My Aussie Broadband Experience Versus NZ...

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#420756 23-Dec-2010 00:54

Comparing Internode's service to any other ISP's in the asia pacific regions is probably a bit unfair, Internode are in a class of their own.

BYO

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#420773 23-Dec-2010 06:13

Internode was like broadband heaven. Heh. I've seen how it could be, so it's tough to go back. But yeah, Internode is a shining example. I think just about every ISP could learn from Internode... I also think it's interesting that Internode is definitely not the cheapest service (actually I seem to recall it's one of the most expensive) but people (like me) tended to happily part out the extra $10 a month because of their consistent service and the local call centres (staffed with very nice,helpful people). If I placed a call to Internode, I dealt with just one person, not multiple people.

What was also very helpful was the Whirlpool forum where people were brutally frank in their opinions of their various service providers. Internode consistently ranked at the top and the comments were generally good.

BYO

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#421401 24-Dec-2010 18:50

A final update on Christmas Eve...

Applied online for Telecom's broadband last night. Unbelievably they couriered the modem to me (which was free) so I got that today. Which was good since I'd forgotten to buy the ADSL2 line filter for the Cisco Linksys modem I actually wanted to use.

Some minor fiddling around with the Linksys router settings and then - it went live!

Did a speed test - 11.67 (let's call it 12) mbps.

Awesome!

Kuddos to Telecom for sending me the modem overnight so I could have broadband active in time for Xmas.

Yay! Very impressive service, very quick, and didn't have to deal with any actual people... Also, as a bonus the line speed is blazingly quick.

Sigh. So, so happy...

l43a2

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#421402 24-Dec-2010 18:52

BYO: A final update on Christmas Eve...

Applied online for Telecom's broadband last night. Unbelievably they couriered the modem to me (which was free) so I got that today. Which was good since I'd forgotten to buy the ADSL2 line filter for the Cisco Linksys modem I actually wanted to use.

Some minor fiddling around with the Linksys router settings and then - it went live!

Did a speed test - 11.67 (let's call it 12) mbps.

Awesome!

Kuddos to Telecom for sending me the modem overnight so I could have broadband active in time for Xmas.

Yay! Very impressive service, very quick, and didn't have to deal with any actual people... Also, as a bonus the line speed is blazingly quick.

Sigh. So, so happy...

you mite find better speed using the modem supplied by telecom

Morph

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#421444 24-Dec-2010 23:11

webnation: talk about Customer service, i recall there was a report around mid of this year that was actually slapped Telstraclear been the poorest (took the longest to get to a CSR)...forgot where was the article.
And they have closed their CS centre in NZ, haven't they? (to the Philippines?)

that's just the customer services part though, don't even want to go into broadband performance and value path....
and we have no hope to change the situation in the next decade probably.

Kapiti was closed down , But there is still CSR in chch and Tech in Aucks, But Manilla does tip the scale for the amount of calls answered.

The problem is this time of the year if you are trying to get cable installed .. with the stat days falling on weekends mon-tues are also stat days , add to that the techs who don't work means alot of delays.

And homeplan ( Telecom wholesale) is still dependant on TLC and Chorus to do their thing ... Telecom can do a same day install because umm they own the lines.

Batman

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#421458 25-Dec-2010 03:25

i have to say i found the opposite. when i was in NZ, everything was a phone call away or a form or a click away, and things happened within hours to days.

i am now in melbourne for job reasons, and it's like migrating to jupiter. in my 4 weeks here i must have filled up 200 forms with most requiring hundreds of copies of my entire autobiography, joined queues at least 30 minutes long everytime i want to hand in a form, and treated like a statistic.

they've lost my money for days, forgotten to send me stuff, "sorry can't help you" countless times, and going places takes 10 times longer due to traffic and distance.

i'd come back to Christchurch anytime! i am so glad every aussie (believe me, 99% non 'pakeha' in melbourne at least!) i've met told me NZ is not where they want to live. *shrug shoulders

BYO

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#421465 25-Dec-2010 08:12

joker97: i have to say i found the opposite. when i was in NZ, everything was a phone call away or a form or a click away, and things happened within hours to days.

i am now in melbourne for job reasons, and it's like migrating to jupiter. in my 4 weeks here i must have filled up 200 forms with most requiring hundreds of copies of my entire autobiography, joined queues at least 30 minutes long everytime i want to hand in a form, and treated like a statistic.

they've lost my money for days, forgotten to send me stuff, "sorry can't help you" countless times, and going places takes 10 times longer due to traffic and distance.

i'd come back to Christchurch anytime! i am so glad every aussie (believe me, 99% non 'pakeha' in melbourne at least!) i've met told me NZ is not where they want to live. *shrug shoulders

Ahhhh... The Aussie Identity Management obsession. Yep, I encountered the same thing. They have a greater identity management focus than we do, basically to reduce fraud. You can't get many services without proving you are who you say you are. This is good but also, really really annoying (and as you say) takes a really really long time. Trying to rent an apartment is an exercise in extreme patience. One day when I was highly annoyed I joked to someone, "When are they going to start making me show my passport to buy McDonalds?" However,once you get through the main big hurdles (bank, medicare, apartment) it start settling down fairly quickly.

You don't say if you've tried to get a broadband service yet... I recommend Internode and that didn't seem to require to do anything but phone them up, once I had the apartment.

It gets better and will settle down but I found the first month and a half in Sydney to be a bit of frustrating for similar reasons. Just don't faint at the queues of people jockeying for the same apartment showing. If you can prove you're employed, and your identity (copy of passport) you're well ahead of the pack.

(Sorry - a little off topic.)

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ITscooter

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#421583 26-Dec-2010 01:57

OK first there's a couple of things ya'll need to remember about the way that Broadband is sold in NZ, firstly ALL ISP's by law have to purchase on your behalf the connection from what is known as a "wholesale provider" what it boils down to is that as of the 1st of Jan 2010 ALL ISP's have had to provide Broadband for thier customers in this fashion, From what you have described the retail company being your ISP has to act as a intermediary and do there best to get your service up and running, this can be frought with pain points because the communication channels are very slight and an efficient and robust platform for this communication does not currently exist.

For example when you got the txt saying its all go, this is only a guess from the wholesaler as no-one at that point has tested the connection at the terminating point being your adsl modem!

What this means is that even if you did swap to another ISP they would still have to purchase the Broad Band service in the same way, the end result for you potentially is that you get the same level of support from them!

Guys there is no way of dealing with this very real and large issue.

Why do they do it this way?

Because the NZ Govt forced this apon all ISP's, that is to operate in equivilence, even Telecom who owns the copper has to do it this way.

The problem you are facing is a direct result of the NZ Broadband network being made to run in a left hand dont know what the right hand is doing fashion.

To be honest unless something really big changes in terms of communication between retailers and wholesalers NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE, sad but true.

VinLew

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#421645 26-Dec-2010 16:47

ITscooter: OK first there's a couple of things ya'll need to remember about the way that Broadband is sold in NZ, firstly ALL ISP's by law have to purchase on your behalf the connection from what is known as a "wholesale provider" what it boils down to is that as of the 1st of Jan 2010 ALL ISP's have had to provide Broadband for thier customers in this fashion, From what you have described the retail company being your ISP has to act as a intermediary and do there best to get your service up and running, this can be frought with pain points because the communication channels are very slight and an efficient and robust platform for this communication does not currently exist.

For example when you got the txt saying its all go, this is only a guess from the wholesaler as no-one at that point has tested the connection at the terminating point being your adsl modem!

What this means is that even if you did swap to another ISP they would still have to purchase the Broad Band service in the same way, the end result for you potentially is that you get the same level of support from them!

Guys there is no way of dealing with this very real and large issue.

Why do they do it this way?

Because the NZ Govt forced this apon all ISP's, that is to operate in equivilence, even Telecom who owns the copper has to do it this way.

The problem you are facing is a direct result of the NZ Broadband network being made to run in a left hand dont know what the right hand is doing fashion.

To be honest unless something really big changes in terms of communication between retailers and wholesalers NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE, sad but true.

I'm not going to go through that point by point, but I disagree with pretty much that whole statement.
I'm saying troll on this one.

michaelmurfy

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#421844 27-Dec-2010 12:20

VinLew:
I'm not going to go through that point by point, but I disagree with pretty much that whole statement.
I'm saying troll on this one.

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Batman

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#422221 28-Dec-2010 20:52

BYO:
joker97: i have to say i found the opposite. when i was in NZ, everything was a phone call away or a form or a click away, and things happened within hours to days.

i am now in melbourne for job reasons, and it's like migrating to jupiter. in my 4 weeks here i must have filled up 200 forms with most requiring hundreds of copies of my entire autobiography, joined queues at least 30 minutes long everytime i want to hand in a form, and treated like a statistic.

they've lost my money for days, forgotten to send me stuff, "sorry can't help you" countless times, and going places takes 10 times longer due to traffic and distance.

i'd come back to Christchurch anytime! i am so glad every aussie (believe me, 99% non 'pakeha' in melbourne at least!) i've met told me NZ is not where they want to live. *shrug shoulders

Ahhhh... The Aussie Identity Management obsession. Yep, I encountered the same thing. They have a greater identity management focus than we do, basically to reduce fraud. You can't get many services without proving you are who you say you are. This is good but also, really really annoying (and as you say) takes a really really long time. Trying to rent an apartment is an exercise in extreme patience. One day when I was highly annoyed I joked to someone, "When are they going to start making me show my passport to buy McDonalds?" However,once you get through the main big hurdles (bank, medicare, apartment) it start settling down fairly quickly.

You don't say if you've tried to get a broadband service yet... I recommend Internode and that didn't seem to require to do anything but phone them up, once I had the apartment.

It gets better and will settle down but I found the first month and a half in Sydney to be a bit of frustrating for similar reasons. Just don't faint at the queues of people jockeying for the same apartment showing. If you can prove you're employed, and your identity (copy of passport) you're well ahead of the pack.

(Sorry - a little off topic.)

sorry a little off topic, just a little. but i signed with telstra. didnt know about internode *****SIGH shouldve asked GZZ!!! but the others told me they could not offer naked dsl bcos there was no connections left (but telstra had plenty obviously). just rang for a refund for the DUD tbox they sent - 50% chance of not recording. hangs or restarts randomly.

ojala

188 posts

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#424494 6-Jan-2011 00:40

BYO: ... trying to get back to a broadband service here is like being exiled to Eastern Europe (mind you, that's probably insulting Eastern Europe).

https://www.romtelecom.ro/magazin-online/clicknet-power-promo.html

That's a 13 nzd/month uncapped 30/6 VDSL you might get in Romania -- with a free WiFi router. Lithuania has the highest fiber penetration in Europe.

You are more likely to find a real high-speed connection in Eastern Europe than France, UK or Germany. Sometimes the opportunity to drop the legacy is a good thing.

Talkiet

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#424502 6-Jan-2011 01:10

Morph: [snip]
And homeplan ( Telecom wholesale) is still dependant on TLC and Chorus to do their thing ... Telecom can do a same day install because umm they own the lines.

This second bit is totally untrue. Telecom retail need to apply for connections in the same way as any other provider that chooses to use Telecom Wholesale. It's taken VERY seriously.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Talkiet

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#424503 6-Jan-2011 01:13

VinLew: [snipped some crazy stuff]

I'm not going to go through that point by point, but I disagree with pretty much that whole statement.
I'm saying troll on this one.

Agree... +1 on the troll.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

Talkiet

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#424506 6-Jan-2011 01:24

ojala:
BYO: ... trying to get back to a broadband service here is like being exiled to Eastern Europe (mind you, that's probably insulting Eastern Europe).

https://www.romtelecom.ro/magazin-online/clicknet-power-promo.html

That's a 13 nzd/month uncapped 30/6 VDSL you might get in Romania -- with a free WiFi router. Lithuania has the highest fiber penetration in Europe.

You are more likely to find a real high-speed connection in Eastern Europe than France, UK or Germany. Sometimes the opportunity to drop the legacy is a good thing.

Don't cherry pick...

Compare for example the annual salaries at http://www.worldsalaries.org

Romania - about $4500 USD pa
NZ - about $25000 USD pa.

So compare that $13NZD/month and we get a VERY approximate $72 NZD just on differences in income... Let's not even take into account the other factors that make NZ a bit of a special case.

Cheers - N

And for goodness sake - this isn't meant to indicate that this formula can be applied to any other country - it's just an indication that numbers aren't always as they first appear.

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

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