Direct Save Telecom broadband review 2024

Dan Howdle • July 26th, 2024

Direct Save Telecom might not be a household name, but it has been a broadband provider since 1999. It offers some pretty low-cost, no-frills broadband deals, framing itself as a budget provider. DST is also one of a handful of providers that doesn’t require a credit check when you sign up to a deal – useful if you’re worried about bad credit.

But you’re not really saving much if anything compared to the bigger providers, and you’re certainly getting less. And with its plethora of Full Fibre options for those who can get it now being actually more expensive than larger mainstream providers, what does Direct Save actually have going for it?

Overview

Broadband speeds

Download speeds

The entry-level deal offers an average of 11Mbps, which is enough for browsing the web, sending emails and streaming. But this is a standard broadband service which won't be enough for most households anymore, and will only be offered to customers who can't get anything else.

Our guide to broadband speed will help you work out which speed is right for your needs.

on top of that, Direct Save offers tow standard fibre packages of 35Mbps and 63Mbps. And if you're lucky enough to live somewhere where Full Fibre is currently available, you will also be presented with 40Mbps, 80Mbps, 115Mbps, 220Mbps, 550Mbps and 1000Mbps broadband packages. Note that if you can get Full Fibre, the standard fibre options won't be shown to you. All providers are doing this right now because they want their customers on the best technology currently available. Being on Full Fibre now also offers you a more straightforward upgrade path should you need more speed.

For most households, 35Mbps is just about sufficient. Because it’s fibre, it doesn’t get as congested as a copper network. These speeds should handle most applications, such as streaming and online gaming. But as time goes on, even basic fibre speeds are starting to feel rather slow when it comes to downloading games and other intensive applications.

Upload speeds

Of course, these figures refer to download speeds, not uploads speeds. Upload speeds will generally be lower, but are critical for those who want to share large files, such as photos and documents.

Direct Save’s standard broadband offers upload speeds of 1Mbps. With its 35Mbps fibre product you get upload speeds of 9Mbps and the 63Mbps plan comes with average upload speeds of 17Mbps. These speeds are on a par with most other providers.

When it comes to its Full Fibre packages, download/uploads are 40/10Mbps, 80/20Mbps, 115/20Mbps, 220/30Mbps, 550/75Mbps and 1000/115Mbps.

Router and installation

Router

Direct Save Telecom has some of the most confusing router offerings of any provider. It offers four different routers which couple with various package levels, types of broadband and speeds. You will get either a RTLQ3 FTTH, UK33 FTTH, UK33 DSL or RTLQ3 DSL routers depending on which package you pick. None of these routers are particularly premium, but they will do the job they're intended for.

We're far bigger fans of providers who offer one good router across the whole range of packages, and are clear about its specifications.

Installation

Direct Save doesn’t charge a fee for a telephone line activation, and promises to offer a reduced rate for new line installations. It should only take up to two working days to activate an existing telephone line.

All Direct Save’s broadband packages come with PAYG calls as standard. You can choose to bolt on Evenings and Weekends calls or Anytime calls an an extra charge.

If you’re taking out a broadband package, there is no installation cost if you agree to a 12-month contract. But if you take out a no-contract agreement, there is a one-off charge to pay.

Direct Save says it takes just a few minutes to sign up and the actual time between signing up and an account being activated is between 14 and 18 days. Broadband will be activated on the same day in 70% of exchanges, while others might take 5 to 10 days.

Customer service

Direct Save boasts about its UK-based customer service team. This can be reached on 01923 709709 between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm at the weekend. There’s also an option to fill in a form on their website to request a call back.

Unfortunately, the company is not covered by Ofcom’s reports on telecoms complaints, so it’s difficult to compare it to other providers. But several online review services feature complaints about billing, provision and the conduct of customer service agents.

In the absence of Ofcom’s official figures, it’s difficult to treat this as conclusive. But it remains grounds for concern.

Direct Save lets you save money by paying for a year’s line rental in advance. Although it claims its monthly line rental is still cheaper than BT’s.

Direct Save was once one of only a few providers to offer broadband services without a credit check, asking customers to pay their first invoice before they go live on the service.

Deals and offers

Unlike other providers who offer television packages or free app subscriptions, Direct Save is lacking in such extras. This is except for a free ‘Discount Club’ membership that gives you discounts with a number of retailers, hotels and utility companies. You can see a few of Direct Save’s latest deals below:

Open Fibre Networks Limited

Direct Save Telecom has also partnered with a company called Open Fibre Networks Limited (OFNL). This is a private company that offers voice and high speed data connections to homes and businesses in the UK. You’ll need to use the postcode checker at OFNL first to see if you can get a OFNL connection.

If your area is served by OFNL then you can benefit from speeds fast Full Fibre speeds, but such partnerships only add confusion to what is already an overabundant range of packages, speeds and technologies. Direct Save needs to streamline its offering, in our opinion. Getting to the bottom of exactly what it offers and to whom is a chore even for experts like ourselves. We can only imagine who impregnable the range is to the average customer.

Be aware though that this is very much only an internet connection. You won’t be able to get content from media providers such as Sky, Virgin or TalkTalk as part of your Direct Save Telecom/OFNL deal. However, you will get enough broadband speed to simply get a separate deal for your entertainment and then stream it.

Our final verdict

If you’re looking for a low-cost service, then Direct Save Telecom may be up your street. But it lacks many of the bells and whistles associated with its rivals. On the upside there are savings to be made if you sign up for the Discount Club.

To get the best deals you will need to sign up for a long-term contract and there are hefty disconnection charges in certain circumstances. Concerns about customer service might offset the positives.

Our verdict is that unless you are desperate to minimise your bill and don’t care about frills, you may still be better off elsewhere.