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.


LambdaPanda

4 posts

Wannabe Geek


#175454 30-Jun-2015 14:26
Send private message

We have been getting increasingly frustrated trying to have Fibre installed at our new office through Spark.
It seems that it is utterly impossible to get a straight answer, a reasonable estimate or any follow up/customer service. Emails go unanswered, phone calls only have a 50% success rate when wanting to talk to someone (leaving messages never gets a call-back). When we do get any word, we're given false promises and no follow-up as promised.

Does anyone here know where I can go for help? It seems there's a lack of anyone to talk to except for the business hub people.

Our timeline:
Thursday May 7th:
Initial call with Spark
They seemed pretty keen
Gave us a timeframe of approximately 3 weeks for up and running

Friday May 8th:
Recieved sign-up forms
Filled in paperwork, and sent back to Spark contact

Thursday May 14th:
Got confirmation back that our application was 'in process'

Thursday May 21st:
Spoke to Spark guy on the phone. I was told that our application was with the 'Fibre Team', and that he had no additional info, other that our application was in the design phase. I asked if Chorus had done their initial site inspection (since I had no knowledge of them being on site), and was told that this had already been performed and our application was close to being past most of the hurdles.

Tuesday June 2:
Requested an update to the status of our connection - No reply

Wednesday June 3:
Managed to speak on the phone to Spark contact
He mentioned that the process was being held up by the consent process

Called our building manager - they had no recieved any contact from Spark or Chorus.
She reported that she was all too happy to sign anything and send it back immedately with no fuss.
Had her fill out an additional consent from based on an old one and sent it to our Spark contact in hopes of speeding things up.

Thursday June 11:
Sent an email to Spark contact hoping to get an update - No reply

Thursday June 18:
Emailed requesting an update - No reply

Monday June 22:
Chorus guy onsite at our new premises
He claims to be doing a site inspection for the floor above our office
Since he was there, we get him to inspect our floor too
We give him another copy of the consent form proactively

Tuesday June 23:
I managed to get Spark contact on the phone.
He reports having Chorus onsite is positive and says he will follow up in the morning and email me back

Wednesday June 24:
No email or contact back from Spark contact
Sent another email to Spark contact, but did not recieve any reply.

View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2
networkn
Networkn
32349 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334165 30-Jun-2015 14:46
Send private message

I understand your frustration I have 3 clients who waited over 18 months for their MDU to be hooked up to UFB, another who had it done inside of 2 months, and one who has been waiting on traffic management for a 1 way busy street in Auckland for 6 MONTHS!



lxsw20
3552 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #1334172 30-Jun-2015 14:50
Send private message

We moved into our High Street, Auckland CBD address August last year, we have just in the last week had UFB installed. It took about 6 weeks to get a business fiber connection in. Just the way it seems to be. 

timmmay
20574 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334174 30-Jun-2015 14:57
Send private message

UFB can take months to get installed - my residential install took 8 months after I applied, which was a couple of months after it was available. You just have to keep on them, and posting on social media like here and Twitter may help. Problems are to be expected with a massive national rollout.

It's just an internet connection. If you already have one that works, great, don't great rid of it. Fiber is better, faster, more reliable, but it's still just a bit pipe.



SparkNZ
31 posts

Geek

Trusted
Spark NZ

  #1334177 30-Jun-2015 14:59
Send private message

Hey OP,

 


That sounds pretty rubbish :( do you want to pop us a PM with your account or reference number so we can see what's going on?

Fibre installs are a definite concern for the industry right now -- we've been pretty unhappy about aspects of it for some time, but we're all working together to try and make things function better.

 

Sorry for the hassle

Cheers! ^Sam 




We are Spark. We're about delivering what our customers want: Mobility, data, music, internet TV, cloud services, and much more.

Web: spark.co.nz | sparknz.co.nz
Facebook: fb.com/spark4nz
Twitter: @sparknz | @sparknzltd
Broadband: 0800 22 55 98
Mobile: 0800 800 163 | *123
General: 0800 800 123 | 123
Media enquiries: 0800 222 412


networkn
Networkn
32349 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334178 30-Jun-2015 15:01
Send private message

SparkNZ: Hey OP,
That sounds pretty rubbish :( do you want to pop us a PM with your account or reference number so we can see what's going on?

Fibre installs are a definite concern for the industry right now -- we've been pretty unhappy about aspects of it for some time, but we're all working together to try and make things function better. Sorry for the hassle

Cheers! ^Sam 


Great Response! It's nice to see a problem acknowledged and being worked on. Great job!


LambdaPanda

4 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #1334212 30-Jun-2015 15:35
Send private message

SparkNZ: Hey OP,
That sounds pretty rubbish :( do you want to pop us a PM with your account or reference number so we can see what's going on?

Fibre installs are a definite concern for the industry right now -- we've been pretty unhappy about aspects of it for some time, but we're all working together to try and make things function better. Sorry for the hassle

Cheers! ^Sam 


PM Sent.  Cheers.

richms
28168 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334273 30-Jun-2015 16:13
Send private message

Fiber installs need to be like power upgrades are.

Vector send the property owner a letter saying that they would be replacing the poles. They attached the relevant legislation that says they have legal rights to access to do the work.

They did a letterbox drop a week before it saying that they would have to block the driveway up on a certain day to get machinery in to replace the pole, and to move the car out to the street in the morning before they arrived. And another card to say that the power would need to be turned off on that day, and if the meter-board was inaccessible or inside they would not be able to turn it back on till they had access to it.

They turned up, did the work, and left. No consent needed. No opportunity to hold the process up.




Richard rich.ms

 
 
 

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.
Tockly
346 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #1334314 30-Jun-2015 16:45
Send private message

richms: Fiber installs need to be like power upgrades are.

Vector send the property owner a letter saying that they would be replacing the poles. They attached the relevant legislation that says they have legal rights to access to do the work.

They did a letterbox drop a week before it saying that they would have to block the driveway up on a certain day to get machinery in to replace the pole, and to move the car out to the street in the morning before they arrived. And another card to say that the power would need to be turned off on that day, and if the meter-board was inaccessible or inside they would not be able to turn it back on till they had access to it.

They turned up, did the work, and left. No consent needed. No opportunity to hold the process up.


Where do I sign to make this happen for Fibre?? The current install process is a joke. I am about to hit month 4 for my install, it just shouldn't take this long.




 


ghettomaster
387 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #1334321 30-Jun-2015 16:53
Send private message

Tockly:
richms: Fiber installs need to be like power upgrades are.

Vector send the property owner a letter saying that they would be replacing the poles. They attached the relevant legislation that says they have legal rights to access to do the work.

They did a letterbox drop a week before it saying that they would have to block the driveway up on a certain day to get machinery in to replace the pole, and to move the car out to the street in the morning before they arrived. And another card to say that the power would need to be turned off on that day, and if the meter-board was inaccessible or inside they would not be able to turn it back on till they had access to it.

They turned up, did the work, and left. No consent needed. No opportunity to hold the process up.


Where do I sign to make this happen for Fibre?? The current install process is a joke. I am about to hit month 4 for my install, it just shouldn't take this long.


This comes back to the "critical infrastructure" argument though, and while internet access is now a basic human right, FASTER internet isn't. So long as something that can get you online is coming into the house, even over the airwaves, your basic human right is covered.

sbiddle
30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod
Trusted
Biddle Corp
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334329 30-Jun-2015 17:02
Send private message

People complaining about 3-4 months with no install have a right to complain, but the very real world reality is that these sorts of timeframes are perfectly normal. I'd go as far as suggesting to anybody who wants UFB that any expectation of an install in anything but a residential SDU (with no ROW issues) in under 6 months should make them happy.

SDUs are very simple - my home for example would have been scoped and completed within 10 days in May (had it not been for my being away) and these sorts of timeframes are what is happening every day for many installs. Start to involve a MDU of any sort and things just get blown way out for various reasons.



networkn
Networkn
32349 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #1334381 30-Jun-2015 18:40
Send private message

ghettomaster:
Tockly:
richms: Fiber installs need to be like power upgrades are.

Vector send the property owner a letter saying that they would be replacing the poles. They attached the relevant legislation that says they have legal rights to access to do the work.

They did a letterbox drop a week before it saying that they would have to block the driveway up on a certain day to get machinery in to replace the pole, and to move the car out to the street in the morning before they arrived. And another card to say that the power would need to be turned off on that day, and if the meter-board was inaccessible or inside they would not be able to turn it back on till they had access to it.

They turned up, did the work, and left. No consent needed. No opportunity to hold the process up.


Where do I sign to make this happen for Fibre?? The current install process is a joke. I am about to hit month 4 for my install, it just shouldn't take this long.


This comes back to the "critical infrastructure" argument though, and while internet access is now a basic human right, FASTER internet isn't. So long as something that can get you online is coming into the house, even over the airwaves, your basic human right is covered.


I'm sorry what now?! Human Right? Internet? Are you kidding?



DarkShadow
1647 posts

Uber Geek


  #1334382 30-Jun-2015 18:47
Send private message

Tockly:
richms: Fiber installs need to be like power upgrades are.

Vector send the property owner a letter saying that they would be replacing the poles. They attached the relevant legislation that says they have legal rights to access to do the work.

They did a letterbox drop a week before it saying that they would have to block the driveway up on a certain day to get machinery in to replace the pole, and to move the car out to the street in the morning before they arrived. And another card to say that the power would need to be turned off on that day, and if the meter-board was inaccessible or inside they would not be able to turn it back on till they had access to it.

They turned up, did the work, and left. No consent needed. No opportunity to hold the process up.


Where do I sign to make this happen for Fibre?? The current install process is a joke. I am about to hit month 4 for my install, it just shouldn't take this long.


Tell the government here. Submissions close 24 July.

http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/technology-communication/communications/broadband-policy/telecommunications-infrastructure-deployment/land-access-for-telecommunications-consultation


Cbfd
307 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #1334417 30-Jun-2015 19:30
Send private message

As a designer for a UFB area mdu/mucs and ROWs take the longest due to consent process - and i dot think the new bill will change that much to make things faster imo

mdf

mdf
3512 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

  #1334458 30-Jun-2015 21:08
Send private message

sbiddle: People complaining about 3-4 months with no install have a right to complain, but the very real world reality is that these sorts of timeframes are perfectly normal. I'd go as far as suggesting to anybody who wants UFB that any expectation of an install in anything but a residential SDU (with no ROW issues) in under 6 months should make them happy.

SDUs are very simple - my home for example would have been scoped and completed within 10 days in May (had it not been for my being away) and these sorts of timeframes are what is happening every day for many installs. Start to involve a MDU of any sort and things just get blown way out for various reasons.




I'm still waiting for my scoping visit 5 weeks after lodging the initial request. Plain residential install. My ISP did say it would be 4-6 weeks so I haven't chased them as yet. But if it should be done in 10 days, should I be harassing them?

Aredwood
3885 posts

Uber Geek


  #1334510 30-Jun-2015 22:28

sbiddle: People complaining about 3-4 months with no install have a right to complain, but the very real world reality is that these sorts of timeframes are perfectly normal. I'd go as far as suggesting to anybody who wants UFB that any expectation of an install in anything but a residential SDU (with no ROW issues) in under 6 months should make them happy.

SDUs are very simple - my home for example would have been scoped and completed within 10 days in May (had it not been for my being away) and these sorts of timeframes are what is happening every day for many installs. Start to involve a MDU of any sort and things just get blown way out for various reasons.




My connection was completed in exactly 1 week. From placing order via Snap website, to having working internet via fibre.





 1 | 2
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page 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.