Phoneline/internet out after storm - Telecom being less than helpful

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Phoneline/internet out after storm - Telecom being less than helpful

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1080p

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#842013 23-Jun-2013 18:15

openmedia:
1080p: Would you expect your energy supplier to run you an extension lead from the sub station if a storm took down your power lines?

Yes

I really hop you are kidding. This is a ridiculous expectation. A storm that takes down power lines normally does a lot of damage that requires repair. You calling them up demanding power would seriously exacerbate the situation.

kyhwana2

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#842022 23-Jun-2013 18:24

For any kind of vital stuff, 3G is plenty good enough to do internet banking, etcetc.

quickymart

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#842056 23-Jun-2013 20:26

I wonder if the OP will return to this thread?

dwl

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#842109 23-Jun-2013 21:57

kyhwana2: For any kind of vital stuff, 3G is plenty good enough to do internet banking, etcetc.

I totally agree than 3G is enough for vital stuff if it keeps operating. This was a major event - we lost power for 51 hours with the phone line holding up for over 12 hours (died when cabinet battery probably drained) and the local Telecom 3G site held on a bit longer but also died, effectively killing all our communications - they both came back when still major power outages on the road so Chorus/Telecom may have brought in generators.

At one stage I tried to ring Telecom and the first message I got was experiencing high call volumes with wait times in excess of one hour so I hung up and left them to it. I think all service providers (power, fixed line, cellular) have done really well under very challenging conditions. This should be a warning to have a Plan B and probably a Plan C (if B is only one local cell site) as this won't be the last time there are major service disruptions. This may require going to where the service is available rather than having it provided to you.

mattwnz

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#842124 23-Jun-2013 23:13

It all depends on peoples supply agreements. For residential supplies I presume Acts of god like storm damage are excluded from any compensation packages, such as free mobile broadband, so it is a case of just waiting patiently for the provider to fix it. If a service is critical to you, then you should get a special SLA with your provider, if they provide one. Alternatively temporarily relocate to another area while it is fixed. I know someone in Wellington who has been without power and has temporarily moved.

mattwnz

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#842125 23-Jun-2013 23:14

dwl:
kyhwana2: For any kind of vital stuff, 3G is plenty good enough to do internet banking, etcetc.

I totally agree than 3G is enough for vital stuff if it keeps operating. .

3G is faster than some peoples normal broadband internet connection is some rural places in NZ.

AndrewMac

83 posts

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#842284 24-Jun-2013 12:04

tumnasgt: Reading my post I can see how I could come across as a "spoilt child". The main reason I got frustrated is that I had originally been told that it was possible to get a data allowance on a T-stick to get by with, and then after being diverted to find out if the same allowance could instead be applied on a mobile phone I was suddenly told that I was entitled to nothing. This week is particularly unfortunate for me to lose internet access as I have exams to study for and without internet I will have to drive 25km to university to be able to study.

Another member of the household has called up separately and been offered 1GB of data, and moving their mobile to another plan of the same cost which bumps them up from 500MB to 750MB as well has having 150 minutes instead of ~50. As the other person wanted to confirm with me before accepting the Telecom rep will call back tomorrow to confirm. While the offer isn't perfect, the 1GB offer along with the suggested plan change is much more useful than a simple $10 credit.

Thanks to the Telecom staff that were able to help find a useful solution, it would be great if all of their staff would go to the lengths to find a helpful solution (and have the power to do so).

the plan change was from a grandfathered plan to a new one, so they were just being brought up to date - good thing for the rep to do but not something that can be done with every customer, for sure

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michaelmurfy

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#842285 24-Jun-2013 12:05

quickymart: I wonder if the OP will return to this thread?

I'd say he ran out of Mobile Broadband.

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pjamieson

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Chorus

#847507 30-Jun-2013 21:06

I respect the people in Wellington going through such an issue, but I can Assure you there have been a lot of people working as hard as they can to return service (to unprecidented levels), and in the end all you have under the CommComm regulated UBA service is having a commitment to your restore time within 4 hours and that restore time being achieved.

Also it's up to Telecom whether they service your outage through a network they happen to have, regardless that the outage was through another network they don't control. Would you expect another Service Provider that doesn't have a mobile network to do the same thing and if so would Telecom be accused of being a monopoly/anticompetitive etc???

sbiddle

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#847522 30-Jun-2013 21:46

As of Thursday it's about a 10 day wait time for outages still in Wellington, there is so much work backlogged.

Bung

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#849446 5-Jul-2013 00:16

At mid-day Mon 1st I sent an email advising that the aerial to the house was damaged but we still had service. By the time I reached the car there was a TXT advising the time a service person would be in the area and when I got home 6 hours later the aerial had been replaced. I don't see how the service could have been better.

sbiddle

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#849461 5-Jul-2013 05:59

Just as an update there is still a significant backlog of work in Wellington for Chorus, 200+ connections still down was the last figure I heard.

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