetic online 'chat' thing. No matter what you ask, it always comes back with "I'm sorry, i'm not trained to answer that"
My monthly DD was supposed to be £18.99, after 4 months into the contract they upped it to £19.00 without saying a word to me. Regret going with this shabby company.

• Satisfaction
  2 stars
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  4 stars
• Reliability
  4 stars

Really impressed so far, no hassle setting up and really fast speed considering it's only standard package

• Satisfaction
  5 stars
• Customer Service
  4 stars
• Speed
  5 stars
• Reliability
  5 stars

Anyone who is looking to switch to first utility broadband please don't they are the worst internet provider ever. I have been having problems from day one and still have.I wish i read reviews before i joined, but its too late now.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

moved from plus net no broadband for 7 days I was told it was my socket and line in house, funny how it all worked with PlusNet. the ip not valid router issue was told Openreach would look into but it router issue not line fault,
so will leave go back to plusnet

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Have been with First Utility for Gas and Electricity for around 4 years and never had a problem so was happy to take their Broadband. Get close to 80Mb on fibre at a great price. I have been with them for nearly 2 years now and service still great and price still the same, haven't seen a big price rise at end of first 18 months. Would thoroughly recommend.

• Satisfaction
  5 stars
• Customer Service
  5 stars
• Speed
  5 stars
• Reliability
  4 stars

Was very dubious joining this company for broadband after reading the reviews. But I went ahead anyway and well. What can I say. Faster speed than I had with sky. Reliability is brilliant. Online gaming has become fluent and no disruption at all. I highly recommend first utility !

• Satisfaction
  5 stars
• Customer Service
  5 stars
• Speed
  5 stars
• Reliability
  5 stars

I guess it was policy to restart my contract with the company when I moved address so I shouldn't really hold that against them. But it has only gone downhill since then. The person who administered the move told me that it would be a new, 15-month contract (which ill come back to).
Internet was intermittent for months at my new address. It should have been around 25-30mbps but was more like 3mbps. After months of complaint and finally threat that I would leave, they finally pulled their socks up and started asking OpenReach to come over and sort out the issues.
They agreed to recompensate me for the really poor service for I think what was around 4-5 months with a month-and-a-half refund. OK not the happiest, but I accepted it was all they were willing to offer. 2 months later, I start to get emails that I was behind on payments due to the 1.5 months that I had not paid. I was a little tired of this so I asked the person on the phone how long I had left on my contract and was surprised that it worked out that I was an 18-month contract since moving and not a 15.
I asked them to investigate the conversation I had with the person who arranged for the internet to be set up at my new residence (because all calls are recorded for training purposes) and 3 phone calls later they apologise for not having followed the issue up earlier will be raising the issue and (promising this time) they will be letting me know of the outcome of their investigation. My internet speed has improved I guess so I shouldn't really complain.
Oh! I shouldn't leave out that for the period it was really bad and I threatened to leave (for the 3rd time) I couldn't receive a WhatsApp message on the wifi without it affecting another service in the house using the internet.

• Satisfaction
  2 stars
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  2 stars

Very slow broadband and First Utility are not interested in improving their broadband speeds. They tie you into an 18 month contract and they know that there is nothing you can do until your contract expires. They have no interest in improving their download speeds because of their long contracts

• Satisfaction
  2 stars
• Customer Service
  2 stars
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  2 stars

The biggest issues with the company that I've experienced are a rubbish router and poor customer service. I was paying BT a fortune so decided it was time to change providers, the second I switched to FU (how ironic) the performance dropped to zero. I'm supposed to be on the 35Mbps product, but I couldn't even get a stable connection to Netflix servers let alone actually watch a programme or film from start to finish.

I raised the complaint immediately and it took them a couple of weeks to even respond. It's clear they allocate your message to a new advisor each time you respond, as it's like you're starting again from scratch. About two months into trying to resolve and getting nowhere, I got an email from one first-class complaints advisor who stated "there is no issue". Okay mate, nice one. Another advisor stated "we can send someone around to check your hardware, but you'll probably have to pay for it". Not happening.

So this morning, granted my TV and phone are both WiFi and will have been potentially doing their own thing in the background, but I'm trying to load a webpage on my laptop and it's like dial-up over a modem in the 90s. So I run a speedcheck through a website and it gives me 0.32Mbps, absolutely laughable. I live in a 1 bed flat and the router has to be in the kitchen because that's where the master socket is, so I went and sat on the kitchen floor and to be fair, it did then manage a lightning fast 7Mbps (of the 35 that I'm paying for). I turned my TV and phone off, and ran a wired connection into my laptop, and did finally manage to get 32Mpbs out of it. Unplugged the cable and again, sat a foot from the router and with no other devices switched on except a fridge, the speed dropped to 12Mbps.

In conclusion, the router is dog-poop - this is despite the fact that the one half decent thing one of their advisors has done is send me an "upgraded" router. If this is the best they can manage, I'd a) factor the price of your own router into the deal you're looking at, or b) just go elsewhere. I considered looking up the settings and then trying to get my BT router set up to connect to their network instead, but their website is unsurprisingly rubbish and I absolutely dread the prospect of phoning them up and having to speak to them, given the experience so far. I certainly won't be staying with them beyond the end of this contract.

• Satisfaction
  2 stars
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  3 stars
• Reliability
  2 stars

I love the energy supply with first utility and moved from Sky broadband to first utility as I was told that it would be the same service as Sky but cheaper.. massive mistake as the speed is half the speed of Sky and keeps dropping out . Will move as soon as my contract is up. Complained the customer service and was told to read the contract

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

been with them for 12 months and almost no issues, the router supplied is not the best (this is same for most routers supplied by ISP's) after 2 weeks I contacted them for details as purchased my own ASUS AC68 Wifi Router, tech agent went thru and supplied PPPoA username and password (user name is simply landline numer@first-utility.com) the guy even stayed on the line until router had connected.
anyone who wishes to use own router just go thru to tech and they will assist

• Satisfaction
  5 stars
• Customer Service
  5 stars
• Speed
  5 stars
• Reliability
  5 stars

Terrible broadband connection low speed or no speed. Terrible customer service with watertight contract they will rip your pans off if you leave them

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star

Horrible service! They overcharge you for no reason. If you decide to leave after contract, they will blackmail you by fabricating some conditions which never appear in the initial contract. Don’t waste your time/money and get into trouble by joining them.

• Satisfaction
  1 star
• Customer Service
  1 star
• Speed
  1 star
• Reliability
  1 star