Beware of The Next Big Thing

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Beware of The Next Big Thing

OnlineGamer

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#30934 26-Feb-2009 10:56

Beware the total krap coming from Slingshot. "The Next Big Thing" (NBT) (The 'ADSL2+' package) is anything but, just another sucker play by a company with an already questionable rep.

They will blurb and hype to you on their web site, in order to sucker you in "Full speed up and down. The Next Big Thing utilises ADSL2+ technology allowing a potential 24Mbp/s!"

Well, the truth is about the same, as you also have the 'potential' to win a million on Saturday.

I have had "The Next Big Tird" for over a month..(presumably since 18 Jan 2009) I called 22 Feb 2009 to ask what I am paying $80 a month for, as my speed has not gone above what its always been (5mbs/down 1m/up)

A few techs talked to me then, they did the 20 questions, they did the "we will flush you cache here' , you do the same leave modem off for 10mins. I left it of for 1/2 hour. Then did the rip apart your system and put it back together again, they did the reset modem and IP address. Then we did speedtests at multiple sites, then net flushes (netsh) then we did trace route and path ping. The we check my router and they are unsure why my router says my line speed is 22Mbps+ but my actual speed is still ADSL1.

In the end after an hour or so, they stated they have no idea, how quaint! and will shoot it to Vodafone. Oh JOY! in the queue pile for SS problems with Vodafone.

I called again today (26 Feb) and they say its 'fixed' (at the same exact speed its always been before "The Next Big Tird", no change from when I called the first time)

Funny thing is, a mate of mine came over and reconfigured my modem to his ISP's account and got 14Mps/sec download. Configured back to SS and got 5...Wait..didn't SS blame the speed on my phone line?

Run away screaming from this one people, no mater what their resident marketing con-artist ScottH states. (Must be taking a course at Telecom on deceptive but 'legal' marketing, probably straight A's)

So I will just pay my $80 for the same speed I was getting at $49.95. (less 1GB off my traffic cap, and no off-peak data) WHY am I not surprised?? Or maybe I will have the 'potential' to not pay it at all. But I'm also stuck there on contract until Feb 2010 so they can bend me over and stick it to me until then, unless I want to give them even more money for nothing for breaking contract.

If your looking for the 'potential' of ADSL2+ , steer clear of this (yet another) deceptive company..

Cheers

Ragnor

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#198228 26-Feb-2009 15:44

Many factors are involved in a user's perception of ISP "speed" from the sync speed, to backhaul, to ISP caching and capacity.

Did you do any speedtests, download measurements or tracerts?

Balchy

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#198233 26-Feb-2009 15:57

Ragnor: Many factors are involved in a user's perception of ISP "speed" from the sync speed, to backhaul, to ISP caching and capacity.

Did you do any speedtests, download measurements or tracerts?

Dude, did you even read the post - they did all those things.....

I don't really have a solution otehr than to say - change ISP's - I just changed back to xtra from SS and it was the best thing I ever did - torrents gone from 9kbs with SS to 100-200 with Xtra - still not great speed but I am a fair distance from the exchange and am waiting for my cabinet to be upgraded

For billions of years since the outset of time, every single one of your ancestors survived, every single person on your Mum and Dads side, successfully looked after and passed onto you life. What are the chances of that like?

OnlineGamer

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#198254 26-Feb-2009 19:11

If I change before Feb 2010 (as stated above) they are gonna charge me an arm and a leg for breaking the contract. Besides the fact to get NBT you have to dump your Teleon landline and go with them. So it would be another huge and expensive hassle to get a phone line from them again, Pretty well stuck here now because I trusted, never should of, screwed again! My own fault I guess.

Ragnor: Many factors are involved in a user's perception of ISP "speed" from the sync speed, to backhaul, to ISP caching and capacity.

Did you do any speedtests, download measurements or tracerts?

All done as stated above, they checked everything. Kinda strange that a mate of mine using my modem, my phone line and my computer gets a 14Mbps connection to his ISP. So, Sorry this just show me that SS is so totally full of poo-doo they could fertilize the North Island.

All ScottH (SS Marketing) can say (the one that talked me into this) in the SS Forums is "Excuse me? Did we promise you something? The web sites says 'potential' of 24Mbps". I could maybe believe this but there is NO CHANGE at all in the speed I was getting before.

And why can another ISP provide 14Mbps , but SS is still at 5mbps and states they are providing ADSL2+
Sorry, something rotten there, hope the tech and helpdesk gets sick of me.

I was with Telecom, Balchy, I changed because I couldn't handle the 1 sec interleaving in games. My areas excahnge and cabinet was upgraded a while ago (with fibre, no less). I live in the Auckland CBD and I'm 1.8KM from the main exchange.

Cheers

raytaylor

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#198260 26-Feb-2009 20:31

You should not be charged for leaving them within your contract period. Since you tested it using another ISP's account to compare, slingshot are clearly not providing the service they are contracted to and so you can walk away.

You shouldnt be asked to hold up your end of the deal if they dont hold up theirs

I'm not in the NBT coverage area so I dont really get anything above 5mbit :-(

Ray Taylor

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hellonearthisman

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#198263 26-Feb-2009 20:38

I'm sorry your having problems, but the bad language and personal attacks are not at all needed and is why you where booted from the slingshot forum. I think Geekzone also has such rules.

Did you let Slingshot know that for friend got 14mb when connected to the red network, but your accout only connected at 5mb.

Ragnor

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#198268 26-Feb-2009 21:14

Balchy:

Dude, did you even read the post - they did all those things.....

I don't really have a solution otehr than to say - change ISP's - I just changed back to xtra from SS and it was the best thing I ever did - torrents gone from 9kbs with SS to 100-200 with Xtra - still not great speed but I am a fair distance from the exchange and am waiting for my cabinet to be upgraded

I specifically asked whether he did any tests himself, not whether they (slingshot) did tests.

The reason I asked this is because I was wondering if he was saying the 5Mbit he was quoting was sync speed in the router ui or tested download speed?

raytaylor

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#198269 26-Feb-2009 21:14

I had a think about it and would be interested to know how it performs at 4am.

Ray Taylor

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Ragnor

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#198275 26-Feb-2009 21:19

OnlineGamer:

And why can another ISP provide 14Mbps , but SS is still at 5mbps and states they are providing ADSL2+
Sorry, something rotten there, hope the tech and helpdesk gets sick of me.

From what I gather you're talking about the speed in your routers ui that your connection is syncing at not a tested via speedtest or single threaded http download right?

I doesn't make sense for their to be a 9Mbit different in sync speed unless there is a misconfiguration of the adsl profile on the port for the slingshot login when your distance from the exchange hasn't changed.

It could be a cabinet issue, if fact it sounds weird you were even able to get a authenticated ppp connection with your friends login details for xtra since your line would be patched through to slingshot/vodafone equipment. I wager your router got a DSL connection and sync speed with your friends login to the equipment in the cabinet but actually didn't get a valid ppoa connection over the DSL connection.. then agian maybe it did.

Either way the more I think about it the more I suspect it's an issue related to cabinetisation by Chorus/Telecom.

Basically what I suspect has happened is your area has been cabineted by Telecom/Chorus, any ISP using Telecom wholesale's service to provide ADSL will sync to the equipment in the roadside cabinet now, this means much shorter distance, much higher sync rate. Sadly unbundled connections are just passed through to the slingshot/vodafone equipment in the exchange, much longer distance lower sync rate.

Cliff notes...

On an ISP using Telecom wholesale Equipment:
Your house >> ~2km (copper phone line) >> Cabinet >> : 14Mbit Sync Speed

On an ISP using Orcon+, Vodafone Red, Slingshot NBT):
Your house >> ~5km (copper phone line that passes through cabinet) >> Exchange >> 5Mbit Sync Speed

The disparity will be rectified when sub loop unbundling is sorted out and Orcon, Vodafone etc can install their equipment in the roadside cabinets. Until then anyone in an area that has already been cabineted and who lives more than 1 km from the exchange will be better off on a ISP using telecom wholesale equipment rather than Vodafone Red or Orcon+ equipment.

Note: I have made some assumptions about how cabinets and LLU connections work here that may not be 100% accurate.

Mattv

242 posts

Master Geek

#198279 26-Feb-2009 21:38

As raytaylor says you have every option to cancel the contract as Slingshot have not upheld their end of it. This is a simple part of the consumer guarantees act. They do have the option to try and remedy things but they have to do it in a timely manner and it would seem that has not happened. I would phone them and cancel and say you will see them in the disputes tribunal if they try to chase you for the fixed term of the contract.

hellonearthisman

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#198304 26-Feb-2009 23:34

I don't know about the contract, as Vodafone has not had time to test/fixing the problem. Have you informed the helpdesk of your recent tests?

The argument is good and if great you discovered the problem apart from the objectionable language.

LOL @RAY on speed typing.

OnlineGamer

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#198369 27-Feb-2009 12:09

hellonearthisman: I'm sorry your having problems, but the bad language and personal attacks are not at all needed and is why you where booted from the slingshot forum. I think Geekzone also has such rules.

Did you let Slingshot know that for friend got 14mb when connected to the red network, but your accout only connected at 5mb.

And I TOLD SS techs eveything..I hope these forums have an ignore list...

In the way of 'sync' speed and such..

My SS connection to speedtest.net Auckland Test 5mbs/sec down, 1 mbs/sec up
My mates connection going from my modem, my computer, my phone line (his ISP's account) to speedtest.net Auckland Test 13.98mbs down / 1.2mbps up..Thats how it was tested.

I could probably get the contact charges wavied with enough screaming but that still doesn't help the fact my phone line is now with SS so I can't change ISP's without paying a huge amount and connection disruption to Telecom. I believed thier bull-hooey now I just have to pay for it..

Enough of this, I hope I have maybe helped some other people from making the mistake of going with these con-artists .. this is not the only place these posts are.

Cheers

[EDIT MOD {RC}: Removed unnecessary comments, please read our FUG]

hellonearthisman

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#198462 28-Feb-2009 01:18

Your line is with Vodafone and the Red Network, you should have not too much hassel moving to iHug/Vodafone.

rscole86

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#198518 28-Feb-2009 12:05

Guys,

I am locking this thread, as people have gone off topic, and have decided to attack eachother.

May I remind you to read the FUG, specifically the abuse of other users.

Thanks

Ross