Orcons new plans

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Orcons new plans

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#497316 24-Jul-2011 11:23

pyronical: These new plans are a bit unfair.

I'm currently on Purple+ with 100GB extra data (125GB total). Costs me $169/month.

On genius it would be 130GB for $155/month. Clearly better.

Except that:
a) I don't want their crappy non-gigabit router.
b) I would be forced to pay the $99 connection fee even though I've been a customer for years.

I'm in a similar situation- currently on Orcon Purple+ 25GB for $80 per month. From the website it looks like I should be able to move to Orcon Genius 30GB for $70 per month.

However, renting their gear (which I don't want) adds at least $5 per month, and there is a $99 connection fee even if you are an existing customer (unless you sign up for a contract term).

pyronical: alexx: By the way, do these new plans mean there is no "Naked DSL" service offered?

Correct. Well I asked that question on their facebook page. Their response was "Genius IS naked DSL" - which is only partially true.

If these plans are replacing Orcon's naked DSL, shouldn't existing customers be able to move on to the newer (and cheaper) plans without being penalised?

On the Orcon website, this is the explanation for the standard connection fee:

"All new services require a standard connection. This is where we set up your line at your local telephone exchange…"

I don't think there would be any need for any change in my connection at the telephone exchange?

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networkn

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#497552 25-Jul-2011 12:17

I was surprised that the new plans are actually less attractive than the old ones. According to Orcon sales, I would be worse off to switch to a new plan unless I move to Genuis.

alexx

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#497567 25-Jul-2011 12:45

networkn: I was surprised that the new plans are actually less attractive than the old ones. According to Orcon sales, I would be worse off to switch to a new plan unless I move to Genuis.

It might depend on how much data you use, but for me the old and new plans looked very close, although it was difficult to compare as the GB data steps I was considering, did not quite align. It would be interesting to plot the old vs new for different data amounts. For existing Orcon customers, the main feature of the new plans would appear to be the early termination fee.

One thing I noticed on the web site.
http://www.orcon.net.nz/external/genius/?genius=0

If you go to the Home Phone icon and click on "More Info", the text displayed includes this:

---

Orcon Genius puts your phone line over the internet, so you no longer need to pay monthly landline rental charges
Calls don’t count towards your monthly data cap
Keep your old number, even when you move within your local area
Voicemail is free, and all voicemail messages can be sent as an audio (wav) file to your e-mail address
Call Waiting and Caller ID are also included free of charge.
Great value calling rates over a top quality voice line:
1. Free local calling
2. 19c national calling capped at $2.95 for up to one hour (or included in the monthly rental if Unlimited National Calling is selected).
3. NZ mobile calling 43c per minute. 100 minute bundles for $20 per month.
4. International Calling: Add unlimited calls to 1 country for $13 a month (Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa ($20), South Korea, Taiwan, USA, UK).

---

It looks a little bit like they might have copied the text that was meant to belong on the Genius plan to the Orcon@Home plan. So I'm wondering how much of that is true and legally binding?

networkn

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#497590 25-Jul-2011 13:28

Hi There!

I am not keen on moving to VOIP only with young children in the house. I like being able to access a hardline that works when my internet is down (which it is way more than it should be) and when the power is off.

In an emergency pots lines are the most reliable form of communication I believe.

xpd

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#497626 25-Jul-2011 14:23

networkn: Hi There!

In an emergency pots lines are the most reliable form of communication I believe.

Yes and no.... power goes out...emergency occurs... you pick up your cordless phone. DOH!

I dont know of anyone that still has a a standard phone plugged in that dosent require power.

Every technology has its +'s and -'s ... jsut depends what you want to take.

XPD / Gavin

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bazzer

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#497854 26-Jul-2011 08:23

xpd:
networkn: Hi There!

In an emergency pots lines are the most reliable form of communication I believe.

Yes and no.... power goes out...emergency occurs... you pick up your cordless phone. DOH!

I dont know of anyone that still has a a standard phone plugged in that dosent require power.

Every technology has its +'s and -'s ... jsut depends what you want to take.

I do.

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NonprayingMantis

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#497855 26-Jul-2011 08:26

bazzer:
xpd:
networkn: Hi There!

In an emergency pots lines are the most reliable form of communication I believe.

Yes and no.... power goes out...emergency occurs... you pick up your cordless phone. DOH!

I dont know of anyone that still has a a standard phone plugged in that dosent require power.

Every technology has its +'s and -'s ... jsut depends what you want to take.

I do.

I don't have one plugged in right now, but I do have one in the cupboard for that very reason. I used to have 2 but sent one down to ChCh after the quake when there was an appeal for them because power was out but PSTN was still up so corded phones still worked but anything requirng power didn't.

old3eyes

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#497856 26-Jul-2011 08:29

bazzer:
xpd:
networkn: Hi There!

In an emergency pots lines are the most reliable form of communication I believe.

Yes and no.... power goes out...emergency occurs... you pick up your cordless phone. DOH!

I dont know of anyone that still has a a standard phone plugged in that dosent require power.

Every technology has its +'s and -'s ... jsut depends what you want to take.

I do.

Same here..

Regards,

Old3eyes

xpd

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#497881 26-Jul-2011 09:23

So Im a freak.,.... :-p

XPD / Gavin

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Kyanar

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#497882 26-Jul-2011 09:24

farcus: boy - those are some expensive calling rates for a VoIP offering!
26 cents per min to the UK!! I think 2Talk charge 5 cents per min if I am not mistaken.

Particularly concerning when I get charged 9c per min to the UK and USA with my POTS connection...

by Orcon.

ulrikov

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#498019 26-Jul-2011 13:44

Hi guys...I'm new to NZ and I'm a student in Rotorua. I'm looking over this Orcon Genius! Currently, I'm planning of taking the "No Fixed Term" which runs about $75 per month (including rental) + $99 installation fee.. (30gb DATA).

Anyone has thoughts if this is a good idea? I talked to our local IT guy in the Polytech and he told me that this would be a good option for me. I'm all ears...

Thanks.

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xpd

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#498044 26-Jul-2011 14:46

If you dont need toll calls around NZ for "free" then the basic 30GB plan is great value IMO. I would go onto that one myself but unfortuantely im out of the local calling area for most of my calls, so taking the 5GB with national calling works out better for me. Ill probably tack on another 10GB of data down the track and still be paying a lot less than what I have been.

XPD / Gavin

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ulrikov

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#498049 26-Jul-2011 14:55

Oh, that's great then. One more thing, for example I'm going through with the Orcon Genius Lite Modem... Do I need a local landline connected for it to work? I'm living in a student hostel and connecting to a local phone might not be readily accessible as I have to ask permission. I doubt they would give me permission... :/

xpd

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#498066 26-Jul-2011 15:26

Orcon Genius (and any "naked" DSL) requires the physical cabling etc to be there, but you wont pay line rentals on it. Being in a hostel, you probably wont be able to get a line for yourself, but cant hurt to ask.

XPD / Gavin

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pyronical

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#498080 26-Jul-2011 15:46

froob: If these plans are replacing Orcon's naked DSL, shouldn't existing customers be able to move on to the newer (and cheaper) plans without being penalised?

On the Orcon website, this is the explanation for the standard connection fee:

"All new services require a standard connection. This is where we set up your line at your local telephone exchange…"

I don't think there would be any need for any change in my connection at the telephone exchange?

I asked the same thing, they said that there is in fact work required at the exchange moving from a Naked DSL plan to Genius. Whether its true or not, I do not know.

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