Re: A&A ++++
While I'm sure A+A are a good ISP, for techno junkies especially, I have to say that despite 30+ years in IT, I've found a few of the 'niche' ISPs to have tetchy call handling staff, or I caught them at the end of a long shift perhaps. Additionally, several 'niche' ISPs work a 'business hours' line, so may be closed when a residential use might need them most, on the weekend or evening, and have more limited support. I'm not pointing at A+A but smaller ISPs in general.
As for fixed IP, I'm quite disgusted that some ISPs charge a monthly fee for this, or require a user to be on a significantly more expensive type of account before offering it. I'm using a couple of landlines, one is using TalkTalk wholesale (but has none of the filtering applied, I feel sure) and the other by Primus (now calling themselves Fuel Broadband {!}) for cheap (5.99 inc) line rental and Plusnet for BB (with fixed IP for which I had an 'opt in' some years ago, but is offered at a once-only fee for new customers).
Both ISPs have UK call centres, straightforward charges, and truly unlimited usage (I added a second line, as backup, <u>when my usage exceeded 350 GB a month</u>, mostly from downloading free video podcasts on iTunes from Twit.TV, viewing webcams, or "on demand" viewing of 4oD, Demand 5, etc, as I don't work the "9 to 5" and am often asleep from 1600 to 0000).
With 750K (I think) customers, and rising, they are not without the 1% with problems over billing, installation (sometimes down to Openreach, but then again it's usually the ISPs that get the blame), or other issues. Not perfect (is any ISP?) but pretty good, and in my view a "good value ISP" (my username!).
I know for business users Plusnet has a dedicated team, on different phone numbers, and while sometimes their residential call centre is deluged with calls, (and launched a second call centre in Leeds to cope with the growth,) they seem to live up to their "open and honest" approach when it comes to problems, and respond on a range of external discussion boards, to all sorts of enquiries, rather than only use their own ticketing / social media / website methods for contact.
No doubt there will be a few Plusnet haters along any minute but FWIW, I would not have recommended them to family if I felt they were not worthy of giving a mention.