New pricing for cable packages

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#793287 4-Apr-2013 15:46

Just to add my story as I've just talked with the Vodafone guys, sounds like the 40gb plan is a 12 months contract whereas 60gb and more isn't (although really quite weird as I'm already on the 40gb so I'd be getting a cheaper deal but not getting anything extra and locking myself in for 12 months :) )

So for now I've gone with the 60gb which saves me some money and doesn't lock me in.

Also looked to switch to 100Gb to get the 100Mbps and got told it would cost $100 for someone to come and install the new modem. I'm thinking of doing it sometime soon so wanted to confirm if that fee is correct?

kharris

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#793290 4-Apr-2013 15:49

geek4me: I called the Help Desk again pleading that I was a long term customer from the days of Saturn and also an early Vodafone mobile account customer. After first saying the 12 month contract applied to existing cable customers who switched, after talking to their manager they returned with good news - I have been switched to the 60 GB plan with no contract.

Needless to say I am now a happy customer with thanks going to Vodafone for being so understanding!

Good for you for persisting. Some consistency would be nice though ay.

There is no need for them to require you to be on contract as they have no services to install, so no cost. I understand them requiring a contract if they need to recoup funds after wiping installation fees but in this case there was none of that.

Once they have those fees paid I believe you should be free from contract so you can change your services with them when you want.

Kirk

kharris

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#793292 4-Apr-2013 15:52

r2b2: Also looked to switch to 100Gb to get the 100Mbps and got told it would cost $100 for someone to come and install the new modem. I'm thinking of doing it sometime soon so wanted to confirm if that fee is correct?

Sounds reasonable. If you were on a contract they would probably wipe those fees but since you are not and they have to send the technician out you have to pay.

karit

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#793294 4-Apr-2013 15:56

r2b2: Just to add my story as I've just talked with the Vodafone guys, sounds like the 40gb plan is a 12 months contract whereas 60gb and more isn't (although really quite weird as I'm already on the 40gb so I'd be getting a cheaper deal but not getting anything extra and locking myself in for 12 months :) )

So for now I've gone with the 60gb which saves me some money and doesn't lock me in.

Also looked to switch to 100Gb to get the 100Mbps and got told it would cost $100 for someone to come and install the new modem. I'm thinking of doing it sometime soon so wanted to confirm if that fee is correct?

Never understood why they need someone to plug in a modem and ring up and say the MAC address and take the old modem back. Surely it would be cheaper to take note of the MAC address, courier it out, get the person to install it (assuming they can just enter the MAC ahead of time and have it cut over by magic if not just have the person ring up for send a txt code saying modem changed please cut over), arrange for a courier to pick up the old router the next day. Surely that would be cheaper and faster and more convenient than having to be home for a three hour window.

sonyxperiageek

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#793296 4-Apr-2013 15:59

geek4me: I just called the Help Desk. They advised me that changing from the old TelstraClear $55.95 LightSpeed 20GB plan to the Vodafone $55.95 LightSpeed 60GB plan would involve me signing up to a 12 months contract.

I am not on a contract at present. Am a little disappointed so will probably stay with my 20GB plan for now.

Do you actually not go over 20GB a month? That would be impressive! :P

Sony

Bowering

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#793311 4-Apr-2013 16:17

Hi all. I've gone to the horse's mouth to clear up the confusion for you…

The new InHome cable plans are available to existing customers who are out-of-contract on their current broadband service. To receive this lower pricing you will also be on a 12-month contract. If you have been told that there is no contract without this proper consideration then you’re lucky and we’ll be having a wee chat with the customer service rep :-)

Please also note that we’re getting a lot of calls about this offer, and that we’ve got a special team dealing with existing customers as they often have different needs and questions to new customers, and you guys are on the ball so they’re a bit swamped right now. We’re working as fast as we can to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Cheers, Gary

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ajw

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#793315 4-Apr-2013 16:25

Bowering: Hi all. I've gone to the horse's mouth to clear up the confusion for you…

The new InHome cable plans are available to existing customers who are out-of-contract on their current broadband service. To receive this lower pricing you will also be on a 12-month contract. If you have been told that there is no contract without this proper consideration then you’re lucky and we’ll be having a wee chat with the customer service rep :-)

Please also note that we’re getting a lot of calls about this offer, and that we’ve got a special team dealing with existing customers as they often have different needs and questions to new customers, and you guys are on the ball so they’re a bit swamped right now. We’re working as fast as we can to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Cheers, Gary

Could you also look at offering bundled VOIP and broadband packages over cable please as a supported package. Well aware you are offering naked cable. Thanks.

DonGould

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#793316 4-Apr-2013 16:29

Bowering: Hi all. I've gone to the horse's mouth to clear up the confusion for you…

The new InHome cable plans are available to existing customers who are out-of-contract on their current broadband service. To receive this lower pricing you will also be on a 12-month contract. If you have been told that there is no contract without this proper consideration then you’re lucky and we’ll be having a wee chat with the customer service rep :-)

Please also note that we’re getting a lot of calls about this offer, and that we’ve got a special team dealing with existing customers as they often have different needs and questions to new customers, and you guys are on the ball so they’re a bit swamped right now. We’re working as fast as we can to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Cheers, Gary

While this is great for local employment, does sort of make me wonder why you didn't just email us all an offer...

"Hey Don, want 150Gb for $95, sign up for 12 more months by clicking here...", or are you expecting to have that many customers just carry on with existing plans without asking?

Promote New Zealand - Get yourself a .kiwi.nz domain name!!!

Check out mine - i.am.a.can.do.kiwi.nz - don@i.am.a.can.do.kiwi.nz

Bowering

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#793319 4-Apr-2013 16:30

ajw:
Could you also look at offering bundled VOIP and broadband packages over cable please as a supported package. Well aware you are offering naked cable. Thanks.

Hi ajw. I'll pass this suggestion to the product team.

Cheers, Gary

mwh

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#793378 4-Apr-2013 18:08

Bowering: To receive this lower pricing you will also be on a 12-month contract.

To check on the implications of that - does it also apply if I really am changing plans? I am currently off-contract on the 60GB LightSpeed plan (and T-Box and phone line), and had planned to move to one of the WarpSpeed plans. I think that actually works out to paying more, although what's on the website now is sufficiently opaque that I'm not completely sure. I believe we could have made the switch pre-merger and remained off-contract, possibly with some sort of installation fee. We'd certainly made plan changes before without any issue, even while still on contract, and without either extending it or starting a new one.

There seem to be four possibilities for what the quoted passage means for me:
a) Upgrading my plan will put me on whatever the new pricing is, and a 12-month contract.
b) Upgrading my plan will put me on whatever the new pricing is, and no term contract.
c) Upgrading my plan will put me on whatever the new pricing is, with the contract term depending on whether my pricing is lower or higher in practice.
d) I can upgrade my plan on either the the old or the new pricing, with contract status depending on which I pick.

I think you probably mean the first one, and so I should have called before Easter instead of after. While I don't particularly plan on changing anything in the next year, you never know what the future holds, and I'm also pretty leery of being contracted to keep the T-Box in case it deteriorates again. So there will have to be some discussion before we do anything.

Having written that another thought occurs - is that a term contract across all the services, or just for the internet connection part of it? I might be able to sell the latter.

r2b2

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Ultimate Geek
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#793709 5-Apr-2013 09:54

Bowering: Hi all. I've gone to the horse's mouth to clear up the confusion for you…

The new InHome cable plans are available to existing customers who are out-of-contract on their current broadband service. To receive this lower pricing you will also be on a 12-month contract. If you have been told that there is no contract without this proper consideration then you’re lucky and we’ll be having a wee chat with the customer service rep :-)

Please also note that we’re getting a lot of calls about this offer, and that we’ve got a special team dealing with existing customers as they often have different needs and questions to new customers, and you guys are on the ball so they’re a bit swamped right now. We’re working as fast as we can to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Cheers, Gary

Thanks for following this up Gary.

I do admit to a bit of confusion about why Vodafone would want to "reward" long-term TCL customers by locking them in for another 12 months - surely the chances are if we've been loyal enough to stick around then we're not likely to jump ship tomorrow if we sign up to the new price plans?

Also as someone has I believe pointed out, I though that the purpose of minimum term contracts was in order to recoup some cost that the company has provided you (e.g. it costs to give everyone a broadband modem so Telecom/Vodafone lock you in for 12 months to ensure they've recovered the cost of them). If this is the main reason behind minimum terms (which I admit perhaps it isn't not being a business type person), then what costs are Vodafone trying to recoup from those dropping to the lower pricing levels?

If one was lucky enough to get onto the new plans without a contract, are they going to be hit with a contract term if they switch plans or is it a case of you are already on the new set of plans already and so the contract clause doesn't exist anymore?

BTW not trying to be critical of Vodafone here - just trying to understand the rationale. I should send out big thanks to the various Vodafone guys who have helped me to understand and get onto the new plans. Thanks guys!

Richard.

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Tinshed

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Ultimate Geek
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#793732 5-Apr-2013 10:18

Bowering: Hi all. I've gone to the horse's mouth to clear up the confusion for you…

The new InHome cable plans are available to existing customers who are out-of-contract on their current broadband service. To receive this lower pricing you will also be on a 12-month contract. If you have been told that there is no contract without this proper consideration then you’re lucky and we’ll be having a wee chat with the customer service rep :-)

Please also note that we’re getting a lot of calls about this offer, and that we’ve got a special team dealing with existing customers as they often have different needs and questions to new customers, and you guys are on the ball so they’re a bit swamped right now. We’re working as fast as we can to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. Thanks for your patience.

Cheers, Gary

It is always great to have "the horse's mouth" posts here . Thank you, Gary.

One question I have is how do you know if you are on contract and if so, what is the length of contract? I get it that you should just know/remember this, and that a phone call to the Helpdesk would also suffice. However I would prefer to be able to check this either on my bill, or on-line somehow. So far I haven't found this information. Any thoughts as to where I might this information?

Tinshed
Wellington, New Zealand

TinyTim

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#793740 5-Apr-2013 10:33

Have the old Cable+phone (no TV) bundles gone now? Do you need to either become a Sky watcher or go naked and get your own third party phone solution? (AJW's request for a VOIP bundle notwithstanding)

maro

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Geek
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#793874 5-Apr-2013 14:08

I noticed the new Naked Broadband plans on Tuesday afternoon and as I'm currently on a LightSpeed 20G plan it is obvious that the new 60G plan looks rather attractive. I'm on my current plan since the GST change in October 2010 and from memory the upgrade from the previous 10G plan happened automatically, for a price increase of $1.

So reading the respective comments in this and the other threads I called the old 0508 number that same afternoon. The first CSR had to transfer me to another one, who tried to transfer me further (presumably to the sales and retention team) but failed in her attempts.
She offered to put me on the list to be called back in less then 48h. At that point I declined as I planned to try again later. My second attempt (at around 7pm) got me no further. Multiple transfers between CSRs, but at least this time I was told that the team I needed to talk to had gone home (at about 5pm, so much for the new 24/7 support). This time I reluctantly accepted to be called back.

It did not come as a big surprise that I did not get contacted within the promised 48h period. When I was finally called earlier today I was told that I would have to accept a 12 month contract period with a $199 early termination fee. From memory I thought to recall that a 12 month contract was settled with a $99 fee and only a 24 month contract with the higher penalty. With the help of 'archive.org' I found the old page (i.e. www.telstraclear.co.nz/residential/inhome/packages/early-termination-charges.cfm) that was valid until only a few weeks ago (i.e. the last capture was from 2013-02-08). This shows that a Naked Broadband product on a 12 month minimum sign up period would attract only a $50 early termination fee.

I'm not impressed how things have turned out: It is rather unfortunate that I as a long time TelstraClear customer (13+ years, ever since I moved to this country) should get "threatened" with such a steep termination fee. On the other hand we've now seen in this and the other threads reports from several "lucky" punters who are not getting "punished". I ponder whether I should have tried to "jump the queue" (e.g. by contacting JohnR or Gary directly) instead of patiently waiting for my time.

jonherries

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#793903 5-Apr-2013 14:48

freitasm: You can discuss this on the other threads, or continue here.

I called Vodafone and asked to change my 100GB plan (currently $115/mo) to the 150GB plan (new price $95.95). Changed in minutes.

You might have a different experience if you're currently in a contract, in which case you have to wait for it to end before changing. This is normal for any contract.

I meant to ask at the time Freitasm, did you have to go on contract?

Jon

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