[TelstraClear] Just discovered I'm paying TC more than I need to. You might want to check too.

Forums › One New Zealand (including Vodafone, WxC, Farmside) › [TelstraClear] Just discovered I'm paying TC more than I need to. You might want to check too.

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#735399 20-Dec-2012 11:52

lurker: Apparently the Saturn Extra changes happened in September - I've been credited 3 months. Here's hoping they'll sort this out for everyone affected.

Yup. I called up just earlier to have this adjusted... Few channels that didn't "light up" for me when I review TelstraClear InHome TV channels line up are TVNZ One +1, TV3 +1 and Choice TV...

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#735412 20-Dec-2012 12:00

mattwnz:
freitasm:
While it would be nice to get notices of new plans that could be saving me some, there is nothing in our agreement saying they have to.

In other words, you have to check constantly for changes that benefit you.

It depends on the provider and industry. What seems to happen with telcos, is that they are constantly bringing in new plans and keeping the old ones active for older clients, but not allowing new clients to signup to the old plans. This is instead of regually upgrading existing plans. I think it is done this way so people don't then downgrade once they see they have more data, which is an instant drop in revenue for the company. Most telcos now seem to be doing this.I noticed that some of telecoms new plans are better and/or cheaper than their older ones, but you don't get that benefit unless you regually check them and switch. Prior to this, telecom actually doubled the data on existing plans, but they seem to have now moved to this new plan model.

if the plans are changing substantially, they couldn't switch you on to the new one automatically (what if you end up worse off in some ways? or any ways at all?) but if it's just a change to the same plan only an improvement, there's no downside so they can just change everyone.

example: a simple broadband plan paying x dollars for y gigabytes, they change y to 2y = change everyone
a bundle plan where old plan had say a low per-minute rate or per-gig rate, but then they make new bundles where per-minute rate is higher but there's a calling cap, or per-gig rate is changed to a data-pack solution = can't just change everyone because it might not suit everyone

Wanted

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#735838 21-Dec-2012 07:58

I went into the shop in Courtney Central after work yesterday and ended up paying $10 less per month for double the data cap too. I got -$15 for t-box rental and -$5 for Saturn Extra and +$10 for going from 20GB to 40GB. She only offered to credit the one month for Extra but I won't press the issue. Makes me wonder if I have been paying the $15 for t-box rental longer than I should have though.

chiefie

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#735839 21-Dec-2012 08:01

Wanted: I went into the shop in Courtney Central after work yesterday and ended up paying $10 less per month for double the data cap too. I got -$15 for t-box rental and -$5 for Saturn Extra and +$10 for going from 20GB to 40GB. She only offered to credit the one month for Extra but I won't press the issue. Makes me wonder if I have been paying the $15 for t-box rental longer than I should have though.

I'm still being billed for $15/month for having T-box and with $50+ for having Digital TV... Is that right?!

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#735888 21-Dec-2012 09:41

chiefie: I'm still being billed for $15/month for having T-box and with $50+ for having Digital TV... Is that right?!

Yes, if you signed up at launch you got 2 years of free T-Box rental, and that would have expired recently...
Though it sounds like if you call and complain they'll give it to you free anyway. This is all getting a bit silly IMO... I will happily do business with a company that works hard to give me the best deal and keep me happy, why should the customer be the one chasing.

Wanted

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#735925 21-Dec-2012 10:43

I must have signed on too early then. I was definitely an early adopter and have been paying the monthly charge the whole time. IIRC you could pay a few hundred for the box and not pay the rental or pay $15 per month for ever. Not sure but I thik $500 so 33.3 months before it was cheaper to pay at the start. At the time I wasn't about to gamble that I would keep the box for 3 years (especially given the freezing etc and how TiVo was doing in NZ at the time).

chiefie

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#735929 21-Dec-2012 10:50

Wanted: I must have signed on too early then. I was definitely an early adopter and have been paying the monthly charge the whole time. IIRC you could pay a few hundred for the box and not pay the rental or pay $15 per month for ever. Not sure but I thik $500 so 33.3 months before it was cheaper to pay at the start. At the time I wasn't about to gamble that I would keep the box for 3 years (especially given the freezing etc and how TiVo was doing in NZ at the time).

I too have had it since first day and I seem to recall slightly that either you pay for the unit up-front with single "rental fee" or montly, and I opted for monthly...

But seeing that if someone can get their monthly rental removed, I would like to have mine removed especially I'm among the early adopter since first day - thought we deserved some loyalty treatment.

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r2b2

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#736711 23-Dec-2012 22:25

Just discovered this thread - checked my bill and as of the December bill I too am still paying $5.06 for Saturn Extra. Can't believe that they seem to silently change the rules behind the scenes but don't adjust those who are currently on it (not like they can't easily go "now, who's got Saturn Extra"...)

Time to lodge a ticket via the website I guess.

xphile

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#736958 24-Dec-2012 19:15

lurker:
ajw: Vodafone now owns TelstraClear.

Yes, but I'm on the inHome service so there is quite a difference between what's on offer between the two companies. Being On Account with Vodafone I could go to ADSL 200GB on the Chocka plan. TCL haven't moved at all with their caps apart from helpful folks in various forums offering to do deals on a case by case basis. To me that's a bit sad really... I'm stll hoping TCL will offer something for everyone sooner rather than later.

Plus I could go to mySky, I'm told it's relatively trouble free and although I don't mind the T-Box I do have to hear complaints from the wife from time to time...

Since TCL are working on merger stuff now over a range of things, it may well be that they simply suck up the customer loss that not messing with their plans in the next 6 months might bring. Highly likely in the In Home space where cable is so solid if you are after speed. And let's face it the deal is done, we aren't TCL customers any more, and Vodafone have more than enough to worry about.

In terms of pure naked broadband only (I don't use anything else with them) my plan has for years allowed one plan change up or down for free per month. That change is always to whatever is currently on offer, and anyone that's been with them a while knows the last changes all dropped the price and upped the caps (except at the lowest end). Times move on and now those caps are looking a tad shabby.

But if your plan does allow that plan change once a month, TCL bill and provision out of different systems, always have. Vodafone will no doubt fix it, but what it has always meant is that they can bill you pro rata on your monthly change, but they cant provision in the same way. This starts sounding complicated so the example is this:

I'm on the 40Gb plan, on the 15th I change to 60Gb.

15/31 Days at 40Gb $65.95 = $31.91
16/31 Days at 60Gb $75.95 = $39.20

Monthly bill = $71.11

Data provisioned (and fully usable):
40Gb in the first charge block
60Gb in the second charge block

Data potentially used = 100Gb for $71.11

New month, repeat. Any plan, any dates. In other words you can swap from 20 to 150 in the last week of your bill cycle, and and get the full 150Gb at 7/31 of $155.95, plus the 20Gb at 24/31 of $55.95. Pull out the calculator.

xphile

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#736971 24-Dec-2012 19:39

KaroriPete:
NonprayingMantis: I assume you are getting credited back the $5 for every month you have paid for the saturn extra service that you have not been receiving? i.e. if it has been unavailable for the last 12 months then you are due a $60 credit.

Yep, the TV package apparently only changed a few months ago, and they are giving me a credit. I get that you need to keep an eye out for better data plans, but I think something like an add on which becomes completely redundant should just be removed from everyone's account.

Anyway, a good lesson in keeping your eyes peeled....

Pete.

Absolutely agree, keeping a customer on an old "plan" and fully providing all aspects of said plan at the agreed price, while offering better plans that the customer is unaware of, well that's just unfortunate for the customer. Certainly nothing illegal there, it's a Telco's stock trade, and heck, banks do it 10x more often.

Quietly failing to provide part of the agreed service while still charging for it - that's potentially litigation suicide even in little NZ. The CGA alone opens up several potential avenues, this section the most likely:

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1993/0091/latest/DLM312844.html

Of course in reality you just want a refund - but how much money isn't going back to people, or worse still being collected illegally?

xphile

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#736974 24-Dec-2012 19:47

rossmnz:
mattwnz:
freitasm:
While it would be nice to get notices of new plans that could be saving me some, there is nothing in our agreement saying they have to.

In other words, you have to check constantly for changes that benefit you.

It depends on the provider and industry. What seems to happen with telcos, is that they are constantly bringing in new plans and keeping the old ones active for older clients, but not allowing new clients to signup to the old plans. This is instead of regually upgrading existing plans. I think it is done this way so people don't then downgrade once they see they have more data, which is an instant drop in revenue for the company. Most telcos now seem to be doing this.I noticed that some of telecoms new plans are better and/or cheaper than their older ones, but you don't get that benefit unless you regually check them and switch. Prior to this, telecom actually doubled the data on existing plans, but they seem to have now moved to this new plan model.

Interesting how telcos dont switch you to a newer cheaper plan.

Also fairly funny when the "unlimited" plan with Telecom was go (Not the Go Large joke - the previous one) they tried to change me without telling me multiple times!

In fairness to TCL, their last InHome cable plan changes dropped pricing and increased bandwidth on almost all plans, and they simply moved everyone to the new plans. I remember double checking because I actually thought the email was a hoax, nobody ever gives you more for less in this life... but they did. I'm picking it will happen again, but possibly not until Vodafone figure out their cable strategy against their ADSL offerings, and everything has been rebranded.

Bazzi99

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#739871 3-Jan-2013 19:42

Yip, xphile is 100% correct, TCL did upgrade us to the next level (20Gb - 40Gb cap) without any prompting - I also thought it was a hoax when I got the letter - I remember feeling pretty good about TCL at the time.

Following on from the general theme of un-announced promotions - haven't seen this posted anywhere else (haven't looked too hard either, though) but TCL appear to be pushing Warp speed upgrades pretty agressively at the moment. Got a phone call a couple of weeks ago - we're currently on a triple play (phone + TV + 40GB Lightspeed Internet) package. For a 12month commitment, TCL are offering the 100Mbs/100Gb Warp speed service for $10 extra per month. I thought that was a pretty sharp upgrade for the incremental cost (and yeah, I know prices are falling, caps are rising but you can't wait forever !).

thebender

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#739938 3-Jan-2013 22:00

Interesting re: Saturn Extra. And the timing of this being Sept?

I 'had' this service for years but added the sports package for the Olympics and ended up keeping it for the Paralympics.

When I switched off Sports - I lost the Saturn Extra channels as well (iirc it was the History or Discovery channels that made me notice)

The erm 'after hours' call centre were f-all use to me, but the daytime sales folk were on the money by saying that when I added sports, they 'removed' Saturn Extra. They very kindly added Saturn Extra back and I thought nothing more of it.

This was in Mid-Sept.

Anyways - I'll be calling them about this. But tbh, I'll be pretty steamed if I find that I had to ring them to turn off a service that I'm paying for but not getting any benefit from !.

Otaku

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#745703 16-Jan-2013 14:02

A query...I am on $75/40gb per month plan and my 1-year contract ends next month. I sent a query regarding, how can i switch to $82/60gb per month plan *without* entering another contract. A rep calls up today "offering" the new plan right away (waving off early contract termination charges), provided I enter another 12-month contract. This is beyond my understanding..can't an old subscriber who has completed the contract switch to a higher usage plan which also costs more,without contract?

PDAMan

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#745720 16-Jan-2013 14:56

This is classic utility company behaviour, especially telco's. I had a similar situation with Orcon some time ago. I was on a really old plan and paying at least 50% more than I should have been. The simple reasons (realistic generalisations) they don't tell you there are cheaper plans are
1. They make more money if they don't tell you.
2. They don't pay attention to anyone who isn't complaining.
3. Their focus is on winning new connections

I now make it a habit to keep an eye on what deals are available, but I have also discovered that changing ISP's brings its own sets of problems, especially if you are using their modem/routers.

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