UnlimitedInternet.co.nz - Just hear me out!

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › UnlimitedInternet.co.nz - Just hear me out!

startupgeek

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#224140 4-Nov-2017 13:56

Hey Geekzone!

Though i may have not posted here a lot, i do however follow and read and keep up with what is going on. And there is not really a lot about UnlimitedInternet.co.nz apart from moaning about Ben Simpson who owns and runs Hosting Direct (Parent company of Unlimited)

Before you all go and say i'm affiliated with HD or Unlimited this is my independent review of the service. My background is 15+ years as a Systems/Network/Admin Engineer.

There is a lot of scattered information on this and i don't think people are giving UnlimitedInternet a fair go.

The Story!

I have been with Spark, BigPipe, Vodafone, Slingshot and they have all been roughly equal with Bigpipe coming out on top for me, But i like giving the little guys a go as being in this industry i get sick of talking to people reading of a troubleshoot script. This being said i decided i wanted to find a provider that did 100/100mbps and the only one i could find was Unlimited Internet. After reviewing peoples post about them these were back in July 2016. It was now 2017, i took the jump.

Jeremy from Unlimited Internet was so quick and onto it, with letting me pick a day for the change, coming through with the goods on time, then even going beyond help desk working hours helping out with the odd thing.

What makes a good ISP for me is customer service, speed, good connectivity to overseas.

The speed is consistant internationally and no slow downs. for only $79 per month.

This isp is a serious contender and people need to leave the past in the past and look to the future!

Speed Test

Dave

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#1895211 4-Nov-2017 14:13

Nice to hear something positive about UI! They have flown under the radar for the last year or so. GZ can be a bit uppity about some ISP's (the old "friends don't let friends..." blah) but credit where its due UI has kept its nose clean and offers a pretty sharp service for most people. I know people that use them and they are also very happy.

Dolts

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#1895214 4-Nov-2017 14:36

100/100 for the same price as Bigpipes 100/20 is pretty tempting.

nicmair

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#1895225 4-Nov-2017 15:42

I was there first customer, and have moved from ADSL to fibre with them. Have never had an issue and the service and support (when needed) has always been first class. Every chance I get I recommend them! maybe I should be on commission )

rb99

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#1895226 4-Nov-2017 15:44

Just wondering if any of you chaps use the router they provide and if its any good ?

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

startupgeek

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#1895227 4-Nov-2017 15:48

rb99:

Just wondering if any of you chaps use the router they provide and if its any good ?

Na i use Fritz Box.

rb99

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#1895252 4-Nov-2017 15:52

Just wondering. Am on MyRepublic, which has been just fine so far, though I'm very familiar with the whole 'friends don't let friends' thing...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

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startupgeek

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#1895253 4-Nov-2017 15:59

rb99:

Just wondering. Am on MyRepublic, which has been just fine so far, though I'm very familiar with the whole 'friends don't let friends' thing...

Fair enough, i can only vouch for the service not sure on the hardware they provide. But just use live chat they are pretty transparent

pbgben

261 posts

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#1895257 4-Nov-2017 16:29

Happy UI customer here too, Im on VDSL in a rural area, 0993 RD3 - Only issue was ordering a static IP, I had to submit a ticket to remind them of the order.

VDSL, Over WIFI

$5USD 1GB RAM, 10GB SSD VPS in SYD

freakngeek

356 posts

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#1895258 4-Nov-2017 16:31

As mentioned in another post, I've had no issues with Unlimited now just over a year since joining.

@michaelmurfy, I may have not explained very well in other post of my situation to get VDSL
I went through all the major ISPs online checker to see if VDSL was available at my address.
All but Unlimited came back with not available
I setup VDSL with UL, but they came back telling me Chorus wouldn't do it due to my Attenuation being >15db
I explained that my aDSL was connection at 24/1Mbps, pretty well maxed out so surely VDSL should be possible
UL tried again and I have VDSL and not looking back.
Since comment in other post I've looked again and only ISP showing my address with VDSL availability is still UL, I check a little further up the road from me and then its not available as I would expect.

I don't use their router, as I had my own gear, including a FB7390 to do the VOIP (all it does) behind a ERL3
SIP login and PW setup was a breeze.

Pricing I think is very reasonable, $80/month gets me Unlimited BW, VOIP not paid for a call yet, and dedicated IP
Bigpipe costs more and you get less
One thing their initial setup cost is higher than other ISP's but pricing soon covers that.

Anywho, I'm very pleased with Unlimited Internet

pbgben

261 posts

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#1895259 4-Nov-2017 16:32

I must also add, as someone who used to manage gear in the HD DC in Albany. Good guys, Ben has a more layed back role imo and the guys that work there are better then the telstra and vocus teams I have used a few years back. I had not heard about his antics till after doing business there, The photo's on their website are not stock, odd setup but good for the price.

$5USD 1GB RAM, 10GB SSD VPS in SYD

reven

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#1895261 4-Nov-2017 16:44

I was with unlimited for a year or so up until 1 year ago. I moved house, couldnt get the connection going, called their support, guy was super rude and unhelpful. canceled and switched to 2degrees.

They were fine I found when I didnt need any support/customer service, but the one time i needed support it was terrible. sure im judging this on my one and only experience with their customer support (well via phone, ive emailed a few other times before), but first impressions last.

yes they are cheaper than most others, so if i was switching from a working ISP I'd give them ago, moving house i would not.

just my experience, opinion.

Lenovo

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michaelmurfy

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#1895269 4-Nov-2017 17:09

Good write up. Some people may have good experiences with them whilst others won't but there are several things that make me stay the hell away.

1) HD still have a dodgy ISP reviews website (http://www.ispreview.co.nz/) to make them look better when people search for reviews. Note, unlimited internet is the top ISP on the site.
2) they remove criticism from their Facebook page when people complain. This is why you hardly see anything on it. I've had friends complain not too long ago - the complaint was hidden within minutes and practically ignored.
3) The thread last year of them disconnecting people for using too much broadband even though the word "unlimited" is in their name.
4) Marketing material and advertising blatantly saying they are the cheapest when they excluded actual cheaper providers from their list.
5) They're not a TDR member.

These are a few dodgy things. They've gotten a little better but honestly I'd prefer to spend money on an ISP that doesn't do dodgy things or even disconnect people for using too much data. They may not do this any more but the problem is they have, and still have in their contract they can.

You get what you pay for IMO. Afraid I have issues trusting a company that doesn't take any criticism - they've also had too much history in the past to back this up.

Just my 2c and my view. It still seems to be a gamble based on what I've seen and experienced even recently...

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

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startupgeek

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#1895270 4-Nov-2017 17:24

michaelmurfy: Good write up. Some people may have good experiences with them whilst others won't but there are several things that make me stay the hell away.

1) HD still have a dodgy ISP reviews website (http://www.ispreview.co.nz/) to make them look better when people search for reviews. Note, unlimited internet is the top ISP on the site.
2) they remove criticism from their Facebook page when people complain. This is why you hardly see anything on it. I've had friends complain not too long ago - the complaint was hidden within minutes and practically ignored.
3) The thread last year of them disconnecting people for using too much broadband even though the word "unlimited" is in their name.
4) Marketing material and advertising blatantly saying they are the cheapest when they excluded actual cheaper providers from their list.

These are a few dodgy things. They've gotten a little better but honestly I'd prefer to spend money on an ISP that doesn't do dodgy things or even disconnect people for using too much data. They may not do this any more but the problem is they have, and still have in their contract they can.

You get what you pay for IMO. Afraid I have issues trusting a company that doesn't take any criticism - they've also had too much history in the past to back this up.

Just my 2c and my view. It still seems to be a gamble based on what I've seen and experienced even recently...

27,000 likes on their facebook page is hard to delete negative feedback!

I guess when it comes to hosting companies all the review sites are screwy, you just have to try and find out.
If you don't like them switch back lol.

So far so good

RunningMan

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#1895271 4-Nov-2017 17:29

@startupgeek - please use the compose reply button, there is no need to quote the entire previous reply each time you post.

sbiddle

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#1895336 4-Nov-2017 20:48

startupgeek:

27,000 likes on their facebook page is hard to delete negative feedback!

I guess when it comes to hosting companies all the review sites are screwy, you just have to try and find out.
If you don't like them switch back lol.

So far so good

And 27,000 Facebook likes is supposed to mean what exactly? Maybe you're somebody who has an association with a "like" actually meaning something in the real world? To me it means absolutely nothing.

I've never used HD or any of their products nor have I had any dealings with them so I don't have a personal view in relation to them. What I will say is that in the industry Ben is a person who's had run-ins with many people. Many of the things that HD have done in the past (some example of which are posted above) have been considered dodgy by many people hence some of those negative views being formed.

Disconnecting people for using too much data on an "unlimited plan" on a provider called "unlimited internet" really does have to sit at the top of that list.

At the end of the day people need to decide for themselves whether they value the business model, ethics and price proposition for any product they buy from any company. If you like something and are happy with things then good for you - expecting other people who have had a poor experience of seen people being burned in the past to agree with your views won't always happen in the real world. Clearly HD are doing some things right to be in business and have customers.

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