Buisness phone/internet services... and card terminal things

[Deluded]

Myself and the missus are currently setting up our own little shop buisness. The phoneline is completly disconnected (as in no dial-tone) and so we need to get BT to come out and reconnect it.

Being a shop premesis, do we have to get a "buisness" package or will phone companies install a "home" service?

BT want £106+vat one off then £14+vat per month line rental. I have found plenty of other companies that will halve the line rental and some even wavier the one off installation fee but they are all "home" services.

Also, the same for internet really. Will companies insist I have to have an overpriced "buisness" internet connection or will they let us install a "home" package?

We wont be making use of multiple lines or complex extention systems, just a simple dial in, dial out phone (also connecting a card machine to) and a simple net connection so I can sit on here all day whilst we have no customers!

Last but not least, Card terminal/merchant things for accepting cards. Does a company exist out there that doesnt have a stupidly expensive setup fee? All of the companies I have found (including most banks)have a setup fee of atleast £250, some upwards of £500! Plus then £15ish rental per month ontop of that. That pays for a hell of alot of stock!

Fair enough with the rental, but the setup fee is stupid, considering that they take a percentage of every transaction aswell. Can I buy ANY secondhand terminal and use it with any service or will I need to buy a specific spec'd model?

Many thanks!

[arfur]

you are pretty much stuffed on the phone line, but internet is no problem, just give the address and not the business name. as to card services, streamline are usually competitive...