Trying to make it cheaper for me Grandma

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Wakrak

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#269743 5-Apr-2020 21:04

Gave the old girl a call today, and she was flabbergasted by a 20 minute mobile to mobile call that has her forking out an extra $20. Thought I'd do a bit of quick research and see if I could figure out something cheaper for her.

From what I could gather, this is what she has going;

SPARK

Home broadband package (60GB) comes with landline (key) = $84.95
Wire Maintenance = $4.95
One bill classic for mobile phone = $9.99
Charges per texts and calls (mobile) New Zealand and internationally to Australia.

She would like internet, landline, mobile phone with the ability to call/text Australia.

Seems Spark and Slingshot offer the best when you combine all three, although Sparks process doesn't allow you to add a mobile phone to the sign up. Vodafone, 2Degrees, & Skinny were either a bit pricey or didn't have the entire required package.

Thinking of signing her up to a fibre 60gb plan with landline attached ($75 with 50/10 Spark), and then sign her up with skinny for her mobile ($9 texts/calls to Oz). Or do all three with Slingshot for bonus discounts.

Thoughts?

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Ultimate Geek

#2455390 5-Apr-2020 21:16

For a start, ditch the Wire Maintenance.

snnet

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#2455425 6-Apr-2020 05:43

Delphinus:

For a start, ditch the Wire Maintenance.

Exactly. It doesn't actually mean anything anymore. I know of so many cases I've gone to after a chorus tech has said to get someone else in because they don't repair phone jacks or even the cable after the demarc at all, no matter what you've been paying the last 10 years.

Kiwifruta

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#2455439 6-Apr-2020 07:24

Can you put WhatsApp on her phone and have her call mobile numbers within NZ and overseas instead of running up mobile calling charges?

Wakrak

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#2455469 6-Apr-2020 08:40

Yes unsure why she has wire maintenance. She probably just saw it there on her first bill and thought it was a necessary component.

She has an old school non-smart flip phone, but considering giving her the spare Xiaomi Mi9t phone I have after Dick Smith stuffed up my order.

toejam316

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#2455475 6-Apr-2020 08:53

If she's comfortable with a mobile, I'd recommend looking into the Senior Gold plans, which are $12.99 and $22.99. The $12.99 is unlimited national and 50 minutes mobile, with some extra stuff, the $22.99 is unlimited national and mobile.

If she lives in the footprint, Skinny Broadband would be another great option. https://www.skinny.co.nz/broadband/

Vodafone also has a pretty competitive offer, https://www.vodafone.co.nz/goldnet/.

IF you NEED to retain a copper delivered phone service, that could make things trickier. Depending on why, there are solutions to overcome that including adjusting the house wiring to feed from the modem and installing a small UPS to keep the unit powered during mains outages.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

NumPy

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#2455479 6-Apr-2020 09:00

For a start I would jump onto one of the MyRepublic plans. Fibre100 is $69.00 per month.

If you want calls hero.co.nz has some very cheap plans, I am on the flexi lite plan for $11.50 pm inc GST. (5 hours calling to NZ & Aus fixed/mobiles +75 other countries included**)

Wakrak

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#2455489 6-Apr-2020 09:28

These 65+ plans could be a goer. Vodafones offer of 20gb of data + a landline at $40 seems reasonable. & an adjustable Prepay plan could get her 200min + unlimited texts to Australia for $16.

She lives in Kawerau, so most if not all of those houses should be able to access fibre.

Ideally once this lockdown is finished, I'll go over and do the bi-monthly remove all her viruses and whatnot. Her broadband is plugged straight into the computer and doesn't have wireless. If I give her this Mi 9T, might affect whether we go with a 20gb deal or upgrade to Fibre 60gb-unlimited. She only uses the internet for facebook, yahoo email, and genealogy forums I suspect. She'll barely touch 20gb. But if I give her this phone, with chromecast perhaps for her non-smart tv, then we'll see what her data usage is like.

I'll have a look at MyRepublic/Hero now too. Thanks for that.

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toejam316

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#2455521 6-Apr-2020 09:56

Kawerau, unless things have changed in the last few years, I didn't think the mobile service was that flash there. I'd try stick to fixed line services where possible, which pretty much rules out the senior stuff.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

Wakrak

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#2455543 6-Apr-2020 10:32

Just asked a mate who lives out there. Reckons the mobile service is all good, but internet and landline suffers in different parts of the town due to sulfur deposits. Another mate from Vodafone reckons the fibre out there should be good to rock'n'roll and Vodafone signal on her street should be decent, but ONT installation might be a hassle in this lockdown time of ours.

Wakrak

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#2456055 6-Apr-2020 16:42

For the moment I have narrowed it down Vodafone, Slingshot & Spark. Spark salesperson said that 4G wireless broadband would be disappointing due to high traffic in the area. 2Degrees long phone wait time at the moment. Slingshot will call me back as well to see if they have anything better to offer.

Vodafone (Everyday home) Fibre 240gb + homeline + mobile 200 minutes / unlimited texts Australia & NZ mobile plan = $82 if I go with salesperson I was on the phone with.

Spark unlimited fibre + landline + Gold mobile plan with Australia addon = $100

Slingshot 150GB fibre + homeline + unlimited homeline NZ calling + EasyPhone + Slingshot $20 mobile plan = $100

MyRepublic could do internet with them, but would have to sort mobile phone through a different provider.

All pretty similar offers minus Vodafone with the over the phone deal.

hio77

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#2456106 6-Apr-2020 17:43

snnet:

Delphinus:

For a start, ditch the Wire Maintenance.

Exactly. It doesn't actually mean anything anymore. I know of so many cases I've gone to after a chorus tech has said to get someone else in because they don't repair phone jacks or even the cable after the demarc at all, no matter what you've been paying the last 10 years.

While i won't go into the details of it, there is actually a significant amount of charges that aren't passed along due to having wire Maintenance.

Personally i wouldn't consume it. but i think us in the industry do need to take a bit more caution when going for a blanket 'it doesn't mean anything' approach.

Chorus techs not doing the full extent of what we expect should be fed back so it can go back to the right folk to take note.

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Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

nzlogan

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#2456117 6-Apr-2020 17:58

If you're going to go with the Slingshot - would be better to go Unlimited with the $25/month free mobile for a year deal. $94.95/month for Unlimited Fibre with landline and national calling, including the $25 mobile package.

Wakrak

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#2456126 6-Apr-2020 18:20

After all of that, I think she'll stick with Spark if she can, just for ease of shift. Fibre wouldn't be available until at least the 5th of May for installation.

If anything, should put her on a Skinny $9 prepay. Only issue is that they charge extra to check voicemail. So 2Degrees at $10 for free voicemail and 100 minutes both countries could work.

snnet

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#2459610 11-Apr-2020 22:30

hio77:

While i won't go into the details of it, there is actually a significant amount of charges that aren't passed along due to having wire Maintenance.

Personally i wouldn't consume it. but i think us in the industry do need to take a bit more caution when going for a blanket 'it doesn't mean anything' approach.

Chorus techs not doing the full extent of what we expect should be fed back so it can go back to the right folk to take note.

I've tried in the past to get customers to bump back to chorus saying this should be covered by wiring and maintenance, it ALWAYS comes back with an official "nope" from the telco - this is for things like a failed cable between ETP and jackpoint (cable accessible under house) Replace a faulty jackpoint (square block mounted type), even had a lead-in a couple of months ago declined (where I found original tech had cut too deep on outer sheath and severed one of the used cores causing intermittent faults)

Doesn't seem to matter who the retailer is, it's never approved anymore. This has been happening for a few years now, I can think of at least 10 jobs I've gone to and billed for that should have been covered.

Customers also get the "if it's on our network you wont be charged, if it's in your house you will be charged" - several times I've been at the address while the customer calls and they pass me the phone and I say "So if I find it's meant to be covered by your insurance fee, what's your name and address for my bill to go to?" Of course that goes nowhere

chevrolux

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#2459612 11-Apr-2020 22:38

Have to agree... wire maintenance has been irrelevant for a looooong time - and that's coming from someone who actually did those "wire maintenance" jobs.

But I just want to circle back up here ..."Gave the old girl a call"... how did it cost Grandma for you to call her?!

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