I am now into my second month of using Sure IOM after changing from Manxtelecom and so I thought I would do a blog about my experience.
SURE INTERNET PAGE
Sure has branches elsewhere so you need to put in Isle of Man to get to the correct site if you live here, once you do that, just bookmark it to take you back there. The page is orange and the writing is white on that colour, other wise it is the usual black and white. I found it easy to navigate around and the information is clear and easy to understand. There are the usual sections, advertising products and services, again these are clear and easy to understand. There is also a very clear FAQ section and the site also includes how to contact. Once you have a MySure account, log in is easy and this section was by far the best of its type that I have used as it is, those words again, very clear and understandable. I congratulate Sure for this.
SURE SHOP
If you have never been into the Sure shop on Strand Street, it is worth taking a look at. From the point of view of a disabled person it is more welcoming and better set out than the MT shop. It is well lit and the music level is okay. The information desk or welcome desk is centrally located and each time we have been in some one has been on it to welcome you. As you go in the desks are located on the left hand side and this is where you get customer service in the shop, this also leaves plenty of room for those who need to look around or wait to be served to do so. As I am Autistic I like the fact that the noise levels are not beyond my coping range and there is, on times that I have been not too much visual things on like televisions. I further like that information is clear and leaflets well displayed and within reach and they are easy to understand. The reason why I am mentioning this here is because I feel that if you don't feel comfortable in a place you are unlikely to purchase from or use the services they provide. I need to add here, that as it can get very busy it is advisable to try and make an appointment with Sure as this will save you from waiting. We were lucky as it was early morning, I did however notice that others had done so and were advised to do so.
MOVING FROM MANXTELECOM
After I had shown my latest bill from Manxtelecom, they showed me a "bundle" which would include the same internet speeds at home as well as mobile internet to a certain limit and the same mobile calls and text messaging that we had with Manxtelecom, but because they were shared (the mobile bits) it meant they were within my budget.
I went to Manxtelecom to see if they could match what Sure had proposed and while the person we saw was okay with us, they really didn't seem interested and said that the deal they had would be a lot more. After finding out that we were free from our contract and that we had a lot of credit on the account, I thanked them and left to return to Sure to ask if we could set things up to move across to them.
CHANGING OVER TO SURE
It does take about an hour to move over to Sure as there is a bit of "paper work" and other things to do, so be prepared for that.
Rather than being "pushed" into something I was impressed that the person helping listened to what we thought we needed, our price range and our need to have a standing order. They then, showed us the correct match for us which we were delighted with. After that we went through things, which included keeping our telephone numbers (which were "ported" changed from MT to Sure Service) and being told we would get a new router for the home internet which would arrive in about 10 working days (it actually took less than that to do so.
Once the mobile telephone numbers had been ported over, (as you can chose to keep your telephone number or get a new one) which due to MT took some time, due to the response from MT to the text message for the port, we had new sim cards put in and these were tried to make sure all was okay with them.
Naturally we had to provide proof of identity, bank details and the last bill from MT to show the state of our account. So just be prepared for that.
We were also told that due to the date of our changing over that our first bill would be higher to take into account of that (so be prepared for it) and that after that it would be as we agreed on signing the contract which was for 2 years, with an increase each year aligned the RPI which is similar to MT.
This was a lot easier than I expected and a lot less. stressful as well.
INTERNET CHANGE
We received an email from SURE to ask us to inform them when we had the MAC Code from Manxtelecom, so that when that was here we could connect to the internet using Sure not MT. The router from Sure arrived within a week of it being ordered which was a surprise. The MAC code from MT came a few days later and I sent an email to Sure informing them of that fact so that the change could be done.
The only problems that we had with this were due to Manxtelecom, cutting off the internet without warning and nothing to do with Sure. With the help of a nice lass, we were able to get the internet back up running and what is more thanks to her help, rather than the connection being something complicated she guided us into having a better connection and password for that, something MT had never done.
CUSTOMER SERVICE & HELP
Through out the whole of this process the Customer service given by the staff that we had dealt with has been great. Perhaps a little bit more training on Hidden Disabilities as I need a bit extra time to understand things, but that is only a minor thing. When I have asked a question it has been answered by the person I was dealing with at the time which impressed me and I have told others how great it is. As an example; I could never remember my mobile number from MT so I went and asked about changing it and the young lad I had helping me said it wouldn't be a problem and we went through a few numbers and I now have one that I know and is easy to remember. There are other examples I could give, this one however is enough.
BILLS
I have set my bill to come through email as I always do with my bills. I have just received my first bill and as expected it was larger to take into account when I moved across from Manxtelecom. I used to find that the MT bill could be quite confusing, this bill from Sure was better set out with each part of the usage and costing highlighted. The type face used, for me was also very good and I think it would be for anyone who has sight differences. I particularly liked that the help section was included in the main set out and you don't have to hunt for it.
SINCE MOVING TO SURE
Internet at home: The internet at home has been very good, I am getting speeds better than I ever got with MT and I have tried it at various times of the day.
Mobile: No problems with making or receiving telephone calls while we have been out and no drop out either.
Mobile Data: I am new to using this, with help from the team at Sure I have been able to use it again without any problems.
CONCLUSIONS
I really hate change and only do so if completely necessary at to do so there is also the fact that I am extremely loyal to businesses, so it was hard for me to even think about making a move away from Manxtelecom. To be fair to them some of the staff, particularly in billing have been very good and that was one of the reasons why we remained with them. With some exceptions, the shop staff have not always been the same and lately it has been 100% of them who are 'just doing their job".
So now we come to the difference that Sure is. As the store is the first point of communication, the staff need to be good as that is the first impression you have of the business and the people in it. Our experience with them has been very good and that has meant that when I've been unsure of things I didn't feel uneasy about going in to ask for help. The store staff have always been very kind and patient not only with me, but I noticed it was the same with every customer and I also noted that customers were dealt with quickly, without being rushed. Everyone we have spoken to have had the same impression.
On the telephone, which has been my other point of contact has been excellent, unlike my recent experiences with Manxtelecom, there is a "joined up" approach and the people I have spoken with have been very kind and understanding of my disability and have kept "tech- terms" to a minimum for me. The problems (not caused by Sure) that I had with the internet connection was dealt with so well I was actually smiling as I told others about how good it had been.
To balance I would say that perhaps a little bit of training on dealing with disabled people, particularly with Hidden Disabilities, would make things a bit better as some staff didn't seem to take that into account. Then you can not expect perfection can you?
Before we moved to Sure we had asked others what they thought and each one of them, said it was worth doing and they had had a good experience with them. There was little negativity about them, which is why we went into see them and ultimately why we have moved across.
So would I based on my experience honestly say to another to move to Sure? My answer is yes, I would do so.
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