orcon VoIP pricing is a bit cheeky

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › orcon VoIP pricing is a bit cheeky

hamish225

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#160512 9-Jan-2015 14:16

does anyone else think it's a bit cheeky that orcon charge $4 a month for voicemail, caller ID and call waiting over VoIP?

2talk and snap just provide it as part of their plan...

is there a higher cost to them providing these services justifying the $4 extra or is it just a case of "people are used to paying extra for these things so we'll charge them extra too, yay more money for us *evil laughing*"

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#1211183 9-Jan-2015 14:50

But if you don't use those services you save $4 with Orcon and zip with those providers you quoted, speaking personally I'd rather have transparency and choice.

Regards FireEngine

hamish225

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#1211228 9-Jan-2015 15:50

FireEngine: But if you don't use those services you save $4 with Orcon and zip with those providers you quoted, speaking personally I'd rather have transparency and choice.

from that perspective, yes. but is it actually true? does it actually cost more for you to provide those services or is it just a money grab?

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kiwikiwi

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#1211234 9-Jan-2015 16:01

I get caller ID but I don't pay for it. Something a miss here?
on topic:
$4 is reasonable I mean if you're already paying for wiring and maintenance (which is a buck cheaper) why not go the extra mile and pay for it anyway?

You can also follow me on twitter here @kiwifortw I do twitch streams every now and then at twitch.tv/kiwiforthewin :)

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JWR

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#1211290 9-Jan-2015 17:28

FireEngine: But if you don't use those services you save $4 with Orcon and zip with those providers you quoted, speaking personally I'd rather have transparency and choice.

Personally, I would rather have more choice and not have to pay for the telephone component at all.

tchart

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#1211351 9-Jan-2015 18:34

kiwikiwi: I get caller ID but I don't pay for it. Something a miss here?
on topic:
$4 is reasonable I mean if you're already paying for wiring and maintenance (which is a buck cheaper) why not go the extra mile and pay for it anyway?

I'm on an old contract which had these bundled. I'm hesitant to move plans because of this charge.

kiwikiwi

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#1211352 9-Jan-2015 18:36

tchart:
kiwikiwi: I get caller ID but I don't pay for it. Something a miss here?
on topic:
$4 is reasonable I mean if you're already paying for wiring and maintenance (which is a buck cheaper) why not go the extra mile and pay for it anyway?

I'm on an old contract which had these bundled. I'm hesitant to move plans because of this charge.

Ahh perfect sense.

You can also follow me on twitter here @kiwifortw I do twitch streams every now and then at twitch.tv/kiwiforthewin :)

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hamish225

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#1211353 9-Jan-2015 18:41

tchart:
kiwikiwi: I get caller ID but I don't pay for it. Something a miss here?
on topic:
$4 is reasonable I mean if you're already paying for wiring and maintenance (which is a buck cheaper) why not go the extra mile and pay for it anyway?

I'm on an old contract which had these bundled. I'm hesitant to move plans because of this charge.

Are the new plans any cheaper than your current one?

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FireEngine

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#1211356 9-Jan-2015 19:00

JWR:
FireEngine: But if you don't use those services you save $4 with Orcon and zip with those providers you quoted, speaking personally I'd rather have transparency and choice.

Personally, I would rather have more choice and not have to pay for the telephone component at all.

So have you checked out the new Orcon Naked plans?

Regards FireEngine

Lurch

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#1211376 9-Jan-2015 19:31

hamish225: does anyone else think it's a bit cheeky that orcon charge $4 a month for voicemail, caller ID and call waiting over VoIP?

2talk and snap just provide it as part of their plan...

is there a higher cost to them providing these services justifying the $4 extra or is it just a case of "people are used to paying extra for these things so we'll charge them extra too, yay more money for us *evil laughing*"

Would work out $14 a month more than what I'm paying now for Naked + VOIP. Orcon has been slightly more expensive for awhile now, at one point they were the best price/service. Was with them a couple of years, so I've been watching pricing.

With 2talk not only are you getting Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting you are getting 100+ smart phone features. One I like the most is caller tunes, so no more boring ring tone. I also don't see a VOIP only option with Orcon but bundled only.

You also don't get to keep the modem when you leave, so I don't see the point of the 12 month contract.

"Modem is a Dual Core Gigabit wireless modem, meaning it’s really really fast. Create a 300Mbps WiFi network and make up to 4 high speed wired connections using the Gigabit Ethernet LAN port. It’s UFB, VDSL and ADSL capable. You’ll need to return the modem if you need to leave Orcon."

2talk by Lúrch, on Flickr

kiwikiwi

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#1211377 9-Jan-2015 19:40

Lurch:
hamish225: 1.) does anyone else think it's a bit cheeky that orcon charge $4 a month for voicemail, caller ID and call waiting over VoIP?

2talk and snap just provide it as part of their plan...

is there a higher cost to them providing these services justifying the $4 extra or is it just a case of "people are used to paying extra for these things so we'll charge them extra too, yay more money for us *evil laughing*"

Would work out $14 a month more than what I'm paying now for Naked + VOIP. Orcon has been slightly more expensive for awhile now, at one point they were the best price/service. Was with them a couple of years, so I've been watching pricing.

With 2talk not only are you getting Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting you are getting 100+ smart phone features. One I like the most is caller tunes, so no more boring ring tone. I also don't see a VOIP only option with Orcon but bundled only.

2.) You also don't get to keep the modem when you leave, so I don't see the point of the 12 month contract.

"Modem is a Dual Core Gigabit wireless modem, meaning it’s really really fast. Create a 300Mbps WiFi network and make up to 4 high speed wired connections using the Gigabit Ethernet LAN port. It’s UFB, VDSL and ADSL capable. You’ll need to return the modem if you need to leave Orcon."

1.) Not really. It's a premium service.
2.) 12 contract pays for the installation, connection fee and the modem as well I'm sure. Someone can quote me and correct me but I'm pretty sure that's how it works so it is worth it, even if you don't get to keep it.

You can also follow me on twitter here @kiwifortw I do twitch streams every now and then at twitch.tv/kiwiforthewin :)

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Lurch

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#1211378 9-Jan-2015 19:45

kiwikiwi:
1.) Not really. It's a premium service.
2.) 12 contract pays for the installation, connection fee and the modem as well I'm sure. Someone can quote me and correct me but I'm pretty sure that's how it works so it is worth it, even if you don't get to keep it.

1) That's a lot like saying my mince pie is "Gourmet".
2) You have to return the modem after you leave. Installation/connection fee for most other ISPs I know of include this free with no contract, which appears to becoming more the norm. If the service is good people will stay so no need for a contract.

kiwikiwi

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#1211381 9-Jan-2015 19:56

Lurch:
kiwikiwi:
1.) Not really. It's a premium service.
2.) 12 contract pays for the installation, connection fee and the modem as well I'm sure. Someone can quote me and correct me but I'm pretty sure that's how it works so it is worth it, even if you don't get to keep it.

1) That's a lot like saying my mince pie is "Gourmet".
2) You have to return the modem after you leave. Installation/connection fee for most other ISPs I know of include this free with no contract, which appears to becoming more the norm. If the service is good people will stay so no need for a contract.

I'm pretty sure most isps require a callout fee plus connection. I know this cause I had to pay $150 to get my Orcon ADSL installed before I had Fiber with them.
Vodafone also wanted a connection fee+install fee when I was living in Mangatapere.
Snap also want $199 if there is no working connection(so that's an install)

I wouldn't exactly say installation is free.
Spark and Snap from what I've looked at want $99 up front for a no contract. Says so on their website.

https://www.spark.co.nz/shop/internet/naked/ and then click What Else I Need To Know

https://myaccount.snap.net.nz/bpd/Broadband%20Product%20Disclosure%20ADSL%20&%20Snap%20Plus%20v2.pdf

Most ISPs require a $99 for a no contract up front and possibly a $150-200 install fee if there is no jack.

You can also follow me on twitter here @kiwifortw I do twitch streams every now and then at twitch.tv/kiwiforthewin :)

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Lurch

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#1211386 9-Jan-2015 20:10

I could list at least 5 ISPs that don't, a little research and you can find them too :-) But that's going OT. If I was to sign up for a 12 month contract I'd want to keep that modem if left. It's a lot like Sky charging for the decoder then having to return it when you leave and then they sell it on to the next person 100% profit.

Anyway back on topic, yes it's cheeky to charge $4 for those services.

browned

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#1215302 15-Jan-2015 09:54

The $4 charge was added as an option when Orcon did their stealth price increase plan changes a year or so ago. A few GZer's complained and I think they did a special offer for us so it would stay free. If I remember correctly the plan changes included price increases of $4 for caller id etc, and $6 for something else.

So effectively it was a $10 increase over their previous plans, as the previous plans included these options for nothing. I see there is no $6 addon now so not sure what it was for.

Anyway I think it was and still is cheeky to pay for these features, that's one reason why I moved from Orcon.

sbiddle

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#1215413 15-Jan-2015 11:57

Lurch: I could list at least 5 ISPs that don't, a little research and you can find them too :-) But that's going OT. If I was to sign up for a 12 month contract I'd want to keep that modem if left. It's a lot like Sky charging for the decoder then having to return it when you leave and then they sell it on to the next person 100% profit.

Anyway back on topic, yes it's cheeky to charge $4 for those services.

Installs cost money (and those prices have gone up from the 1st Dec). Anybody offering a "free" install across all customers is simply subsidising those costs.

People complain about ISPs offering cheap crappy modems but when ISPs (and I'm not referring just to this thread) decide to offer quality products such as Dual band AC devices that cost significantly more, why would you expect to get that for free? A 12 month contract even of on a $150 device on a low end plan isn't going to recover the cost of the due to the low margins.

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