Nightmare when transferring fibre connection from Slingshot to Sky

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Nightmare when transferring fibre connection from Slingshot to Sky

1 | 2

nztim

4012 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2710

ID Verified

Trusted

TEAMnetwork

Subscriber

#3408141 28-Aug-2025 13:40

mattwnz:

Just to update. It looks like Sky are now taking full responsibility for the error and have admitted that it should have been done as a transfer.

Great outcome, hopefully they will give you a credit note for the overlap

I am sure if the TOLD you that they were going to activate port 2 you would have been like sure, slingshot please cancel on X date

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

MichaelNZ

1594 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 485

Trusted

Net Trust Ltd

#3408671 29-Aug-2025 19:54

mattwnz:

Slingshot says Sky should have processed it as a transfer.

Wrong. I have been involved with a lot of transfers and we commonly (but not always) do it as an alternate port activation. This is because we don't always know when a circuit will be transferred and businesses and WFH are especially sensitive to downtime. Often they also require someone onsite to make a switch so by doing it this way its near-seamless and hassle free for everyone involved.

mattwnz:

Sky says Slingshot should have told them it was a transfer.

Also wrong. Slingshot have nothing to do with an alternate-port activation.

mattwnz:

Chorus says it’s between the ISPs and not their responsibility.

Partly correct in that its not their responsibility.

mattwnz:

Have been stuck in the middle and being double billed with no clear answer, managers not calling you back, and this is the second time an ISP switch has gone wrong for me.

There doesn’t seem to be a standard process for fibre transfers in NZ, so the ISPs keep shifting blame.

There is a standard procedure. Its either a churn or a alternate-port connection.

In summary its your responsibility to cancel with the loosing service provider. The other ISP can't do this for you.

WFH Linux Systems and Networks Engineer in the Internet industry | Specialising in Mikrotik | APNIC member | Open to job offers | ZL2NET

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#3408685 29-Aug-2025 21:07

If I did it the way you claim, then I risked being without a connection and it being blocked if Sky had tried to install it on the same port as the current connection. This problem is discussed on the previous page. Sky even admitted that Sky should have done it as a transfer and I gave Sky the the details of my previous ISP when signing up as they knew I already had a connection . This is the 3rd time I have done a fibre switch and this is the first time it wasn’t processed as a transfer. BTW I did let slingshot know prior to switch over that Sky was taking over the connections and that did trigger cancellation but slingshots cancellation process states you must email them and they take days to reply. They have no cancellation form to fill in.
I think your response shows how there needs to be regulation for the consumers benefit on this, so it is as simple as switching power company. According to you ISPs are giving me incorrect information. Slingshot blamed Sky for not processing it as a transfer and if it had been then I wouldn’t have had any issue. The previous two switches were done as transfers however I still ended up with no internet for a day as there was no active fibre connection on the line, when I switched to Slingshot, and they gave me a $10 credit for the day without internet. I still don’t know how to move internet provider without avoiding downtime or getting two connections setup. I would warn anyone changing ISP on the Chorus fibre network to be very wary. In my case it looks to have been human error on Skys part.

MichaelNZ

1594 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 485

Trusted

Net Trust Ltd

#3408687 29-Aug-2025 21:14

mattwnz:

i think your response shows how there needs to be regulation for the consumers benefit on this, so it is as simple as switching power company. Slingshot blamed Sky for not processing it as a transfer and if it had been then I wouldn’t have had any issue.

So you want regulation because you didn't know how it works?

I have done a lot of transfers and new connections, and noone else has this issue.

mattwnz:

The previous two switches were done as transfers however I still ended up with no internet for a day when I switched to Slingshot, and they gave me a $10 credit for the day without internet.

And I have explained why this is often not the best procedure.

A $10 credit is probably a month's profit.

I don't know of anyone else who would sacrifice a month's profit for a trivial issue which wasn't even their fault.

WFH Linux Systems and Networks Engineer in the Internet industry | Specialising in Mikrotik | APNIC member | Open to job offers | ZL2NET

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#3408688 29-Aug-2025 21:20

Where is any of this published how it works? As I said ISPs do often do them as transfers as per my previous experiences . It needs to be a consumer friendly process . Consumers should expect to be able to move between providers without these sorts of problems. Seems you are blaming me for the problem when Sky have even admitted they made the error. Seems you are sympathetic to ISPs.

MichaelNZ

1594 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 485

Trusted

Net Trust Ltd

#3408689 29-Aug-2025 21:29

mattwnz:

Seems you are sympathetic to ISPs.

Yes, I am. I work in this industry.

I am also sympathetic to the client which is why myself and others do the alternate-port connection method you are complaining about.

This really is a non-issue.

Your post indicates you have previously had an issue and it took a day to sort out and wasted "hours of your time".

I suggest the next time around you choose an ISP who has a bit more hand on approach. We do and this sometimes means I am dealing with the end client.

But this will also cost you more and its not clear from your original post this would meet your objective.

Also all the premium ISP's I know of are not seeking clients who churn quickly.

So that's my two cents.

WFH Linux Systems and Networks Engineer in the Internet industry | Specialising in Mikrotik | APNIC member | Open to job offers | ZL2NET

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#3408691 29-Aug-2025 21:40

Yes hours wasted on the phone talking to many different people via their offshore call centre and trying to get is escalated to a resolution. I would say I wasted over 3 hours in total over the last week . Again you are blaming the customer by saying to choose another ISP next time. But if it had been processed correctly then it would not have been an issue. Your suggestions about the process also appears to contradict the advice on this page in regard to doing an in-flight transfer. https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=312400 There appears to be two ways to do it and it certainly isn’t consumer friendly. Hence why I believe it needs to be regulated to avoid these problems, and yes peope do have problems otherwise that thread wouldn’t have been created

MichaelNZ

1594 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 485

Trusted

Net Trust Ltd

#3408693 29-Aug-2025 21:48

mattwnz:

Hence why I believe it needs to be regulated to avoid these problems, and yes peope do have problems otherwise that thread wouldn’t have been created

One of the transfers I did this week didn't initially work because of a setup issue at Tuatahi. That took an hour or so to get resolved.

Its noone's fault really and credit to Tuatahi for getting on to it.

My recommendation for you is pick a mid-range and mid-sized ISP at a reasonable price and just stick with them.

I am not naming anywhere here so just in general the issues I see are mostly at the lower end of the price range.

At the other end are companies you probably haven't heard of and they generally only deal with business. This is mostly where I hang out.

WFH Linux Systems and Networks Engineer in the Internet industry | Specialising in Mikrotik | APNIC member | Open to job offers | ZL2NET

michaelmurfy

meow
13579 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10910

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3408695 29-Aug-2025 22:44

MichaelNZ: I suggest the next time around you choose an ISP who has a bit more hand on approach. We do and this sometimes means I am dealing with the end client.

Also doesn't even need to be a "hands on" approach. Take Quic for example, they now are able to see what is connected on your ONT and let you pick what port to transfer:

Then automation fully takes care of the rest in most cases. Not having to talk to people is an absolute win.

Most customers expect an ISP to transfer instead of doing a Port 2 activation and most don't have the technical knowledge to understand their old service will remain active when this happens so when you say:

I am also sympathetic to the client which is why myself and others do the alternate-port connection method you are complaining about.

This really is a non-issue.

it really is an issue when it isn't communicated to the customer especially when a churn is easy for providers to do.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

panther2

385 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 143

#3408699 29-Aug-2025 23:11

I'd never expect a isp to cancel my account with my incumbent when switching

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#3408706 29-Aug-2025 23:54

panther2: I'd never expect a isp to cancel my account with my incumbent when switching

That is why I contacted my old ISP prior and after to make sure they knew Sky was taking over the connection from them and to make sure it got cancelled. They have now cancelled it and I had to phone them to get it done because email was not responsive. Service provider switches happen automatically with electricity and I don’t think I even contacted my old provider when I switched a few months ago. Most people probably wouldn’t be aware that you can have multiple fibre connections via different ports on the ONT depending on how the ISP does the transfer. But this is a reason I wouldn’t bundle electricity with broadband, as that could add another layer of complications when moving providers.

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

snj

305 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 221

#3408737 30-Aug-2025 11:15

michaelmurfy:

Then automation fully takes care of the rest in most cases. Not having to talk to people is an absolute win.

Most customers expect an ISP to transfer instead of doing a Port 2 activation and most don't have the technical knowledge to understand their old service will remain active when this happens so when you say:

I am also sympathetic to the client which is why myself and others do the alternate-port connection method you are complaining about.

This really is a non-issue.

it really is an issue when it isn't communicated to the customer especially when a churn is easy for providers to do.

I like the looks of Quic's approach.

Just to chime in, I feel that part of the problem is that some people are still used to how xDSL was handled by Chorus, although that was just due to the limitation that a line could only be with one provider at a time, so changing providers forced the churn. But even back then the advice was always "contact your old provider to let them know, once you've placed the order so they don't continue billing if they don't notice the churn".

The current scenario with Port 2 activations isn't Chorus specific (pretty sure the other LFCs allow it too right?), and I can recall at least a couple of threads here where people have ordered expecting essentially a churn but finding the service active on a different port for whatever reason, and it not been clearly communicated. The only fix is probably clearer communication all round.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
80646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 41030

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#3408740 30-Aug-2025 11:35

mattwnz:

Yes hours wasted on the phone talking to many different people via their offshore call centre and trying to get is escalated to a resolution. I would say I wasted over 3 hours in total over the last week . Again you are blaming the customer by saying to choose another ISP next time. But if it had been processed correctly then it would not have been an issue. Your suggestions about the process also appears to contradict the advice on this page in regard to doing an in-flight transfer. https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=49&topicid=312400 There appears to be two ways to do it and it certainly isn’t consumer friendly. Hence why I believe it needs to be regulated to avoid these problems, and yes peope do have problems otherwise that thread wouldn’t have been created

In regards to your comment "There appears to be two ways to do it and it certainly isn’t consumer friendly. Hence why I believe it needs to be regulated to avoid these problems"

I don't think it needs regulation. And I don't think it's something a customer can see coming because most of the times customers don't know how internal process works.

You gave one data point, your personal anecdote on moving from Slingshot to Sky. So I will give you two datapoints, on moving from 2degrees to Quic.

I requested a new connection with Quic on a Saturday afternoon and two hours later my connection was transferred. It was so seemless that we were watching a movie on Netflix and it never stopped (the streaming device should have enough to cove the few seconds of the connection change). I only knew it switched because I saw an alert on my connection monitor.

Th other was a change requested 6 PM on Sunday, completed 8 PM Sunday. Again, almost seamless change.

In both cases I had a box on the form asking if I wanted to use an existing port or use the second port. Also, in both cases I logged into those 2degrees accounts and the connection was gone. I didn't even have to call 2degrees.

My point is that each ISP is different and you were unluck to switch to one that doesn't have their processes correctly in place.

This is not reason for regulations though. This is a company problem, not an industry problem.

The time spent on this discussion could be a lot less if the customer just called the losing ISP and cancelled the account, chalking it up to lesson learned.

Referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies

Support Geekzone by subscribing (browse ads-free), or making a one-off or recurring donation through PressPatron.

insane

3324 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1006

ID Verified

Trusted

2degrees

Subscriber

#3408901 30-Aug-2025 22:05

I'll just add that there's another less talked about reason why ISPs have started to favour provisioning an additional primary.

It's because loosing ISPs have been known to offer very large retention offers when the customer calls to notify them they have signed up with another provider. The practice is illegal but frequently occurs.

But the main reason as mentioned before is the safety of being able to fall back to the existing connection, or to continue using it for another day in case there's a delay in getting the new router delivered/setup.

1 | 2