Orcon's Connection fee

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Heidirose

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#113187 8-Jan-2013 23:36

I recently moved to a new flat, and I have signed up for Orcon's 30GB/unlimited national calling plan for $75, but today they sent me this email.

Hi there, Our install supplier has informed us that your broadband connection needs a full installation at a cost of $149. Here?s why this may have happened and what you can do to avoid the charge: 1. There may be an existing active phone line at the premises. If this doesn?t belong to you, it may have been abandoned by the previous householder. You can call 078320000 to find out who the provider is and then contact that provider to get the line abandoned prior to your install date. This should make it able to avoid the full install charges. 2. If you are moving house and the current tenants have not yet moved out, our supplier will see an active phone line at the property. Please ensure that the line is being disconnected by the current household prior to your install date to avoid the full install charges. 3. There hasn't been a connected line there before (i.e. new house), or the previous line has been disconnected and it requires a physical reconnection at the telephone exchange. Please give us a call on 0800 13 14 15 if you would like to discuss this further. Meanwhile we?ll get on with getting you connected. Kind regards The team at Orcon

I initially thought the problem was the first, but there was no dial tone on the line, and a modem got no signal from it. So I was surprised, although just now I tried plugging a cable modem into a cable in the wall that I didn't know what it was for, and I was actually able to get telstra clear's internet from it! So it seems the previous tenant may have been using that instead of the phoneline, and might have gotten the phoneline disconnected, meaning the problem is the 3rd possibility they suggested.

I am quite reluctant to pay $150 for that reconnection, and it just seems to be a lot.

My question is, would another ISP have a fairer connection price? I was supposed to get my internet connected tomorrow, but I am seriously considering delaying it until I can determine whether or not I could get a better deal elsewhere.

I had been under the impression that Orcon didn't have a connection fee, so this caught me by surprise.

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Uber Geek
Inactive user

#741994 8-Jan-2013 23:39

Where are you located?

Orcon do not have a connection fee but if a line needs to be installed that is very different

John

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Heidirose

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#741995 8-Jan-2013 23:41

I am in Karori, Wellington.

There is 2 phone jacks in the wall. Both seem to be completely inactive (no dial tone when a phone is plugged in, and I also tried plugging a modem in but it didn't seem to get anything from it either).

So it seems that a phone line must have been connected at some point.

johnr

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#742000 8-Jan-2013 23:54

You might want to try the TCL cable network

Heidirose

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#742002 8-Jan-2013 23:58

I actually had an account with Telstra Clear at my previous place. When I checked this address to see if service was available, it said it wasn't. But that was apparently incorrect, as I was able to connect to telstra clear's internet here anyway (from the previous tenant not getting it disconnected).

The downside is that I had wanted phoneline too (Orcon was appealing as they had internet + phone with national calling for $75 a month, which is much cheaper than the same sort of thing on telstra clear)

But seeing as Orcon are going to be obnoxious about it, I'll just go with telstra instead and forget about the phone (I find skype annoying to use)

johnr

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Inactive user

#742003 9-Jan-2013 00:02

Orcon are not been obnoxious! Read the email from them again

" Hi there, Our install supplier has informed us that your broadband connection needs a full installation "

They are simply passing on the message I would say from Chorus, Chorus charge Orcon and then they pass on the charge to you, Orcon make nothing on it

John

Heidirose

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#742004 9-Jan-2013 00:06

Do all ISP's go through those same connection people? Or are there others? I'd be willing to consider a cheaper one.

Also, if I was to cancel my Orcon signup now, would they be able to charge me anything for it, given that the internet/phone was never actually connected? They can't charge their "early disconnection fee", right?

I wouldn't have signed up with them if I'd known there was a possibility of a connection fee. So I just want out of the deal with them now. Also, I call them obnoxious because when I phoned their customer service earlier, they were totally unhelpful.

johnr

19282 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#742005 9-Jan-2013 00:09

Chorus own the copper lines around NZ other questions will need to be asked to Orcon direct

freitasm

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#742006 9-Jan-2013 00:14

A TelstraClear cable connection wouldn't work without the correct IP address, just the modem should not enough to have it going.

Even if you contract other ISP you will have the same situation.

My technology disclosure

Heidirose

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#742007 9-Jan-2013 00:18

I still have my telstra clear cable modem from my previous place (they will collect it at the end of the week), and that was what I plugged into the cable here. I attached my wireless router onto it, connected to it with my laptop, and it worked, just like that. No configuration or anything.

I was actually quite amazed (although I am not using it now, as there is probably a law against using other peoples internet, even if it was because they failed to get it disconnected).

Edit: It IS getting billed under my name. For some reason, the usage took longer than usual to appear in my account, but it is there.

sbiddle

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#742025 9-Jan-2013 06:46

Cable modems will work when moved - the cable modem is simply a L2 bridge that uses MAC based authentication. You're not using anybody else's internet.

As for the installation fee these are fixed charges set by Chorus that are the same no matter what ISP you are with.

The fact that home has TCL cable would typically indicate that the phone jacks will be connected to the TCL network. To use an ISP over Chorus copper requires a technician to visit and reconnect the Chorus copper to your home wiring.

While you have a gripe with Orcon the process they're following is exactly what happens in the real world.

kornflake

409 posts

Ultimate Geek

#742034 9-Jan-2013 07:29

Not to scare you Heidirose more just a heads up, depending the amount of work required, the final charge may be higher than than the $149. Orcon should call to advise of this at the install time, if this is the case. In saying that been in the center of Wellington you should have no problems.

Heidirose

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#742290 9-Jan-2013 14:39

My reply just doesn't seem to want to go through!

Orcon's connection fee is reasonable in the fact that it is passed down to them, although it came as a nasty surprise that I really wasn't expecting. I've cancelled my account with Orcon (no charge), and am going to go with Telstra Clear instead seeing as that is already largely set up.

Thanks for the advice guys!

Sounddude

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#742324 9-Jan-2013 15:28

Sounds to me like the original tenent had the phone line disconnected > 3 months (probably becuase they had TCL cable).

If the phone line has been disconnected for too long, then Chorus charge a install fee.

nickb800

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#742357 9-Jan-2013 16:05

Surely the savings over 12 months with Orcon (being cheaper than Telstra Clear cable) would more than cover the $150 connection fee?

sbiddle

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#742383 9-Jan-2013 16:58

Sounddude: Sounds to me like the original tenent had the phone line disconnected > 3 months (probably becuase they had TCL cable).

If the phone line has been disconnected for too long, then Chorus charge a install fee.

If the customer had a TCL phoneline then a Chrous truckroll is required regardless, as TCL terminate their cabling at the demarc and disconnect the Chorus copper.

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