Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

Hi all,

I moved from England to the US in 2010, and am moving back to the UK, specifically Manchester in the summer.

Some quick questions:

Who are the best providers these days for mobile phone coverage, fast/reliable internet, digital TV etc?

What would you say are the biggest changes for life in England vs 6 or so years ago?

I use Amazon with prime shipping a LOT in the US... this means I get free shipping on almost all items, and they arrive in 2 days, is this the same in the UK?

What are the best/biggest apps you use on a regular basis for convenience? Shopping, restaurant finders, Netflix, buying or selling used items (Gumtree?) other?

When I left, Tesco was probably the biggest supermarket. I hear Aldi has grown a lot... is Sainsburys and M&S still a good option? What's your supermarkets of choice?

What other services do you use on a regular basis? is Uber really popular over there too?

Thank you.

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

Take a deep breath.
Slow down.
Move to the UK.
The changes since 2010 are probably not huge.
The supermarkets are probably mostly located just where they were six years ago.
Me, I like Waitrose, Tesco and M&S for food shopping, but that's just personal choice.

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

Haha. No stress here, I just find the research side fun. I'm weird that way.

I like your shopping options. Thanks

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

I wouldn't say that I can't live without it. And it won't apply if you aren't moving to the London area, but the bus countdown app is incredibly handy. Mind you, if as your username suggests, you are headed to Manchester, perhaps it's like Nottingham, way ahead of London with countdown indicators on every single bus stop, not just some of them.

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

Amazon Prime is next day delivery here, not 2 days.

HTH.

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

We use M&S, Tesco and Lidl for food shopping, ASDA for certain things, usually a home delivery once a month.

BT and SKY for phone, speed depending on just where you live, but fibre is very fast.

Ebay and Preloved for buying/selling, mobile we have EE and Vodafone. Being pensioners we use the bus, it's free.

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

Cant wait for M&S food and tesco/sainsburys...4 weeks and counting!

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

haha, same. My wife is from the US, and has put distance to M&S as one of the top 5 priorities for where in Manchester we choose to live :p

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

I mainly shop at Morrisons, but also Lidl and occasionally Iceland for frozen stuff.

BT stuffed us around so much that we ended up getting all our communications through EE (I think they used to be Orange). Landline, TV (SKY sports, entertainment and movies are through the EE box/NOW), unlimited internet, unlimited UK calls to landlines and mobiles, unlimited landline calls to Australia (some other countries are also included but I only call Oz). 55 pounds a month but it goes up to 70 pounds in a few months.

I live quite happily without apps, so no help there.

I shop online a lot, usually from individual online UK stores, and everything I've ordered has arrived within a couple of days, often the very next day.

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

Obviously she has impeccable taste! I have secured a rental in Plymouth which is a 5 Min walk to work and M&S is just across the road :lol:

Re: Which services, apps, etc can you not live without?
 

We switched our internet to BT a year ago and they were a real pain in the toe to set it up. Took weeks and I've heard that isn't unique. A friend said they took three months to sort her new phone and internet connection out!
Now it's all sorted we find them competitive on costs and the speed is OK but not great for a rural area. It was faster and better with Virgin and we'll hopefully move back to them once minimum contract with BT is done even though they are slightly more expensive.
Personally we use a mix of Tesco and M&S as they are the ones on our commute route. There's cheaper supermarkets but they cost us more in time and petrol to reach. Many now have a price promise so you get a voucher or refund if the same goods cost less at their competitors.
I tried Amazon Prime and Netflix UK versions and gave up both after the first free month, there was enough watchable stuff for me with the Freeview channels. I did recently buy the DVD set of Game of Thrones though ;) Amazon delivery is good in the UK, even to remoter areas like mine. If you buy more than £15 worth of books you get free delivery anyway.
My favourite apps are based around daft games and photography so very hobby specific. I like Etsy for shopping for hand crafted stuff. :)
Biggest changes I've seen in the last six years in my area are the increases in population, unemployment, crime and industrialization of the countryside. House prices are down though as a result, you can buy a detached house with large garden these days for what a one bed flat costs on the south coast.