ihug and broadband lack of service

[sinned]

I have always been a Telecom customer and last month I decided to change to Vodafone for mobile. The two year contract I had with Telecom for a mobile phone finished and it was time for a change to Vodafone who had better handsets and the plans suited me better.

While purchasing the Vodafone service I was sold the ihug home phone and broadband package. It would mean a reduction of $100+ per month and the calling package would suit me very well. I was concerned about the change over but was assured that it would be seamless with my ADSL setup only requiring a change of username and password on the date of change over. So I signed up and set a date three weeks in advance to give ihug plenty of time to make the change.

Last Monday (12th) was the changeover and at 6.00pm my Xtra email stopped – that was on time so I set up the modem for ihug. Tuesday and no connection so I call the help desk but there was a long wait time (due to their highly successful offer they have a lot of calls) and I leave it until Wednesday when I call ihug and have to wait and wait for help. When I finally got through the problem was easy to identify - ‘no ping’ and I did have ADSL sync. No problem according to the help desk, they will log a fault and it will be fixed within 48 hours! Friday night (48 hours later) I call again and the helpdesk tell me nothing will be done until Monday. So I wait.

No broadband for a week. ihug promised a simple changeover and the first problem was to take 48 hours to fix and it wasn’t fixed. One week later and I still don’t have broadband. I got dial up for email when it first became available and then ADSL when it was launched. Now I don’t have internet connection and have had constant service, other than a few hours of outages, since way back in the late 80s.

Another couple of days and I will be going back to Telecom.

[The Pastor]

should pretty pretty simple to change over connections, I did mine in about 1 hr?

[Hitcher]

Another couple of days and I will be going back to Telecom.

Nooooo! TelstraClear will sort you out. Get rid of that crap ADSL "broadband" and get on a 20MB cable. TC's helpdesk is pretty on to it too, based on my personal experiences with them.

[sinned]

I check on my ihug and the logged fault has been cancelled.

I called ihug and yes the logged fault has been cancelled (Wednesday night for 48 hour fix) because they logged me as a new set up not a transfer from Telecom. But they didn't do anything like re logged it or followup - that is my job. Anyway my lack of ping is a 'channel' problem and it has now been logged with the provisioning people/group/whatever and will be actioned in 6 hours?

[Jantar]

I decided to change from Telescum to ihug after the xtra-bubble fiassco. The changeover went smoothly, and the only time I had to call the ihug help desk (because of my own stupidity) they talked me through the fix in a few minutes.

I also had no trouble getting someone at ihug to answer the call while xtra took days before I actually got a human voice.

[pritch]

Nooooo! TelstraClear will sort you out.

I used to be with them but gave them the heave.

I had spent near two hours on the phone, the receptionists were helpful but they couldn't get me anybody to check my problem. In the end I said if you can't get me somebody in support or in management right now I'm outa here.
And so it came to pass.

I've been happy with Slingshot only because I have never needed to ask them anything. I phoned the other day and asked about a Broadband connection. The guy said that even if they installed it and it didn't work I would still have to pay for a year. I told him if they installed it and it didn't work I wouldn't be paying one bloody cent

Telecom has said the line was marginal and I should pay for the installation rather than do it myself. That way the responsibility is theirs. Not according to Slingshot.

Hmmm Orcon?

[Drunken Monkey]

Telecom has said the line was marginal and I should pay for the installation rather than do it myself. That way the responsibility is theirs. Not according to Slingshot.

People also don't realise a technician's installed splitter will give you less noise than those crappy plug-in filters. Less noise = better ADSL performance.



Hmmm Orcon?


Comes with it's own set of issues. In 9 years of dealing with just about every ISP at a professional level, it is of my opinion that they are, overall, all equally worthless. Roll a die or pick a name out of a hat.

[ynot slow]

Scary thought but I'm with telecom and anytime a problem has arisen all I've waited is max 15-20 mins.Phoned Telstra re new conection, and with voice prompts went to new customer,was told your call blah,blah will be approx 30mins,shit you would think as a potential new customer you 'd get quicker service,as if you had a prob and existing customer the wait could be longer.Was keen on ihug offer and thought wait till next year when all isp get their cheaper options(yeah right).Worst part is changing email address's and reminding friends of the change,not like changing phone numbers.

[Zapf]

Men.... u guys need help :)

If you are in Wellington look at city link or Xtreme networks, they are both great.

Otherwise stay away from Telecom as their helpdesk has just been moved to Philipeans, IHUG is just a cash cow for what was iinet and now Vodafone.

[banditrider]

I was a long term Telstra Clear customer but when they totally stuffed up organising broadband for me I dumped them and went for the Ihug deal. I had major issues with Ihug in getting it all sorted - read weeks of issues. Spent ages on hold etc etc. If it hadn't been for the deal I would have also dumped them - the service was crap. All is good now and phone bill etc is smaller.

When the 1 years free broadband is up I'll have to see what else is out there. They haven't done anything to instill any brand loyalty so it'll come down to the $ again.

[MarkDv]

I decided to change from Telescum to ihug after the xtra-bubble fiassco. The changeover went smoothly, and the only time I had to call the ihug help desk (because of my own stupidity) they talked me through the fix in a few minutes.

I also had no trouble getting someone at ihug to answer the call while xtra took days before I actually got a human voice.

Hear Hear, changed to Ihug for same reason with same results. Since then a number of family and friends have changed also, sis in law had similar issue to Dennisr but managed to sort it. Thing i cannot believe is how much faster ihug is than my supposedly fast telecom (telescum, i like that it fits mind if i borrow it) broadband account. And i am saving a heap of money each month.

Works for me!

[Solarwind]

It's ironic that you've just switched to IHUG. After ten years with IHUG I have dumped them because of their lousy broadband performance and gone with Xnet (WorldxChange) instead. The switchover was scheduled for today (Monday) but happened on Friday last week, a mere two days after they phoned me to verify my details.

Consumer magazine did a survey on internet customer satisfaction recently, Telecom and Vodafone (who now own IHUG) were right at the bottom, and IHUG wasn't much higher.

[Bren]

I have previously been with Telecom (average, very average) and also Ihug(absocrapulously crap)...Now I am with Slingshot and I give them an A+ rating. My in-laws and my folks are all with slingshot too...
Denisser, I know how you feel man, internet has been with me since early 90s...its so ingrained now that to lose it would be like losing one of my senses(hearing etc...not common sense as I dont have any of that)...anyway to sum up TELECOM and IHUG suck...Slingshot are good!

[jafar]

I've been on Ihug for years , there helpline has been ok , service has been good. the bill is way better than when I was with telecom or telstra-clear.:whistle:

[sinned]

More poor service.
When the six hours to fix was up yesterday I still had no connection. Checked this morning and still no connection. It is now the 8th day without service

Don't change to ihug is my advice at this moment. I will call them again when I can find a spare 30 minutes.

[vifferman]

Another couple of days and I will be going back to Telecom.
I bet you have the same problems changing back.

I've been with LOTS of providers: Xtra/Telecom for years, then several fly-by-nighters who've since done the GurglingThing, but I've been with ihug now for quite a while. No real complaints about ihug, just the odd hiccup. Conversely, Telecom were terrible. Everytime we changed providers, they cocked up the billing. Eventually, they cocked it up to our advantage, which made up for all the hassles.

The thing to bear in mind is that often the problem is overly-successful marketing campaigns, or problems with subcontractors.

[Usarka]

Hear Hear, changed to Ihug for same reason with same results. Since then a number of family and friends have changed also,


It's ironic that you've just switched to IHUG. After ten years with IHUG I have dumped them because of their lousy broadband performance

And it's gotten worse recently. Quote #1 is possibly the reason, increased customers without proportionate increase in infrastructure investment?

Naaahhhh.

[Ewan Oozarmy]

Don't forget guys, regardless of which ISP you subscribe to for your ADSL (not cable or wireless) connection, you will still be using Telecom's outdated copper infrastructure. Only when LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) starts to take effect, ie. ISPs being allowed into Telecom exchanges to install their own equipment, will you see any speed/connection improvements.

iHug and Orcon have started to unundle but currently only in a handfull of Auckland and North Shore exchanges.

As for billing/helpdesk issues, these are normally down to the ISPs.....

[Disco Dan]

Went from Woosh wired broadband to Xtra to try and save some money and simplify things (have one bill) but Xtra have managed to make things complicated... big surprise eh?

Took a week to sort out what was meant to be a almost instant changeover. Now that it is going my connection drops out every couple of days and I have to reset the cheap modem they supplied.

I can get over that but what is frustrating..... with woosh if I went over my cap I could just 'top up' and an extra $20 added to my bill, go back to full speed for the remainder of the month. With Xtra? Nope. Go over the cap and im screwed till it clicks over. Thanks xtra - i'll just keep downloading huge big files all night while im asleep since you dont want my money!

[Disco Dan]

Don't forget guys, regardless of which ISP you subscribe to for your ADSL (not cable or wireless) connection, you will still be using Telecom's outdated copper infrastructure. Only when LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) starts to take effect, ie. ISPs being allowed into Telecom exchanges to install their own equipment, will you see any speed/connection improvements.

iHug and Orcon have started to unundle but currently only in a handfull of Auckland and North Shore exchanges.

As for billing/helpdesk issues, these are normally down to the ISPs.....

Do you know what they are by any chance?

[Ewan Oozarmy]

Do you know what they are by any chance?

So far, Ponsonby, Glenfield, Ellerslie and Browns Bay + a couple of others. You'll only notice any improvement if you subscribe to one of the ISPs who have unbundled in these exchanges and you are on their current test plan.

They'll both be stepping up their LLU projects during the 1st half of 2008. Internet speeds post LLU will also depend on your distance from your local exchange, as they do currently, but should be vastly better than Telecom's current offerings.

[sinned]

On the 8th day I have service.
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee :2thumbsup

Am I addicted to the internet??? It has been a hard week. :beer:

[Rhino]

A couple of things that may be of interest to broadband users;

1. Changes to Xtra customers take preference to UBS customers at Telecom. If you are changing ISP or moving to a different speed plan at your ISP, you are at the rear of the queue.:crybaby:

2. The backhaul (in simple terms, the bandwidth to your ISP) is not sufficient for the current number of users trying to run at "full speed" in most areas. When full speed plans where introduced, I stayed with my 2Mb plan and can still run it at around 98% of its theoretical maximum. Many who went to the 7.6Mb plans are lucky to get 2-3Mb at busy times. :(

[Zapf]

A couple of things that may be of interest to broadband users;

1. Changes to Xtra customers take preference to UBS customers at Telecom. If you are changing ISP or moving to a different speed plan at your ISP, you are at the rear of the queue.:crybaby:

2. The backhaul (in simple terms, the bandwidth to your ISP) is not sufficient for the current number of users trying to run at "full speed" in most areas. When full speed plans where introduced, I stayed with my 2Mb plan and can still run it at around 98% of its theoretical maximum. Many who went to the 7.6Mb plans are lucky to get 2-3Mb at busy times. :(

1.) I assume you work for Telecom? Finally we have proof they are fucking other ISP's over.

2.) Need to clearify that the "backhaul" is actually owned by Telecom, and the amount of bandwidth is also decided by Telecom. So yes blame them for crappy connection speed.

:)

[devnull]

1.) I assume you work for Telecom? Finally we have proof they are fucking other ISP's over.

2.) Need to clearify that the "backhaul" is actually owned by Telecom, and the amount of bandwidth is also decided by Telecom. So yes blame them for crappy connection speed.

:)

Yep, they've been doing that for years...

A lot of regions still use ATM for the backhaul, which is good for voice but adds overheads for data, so isn't as efficient. (An STM1 circuit is 155M & an STM4 is 622M in size)

The company I used to work for (WorldxChange), beat them up over capacity. We devised a method to measure latency across the Telecom network facing the customers, then used the data to get the links to us fixed. End result was excellent performance for the customers.

The product is Xnet (http://www.xnet.co.nz)

No web caching is done, and speeds are really good.
I'm not working there any more, but I know that they aren't shy about getting stuck in to Telecom if there are any provisioning delays or customer affecting faults. Worth a look...