How to properly switch ISPs without screwing everything up

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › How to properly switch ISPs without screwing everything up - a guide by Bigpipe

BigPipeNZ

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#189264 22-Dec-2015 09:47

So we decided with all these thread flying around about the pitfalls of switching ISPs, that we would write a blog article about it - might be handy to refer back to in the future as it seems remarkably common.

http://pages.bigpipe.co.nz/how-to-switch-isps-without-ruining-everything/

If you guys have any other tips to add we'd love to hear them and we can incorporate them into the article.

It also contains this cartoon for a handy reference

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BigPipeNZ

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#1455041 22-Dec-2015 09:48

[mods = maybe this could be a sticky?]

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Coil

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#1455046 22-Dec-2015 09:52

I never really identified an ideal way to change ISP without being billed twice or how ever. Sometimes human error is unavoidable. I have seen people advise 30 days and get disconnected instantly and everything in between.
But you definitely have the most ideal way there.
I find setting disconnection the day before your billing day is best. Because your account will be closed and they cant bill you for the next month as you gave 30 days notice.

Good cartoon, I see you are qualified in Photoshop like me.

BigPipeNZ

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#1455051 22-Dec-2015 09:57

TimA: I never really identified an ideal way to change ISP without being billed twice or how ever. Sometimes human error is unavoidable. I have seen people advise 30 days and get disconnected instantly and everything in between.
But you definitely have the most ideal way there.
I find setting disconnection the day before your billing day is best. Because your account will be closed and they cant bill you for the next month as you gave 30 days notice.

Good cartoon, I see you are qualified in Photoshop like me.

MS Paint 4 Life

(that's a good tip - although if that happens then at least it won't be a chorus disconnection (since that order will be blocked due to the Open service order from Bigpipe),
At worst it will be just your current ISP removing you from their radius - which should be easily reversible within a few minutes.
And that's also why we recommend requesting it via email - so you have it in writing and there can be no argument about the date and exactly what you wanted if you have to escalate back to them)

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Coil

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#1455085 22-Dec-2015 10:12

Hi,

Just remembered a big flaw in what i said.
Dont say to an ISP "I am disconnecting in 30 days." Because they will put through a relinquishment order and chorus will get confused and probably disconnect you.
Always say, "I am reassigning."

Oh wait, Thats right they keep the line intact and charge you another month.

But dont worry, The contract they write covers you there as you provided the required notice.
Dont worry, You need a PHD in Chorus to know this.

BigPipeNZ

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#1455121 22-Dec-2015 10:35

TimA: Hi,

Just remembered a big flaw in what i said.
Dont say to an ISP "I am disconnecting in 30 days." Because they will put through a relinquishment order and chorus will get confused and probably disconnect you.
Always say, "I am reassigning."

Oh wait, Thats right they keep the line intact and charge you another month.

But dont worry, The contract they write covers you there as you provided the required notice.
Dont worry, You need a PHD in Chorus to know this.

good point - although provided you wait until your new ISP has placed the order, then it doesn't matter. They can't over-ride the transition order on the line, so cannot place a disconnection with Chorus

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Coil

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#1455125 22-Dec-2015 10:38

BigPipeNZ:
TimA: Hi,

Just remembered a big flaw in what i said.
Dont say to an ISP "I am disconnecting in 30 days." Because they will put through a relinquishment order and chorus will get confused and probably disconnect you.
Always say, "I am reassigning."

Oh wait, Thats right they keep the line intact and charge you another month.

But dont worry, The contract they write covers you there as you provided the required notice.
Dont worry, You need a PHD in Chorus to know this.

good point - although provided you wait until your new ISP has placed the order, then it doesn't matter. They can't over-ride the transition order on the line, so cannot place a disconnection with Chorus

Good point, Forgot about the Open Service Orders how they block everything else.
So the question is, Can you get that service order created before they can contact their old ISP?

Bee

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#1455126 22-Dec-2015 10:38

I tried very hard last time to avoid being charged twice and still failed. IMHO The 30 days notice should be sent from the winning ISP or else the commerce commission should deem this behavior unethical and anti competitive...
Spark don't do support by email anymore so that was probably where I failed. I submitted a complaint form to give 30 days notice but I didn't get a copy of that as proof at all.

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#1455131 22-Dec-2015 10:43

Bee: I tried very hard last time to avoid being charged twice and still failed. IMHO The 30 days notice should be sent from the winning ISP or else the commerce commission should deem this behavior unethical and anti competitive...
Spark don't do support by email anymore so that was probably where I failed. I submitted a complaint form to give 30 days notice but I didn't get a copy of that as proof at all.

the issue is that not all ISPs require 30 days notice (we don't). So it would require the GSP (gaining service provider) to know the ins and outs of every other ISPs contractual terms to manage this process properly.

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jnimmo

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#1481854 30-Jan-2016 15:45

Wow impressive service - ran out of data on my old Snap plan last night, they said they couldn't change me to unlimited plan until the next billing cycle change (10th Feb)

I've been considering changing ISPs for a while, so emailed BigPipe support this morning (Saturday) (I had an order for UFB in but that is going to take several months due to shared driveway situation) - anyway, 3pm today the connection was switched to Bigpipe. I forgot to request a Static IP but that was done about 5 minutes later after I sent another email.

mattwnz

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#1481864 30-Jan-2016 16:22

I don't think it is a good idea to email the old ISP to say 'You suck'. Maybe it is tongue and cheek. But I believe in always being pleasant and courteous to the front line people you are dealing with. They also don't need to know the reason for moving. Also emailing isn't necessarily the best way to do it, because they could claim they never got your email, and some ISPs never reply to emails. Always phone and also send an email to confirm what you discussed, and record date, time, and name of person.

Also the link in the blog post doesn't work. #Deadlink

BigPipeNZ

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#1481875 30-Jan-2016 16:56

mattwnz:

I don't think it is a good idea to email the old ISP to say 'You suck'. Maybe it is tongue and cheek. But I believe in always being pleasant and courteous to the front line people you are dealing with. They also don't need to know the reason for moving. Also emailing isn't necessarily the best way to do it, because they could claim they never got your email, and some ISPs never reply to emails. Always phone and also send an email to confirm what you discussed, and record date, time, and name of person.

Also the link in the blog post doesn't work. #Deadlink

yes, it is supposed to be tongue in cheek - we're not suggesting you actually email the exact words in the cartoon. (hopefully that is obvious from the cartoon style)

Yep email and phone makes sense. Email is good because it leaves a digital paper trail. All too often a phone call leaves no record and a dispute can come down to he said/she said. With an email, clearly written and replied to, there can be no argument about your request. and apart from anything else, you don't want to be wasting your time for an hour on hold with the ISP you are leaving, and arguing with their 'retention' team. So email first. If no response, then try a phone call.

Yes, they don't need to know the reason for you leaving, but when our customers leave we appreciate them telling us why they are leaving so we know if we're doing something wrong we can fix it.

It's a good idea to let them know that you are switching ISPs rather than just disconnecting - it reduces the chance of them just immediately disconnecting you.

Thanks for letting us know about the link. We've recently shifted the blog to a different site, so I have now updated it with the correct link.

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