Do Chorus charge a $90 change charge?

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smbunn

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#324607 3-May-2026 14:22

I want to change my fibre provider. The new provider has given me the monthly costs, and when was about to sign up added $90 for 'Chorus change fee'. Really, do Chorus charge $90 for the 2 minutes it takes to change you from one fibre provider to another?

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saf

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#3487083 3-May-2026 14:41

No.

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smbunn

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#3487084 3-May-2026 14:45

Thats a long definitive reply :-)

So there is no charge to the ISP from Chorus which they need to pass on? It's from Faro Internet and I queried this charge and they insist it is just a pass thru cost from Chorus.

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michaelmurfy

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#3487085 3-May-2026 14:47

Yeah... what...?

There are connection charges with some ISP's but that is all I am aware of. I'll be interested to know what ISP you're attempting to sign up to here.

But, Quic for example do have a connection fee that is waived if you use somebody's referral code. Plenty of referrals in peoples signatures here if you want a decent ISP!

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saf

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#3487088 3-May-2026 14:52

smbunn:

Thats a long definitive reply :-)

So there is no charge to the ISP from Chorus which they need to pass on? It's from Faro Internet and I queried this charge and they insist it is just a pass thru cost from Chorus.

Short and sweet!

There is a cost to a provider to transfer/churn a connection, however it’s nowhere near $90 - that’s taking the mick and you’re right to question it.

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MichaelNZ

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#3487093 3-May-2026 15:23

Chorus charges for lots of things but its nowhere near $90 for a simple remote churn.

Though it is my personal opinion a fee to setup an account - especially if no term contract - is reasonable.

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#3487106 3-May-2026 16:00

Which ISP wants to charge $90? You may as well let us know

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RunningMan

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#3487117 3-May-2026 16:38

Linux:

Which ISP wants to charge $90? You may as well let us know

smbunn:

[snip] It's from Faro Internet and I queried this charge and they insist it is just a pass thru cost from Chorus.

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#3487123 3-May-2026 16:52

My eyes my eyes! They can't even get the date format correct for NZ they do MM/DD/YY

yitz

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#3487129 3-May-2026 17:20

For transparency's sake maybe we need to go back to the days of JetStream/JetStart and having separate invoices from Telecom now Chorus for line charges and RSP services?

saf

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#3487131 3-May-2026 17:23

yitz:

For transparency's sake maybe we need to go back to the days of JetStream/JetStart and having separate invoices from Telecom now Chorus for line charges and RSP services?

There’s so many elements that come to construct an RSP’s retail price that I can’t imagine this being feasible.

Besides, Chorus’ bare wholesale pricing is publicly available: https://company.chorus.co.nz/about/contracts-and-agreements/ufb-service-agreements

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yitz

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#3487140 3-May-2026 18:27

Chorus fee is $33.44 including GST

For comparison, Enable in Christchurch charge $35.95 including GST.

I suppose there are rebates for batches/volume? All C.I.C? 😜

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#3487141 3-May-2026 18:29

WT*.... run away :D

https://faro.nz/2026prices

"We have kept the adjustments as small as possible"

1. New Setup Fee

A one-off setup fee equal to one month of your subscription will now be required when signing up.

This fee is fully refundable until the day your connection goes live.
After the connection date, it becomes non-refundable.

XPD / Gavin

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saf

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#3487142 3-May-2026 18:31

Yep, correct @yitz - I can’t see how $90 is justifiable unless it comes with something else (a router perhaps??)

While there are RSP incentives for net growth, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen zero-rating or rebating transfer fees as one of them, they’re very much a standard cost now.

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michaelmurfy

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#3487165 3-May-2026 21:45

xpd:

1. New Setup Fee

A one-off setup fee equal to one month of your subscription will now be required when signing up.

This fee is fully refundable until the day your connection goes live.
After the connection date, it becomes non-refundable.

It also depends on the plan you sign up - eg, Hyperfibre 2000.

It's upfront, so at this point a customer can choose to proceed. But in my personal opinion I don't see anything appealing to pick them over the many other ISP's out there. They're technically not doing anything wrong unless if they're claiming this fee is their costs to connect you.

MichaelNZ

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#3487167 3-May-2026 22:01

Speaking as someone who works at an ISP and actually does this process a bunch of times I allow for at least an hour to setup an internet account. I will outline the major steps:

Order circuit and wait for advise of vlan and circuit ID
Issue IP addresses for IPv4 and IPv6
Program radius once circuit ID is known
Setup the following at our end: Client vlan interface and bridge, DHCP template, DHCP server, DHCPv6 server
Unpack router and gain access
Update router software and boot loader
Configure router for client often including tweaks to suit their existing environment
Order and print NZ Post label
Pack router back up and send off

And this is the baseline which applies in the majority of cases. Obviously extras like VPN, multiple SSID's, or distributed wireless adds more time.

It would be very reasonable for an ISP to charge for basic setup especially with no term contract or other business.

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