do I need UFB??

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#1551261 12-May-2016 07:35

daringpeter:

OK

Flip costs me $70 a month.

For this I get adequate ADSL, phone line, calls to all NZ, ditto mobiles, overseas calls, etc etc. See Flip's site if you want to know more. Also caller ID, and voicemail. And its all over copper.

Really, why would I want (or pay for) more??? I'm not at all interested in downloading HD porn, thank you.

you have answered your own question

but don't be surprised if the price goes up in the years to follow as more people go to UFB there are less people paying to help upkeep the copper network.

MikeAqua

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#1551308 12-May-2016 09:23

Yes I'm testing over Ethernet, with nothing else connected.

When the connection was provisioned, the tech checked and it was running at 100. I tested the next day and got somewhere in the 30s.

What we do get is consistency (including stability).

A bunch of people can be online at once and a speed test still comes back in the 30s and 40s. Streamed content is smooth and buffering and crashes are a thing of the past. In that sense it's an improvement on ADSL.

If I had the time/will to complain I would. Because it works well enough, my motivation to spend hours on hold is not strong. Usually the walk round phone goes flat before anyone at spark answers.

If you read sparks T&Cs - they don't guarantee any sort of performance of connection. They can sell you diamonds and deliver you coal.

Not that long until the end of our contract and I'll shop around then.

Sideface:

If you have paid for a 100 Mbps UFB connection, you should get 100 Mbps, 24 hours per day. That is the whole point of difference with UFB.
That, among other things, is why I described UFB as "infinitely superior".

Assuming that you are speed testing over Ethernet rather than wireless, then either your connection is faulty, or you have been provisioned wrongly - eg with a 30/10 Mbps connection.

If your old ADSL connection was faulty, you would have complained.

If your UFB connection is faulty, you should do the same thing - get what you pay for.

Mike

Jase2985

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#1551311 12-May-2016 09:34

@mikeaqua if you are with spark send a message to cbrpilot and ask if he can look into it for you.

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#1551313 12-May-2016 09:43

MikeAqua:

Yes I'm testing over Ethernet, with nothing else connected.

When the connection was provisioned, the tech checked and it was running at 100. I tested the next day and got somewhere in the 30s.

<snip>

Not that long until the end of our contract and I'll shop around then.

TrueNet March 2016 Urban Broadband Report March 2016

Chart 7: Fibre & Cable Performance as Percentage of Advertised Speed

Spark UFB is the blue line running along the 100% line.

This is what you should expect.

Are you telling us that you have tolerated less than 50% performance since the day of installation almost a year ago because of long delays at the Spark helpdesk?

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MikeAqua

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#1551338 12-May-2016 10:17

Sideface:

Are you telling us that you have tolerated less than 50% performance since the day of installation almost a year ago because of long delays at the Spark helpdesk?

I'm telling you that I don't have time to waste on chasing up performance of a service that is performing adequately even though it is under-performing.

What I will do is change providers at the end of the contracted period.

If Spark was my business there would be courtesy calling of new/recently upgraded customers to ensure service delivery. That's exactly what they do with their business customers - even small single user business accounts.

Mike

Jase2985

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#1551445 12-May-2016 12:45

MikeAqua:

Sideface:

Are you telling us that you have tolerated less than 50% performance since the day of installation almost a year ago because of long delays at the Spark helpdesk?

I'm telling you that I don't have time to waste on chasing up performance of a service that is performing adequately even though it is under-performing.

What I will do is change providers at the end of the contracted period.

If Spark was my business there would be courtesy calling of new/recently upgraded customers to ensure service delivery. That's exactly what they do with their business customers - even small single user business accounts.

a simple PM to the person I mentioned outlining the issue you have and it could be fixed by tomorrow. The spark reps on here are awesome

MikeAqua

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#1551459 12-May-2016 13:16

So spark customer service is now via PM on web forums?

Jase2985:

a simple PM to the person I mentioned outlining the issue you have and it could be fixed by tomorrow. The spark reps on here are awesome

Mike

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Talkiet

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#1551470 12-May-2016 13:38

MikeAqua:

So spark customer service is now via PM on web forums?

Jase2985:

a simple PM to the person I mentioned outlining the issue you have and it could be fixed by tomorrow. The spark reps on here are awesome

Chuckle.

Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

This is NOT an official support forum, we are not required to be here or to action any individual post etc... BUT because of the typically higher acumen of the users here, it's often a useful early warning beacon for problems that might affect more than just one person, and sometimes there are individual issues that aren't serious but can give us indications of possible future problems.

The official support channel is via phone or the website. If you wanted to take the time to properly frame your issue however in a PM to cbrpilot, including times of the problem, description of the issue, details of your plan (account number, plan etc), address, whether it's a problem all the time or some of the time, then he's likely to be able to have a look at it in the next couple of days.

Please note that none of us on here are frontline staff, we don't log jobs and we usually won't put people through the script, but if an issue seems to be likely to be a common issue (like home wiring etc) then we will redirect you to deal with the standard process.

We can add value by picking up on the real issues that are subtle or have fallen through the cracks of the frontline system (again, we're not even an official escalation point - we're doing this because we can make some time - often after hours when we're not being paid for it - to help out in the edge cases)

Cheers - Neil G

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.

Jase2985

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#1551586 12-May-2016 15:49

MikeAqua:

So spark customer service is now via PM on web forums?

Jase2985:

a simple PM to the person I mentioned outlining the issue you have and it could be fixed by tomorrow. The spark reps on here are awesome

no but you dont seem to have had much luck with the official channels and i know cbrpilot has helped someone with a similar issue recently so its worth a go right?

of or are you happy paying full price for a service you are receiving half of?

daringpeter

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#1551717 12-May-2016 19:37

Thanks Geeks. Even if some comments were OT, I now have a better idea of where I should go. Which is, hang on in there until competition among providers to supply UFB services and especially 'phone has resulted in a more competitive market. And also check the direction the Government is heading. (For free connection installs of course.)

In retrospect, the question I should have asked is, how long is the taxpayer (at large) going to fund my connection? My strategy is, wait until UFB package costs and services have come down to equal the ADSL service I am currently getting, and then connect. (And at your expense, of course.)

Meanwhile, the Government is probably looking to justify (to the voter and other political parties) the huge cost of UFB. (It mainly benefits business by the way.) The number of connections, but in particular to the entities voters are keen on (like schools) is a political KPI. However in an election year, I doubt that they will be keen on hitting the individual voters with off-putting connections costs. Eh?

richms

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#1551748 12-May-2016 20:20

Just because you cannot see a use for UFB doesnt make UFB mainly benifit businesses. It seriously benifits anyone with kids, who can now all be youtubefacetimetwitching at the same time as each other without stuffing up each others gaming.

Richard rich.ms

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#1551757 12-May-2016 20:35

daringpeter:

... In retrospect, the question I should have asked is, how long is the taxpayer (at large) going to fund my connection? My strategy is, wait until UFB package costs and services have come down to equal the ADSL service I am currently getting, and then connect. (And at your expense, of course.) ...

A more likely scenario is that the price of xDSL will increase after 2019, to match the current (subsidized) cost of UFB.

Get UFB before 2020.

Our street won't get fibre until December 2019, so I'm hoping that the UFB subsidy will last until then.

If I could get fibre tomorrow, i would.

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quickymart

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#1551759 12-May-2016 20:41

daringpeter:

In retrospect, the question I should have asked is, how long is the taxpayer (at large) going to fund my connection? My strategy is, wait until UFB package costs and services have come down to equal the ADSL service I am currently getting, and then connect. (And at your expense, of course.)

I find this comment unusual - my 100/20 fibre connection costs the same as the ADSL connection I had prior to it. VDSL was $10 more a month, but fibre is cheaper.

I would suggest moving to fibre if you have it available. Sure copper is probably okay for now, but moving to fibre is future-proofing your connection and you don't need to worry about it being "switched off" a la copper.

richms

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#1551762 12-May-2016 20:46

It's actually at the point where I know some people who have kids who really do not want to go and stay at their grandparents on one side because their internet is so terrible so will prettymuch do whatever they can inorder to get dumped on the other grandparents. So if you want to never have the grandkids offloaded on you, then stick with the slow DSL.

Richard rich.ms

DarthKermit

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#1551765 12-May-2016 20:55

richms:

It's actually at the point where I know some people who have kids who really do not want to go and stay at their grandparents on one side because their internet is so terrible so will prettymuch do whatever they can inorder to get dumped on the other grandparents. So if you want to never have the grandkids offloaded on you, then stick with the slow DSL.

Off topic (sorry!): But I wonder how my neighbour's four grandchildren (ages ~ 14 down to 5) feel when they come to visit/stay with granny. She doesn't have any internet at all. There are 9 houses on my side of our street. Of them, the 7 that have internet are now on UFB. The other two houses have no internet at all.

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