Orcon customers beware!!!

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Orcon customers beware!!!

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305 posts

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#653088 9-Jul-2012 17:43

simonh200:
freitasm:
simonh200: If you use an area code from your land line for a local call Orcon will charge you a toll call- quite possibly a breach of the Fair Trading Act, even though they state this in their terms & conditions.

Note that some numbers even though sharing the same prefix are not in the same local call area. You will have to put this into perspective as well.

Hi Mauricio, yes I am aware that there are different toll call regions within an area code. This is not the case with me- I am only referring to calls made locally, not calls within the 09 Area code that are actually tolls, such as Great Barrier Island etc.

I find it interesting that rather than justify this policy with anything plausible, Cam from Orcon could only say that other ISPs do it as well, as if this makes it any more acceptable. The other ISPs I contacted- Telecom, Vodafone & Telstra Clear don't do it. And whether the line I happen to be on is a resold Telecom line or not is entirely irrelevant- I don't recall Orcon ever telling me that I would be on a resold line, so look out for errant billing irregularities.

Quite simply, when I requested a refund, I should have received one. I shouldn't have to pay for Orcon's flawed billing system.

Hi Simon.

To clarify, in my original post I did explain that it was due to the way the technology works that if you dial the area code in front of a local number the toll switches may interpret that as a national call. I didn't use the fact that there are other ISPs in New Zealand that face this problem (as has already been pointed out by other users), but pointed it out for reference only to show that you were not alone in experiencing this problem.

Again, this is not just an Orcon issue as evidenced by some of the other posts in this thread. That said, in this situation I would be more than happy to work something out for you. Feel free to send me a PM with your account details and I'll look into providing a credit for some, if not all, of the calls from the previous month that would have been local if you had not dialed the area code.

Sincere apologies for any confusion, I hope that this information is helpful.

Cheers,

Cam

simonh200

14 posts

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#653098 9-Jul-2012 17:58

Hi Cam, thanks for the offer but I actually want to be refunded for all of the local calls I have been charged for, not just the previous month. This situation goes back 6 or 7 months. Such a shame that after trying for 3 months or so to get my money refunded, I only get an offer when my situation is aired on a public forum?

simonh200

14 posts

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#653102 9-Jul-2012 18:18

Cam, I couldn't help but notice that you refer to this issue as a "problem". Why then, in all of my correspondence with Orcon, was this "problem" referred to as "legitimate charges", and that I was not entitled to a refund?

richms

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#653105 9-Jul-2012 18:24

Well its clearly a problem for you as you have made this thread.

Richard rich.ms

mattwnz

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#653107 9-Jul-2012 18:34

simonh200:

Mattwnz: find it odd that you work for Orcon but use Telecom as your ISP? Speaks volumes, that.

I think you have got me confused with someone else, as I don't work for them.

simonh200

14 posts

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#653109 9-Jul-2012 18:35

Indeed. Just rather tired of being treated poorly by ISPs. This thread wouldn't exist on my account if Orcon had just done the right thing in the first place. Interestingly enough Vodafone are facing a huge fine for breaching the Fair Trading Act:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/110237/vodafone-faces-big-fine-after-breaching-fair-trade-act

It is only forums like this that give us ripped off telco customers a means to share this information with others, and I have only stated facts.

richms

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#653110 9-Jul-2012 18:38

I dont consider you ripped off. If you used a calling card for a local call would you expect them not to charge?

Richard rich.ms

Equinox IT

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simonh200

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#653111 9-Jul-2012 18:40

Entirely different scenario. I'd only use a calling card in the absence of a national calling plan.

old3eyes

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#653124 9-Jul-2012 19:02

richms: By dialing an areacode on a telecom wholesaled NEAX obsolete junk like it gets passed off to your toll provider. They have a cost in processing that call and handing it back to telecom so it shouldnt be free as your deal for the free local calls is with your PSTN provider, not your selected toll provider.

Non NEAX junk lines manage to sort this out, but that might be because all the other line providers arent offering a choice of toll providers.

You got a bee in your bonnet about he Telecom NEAX exchanges??

Regards,

Old3eyes

mercutio

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#653129 9-Jul-2012 19:14

simonh200: After I discovered this was happening with Orcon I checked around- Telecom, Vodafone & Telstra Clear assure me that they don't engage in this practice. I am now with telecom and they definitely don't do this, as it was one of my requirements before joining them. And once again Cam, the fact that the line is "resold" is not only irrelevant to the consumer, we are not privy to this information anyway. So not only is the practice unfair, it is inconsistent.

i've found it can list calls but not charge if you add prefix on other providers.

wmoore

510 posts

Ultimate Geek

#653132 9-Jul-2012 19:21

Sorry not sure if any one has mentioned this...But my question is

Why were you putting an area code in front of a local call in the first place ?

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." -
-- Abraham lincoln

simonh200

14 posts

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#653135 9-Jul-2012 19:31

Habit, mainly. I saved all of my most used numbers into my home land line handset & as some of these were in Wellington, I added an area code in all cases. We live in a mobile culture now so using an area code is just second nature. And my point is, this shouldn't be a problem. I'd expect my ISP to have technology at the exchange enabling them to distinguish a local call from a toll call.

mattwnz

20141 posts

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#653160 9-Jul-2012 20:36

wmoore: Sorry not sure if any one has mentioned this...But my question is

Why were you putting an area code in front of a local call in the first place ?

If you redial a missed call on a caller display phone, it will add the area code too. The fact that telecom don't charge though would indicate that not all providers do charge or have that problem.

insane

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#653215 9-Jul-2012 22:08

simonh200: Habit, mainly. I saved all of my most used numbers into my home land line handset & as some of these were in Wellington, I added an area code in all cases. We live in a mobile culture now so using an area code is just second nature. And my point is, this shouldn't be a problem. I'd expect my ISP to have technology at the exchange enabling them to distinguish a local call from a toll call.

I've always dialed the area code when calling local calls too, never given it a second thought and would never expect to be charged for it as a toll call.
It's a bit like how all my mobile phone numbers are prefixed with +64 for NZ numbers, I'd be enraged if I was charged international rates by doing that.

Psitec

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#653247 9-Jul-2012 23:16

This is purely a coding and dial plan configuration on the soft switch. A bit of time and possible developers could easily rectify the issue.

personally cannot agree that it is a technology issue.

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