Check on new ISP plans

[avandonk]

I was 'shaped' yesterday on my Bigpond 25GB plan. Had a look and there was a 50GB plan for ten dollars less and 30Mbits/sec instead of 9Mbits/sec. Back up to better speed after midnight.

So have a look at your current plan and see if there is a better cheaper one available from your current ISP as prices seem to be dropping.

Below is a speed test of the new plan

Bert

[Octane]

Bert,

I also suffered the same indignity.

I've been with TPG since I moved to this suburb in November 2007. At the time, they had a $49.95 plan for 8 GB peak and 10 GB off-peak.

I kept going over my limit as I'm a heavy user. I got fed up a few weeks ago and decided to check to see if I could get ADSL2+ (I knew I couldn't as I live in a building serviced by a pair gain system). Once rejected, I thought I'd check to see the next available plan -- was happy to upgrade. Upon checking their site, I realised they had scrapped the 18 GB option and replaced it with a 25 GB peak and 25 GB off-peak plan for 4 cents more! I immediately upgraded and it was switched on within 10 minutes.

I am now downloading the entire Internet.

It's annoying that despite being a customer since then, they didn't bother to advertise or market to their customers the option of moving up for the cost of a few cents. I know it's in their interests to not notify their customers as they will continue to gouge us, but, I thought it was pretty poor form.

H

[Barrykgerdes]

I had a similar plan on offer about 8 weeks ago when my download speed unexplained went from 1.5Mb to 6.0Mb on my adsl1 modem and I checked . I now can get ADSL 2 at $10 less so I bought a new modem for ADSL 2 and changed over. However the speed increase was marginal. I now get about 8.0 Mb rather than the full ADSL 2 speed which I think is closer to 20 Mb/s.

At the same time I invested in a Bigpond next G wireless sytem to use at Wiruna and I get up to 8.0 Mb there depending on traffic.

Actually I use the internet quite extensively and share my connection with two neighbours. I have never exceeded 6GB in one month. What do these people do that require 120GB a month. Do they stream video and audio? I also maintain a web site within these limits but here I can make large uploads (GB's) direct to the server by DVD.

Incidently My son used to have Optus cable but its speed was capped at 1 Mb/s. He now has Bigpond ADSL at 19Mb/s. I note that Optus are madly advertising a 4 times speed increase. They must have removed the speed cap.


Barry

[multiweb]

Yes it does pay off to regularly check your ISP broadband plans. I now have double the monthly quota for half of the amount of $ I used to initially pay over a period of 2yrs. Changed/re-contracted 3 times. It's just a swap over but they won't tell you unless you initiate. You can save $$$ in the long run.

[avandonk]

Yep Barry and H, I put this up only because I found out by accident that I was being treated very poorly by my ISP. These ISP's are only interested in wooing new customers. They are too stupid to realize that looking after your current customers should be a priority as it stops 'churning'.

Unfortunately they treat their staff the same way.

It seems they think once they have us we should just accept the service originally offered. Whores have a better service plan. The customer always comes first!

Bert

[Kal]

My ISP iinet (ozemail) automatically has raised my data allowance twice so far this year for no extra cost, without me having to lift a finger :)

On a related note here is an article (http://www.crn.com.au/News/221684,survey-iinet-takeover-likely-to-cheer-aapt-surfers.aspx) with a list of ISP's rated by customer satisfaction, with Internode and iinet rating the top 2, and bigpond second last

[multiweb]

Just looking at the histogram and seeing TPG at 80% on the satisfied scale made me laugh real hard. Sorry... :rofl:

[Kal]

It all depends on how you interpret the data. I see a graph like that and I assume that 50% of the people surveyed would not know better ;) Perhaps they have never had to make contact with support, or perhaps they are novice net users who just desire service. Eliminate the bottom 50% and the differences become more pronounced and are probably more reflective of those that are better positioned to evaluate their satisfaction :D

[multiweb]

I thought it was funny because I'm on the 'receiving end'. Anybody dealing with large IP blocks and DNSBL will know that TPG is responsible for a lot of spam and hacking. Some ISP don't bother about their users abusing the network, some do. TPG don't.

[g__day]

We recently moved off a 1mb / sec download limited, 12GB on-peak /24GB off peak - grand fathered Optus plan for $69 a month to a 2.2 mb/sec limited, 50 GB on peak / 70 GB off peak plan that was $20 cheaper.

Much better value, and definitely twice the speed - and haven't come close to our limit yet!

Note Optus are about to launch a premium service that tries to bump this speed up by a factor of around 3x (off shore server and local cache dependent, DOCIS 3 cable modem required) - not sure I'd pay extra for that...

[higginsdj]

Think yourself lucky, my Telstra Broadband only delivers 6.9Mps Up and 0.32Mps down. They can't/won't give me anything faster - and I'm in Canberra!

[avandonk]

I am very lucky higginsdj as I live in an area with both Optus and Telstra cables. If you all remember both these companies spent four billion each on running cables NEXT TO EACH OTHER. I have both at my doorstep and both companies know I will change with a better offer.

I just have to make it clear that in no uncertain terms will I put up with their lies.

All Australians deserve this quality service no matter where they live. If it raises my access costs marginally it is worth it.

So Andrew (KAL) that is why I am still with BP.

Bert

[Barrykgerdes]

All you blokes expect too much. My first internet in the 1990's gave me a download speed of 2.7KB/s. (about 20Kb/s) even though I was using a 56Kb modem. I thought that was terrific (because it was free courtesy of my son's employer). I could load ninemsn in about 4 seconds (cold) almost instantly from the cookies. Today I can download ninemsn occasionally in 2 secs but generally between 5 and 70 secs on a half speed ADSL2 connection. However at least when I get a slot for a data download I can get 700KB/s for the transfer. A 560MB download takes about 15 mins. I do something else while I wait!

I once downloaded a Linux iso (650MB) on a 256Kb/s system (Unwired) that averaged about 150Kb/s.
I started when I went to bed around 9:00 PM and it was ready next morning. Actually I had to do it twice. The system shut itself down during the first go.

We live in a new area cable ducts but no cables. Telstra has copper but the Optus duct is empty.

Barry

[higginsdj]

My first modem connection back then gave me somewhat less than that with a 28.8kb connection (I'm still at the same address). I just expect the big companies to keep up with developments. In my case we have fibre up to the estates but then testra took the cheapskates approach and layed twisted pair from the estate edge to every household in the estate!

[multiweb]

They're just waiting for the gvt to fork out the billions payout so they can switch it on. It's all laid and in stand by. I've had optical in front of my house for the past 5yrs. 30GBit/s minimum. Not plugged either. There's your 'national broadband network' :)

[ballaratdragons]

Yep Bert.
We changed over 2 weeks ago.

We did have Telstra Bogpond ADSL - 12gb @ $69.95 per month - 1,500/256kbps

Now have Telstra Bogpond ADSL 2+ - 50gb @ $49.95 per month - 20,000/1,000kbps

BIG difference for less dollars!

[g__day]

My first modem - in 1982 - was 300 baud - KB could only be dreamed of then :)

The best part of my new plan is my wife gets a discount - so its actually free :)

[Kal]

Yep, I remember connecting to UTS through a 300 baud modem. Faster technologies were around at the time (1992) but not implemented yet at the uni.

I remember trying to flood people on irc through the 300 baud modem too lol

[Barrykgerdes]

Back in those days the main chip was vulnerable to all sorts of spikes. I think we got through about 3 modems on our sega computer. Later we got 2400 when we ran the Tesserac bulletin board (on a CPM computer, 8in floppies disks and SCSI HDD).

Barry

[ballaratdragons]

All this upgrade at less cost is good

BUT!!!!

did Telstra bother telling us about this?

NO! They didn't. Cheryl found out about it by accident, then contacted them to find out.

So most people are probably still paying more for an inferior broadband coz no-one has told them.
Telstra are probably wondering how long they can get away with this until it becomes common knowledge (about the upgrade for less).

[ballaratdragons]

I remember our main source of 'information' was a speaker in a fancy wooden box mounted up on the wall in our Primary School classrooms booming out the ABC programs.

Ahhhh . . . those were the days :)

[Barrykgerdes]

When I was at primary school 1939-46 we had installed (1945) a radio, record player, PA system in a monster rack with speakers in every class room. I've no idea what it cost but as far as I know it was never used after the initial testing, probable because it was too complicated for the teachers. Maybe it was another BER at the time.

Barry (990)

[g__day]

In that era the hi-tech kids at primary got skilled up to become the projector boys :) we got to thread and splice the reels and rewind them...

PS

Whirlpool.net.au - the Australian broadband forum is your greatest friend when it comes to anything broadband in Australia!

[Barrykgerdes]

Later on at high school I did get the job as projectionist. All sorts of priviledges in the school hall. A prefects badge also went with the job.

Barry (998)

[Jules76]

Thought it might be interesting to note that I'm with Optus (ADSL2+) and they've always informed us when new better plans come out, whether it be by email or pamphlets in the mail. So not all ISP's don't care to inform their customers of new products.

Must say I was quite impressed they do this.

[Tandum]

I'm always wary when bigpond offers cheap plans. If I were to jump from my iinet business plan (80gig/8Mbs) to Bigponds 200gig/8Mbs plan I would save $70/month. 8Mbs is as fast as I can get here. The rub is they want you to sign up for 2 years. Other ISP's have already lodged complaints with the ACCC as the bigpond pricing is now cheaper retail than wholesale. To me this indicates something is coming that will effect all prices from every ISP. I guess I just don't trust Telstra.

[mswhin63]

I used to be with Telstra but always max'ed out on their 25G plan. I know use IINET with better results. Telstra charge for Uploads and Downloads, while IINET charge for only downloads. Ended up I can get another 5G of usage before maxing out which has not happed as yet. I also get to watch really good Freeview ABC programs as well (That is the best)

[avandonk]

I was not advocating changing providers. Just check what is better and cheaper from your current one.

Bert

[tlgerdes]

Also look at the VOIP services offered by the ISPs. Contrary to what Barry stated, I am with IINet not Telstra.

I choose their Naked DSL service and got my phone via VoIP, $69.95 (was 50G+50G, now 75G+75G) including the line rental. Free calls to landlines across Australia.

85min call Sydney to Adelaide $0

Last months phone bill $7.50. So far this month 652 minutes (including 30mins to NZ) $2.08, keeps the wife happy.:thumbsup:

[mswhin63]

Just got an email last night from IINET offering 1 TB (500MB + 500MB) for the same price I am on now (20MB + 20MB). The only thing is I am not on ADSL 2+ but on a ADSL2+ exchange. Will investigate