Broadband packages that some providers are offering on broadband comparison sites might well appear attractive at first. However, before committing to what might seem to be an unmissable bargain, it is strongly recommended that full terms and conditions are thoroughly checked out first.

A promise to keep monthly charges low, for example, might well be outweighed by high set-up costs, or by a contractual obligation to purchase the broadband provider’s own expensive modems or routers. Alternatively, such lower monthly costs may only be available for the initial few months of the contract, with subsequent monthly payments being far less competitive.

Likewise, any extras offered free by certain broadband providers may not be worthwhile if the contracts are long and the monthly rates relatively high.

The offer of a free laptop, for example, might be restricted to one of the cheaper, less powerful models with fewer features and relatively low memory capacity. If the package costs more per month than those offered through other broadband deals, and involves a long contract (of, say, 24 months or more), it might be worth checking whether it would be cheaper to buy the laptop outright and switch to a less expensive broadband provider.

Similarly, offers to bundle an expensive broadband service with free add-on extras such as a premium multichannel TV package may only be worthwhile should the customer actually intend to make full use of the TV service on offer; it may be that a cheaper TV multichannel service, together with cheaper broadband provision, would be more beneficial.

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