Different Broadband Supplier

[dezt]

Has anyone in the Cleo area moved their broadband away to someone else but kept the Westfield Center as their SIMS support?

 

If so how difficult is it to do?

 

Also, who have you gone with for broadband?

 

If you had to go with someone else for SIMS support, who was that?

 

Thanks in advance.

[ICTDirect_Dave]

You can come to us for broadband quotations if you like. We have a number of competitive packages we could offer.

[SchoolsBroadband]

Has anyone in the Cleo area moved their broadband away to someone else but kept the Westfield Center as their SIMS support?

 

If so how difficult is it to do?

 

Also, who have you gone with for broadband?

 

If you had to go with someone else for SIMS support, who was that?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi Dezt,

 

same here. We've already moved quite a few schools away from CLEO. We don't do sims support ourselves but we've plenty of IT partners that we know that can. They'll also give you a discount from their normal prices if you say we passed you onto them.

 

Do send me a PM if you want to get in touch.

 

Thanks

 

Dave

[ticker]

I know quite a few schools around the preston area moved with a company called Virtue Technologies, they were offering a like for like service to what One Connect/Cleo offered. i.e. boardband, filtering, email, moodle and A/V.

For SIMS support you could go direct to Capita.

[Cache]

Out of Interest, has lancashire recieved the CLEO charges for 2013/14 yet or is it just Cumbria that's left high and dry waiting?

[jcollings]

We don't use virtue for broadband but they did do our meru install and I found them to be an excellent company

[dezt]

@Cache as far as I know, we haven't had any prices through, but i've heard rumors there may be a price rise of anything up to 20%, how true they are is another thing.

[Cache]

Thanks @dezt, had been told there would be a small increase.

 

Wonder if we'll get April for free then since it's the last day tomorrow with no charges?

[RichCowell]

We went with Virtue Technologies, as we've worked closely with them for quite a while on other aspects of the network/upgrades etc. but have stayed with The W.C. for SIMS Support, mainly because we missed the deadline for giving notice...

 

We'll be looking at alternatives before the renewal date comes, there are two options I'm thinking of at the moment, one is a company through Virtue, the other will be directly with Capita...

[dgsmith]

Just had our renewal through.. almost double (95% increase) on the broadband costs.. already looking at alternatives!

[ticker]

has anybody else been given there schools pricing from OCL for this year, i did notice in this months newsletter from them, they said costs for broadband had finally been released. I thought it would be about 50% at most. @dgsmith so what has yours gone from to if you dont mind me asking.

[Cache]

Wow, that's one hefty increase!

 

Meanwhile, here in Cumbria I'm still waiting.....

[dezt]

We got ours through today, can't believe how much it is, SBM told me to get prices in for moving away.

 

OCL don't help themselves with our broadband, 4mbs download and 3mbs upload today on speedtest

[klingklang]

Not had our pricing through as yet but taking tentative steps looking elsewhere ie schools Broadband Rm Broadband etc .

[ChrisH]

Yes it's gone up and we budgeted for a price rise as hinted earlier on but not for that much and we didn't expect the final figure through after April when all the budgets have been set!

[sammy42]

I came accross this thread yestarday and was slightly shocked by some of the quotes about how much it had went up. so i went to our finance department who i may add had not had the bill through. The finance dept chanced OCL for the paperwork and suprise we had been missed of the email list. they sent it over late yestarday and we were informed that it has been capped so as not to push the price up two high. If this has been capped i would hate to see if it had not been capped it has went up 61%. I would not be so annoyed if we were giving some notice of how much the increase would have been in january so we could aim off to find another provider. I would think my SLT will be saying get us out of this soon what a way to do business.

 

sorry for the rant i cant believe the LCC has went in to partnership with these people.

Edited May 21, 2013 by sammy42

[ticker]

Like everybody has said it a massive hike and you have to question the quality of service and developments. When i spoke to our Business Manager she indicated we have no chose but to pay it as it has come so late in after budgets have been set.

[ticker]

Also wonder whether it would be useful if a lot of Lancashire schools are looking at an alternative provider, that we could pool together as a group and maybe get a better discount. I know this was done at the start of this year with a group of 6 Lancashire schools and Virtue Technologies. Edited May 21, 2013 by ticker
spelling

[RichCowell]

I'm happy to talk about my experience moving away from OCL if anyone wants to PM me - it looks like we were lucky moving when we did last year, but if what people are saying is true, and that this years prices have been capped with a 50%+ increase, it looks like now's the time to be getting away from them before they remove the cap next year...

 

There's a lot to consider, but we've had no regrets...

[dgsmith]

this years prices have been capped with a 50%+ increase

 

Our's hasn't been capped.. not when the price doubled! Rich, would you mind sending me a PM with your experience moving away and how you found the process, anything to be aware of etc?

[dezt]

@RichCowell could you also PM me your experience of moving away as well if it's not too much trouble, we are really trying to get things moving quickly on this.

 

Cheers

[SchoolsBroadband]

Also wonder whether it would be useful if a lot of Lancashire schools are looking at an alternative provider, that we could pool together as a group and maybe get a better discount. I know this was done at the start of this year with a group of 6 Lancashire schools and Virtue Technologies.

 

 

 

Hi folks,

 

FYI we do a 10% discount for all primary schools on recurring rentals for broadband + filtering + security if 3 or more schools in the same geographic area sign up at roughly the same time.

 

PM me if interested

 

Dave

[RichCowell]

Our's hasn't been capped.. not when the price doubled! Rich, would you mind sending me a PM with your experience moving away and how you found the process, anything to be aware of etc?

 

It is pretty shocking... not sure how they can get away with such significant increases after the contract period has started...

 

PM'd you )

[RichCowell]

@RichCowell could you also PM me your experience of moving away as well if it's not too much trouble, we are really trying to get things moving quickly on this.

 

Cheers

 

No trouble at all, PM sent )

[Dos_Box]

Please note that we shall have both Schools Broadband and M247 exhibiting at the conf in Preston next Thursday if anyone from the CLEO region needs to meet them in the flesh. Please remember to register first though if you have not already done so.