Possible to Switch ISP - Not Loosing Service?

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Tandem

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Topic # 144264 13-May-2014 09:42

I would like to switch my phone and internet service (ADSL) over to Slingshot, but have been told by Slingshot that I may not be able to if there are no available broadband spots in my area.

I had my Fixed Phone Line and Broadband for over 7 years and am quite surprised that I may loose my service just by switching to a different ISP.

The person I talked to at Slingshot said that I won't loose my phone service or number during the switch, but it is quite likely that I will loose my internet service and if there is a shortage of available connections I may end up on a waiting list for quite a long time.

Can someone please explain? I am very confused about how the process works and why would I loose the service just by switching providers.

What options do I have? Loosing internet for more than a week would be a serious problem for me as I work from home and being in a rural area am very depended on both the phone and internet.

Thank you for any comments/suggestions.

Edit: Clarification RE: type of Broadband.

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Reply # 1042812 13-May-2014 09:47

I am not sure what Slingshot are like, but, I recently transferred from Telecom to Vodafone (Cable) with zero downtime.

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sbiddle

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Reply # 1042819 13-May-2014 10:03

Switching to cable is very different as it's an entirely different physical network.

If you move provider you could risk losing service if there are port waiters in your area, but the odds of this are slim because you're going through a churn and not a disconnect.

Tandem

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Reply # 1042835 13-May-2014 10:11

KiwiNZ: I am not sure what Slingshot are like, but, I recently transferred from Telecom to Vodafone (Cable) with zero downtime.

Thank you. Are you in a rural area with limited internet connections available?

Tandem

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Reply # 1042836 13-May-2014 10:13

sbiddle: Switching to cable is very different as it's an entirely different physical network.

If you move provider you could risk losing service if there are port waiters in your area, but the odds of this are slim because you're going through a churn and not a disconnect.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I am talking about ADSL, broadband tied to my phone line.

trig42

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Reply # 1042839 13-May-2014 10:22

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If you are on a congested cabinet/exchange and other people are waiting for a port, your disconnection from your losing ISP may put your port back into the pool, from where the next person on the list will get a connection. You could end up at the back of this queue, and be waiting some considerable time.

It was good of Slingshot to warn you of this.

NonprayingMantis

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Reply # 1042840 13-May-2014 10:24

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I'm pretty sure transition orders don't send you to the back of the port waiter queue, so you should be able to switch ISPs no problem.

However, there is always the possibility of a balls-up.....

wongtop

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Reply # 1042841 13-May-2014 10:26

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In theory you shouldn't lose your service if everything goes as it should, but sometimes things go awry. Whatever you do, do not cancel your service with your existing provider before you are successfully churned to Slingshot (I wouldn't even tell them that you are moving). If you disconnect (rather than churn) your broadband will go to the first person in the queue. If you start the disconnection process, Slingshot won't be able to connect you until your disconnection is complete (and you will be then put in the queue).

Coil

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Reply # 1042842 13-May-2014 10:27

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Broadband and voice transitions are expected to have a downtime of how long it takes for you to plug your modem in or configure it. They wont say when it will switch over but generally when you notice the net stops working plug in your new modem.
That would be a reassignment.
A disconnect and new connection would have days of downtime even close to 2 weeks.

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DravidDavid

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Reply # 1042846 13-May-2014 10:33

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Typically how it works:

You call new ISP to churn > Churn notification is sent to loosing ISP > Services are switched off by loosing ISP by the date within the churn notification > New services are switched on by gaining ISP as specified after all the technical details are exchanged.

If you work from home and you are in an area that you think may have port waiters...I would seriously advise not switching anything. If there are port waiters in your area and Chorus accidentally disconnect your line and the next one in the queue jumps in, you go to the bottom of the list and you could be waiting for years.

Churning from one provider to another, physical disconnection is not usually necessary. There is only one exception, which is if Slingshot want to connect you to their own gear. This can be a double edge sword. While there might be port waiters on Telecom's gear, Slingshot might have gear in the exchange with available ports, which means everything is good. If there isn't, a disconnection is not likely but things do get lost in translation and the above explained can happen.

If you rely on broadband for your business and you are in an area that has people waiting on ports, don't take the risk! It's not worth the perceived savings you make after the massive headache of sorting out a provisioning nightmare between two telecommunications companies which may or may not result in you getting your internet back at the end of the argument. If you do want to take the risk, make sure you are prepared for downtime even if you are told there will be none. Have a contingency plan available like a 3G/4G internet connection to keep your business running. I would advise you set this up anyway, since faults do happen. You should have a redundancy plan ready should you need to use the internet during a massive outage.

Good luck with your decision!

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

Coil

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Reply # 1042851 13-May-2014 10:36

DravidDavid: Typically how it works:

You call new ISP to churn > Churn notification is sent to loosing ISP > Services are switched off by loosing ISP by the date within the churn notification > New services are switched on by gaining ISP as specified after all the technical details are exchanged.

If you work from home and you are in an area that you think may have port waiters...I would seriously advise not switching anything. If there are port waiters in your area and Chorus accidentally disconnect your line and the next one in the queue jumps in, you go to the bottom of the list and you could be waiting for years.

If you rely on broadband for your business and you are in an area that has people waiting on ports, don't take the risk! It's not worth the perceived savings you make after the massive headache of sorting out a provisioning nightmare between two telecommunications companies which may or may not result in you getting your internet back at the end of the argument. If you do want to take the risk, make sure you are prepared for downtime even if you are told there will be none. Have a contingency plan available like a 3G/4G internet connection to keep your business running. I would advise you set this up anyway, since faults do happen. You should have a redundancy plan ready should you need to use the internet during a massive outage.

Good luck with your decision!

When in theory if your reassigning you keep your port but things dont always get done properly or the uninformed consumer will jump to the conclusion and tell the old ISP to disconnect them and new one to connect them.

+1 for those with a backup plan. You wouldn't believe the amount of people "running a business from home" who have zero backup plans when a fault occurs. Its like going to sea with no life boat or what ever.

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DravidDavid

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Reply # 1042864 13-May-2014 10:48

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NonprayingMantis: I'm pretty sure transition orders don't send you to the back of the port waiter queue, so you should be able to switch ISPs no problem.

However, there is always the possibility of a balls-up.....

I've seen it many times unfortunately.

- A CSR processing a churn which is misinterpreted by provisioning as a disconnect is a common one.
- Customers ringing the loosing ISP with the date the gaining ISP has given them for "reconnection". If the customer specifically requests their services "disconnected" a CSR can process a disconnect without knowing there is a churn notification in the mix. Disconnect order makes its way through first and all of a sudden the churn notification sits there doing nothing.
- Technicians getting the wrong idea in the field because they have been supplied incorrect information or interpreted information incorrectly disconnecting the services of the customer in question.
- A wrong pair being assigned to a customer and loosing service to a waiter to the correct pair while the stuff up is being worked out. Sometimes customers don't call for weeks later after they were supposed to be connected. This often happens when dealing with equipment belonging to different ISPs.

For example: Cases where a World Exchange customer was connected to a CallPlus port or vice versa, but the port they were supposed to be connected to during the churn was a Vodafone port. The time spent sorting it out meant a port waiter jumped in on the only Vodafone port left "available" according to provisioning records and therefore meant there was no way to resolve the problem unless the World Exchange port was left open. If they have their own set of waiters, it's unlikely after a week of trying to sort out the initial issue.

It can be a total nightmare sorting that kind of thing out, which is why if you are running a business...Either get a business line where supposedly more care is taken to make sure the customer has service, or accept there is a risk and take the plunge. I wouldn't be taking the risk.

Sometimes what you don't get is a blessing in disguise!

Tandem

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Reply # 1043053 13-May-2014 14:40

Thanks for the explanations everyone, much appreciated.

I was definitely going to request the churn through the new ISP not even contacting the current provider just to avoid the disconnect, but from your replies it still seems too risky. I guess I was naive in thinking that since I already have a DSL port connected to my phone line at the exchange, Chorus would not have to do any physical work and the switch would be mainly administrative, kind of like when changing Power or Phone provider.

This really sucks, as I could save a lot of money if I could switch over.

3G/4G is not an option as a backup for me, no coverage in my area.

Coil

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Reply # 1043074 13-May-2014 14:56

Tandem: Thanks for the explanations everyone, much appreciated.

I was definitely going to request the churn through the new ISP not even contacting the current provider just to avoid the disconnect, but from your replies it still seems too risky. I guess I was naive in thinking that since I already have a DSL port connected to my phone line at the exchange, Chorus would not have to do any physical work and the switch would be mainly administrative, kind of like when changing Power or Phone provider.

This really sucks, as I could save a lot of money if I could switch over.

3G/4G is not an option as a backup for me, no coverage in my area.

A reassignment requires no technician given your not swapping from UCLL or telco owned network to Chorus gear.
Its all backend.

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Tandem

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Reply # 1043377 14-May-2014 08:24

TimA:

A reassignment requires no technician given your not swapping from UCLL or telco owned network to Chorus gear.
Its all backend.

Thank you, I have no idea about this, but will see if I can find out from a local Corus tech. Maybe I can also get more details about the size and waiting time of the port waiter list for that exchange/cabinet.

kiwiharry

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Reply # 1043385 14-May-2014 08:47

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I churned last week away from Slingshot. I wasn't aware of the risk of things going pear shaped and possibly dropping onto a wait list. I too do a lot of work from home and mobile phone tether is my first back-up option.

My switch-over last week was very fast though. Services were probably only down for about 10-15 minutes.

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