Considering Swapping from 'Snap' to '2Degrees' - Anyone have any experiences to share?

Forums › 2degrees (including Slingshot, Orcon, Flip, Stuff Fibre, MyRepublic, 2talk and Vocus) › Considering Swapping from 'Snap' to '2Degrees' - Anyone have any experiences to share?

SamF

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#180708 18-Sep-2015 18:08

Looks like I'll save a few dollars going from 'Snap' to '2Degrees'. I'm not sure if there is actually any technical difference here or if it's just a billing thing, but I'm concerned about service levels with 2Degrees, both technical and customer service wise.

Has anyone else made the switch, and if so what were your experiences with the process and the subsequent service levels afterwards?

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#1389861 18-Sep-2015 18:27

In short, you will move onto a different Terms & Service agreement (from Snap to 2degrees) but it mostly are just wording difference. The biggest difference is that there is no more Home Phone Basic (which came with the original Snap services) but instead if you want this you have to have Home Phone Plus as an add-on (at $15/month). The switch is painless, although you have to wait until the billing cycle to start before it kicks in. Lastly, especially you decide to adjust the speed to your service, you need to trigger a reconnect, which can be done using the reconnect button under the internet tab on your Fritz box so that the new speed profile goes into effect. I made the switch just 3 days ago and so far so good, actually got the 200/200 service as advertised.

SamF

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#1389900 18-Sep-2015 19:36

Thanks djrubbie.

That reminds me; the plan details state "Best connection available up to 30Mbps". I assume that this is not relevant for VDSL (which is what I'm using)?

Sideface

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#1389908 18-Sep-2015 20:03

SamF: ... the plan details state "Best connection available up to 30Mbps". I assume that this is not relevant for VDSL (which is what I'm using)?

I think that you assume wrongly:

A fibre connection at no extra cost

"Select which plan you want and then tell us where you live, if Fibre is available you’ll get up to 30Mbps download/10Mbps upload at no extra cost."

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SamF

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#1389911 18-Sep-2015 20:07

Sideface:
SamF: ... the plan details state "Best connection available up to 30Mbps". I assume that this is not relevant for VDSL (which is what I'm using)?

I think that you assume wrongly:

A fibre connection at no extra cost

"Select which plan you want and then tell us where you live, if Fibre is available you’ll get up to 30Mbps download/10Mbps upload at no extra cost."

Well, that specifically references fibre, so AFAICS doesn't address my specific situation.

SamF

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#1389912 18-Sep-2015 20:12

LOL. Went through the start of the signup process to see what it says about VDSL:

However, the 'Things you need to know about VDSL' link just goes back to the main page haha.

sidefx

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#1389913 18-Sep-2015 20:32

Hey Sam, I switched mine from my old snap plan to one of the new 2degrees plans - naked VDSL (VOIP is on 2talk) with a 2degrees on account phone so saving $10 per month from my old grandfathered plan, and bonus was the free 7490. All seems fine so far. Only complaint I had was that communication during the switch over wasn't great, but it all went through fine in the end and I seem to be switched over fine now. No differences I've noticed in performance - I suspect there's no difference between the 2 anyway. Yeah, I believe the "up to 30Mbps" just means fibre and doesn't apply to VDSL (For VDSL I think one of the 2 degrees reps confirmed it's just as fast as your line allows, so won't change)

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SamF

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#1389927 18-Sep-2015 20:55

Thanks sidefx, sounds like it's worth doing.

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Lorenceo

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#1389946 18-Sep-2015 21:26

I'm in Auckland. Was on naked unlimited VDSL with Snap. Moved to the new VDSL plan with VoIP from 2degrees. Had them port the VoIP number over from WxC. Was already on contract and had a Fritzbox so they didn't send another one out. Called them before the switch over to enquire about what'd happen with contract, porting number, etc. Questions for the most part were answered on the spot.

On the cut over date at the end of the billing cycle the phone didn't work, had to call them to get it running. VoIP solution overall seems less polished than VFX. For example calling while the phone's off the hook doesn't go to voicemail/engaged, instead it keeps "ringing" to the caller. Ring tone doesn't emulate the old Telecom PSTN network one like VFX did (one long ring then a pause instead of two short rings then a pause). No information on their website about how to use the VoIP system features that I can find. Eg: How do I access voicemail from the phone? My phones are flashing at me that there are messages but I don't know how to access them.

They seem to have removed the settings summary page, as well as other FAQs which were on the Snap website. Forcing people to wait on hold for simple information which should be available on the website is IMO a step backward. When I've had to call them the wait times haven't been too bad, but seemed longer than I remember them being when they were Snap. Probably just due to increased volumes. Haven't tried email support yet since the changeover. Haven't tried to get through on 0800 022 022, have only used 0800 276 232.

Received a call back about the issues with VoIP which was nice, but wasn't at home at the time and haven't followed it up yet, as the issues I've found with the VoIP haven't bothered me enough to want to wait on hold to resolve.

Yet to receive a Neon code, not a major concern to me.

Billing didn't change over when the plan did, was still charged old amount. Not a major as there was very little difference in price. They seem to have since resolved it, but their billing system isn't easy to decipher so I'm not 100% sure if it is resolved.

Twitch has gone down the toilet recently too, buffering up a storm. Whether this is related to the plan change or not I am unsure. Apart from the Twitch issue I've not noticed any difference in internet quality.

TL;DR: Internet performance seems the same apart from Twitch starting to buffer. The VoIP solution has a lot of room for improvement. New website could do with more/better self service info. It'd be nice if all it took was a quick glance to work out how much you'll be charged on your next bill.

stuartgr

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#1389951 18-Sep-2015 21:43

I was in a similar position (snap to 2Degrees). In the end i gave up and have joined BigPipe. After a month of trying to get cut over to the unlimited (100/20) from 250gb (100/50) I seemed to get somewhere and had an order completion text stating my plan change had gone through. Instead i just had my chorus plan changed (upload decrease) and was rebilled at the higher rate, still with a cap. The change was close to month end so i thought I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and wait til the next bill came out before I made any decisions. So two weeks ago i get my next bill, still at the higher rate and capped. So I've made the change.

Bit of a shame really as the network has been pretty top notch, but in my interactions with the support team over the past 3 years of being a customer have been patchy at best. I've had to place multiple calls to get things sorted, and always seemed to be the person calling them. So long story short, awesome network, average customer management process.

sidefx

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#1389956 18-Sep-2015 22:02

SamF: Thanks sidefx, sounds like it's worth doing.

Depends - if you have no VOIP with them and already have a mobile plan with them or are planning to get one, it seems worth it. If you have VOIP with them the saving is a bit less. If you have VOIP and no mobile (and aren't planning one) then it's not really worth it IMO, especially if you already have a 7390 from them in which case they apparently don't supply a new 7490. Though I guess it depends which snap plan you're on.

I also noticed quite long wait times the couple of times I've rung their helpdesk, but they seem pretty much in line with other ISPs. Fortunately I rarely need to ring them so not a big deal for me.

BTW, @Lorenceo I had to chase them for my NEON code. Assuming you signed up before the 6th Sept you can probalby ring them and get it - it's been nice for watching Season 2 of True Detective (Though the UI and lack of apps is pretty horrible - However I do see they've released an Xbox 360 app - will have to try it some time if I can be bothered resetting my xbox region ;-) )

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

SamF

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#1390013 19-Sep-2015 00:18

Yeah, I've definitely noticed long wait times on the phone. This is one thing that I REALLY liked about snap; you could call pretty much anytime and get someone almost immediately. I'll definitely miss that, but I think it will disappear eventually even if I don't change plans.

khull

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#1390046 19-Sep-2015 06:57

I transitioned to 2degrees without too much issues - have not been on the new billing cycle yet

JUPITER2K

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#1390067 19-Sep-2015 08:37

Can anyone here confirm new VDSL connection no more get the filter/splitter installed ?
Instead just using the same old phone filter.

Shock

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#1390378 19-Sep-2015 17:54

I changed over and it was not a good experience. Moved from the 100/50 Snap Fibre to 200/200 2 Degrees Naked Fibre.

Issues encountered:

phone stayed connected despite being requested to disconnect
billed incorrectly every month since (being charged for phone I no longer have)
told I had to wait till next billing period started to move from Snap to 2 Degrees plans
moved suddenly without any notice after being told above
helpdesk Tech's noticeably new and unable to help due to new restrictions
started to have technical issues (reference).

So yeah overall definitely a degradation in service from the Snap way. If it wasn't for the twitter team I would be with a different ISP right now.

Connecting to UFB? Go with Bigpipe and use this link for free credit!

sidefx

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#1390384 19-Sep-2015 18:03

JUPITER2K: Can anyone here confirm new VDSL connection no more get the filter/splitter installed ?
Instead just using the same old phone filter.

Yes, apparently they no longer do the install as standard, you'll need to pay extra if you want one.

No you don't use a phone filter (I assume you mean the plug in one for ADSL? No don't use it)

I'd suggest if you have more than one phone socket in your house (or an alarm, etc) then you should contact someone like Coffeebaron on these forums to get one installed.

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

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