Frustrated with xtra 'max speed' plan

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Batman

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#12683 30-Mar-2007 21:41

Heya all! Just need to ask you guys, xtra customers and others alike.
I am on a max speed (download only) plan with a 5g data cap.

Now to my understanding, max speed plan means max speed downloading speed at all times until i use my data cap. Why is it that in the morning i get 1.4-2.0mbps but at night i get 300-700kbps??
I mean 700kbps is no snail but 350kbps??? what the?? i am so sick of complaining to xtra so i'll just ask around if this is normal. Thanks.

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#65645 30-Mar-2007 21:56

Congestion at various points on the network. All ADSL plans in NZ are best-effort service, and they make no guarantee on the speed you can achieve. Sad, but true.

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#65646 30-Mar-2007 22:02

thanks. anyone else has quantitative speed differences in their networks that i can compare with (just so that i don't feel so bad)? i also must say i live in invercargill 'central'-ish ... but 350kbps is very slow for max speed ... for me anyway. anyone else gets anywhere near?

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#65648 30-Mar-2007 22:06

its working thats the main thing

Shelbflaco

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#66167 3-Apr-2007 19:28

its working thats the main thing????? What kind of world do u live in? We pay for a service {product} and expect to get what we pay for. None of this, "oh well at least its working, there is nothing we can do for you". I can't beleive how much crap we have to put up with. We are moving into the "service" generation. Most companies can give the same product or service at the same price, so the consumer is going to find {not always first off} the company that can provide the best service, efficiently and effectively with minimal hassel and a smile. This industry is becoming blasé about customer satisfaction and customer service. Maybe its the gimps that work in the call centres or maybe its right from the top......

What do u think??

g7viz

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#66168 3-Apr-2007 19:34

I have to agree with you. Broadband in New Zealand really sucks. NZ Telecom should be ashamed of themselves. Unless they do something about it, and do it quickly, I can see people queuing up to leave them in the near future. Roll on naked broadband.

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#66172 3-Apr-2007 19:47

g7viz: I have to agree with you. Broadband in New Zealand really sucks. NZ Telecom should be ashamed of themselves. Unless they do something about it, and do it quickly, I can see people queuing up to leave them in the near future. Roll on naked broadband.

How does using Telecom's congested network in a 'naked' world help things? The congestion is still there. The DSLAMS are still old. The copper still has average runs of 4km, when ADSL is only really viable up to 1.5km.

Confused in welly....

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Antoniosk

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#66173 3-Apr-2007 19:51

Don't worry - other providers will be able to earn some bread while committing minimal investment, no doubt we'll find someone else to blame.
LLU only encourages providers to fight over the old copper network.

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cranz

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#66174 3-Apr-2007 19:51

No dramas at all with ADSL in New Zealand for me, Guess I got lucky with the equiptment I'm connected to. 1 Hitch since I first got JetStart and that was due to extreme weather knocking out a cable, for 4 days, to which I got a months credit for from Telecom.. I didn't even ask.

Maybe its the gimps that work in the call centres

They're doing their job, its not as if they make the rules on customer service, satisfaction, promotions, pricing, network infrastructure, congestion plans, contention ratios.. I could go on.

*edited*

Shelbflaco

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#66179 3-Apr-2007 20:17

My point about the gimps {muppets} that work in the call centres, is that they just dont care. They are just trying to come up with a quick fix so you get off the line so they can "deal" to the next customer. Any employee you have in your company reflects on the company and the companies image, weather it be good, or in most of the companies we seem to be debating, bad, very very bad.

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#66180 3-Apr-2007 20:25

I don't think they don't care, I think its a case of not being able to provide a resolution (whether reasonable or not) that you are expecting.
Though I guess some people can see it as a case of them not caring.

Yes, it could be determined the fault of the company however it would be unfair to single out the people who have no control over the processes involved.

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g7viz

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#66188 3-Apr-2007 21:04

antoniosk:
g7viz: I have to agree with you. Broadband in New Zealand really sucks. NZ Telecom should be ashamed of themselves. Unless they do something about it, and do it quickly, I can see people queuing up to leave them in the near future. Roll on naked broadband.

How does using Telecom's congested network in a 'naked' world help things? The congestion is still there. The DSLAMS are still old. The copper still has average runs of 4km, when ADSL is only really viable up to 1.5km.

Confused in welly....

To the extent that people will ultimately vote with their feet when they see they can get cheaper calls and better speeds from the third parties who will enter the market place (voip offers free or very much cheaper calls).

Competition made British Telecom sit up and take notice. They eventually realised they needed to upgrade their network (C21N) if they were to survive in a changing market. The same will happen in NZ although it may take some time before consumers see the benefit.

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#66189 3-Apr-2007 21:24

Of course, that is assuming that many providers will be in a position to offer services over the old copper... Linkie

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g7viz

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#66201 3-Apr-2007 22:00

cokemaster: Of course, that is assuming that many providers will be in a position to offer services over the old copper... Linkie

If there is money to be made, the market will provide the competition provided there is a level playing field and this is one thing the current Labour government appears to understand.

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#66203 3-Apr-2007 22:12

I disagree. Nothing was stopping providers from investing in their own networks/technologies to provide solutions to customers, they just found it easier to lobby the government to open up Telecoms network. This was not a market provided situation but a government (through regulation) provided option.
If the market stayed the same... there would be no LLU, however alternatives, like satellite, wifi, rural wireless, cdma data, gprs, utms, hspda, wcdma (woosh), cable, fiber etc.

It tends to upset investors as well, who kinda fund/own the organisation which in term owns the network... it is it their dollars which are behind these companies.

Considering two of these players (Ihug (with vodafones backing) and TCL (whom by the way are not exactly the role models some people make them out to be, just look at what happens in AU)), I have no doubt that they would have the money to invest in their own network... however see the point above. Meanwhile if Telecom makes any moves to be slightly competitive, it will probably be slammed as being anti-competitive and monopolistic.

Furthermore, while we have this initial rush to fight over the old copper and offer landline services that Telecom may have provided for years, other technologies that could have been used as the competition are being put on hold. And the same situation where areas that aren't as densely populated or profitable will get shafted because everyone will be pushing for profitable, urban centers.

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g7viz

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#66204 3-Apr-2007 22:19

Cokemaster, you mis-understand the market. The competions does not want to replace the local loop because it is expensive to install and maintain. This is why the competions lobbied the government for access to the existing local loop. Access to the local loop allows the competion to offer services to the public that can also make them money.

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