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Thread ID: 70666	2006-07-12 01:27:00	Broadband Installation - Can you believe this?????	Bob_Bond (10568)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
470169	2006-07-12 01:27:00	Okay About 4 weeks ago when I first new we were moving to a new house I phoned Telecom and told them I was shifting house and for them to change my broadband over to the new address. They confirmed that it wasn't a problem because the exchange was the same so I could keep broadband. Anyway, they cut my existing broadband off about 3 days early at the exchange and moved it to the new line so that it would be there when I got to the new place - a bit annoying, but they at least gave me free dial up minutes to compensate. Anyway, on the Friday (30 June) we move in and late that afternoon the Telecom technician comes round and checks the lines. "Oh" he tells me, "you're too far from the exchange here so you can't get broadband." I asked what I could do so he suggested I try contacting some other ISPs and Telstra. I ring Telstra and they tell me that there are no Telstra cables in my area so they only resell Telecom's service so if Telecom can't provide service then neither can they. I ring Slingshot and get told the same thing. I phone Telecom back. I ask them what alternatives they can provide before I start contacting other service providers. They tell me that I can get wireless internet. Here's the kicker. It has a maximum speed of 256Kbps and I can get a data download limit of 1Gb per month (for about $59 per month). (ooh a whole 1Gb per month)...But to install costs $700 as a technician has to come out and "callibrate and direct" the wireless modem to work properly. I don't know anything about it, so for them to do it would be a good idea, but I wasn't prepared to pay that much. I phoned iHug. I asked if they still do Satellite internet. "Yes we do" they told me, "but we have to put you through to our technical service desk as they know more about it". So I get put on hold and nobody answers the phone. This happens about 5 times. Eventually I phone them around 10:30pm one evening and get through to their technical help desk in Australia. "Oh" they say, "iHug was bought out about 3 years ago and sold the satellite portion of the service to another company called Bordernet.co.nz. They're really good at providing satellite internet and manage a very stable service." The next day I phone iHug again and amazingly get through to their Technical desk in NZ and they confirm the above. So...I ring Bordernet who hold themselves out as "Australia's number one rural internet service provider" I couldn't believe my ears. Here I am sitting in a major suburb in NZs second largest city (the Capital for goodness sakes) and I have to use a RURAL Internet service provider. Anyway, that evening I was speaking to one of our new neighbours and told him the tale of woe. When I mentioned that Telstra said they had no cables in the area he says: "Oh yes, that's a Saturn cable there." And points to this huge cable running right down the private road over the top of our carport and terminating at a pole about 20 metres from our house. The next day (yesterday) I phone Telstra and tell them there's a cable running right down next to the house and asked again why they can't provide service. They tell me that apparently because our house is within 100 metres of their cable they can't provide service because of some Telecom ruling and that was that if I had any questions I had to contact Telecom. So I ring Telecom again. Telecom call centre skoff at this "What?" they say, "we've never heard of this - we'll check with our technical legal area"....a few minutes later the call centre operator comes back. She couldn't believe it either. Apparently there is some Commerce Commission and Government ruling to PREVENT ANTI-COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR, where there are two major competitors in a single area (so both Telecom and Telstra having cables) neither company can provide service to any house or business within 100 metres of it's own main cable. So Telecom can't provide service to anyone within 100 metres of its main cables and vice versa. I couldn't believe it... Anyway, I blew my top. I said that this was just an unacceptable situation and just let them have it. The call centre operator went away a bit to see what any neighbours near by had done regarding broadband and if any of them had it. She comes back and tells me that I CAN get broadband and it will be a good reliable service all I need to do is get the wiring and installation option which costs $150. So now they are going to be coming to do the installation, but this is the cool bit - it involves them placing a splitter and amplifier on the Telecom cable direct to our line so that our Broadband signal gets boosted (or so I was told)..... I was really angry because the technician had been AT THE HOUSE and hadn't mentioned it as an option. Anyway, we had to wait till Tuesday (yesterday) for them to come and do this, but at least we would be getting broadband (or so we thought). What a pain. So yesterday the technician comes around. Apparently the wiring at the house is fine and the problem is on the exchange side. In the meantime, the technician can't fix the exchange problem because the whole exchange looks like "a plate of spaghetti". I just phoned Telecom and apparently the matter has been referred to a "Build team" who have to review the problem, then consider the network design and come up with a new design for that part of the network and then implement the solution. As far as it was explained to me they have to come up with this new design and solution (not the implementation) within 3 working days. They should ring me (or I ring them if I haven't heard) by close of business on Tuesday at the latest. It just goes on and on :( I will try to keep you posted on how things go - if anyone is interested, but this is just the most bizarre situation and I am TOTALLY HOPPING MAD!!! Anyone else had problems like this?	Bob_Bond (10568)
470170	2006-07-12 01:46:00	So yesterday the technician comes around. Apparently the wiring at the house is fine and the problem is on the exchange side. In the meantime, the technician can't fix the exchange problem because the whole exchange looks like "a plate of spaghetti". I'd believe that. 3rd party contractors. Apprentice 3rd party contractors. I've seen it. And apart form the horrendous cabling mess half the time nothings been labelled either. It will go back to the contractors. They can trace it, he probably just hated the idea of having to do that.	pctek (84)
470171	2006-07-12 03:19:00	I can well believe every word, not only that, but can believe it is actually worse than you describe, because it's impossible to fully describe the utmost shambles that go on between Telecom and Telstra Clear. One thing is certain, both organisations tell a pack of lies/ and or show utmost ignorance in this sort of situation, trying to get at what is really happening is almost impossible. My saga with both bunches of no hopers goes back to last June through August when trying to sign up with Telstra for ADSL over phone line in order to stay with Paradise. Keeping it short, signed up with Telstra, then told 2 weeks later it's not possible because Telecom say I cant. Reason given, I'm in a Telstra cable area. However the nearest cable terminations are 500 metres away, at either end of road. Write lots of letters, emails, see my MP, get run arounds from both organisations, lots of untruths told by both etc etc. Eventually. I'm a special case, and I get connected up with Telstra. Good -oh. This lasts about 3 weeks. Then I get a bill from Telecom for service I am no longer getting from them. Ring up and point this out, could they send me a new bill? Next morning Telecom have disconnected my ADSL connection at the exchange. There is no way I can get connected back with Telstra, same old saga about being in a cable area, each organisation blames the other. I am then forced to go to Xtra for ADSL instead of Paradise/Telstra. However I can't complain about the service I've had from Xtra since last August :)	Terry Porritt (14)
470172	2006-07-12 03:23:00	Isn't the deregulated competitive environment just wonderful? Just wait and see what happens when the local loop becomes "free".	Graham L (2)
470173	2006-07-18 00:47:00	Okay, well here's the latest :) As I said the whole broadband connection had to be referred to a "build team" to sort out some wiring problem at the exchange. Telescum told me I could expect a phone call by the end of business yesterday to tell me what they planned to do about it. As of this morning - no phone call - so I decided to give Telescum a ring instead. The nice lady at the call centre puts me on hold and goes off to talk to their "Technical Support". A few minutes later she comes back and tells me that a technician came out to my house yesterday and that my connection will be "switched on" tomorrow. I asked why it couldn't be done today, given how long I have been waiting now. I was told that some people have to wait till the 30th and tomorrow is a good turn around time. In the meantime, I'm trying to study for a professional exam and review online articles, download huge PDFs to read (all on a dial up). So....we shall see. Tomorrow after 6pm I am told I should be able to just plug in my router and all will be well with the world. Well, Telescum, you better hope so!!! I'll let you all know what happens :waughh:	Bob_Bond (10568)
470174	2006-07-19 01:19:00	:mad: Here's another one :) I just received a phone call from ANOTHER technician. He tells me that Telescum gave him the job code for "Failed Broadband"...This apparently means that I had broadband and then it stopped working (rocket science I know), but the problem is, I never had broadband at this address to begin with!!! So, the technician looked into it.... He tells me, that it's no wonder I can't get broadband because they need to run your phone line through some special ADSL port at the exchange (otherwise it's just a phone line). In my case, they don't seem to have allocated one of these ADSL ports for my line. Apparently there are HEAPS of them there, just not allocated. The technician is going to try to sort this out and get a port allocated so that when I leave work early AGAIN to go and meet him (ANOTHER) Telescum technician at my house to sort out this broadband thing once and for all AGAIN, hopefully this time it will work. I am SOOOOOOO mad at Telescum right now. :mad:	Bob_Bond (10568)
470175	2006-07-19 05:01:00	Hey Bob_Bond, Interesting stuff. Sounds like Telecom and TelstraClear can't find their butts with both hands on a sunny day. Why not send the contents of this thread to Cunliffe, Minister of Communications. dcunliffe@ministers.govt.nz	braindead (1685)
470176	2006-07-19 05:31:00	Welcome to Roger Douglas/Richard Prebbles' (New Right Vision) brave new New Zealand of increased efficiency due to competition caused by privatisation.	zqwerty (97)
470177	2006-07-19 06:02:00	Interesting stuff. Sounds like Telecom and TelstraClear can't find their butts with both hands on a sunny day. LMAO :lol:	FoxyMX (5)
470178	2006-07-19 07:08:00	Why not send the contents of this thread to Cunliffe, Minister of Communications . dcunliffe@ministers . govt . nz Because the minute Cunliffe sees "Telescum" the sender's credibility flies right out the window and he hits the delete button, that's why not . I would too . People who can't complain without using abusive or derogatory language get nowhere . Persistence, politeness and patience get you everywhere . My list of wins just keeps on growing, the latest being a new phone plus $30 credit from, you guessed it, Telecom and I'm working on getting three free phones next because the problem is generic to the particular model of phone . Politeness never fails, it helps people to empathise with you and then they want to do anything they can to help . Cheers Billy 8-{) Insulting language is a pitiful excuse for poor communication skills or a weak argument . If you can't be right, be wrong louder and with bigger insults than anybody else .	Billy T (70)
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