Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


DeviantX

12 posts

Geek


#92778 5-Nov-2011 14:22
Send private message

I am going to publicly complain, for the first time in my life.
The reason... The atrocious customer service I have received at the hands of Orcon.

The reason I am going to waste my time doing this is in the hope that anyone considering signing up to this service reads my post and changes their mind.

The saga begins.

Earlier this year while I was overseas I first contacted Orcon in regards to joining, the only things I made sure of were

A) I would be connected on a certain date. This was imperative as I was relying on my business to be run from this location

B) 1 Month after I joined I would be able to move my Naked ADSL 2 line from Address A to Address B 

Being assured that both were possible I signed up 1 month before the connection date to make sure everything would be in place.

It wasn't.

1 week after the pre organised connection date I was still waiting. 
2 weeks went by before I was connected.

At this time I decided to make sure the connection would be able to be moved on time to address B
SHOCK HORROR Orcon could not in fact provide me with Naked ADSL 2 at this address. 

They could how ever provide me with a phone line alternative. (bearing in mind I had previously been told I would be provided this service) After asking them to cancel my contract I was told I would have to pay a substantial fee because they could not find any record of the conversation in which I was told I would be able to have naked at address B.

5 + phone calls to various people an hours wasted proved useless and I was defeated. Still requiring internet I signed up to a phone service.

2 weeks later Orcon released Genius

I called to enquire and was told I could get Genius at my address
ARE YOU KIDDING ME. 2 weeks previous I couldn't get naked ADSL but now I can? 

They couldn't tell me this was the case on the phone?

I order Genius. Genius comes late. Many wasted calls later Genius arrived and is all connected. SO LONG FIXED LINE

The billing was screwed up and I ended up being billed twice the amount I should have during the course of the coming weeks.

After more wasted time on phones to a less then helpful call center it becomes obvious that not only are the call centers useless but they also can't keep notes properly which means I am constantly explaining why I am calling every time I call. Apparently I can't talk to billing directly to get them to sort it out.

Eventually the problem is resolved..

Enter the happy time in my Orcon experience.

Genius works well. Billing goes smoothly. Life is good.
One day I am looking on the Orcon FAQ in regards to the O-Zone (this is un metered access website zone) Fantastic, Free data is good data.

Listed on the FAQ: WHICH SITES ARE INCLUDED IN THE O ZONE?
• Orcon's Steam and gaming servers

I'm not a gamer, Never have been but I like free stuff and after investigating exactly what Steam was I thought hey, why the hell wouldn't I..

Downloaded Steam and proceeded to purchase 2 games
Portal and Metro 2033

I made sure Orcons Steam server was selected in the properties and proceeded to download.

My usage for the day went up 12 GB

I called to find out what was going on and asked that this be rectified. I was asked which files I had downloaded and had I used the Orcon steam server in the properties. etc etc..

To cut a long story short, 10 + calls and a month later this issue has still not been rectified. I am still being billed for this data. Every time I call someone tells me someone else is looking at it and have asked this question or that question. Things like, Was I using the Orcon steam server at the time...

YES and I Have clearly explained this in the last 10 conversations I have had.

we are talking about $20 worth of data here. But that's not the point. If I had charged Orcon for the time I have spent on the phone trying to sort this issue out during business hours at my hourly rate they would owe me double what I owe them in the cost of the bill.

And not once have Orcon contacted me. Every single time I have called for an update I have been told something along the lines of. "It says here billing wanted to know if you had the Orcon steam server set in properties"

1) YES FFS and 
2) if billing wanted to know this, Why didn't they call me and ask. ORRR READ THE F#$KING ACCOUNT NOTES

If I could I would rid myself of Orcon for good but apparently I am still contractually bound and would have to spend umpteen billion dollars trying to get out of it.

At the end of the day I feel like Orcon should let me pay whats owing and allow me to remove myself from their custom

And for any of you who have read this far and are thinking about joining I urge you to reconsider. I have gone grey dealing with this company.

Below I have added a Sad Kitty to add drama.


 

Create new topic
freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79289 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #541470 5-Nov-2011 16:33
Send private message

This comment won't help you with your problems, but...

I don't believe there's a single call centre in this country that can properly record notes of conversations - either they can't, or they won't or the CSR can't be bothered. After all time is money, and the rational must be "why waste time writing things, seeing the call is gone, all the timers are reset, so we need to keep our great record of case closed."

Yes, I have this thing. My wife says I only see the bad side of these things, but I can't really imagine there's a good side in a call centre these days.

I'm sorry if there's a call centre employee reading this and you think you are the exception. Unfortunately the exceptions are too little in number to be noted it seems.

It's not personal, I believe the whole system is "configured" in a way that gives call centre people no way to deal with things the way they should. The communication between people are completely broken down, there are no systems in place to reconcile activities and faults and no follow up processes.

But hey, I have only been saying this for the last six years...





Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSync 




xpd

xpd
Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13767 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #541596 6-Nov-2011 08:05
Send private message

For the Steam data issues, each Steam content server is not guaranteed to hold everything - so you might get Game A from the Orcon server and not incur any data use, however Game B might not be cached on the Orcon server yet so Steam connects to one outside of the O-Zone and you get data used - "some" games have partial data cached on Orcons server so it might show you the Orcon logo etc, but not all the data is coming from there because their server hasnt finished caching it yet.

Unfortunately there isnt anything Orcon can do about this, its just the nature of the beast.
Ive been caught out myself for a few GB here and there.




       Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

 

                      LinkTree

 

 

 


DeviantX

12 posts

Geek


  #541616 6-Nov-2011 09:10
Send private message

XPD while I appreciate your input. The reality is, like I explained. I didn't even know what steam was until I read the FAQ section in which it states Orcon Steam and gaming servers are zero rated. I then followed the steps as provided by Orcon to make sure I was on the Orcon servers

No where in the FAQ does it provide a disclaimer where by data can't actually be guaranteed.

Clearly Steam isn't zero rated and shouldn't be advertised as such. 



freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79289 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #541618 6-Nov-2011 09:12
Send private message

The TelstraClear web site on this topic is great, with clear (no pun intended) information. Check the page and click on right side "Know the risks" and the FAQ.







Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSync 


DeviantX

12 posts

Geek


#541619 6-Nov-2011 09:19
Send private message

If I wasn't locked into a 12 month contract that would potentially be relevant. 

I suggest Orcon follow suit and create a similar page for their customers.


freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79289 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #541620 6-Nov-2011 09:20
Send private message

DeviantX: If I wasn't locked into a 12 month contract that would potentially be relevant. 


It's relevant so that you and others can learn exactly how the cache works, regardless of provider.
 




Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSync 


DeviantX

12 posts

Geek


  #541622 6-Nov-2011 09:25
Send private message

I get where your coming from and thank you for pointing myself and other users in the right direction.
What I should have said was in this instance it's too late. Orcon should do a better job of pointing their customers in the right direction to avoid this kind of thing from happening in the future.

Not that they care at all about their customers.


 
 
 

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.
vexxxboy
4244 posts

Uber Geek


  #541666 6-Nov-2011 12:42
Send private message

it can be done simply and without fuss, Snap has the same deal with Steam but people were having the same problem of there data counting, So Snap apologised, explained what went wrong , what they were doing to get it right (download every game so it is cached) and then saying if people were caught out give them a ring and they would see what they could do in correcting it . so its not hard to provide good customer service , some isp's just cant be bothered




Common sense is not as common as you think.


NZCrusader
646 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #541800 6-Nov-2011 21:25
Send private message

@ OP. It isnt worth all the fuss for a nDSL connection.


Just go with a Telecom business / residential connection.

They are usually quite good in terms of performance & support.

Splatty
94 posts

Master Geek


  #541806 6-Nov-2011 21:37
Send private message

The Telstra FAQ and information regarding Steam is very good. Well done. The Orcon FAQ page should point to it, telling people to substitute "Orcon" for "Telstra".... oh hang on, then you'd get Orcon people wanting TV3 on Demand ;)

quentinreade
351 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted
2degrees

  #542013 7-Nov-2011 13:36
Send private message

Hi all,
We have now updated our O Zone FAQs to make it clearer that we can't guarantee that you'll be downloading from our server.
FYI - we almost have a full catalogue of games now.
DeviantX, apologies from me and Orcon for your experience. It sounds like it's been well under the level we hold for ourselves. If you can PM me with your account details we'll make sure it's all sorted for you - and again, apologies for the hassles.
Thanks,




Comms chap

 

2degrees


brookz
215 posts

Master Geek


  #542737 8-Nov-2011 18:20
Send private message

Any chance you could PM me about people still unable to ring my home phone almost 2 weeks after being connected to Genius lite?

quentinreade
351 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted
2degrees

  #543002 9-Nov-2011 10:17
Send private message

@brookz Have you logged a ticket with us? If so, what's the reference number? We can follow it up for you. Cheers!




Comms chap

 

2degrees


Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.