Whirlpool

Just thought with the growing poplarity of these providers, a "General Discussion" thread might be in order, maybe i can get it stickied!

Flap your gums people!

good idea starting this, thanks dslme!

anyway i have been a customer for 6months with AussieBB, they are the best, great service, very friendly support people. They have been making a lot off good changes, like the new off-peak times – now i don't have to stay up all night to use up all my usage =)

Another happy customer of AussieBB =)

Jordan Para

I have been with Aussie since late last year, on the 1024k/256k 5000MB/5000MB plan for $139.95 a month plus paying for the occasional extra data blocks (ouch!). So I was grateful to hear that there was a 20 dollar price drop with the new plans.

But I don't see why AussieBB can't adopt the Wideband plans. For an extra 10 bucks I can get 1024K/256K 5 Gig/10 Gig with Wideband. At this stage I would have to pay an extra 50 bucks to have 3GB + 2GB off-peak blocks with Aussie.

I would also like to see Data Blocks decrease in price for those customers paying premium prices.

My 2 cents.

OakValley writes...

But I don't see why AussieBB can't adopt the Wideband plans. For an extra 10 bucks I can get 1024K/256K 5 Gig/10 Gig with Wideband.

Yep I would very much like to be able to migrate to that, or a similar wideband plan.

OK here's a question, I read (somewhere) that aussieBB, and by extension wideband, are ipstar wholesale isp's, so they manage the provisioning of that link, this is the information that firmly decided me to go with them, anyone here know which ipstar isp's are wholesalers and which are retailers?

Perhaps a guess by the pricing?

OakValley writes...

But I don't see why AussieBB can't adopt the Wideband plans

Wideband IS aussie...

dslme writes...

Wideband IS aussie...

But they have different pricing of their plans?

I'm looking at moving from my current provider and have looked at the plans from Aussie & Wideband and for what I want the Wideband are better value.

So being all one and the same are the plans going to change across the board or are there going to be different prices between them?

Bubblez writes...

for what I want the Wideband are better value.

Same for me and I will migrate, albeit in house, as soon as that function is available, the wideband plans better suit my needs, I am finding that with the extension of the off peak time I am wizzing through my O/P quota, Wideband offer extra O/P :)

dslme writes...

Perhaps a guess by the pricing?

Yeah a guess is good , I just happen to think that for the tech savvy the difference between a wholesaler and a simple retailer is important to making an informed choice.

Mmm...some sort of response from the actual provider(s) would be nice :-)

OakValley writes...

Mmm...some sort of response from the actual provider(s) would be nice :)

Nice...but don't hold your breath, those that are wholesale isp's would be more than happy to confirm it, those that are retail isp's.... well, all I know is for me at least that was an important consideration, and I surmise, those that have to wait a couple of days for a helpdesk response are more likely to because of the third party thing. But then I could be completely wrong, wouldn't be a first :)

Munka writes...

Nice...but don't hold your breath...

Well, I'm still holding...

Customers currently on Aussie are now able to access Wideband plans and visa-versa. You are unable to do this via the two my sites however if you would like a plan from the other brand you can contact our staff via phone and they will be able to make the change.

Whilst we are all one company now we have decided to keep different brands in the market as both brands have value and appeal to different segments of the market.

Hi Phil,
is there anymore news on churning?

I should have the forms out on Monday, l am planning to work on it over the weekend.

Phil Britt writes...

now able to access Wideband

Excellent news, thank you aussiewideband.

Yes, thank you.

How do i use the included webspace?

You need to either email or ring support with your desired username and password and they will set it up. The username will become your handle, for example a username of billyjones will result in url of members.wideband.net.au/billyjones.

Cheers,
Phil

Thanks, Phil!

oh, and i wasn't able to get this stickied, against the rules, we'll just have to make sure it doesn't get buried

Hi Phil,

Can you let the AussieBB team about this post, I just rang accounts and they don't seem to know anything about wideband plans.

Thanks

There has been some confusion internally about this, with so many changes going on l forgot to update the phone team. This is being done at the moment. If you e-mail me your details l will make the change. My email can be found in the profile.

Phil Britt writes...

should have the forms out on Monday, l am planning to work on it over the weekend.

Hi Phil,
Is it all systems go for Churning?

Phil Britt writes...

f you e-mail me your details l will make the change.

Excellent thank you, also a reminder to update the WP broadband choice database, reflecting the new plan structure.

dslme writes...

Flap your gums people!

Can anyone give some info on their VOIP service?

Thanks.

There was a thread on that a little while ago that got buried, from what i read, it was generally quite good

But it is one way though...

Well I had a nice offer to join Wideband today on a plan that I was going to get from Activ8me
10gig peak 10 gig off peak 2048/512 for $250.

I was about to fax the papers but I thought I’d better check a few things out.

A. An Installation question couldn’t be answered.
B. What happens if I am not happy? i.e.

If I chose to leave/change ISP would they come take my satellite or would they mediate a changeover to another ABG licensed ISP? Important as a property is only funded once via ABG .. The answer was I that I could take my issue to the ABG which didn’t inform me of the stance/attitude Wideband had in that situation and also insinuated that Wideband wouldn't accommodate the discussion without me going to an authority.

It was starting to feel a little like talking to telstra so I didn’t bother asking the other questions I had:

I wanted to know about warranty issues like charges for faults or a tech call out due to sat issues/faults.

Sky was great but the second rep was vague and uninformed.

Then to top it all off my printer wouldn’t print the pdf forms which could not be edited or I would of filled them in with Acrobat and emailed them back, I got a blue screen and lost my outlook data which had the form attachments and the forms aren’t available for download nor can you apply online.

All attempts to join Wideband had been foiled so after 3 hours of trying to get something happening I gave up. Sometimes you need to heed the forces against you.

Bob "W" at Activ8me has worked with me on kicking the ABG's butt so I owe him some dedication. He is able to answer all my questions and all the answers were the right ones for me. Activ8me is approachable and accommodating, not to say Phill wasn’t with his offer to match the plan but something tells me to hang in and wait for the outcome with the ABG and Activ8me.

Thanks Phill sincerely for the offer anyways it was very decent of you. Looks like another month for me waiting. Probably lose my home to the bank but at least then I can buy somewhere with ADSL2 or fibre :)

ants44 writes...

If I chose to leave/change ISP would they come take my satellite or would they mediate a changeover to another ABG licensed ISP?

There is no contract on our service and you own the equipment once the Government has paid the grant so you are free to go to any provider (ABG or Not) once that has happened. They just need to be on the IPSTAR platform.

You will find Wideband & Aussie are very easy to deal with. We are dealing with a high call volume at the moment and training two new sales staff so you may have got one of them.

In terms of having problems printing them forms we are more than happy to post or fax them out if that helps. Perhaps its because we have used the latest Acrobat?

I wanted to know about warranty issues like charges for faults or a tech call out due to sat issues/faults.

The service has a full onsite 12 month Warranty on the hardware and installation while you are a customer of Wideband / Aussie. After the 12 months you can choose to purchase a further 24 month extended onsite Warranty.

Looks like another month for me waiting.

Given that the ABG have extended the date for applications from new providers (and those not currently approved) until 19th September plus adding the assesment period, I am guessing you will be waiting longer than a month. Also the current Attestation forms are only valid until 30th August 2008.

So regardless of contact or no contract, we still own the satellite, terminal etc. ?

That's correct you own the whole setup.

Phil Britt writes...

Given that the ABG have extended the date for applications from new providers (and those not currently approved) until 19th September

Interesting news, thanks Phil.

Phil Britt writes...

That's correct you own the whole setup.

Hi Phil,
It would be nice if you would answer my question about churning or have you gone cold on the subject?

I think you will find that in the ABG there will be a clause that states the equipment is owned by the ISP for the full 3 yrs or what ever the new ABG time frame is, how ever i have only ever heard of one dish and modem being taken back and that was because the landlords of the house wanted it removed.

Once the ISP gets there cash from the ABG they dont care what happens with the gear.

Neil Mac writes...

Can anyone give some info on their VOIP service?

I find it works fine for me, so much so that I disconnected the land line – it isn't perfect, VoIP has some intrinsic limitations, but it is quite usable.

Twobobeachway writes...

It would be nice if you would answer my question about churning or have you gone cold on the subject?

I haven't answered it yet because l am hoping to post the information on the website today.

Reunion51 writes...

I think you will find that in the ABG there will be a clause that states the equipment is owned by the ISP for the full 3 yrs or what ever the new ABG time frame is,

Not quite correct, the requirement is that IF an ISP retains ownership of the equipment, then a full 3 year onsite Warranty MUST be provided. We have chosen to pass the equipment title to the customer which reduces our requirement on the warranty to 12 Months, and we provide the option for a 24 month extended warranty which can be purchased in month 11 or 12.

If you look at: http://www.dbcde.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/85501/Australian_Broadband_Guarantee_guidelines_2008-09.pdf

Specifically section 4.4.2 defines the requirements for warranty on CPE.

Phil Britt writes...

We have chosen to pass the equipment title to the customer which reduces our requirement on the warranty to 12 Months,

When we signed up with Aussie Broadband, the contract stated that ownership of the equipment reverted to us after 18 months (which was the length of the contract), does this still hold or have the terms changed in light of your comment above?

Just curious.

Barb

Phil Britt writes...

I haven't answered it yet because l am hoping to post the information on the website today

Ok !!! Thanks

Lady B writes...

When we signed up with Aussie Broadband, the contract stated that ownership of the equipment reverted to us after 18 months (which was the length of the contract), does this still hold or have the terms changed in light of your comment above?

Customers under the previous contracts and program remain on those terms. They are able to change to the new plans. In the case of us retaining the equipment for 18 months, we will warranty that equipment for the 18 months. Once it reverts to you, you can choose to purchase the extended Warranty or not.

This applies to existing customers that were connected prior to 4th August 2008

Thank you for the reply Phil, and on a Sunday too!!!

Do you ever take time off the job?

Yeah l do.....sometimes! I am in Warrnambool at the moment. I'm working from the office there this week.

When you are stuck in a place without the creature comforts of home, you tend to use the net a lot more :-)

Phil Britt writes...

Yeah l do.....sometimes! I am in Warrnambool at the moment. I'm working from the office there this week.

Thats dedication for you and the reason why AB is going to leave other ISP's in its dust...I think I said that right :)

*bump*

Getting a little low :s

Phil Britt writes...

I am in Warrnambool at the moment. I'm working from the office there this week.

Wow! dedication much? I'd like to see the ass-sol working in my local exchange...

When you are stuck in a place without the creature comforts of home, you tend to use the net drink a lot more :)

(i saw the opportunity)

As someone who has received approval from the ABG (finally) in their new round of funding, as a result of paying through the nose for so long (under the HIBIS scheme with Telstra) I can only say that Wideband is a breath of fresh air. My last month's bill from BigPond, for total usage of around 2 gigs data transfer, was $446 – under the original scheme this is what I've been paying (highway robbery). Requests for some sort of adjustment or realistic fees with BigPond, have fallen in deaf ears. Needless to say, this has been financially crippling us as a family for some time. I'm glad to say that the ABG has recognised this as a problem and has provided access to the new scheme for those of us who subscribed to HIBIS so long ago.

After having spoken to a lady at the ABG six times in the past six months or so, I was finally declared eligible once the minister had endorsed the new legislation. Since BigPond have not posted a two way satellite service that is "metro equivalent", nor will they, so I'm lead to believe, this will permit those of us who have been robbed by Telstra, to demonstrate our vote of no-confidence, with our feet and hard earned. They are simply not interested in their two way satellite customers, which is fairly obvious when you see their charges and have to deal with them.

I have researched the ISP's that were listed in the information received from the ABG and without any shadow of a doubt, Wideband is by far the best value for money. I'm still waiting, some 6 days later, for a return phone call from Active8me in regard to their packages, as none were posted on their website, however the info advertised suggested phoning them for same. While I don't expect instant gratification, a reply to a potential customer should happen as a matter of course, within a couple of business days. If this is indicative of the level of service one can expect from them, then they have lost me already.

To read this discussion is reassuring that Aussie/Wideband have their finger on the pulse and as a result, I believe I have made the right choice. My application, attestation etc should have arrived by now, so it's just a matter of waiting till I hear back from Skye re the installation.

As a new Wideband customer, I'm happy to provide some feedback on this site, so others can gain from my experience. So far, so good.

bigpondhater writes...

BigPond, for total usage of around 2 gigs data transfer, was $446

Whaoo! you certainly earned your user name, almost akin to escaping a terrible regime, think china..north korea.

Welcome to the world of reasonableness, do you need debriefing? :)
When I first arrived at this location Hel$tra practically jumped through hoops trying to get me to sign up for a nextG data plan with an external yagi antenna (it would have failed anyway, no signal), "er no thanks, and please stop calling."
I eventually chose AussieBB and I am very pleased that I did.

bigpondhater writes...

As a new Wideband customer

You went from the very worst to what I believe is the very best, well done you and welcome.

Munka writes...

Welcome to the world of reasonableness, do you need debriefing?

I can smell a period of retraining looming......here, empty your wallet into this bank account.....cerching!! Now, that feels better doesn't it!

Having had the ABG cold canvass the area in Nov 07, I decided to get ADSL from another company, only to find that my landline had loading coils where it ran through a pine forest, so after two visits by a tech, Tel$tra decided not to proceed as they said it could well take near to a week to rectify. So I moved up the list to ABG Catagory 'C' and hence joined AussieBB. Having been with ABB for a few months now and very happy....... This morning I received a call from a linesman, telling me that they had cleared the loading coils from the forest and could I check my modem for carrier. Poor bloke just didn't understand why I burst into fits of laughter, til I told him he was about three months too late and that I had been told by both my ADSL ISP and also the tech honcho at Telstra Countrywide six months ago, that my case was in the too hard basket. The stunned silence on the other end, told the story.... asked me if I was happy with the sat and then said goodbye. If I were a shareholder, I'd be very worried!!

b4b.

Just out of curiosity, what is a loading coil?

Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loading_coil

Basically loading coils are incompatable with ADSL because they play around with the frequencies on the lines. Typically they are used to stablise long length lines.

Hmm, having recklessly squandered my download allowance and been subsequently shaped, I can't seem to buy a data block. It says, "Data blocks cannot be purchased on plans that incur excess data whilst shaped."

I'm on the el-cheapo :-P $34.95 one – changed just before rollover on the 7th this month.

I thought that one was now a "shaped+no excess" type plan. There's mention of "continuing on at full speed + excess charges of 5c/MB" or "Shaped to 64/64 with no excess" on the website, but nothing in-between.... and no apparent way to select or find out online which option you're on either. Judging from the error message I've gotten and my slow speed, I'm neither of those options.

Any clues? I did fire off an email to the helpdesk last night, but I thought I'd post here just in case Phil's trawling whirlpool when he should be doing serious work :-P

Cheers
Dave

We are looking into the problem, its a software glitch not a policy thing. It will hopefully be sorted this afternoon and l believe the Helpdesk are contacting you with a manual add option in the meantime.

Thanks Phil – the Helpdesk's onto it:-)

I believe its now fixed.

Hi all, Got my Satellite installed today with AussieBB, I know i'm only 1 day into it but i couldn't be happier, It sure beats the old dial up. I know i will use all my downloads up very quick and as a pensioner can't afford much but even when shaped it will be faster than my old dial up. And i have to say so far the service from AussieBB has been outstanding..

jayw writes...

Hi all, Got my Satellite installed today with AussieBB, I know i'm only 1 day into it but i couldn't be happier, It sure beats the old dial up. I know i will use all my downloads up very quick and as a pensioner can't afford much but even when shaped it will be faster than my old dial up. And i have to say so far the service from AussieBB has been outstanding..

I have to agree it's great, when i was looking at satellite i was expecting it to be annoying and not compatible with wireless routers, but infact i couldn't be happier, the guys at AussieBB are very helpful =]

What are those "free sites" i see in my usage occasionally?

An update as to where I'm at with the wideband two way satellite installation.

I received a phone call from a customer service person at wideband. Tanya advised me there was a "hiccup" with the application. According to her, we have already received "assistance" from the ABG and as such, we are not eligible. I explained that under the new scheme, people who had previously received "assistance" under the HIBIS scheme, were now eligible if their ISP was not able to offer "metro equivalent" services and that the attestation form provided, had been generated by the ABG consultant and all I had done was sign the thing... All this was articulated in my application form to wideband and over the phone on two occasions etc. I hate repeating myself 3 times, but it seems this is required in some cases. Tanya advised me she would contact me if there was a problem, and that she would attempt to contact the person at the ABG I had spoken with (after explaining to her how things worked).

Not sure if anyone at Aussie/Wideband is able to bring the sales team up to speed with the new guidelines at the ABG, but if so, this would make life easier for others like me and not cause any undue anxiety or possible delays.

Strangely enough, a couple of days later I received an automatically generated email, advising of a tentative installation date from skybridge (the firm I assume is the appointed installers for aussie/wideband). I have not heard anything to the contrary at this stage, so assume all is still okay for my installation. I really don't need any more surprises, and look forward to hearing back from someone at wideband assuring me that all is okay for my new installation.

More news as it happens...

Tayna has followed the correct process, our system automatically test claims applications and if an error is flagged we contact the customer.

Even though the Department granted your eligibility they don't update the claiming system (l don't understand why) and we have to manually contact them to have the claim approved and we then attached this information.

If you have had the Skybridge email, then you are basically home free. Once an application has been approved by us and the Department, we then send it onto Skyrbidge so it should be smooth sailing from here.

Even though you may have put the information on the form our process is still to speak with you because we have issues in the past and we don't process an application forward until we know for certain that we will be paid for it.

We have also recently moved all of our data process for Wideband from Morwell to Warrnambool and thus there has been a change of staff and proceedures so there may be been a hicup there also.

writes...

advising of a tentative installation date from skybridge
What date have you been quoted bigpondhater?
Good luck with it.

Phil Britt writes...

If you have had the Skybridge email, then you are basically home free.

I can't begin to tell you how much of a relief this is to hear from you Phil!

The proposed installation date with Skybridge, falls 5 days after the "anniversary date" of my BigPond monthly service fee of $169.95 – shame I couldn't bring this forward a few days to save me this amount and to rid myself of Helstra once and for all. Sadly, we need the internet and can't afford to be out of contact for even 24 hours (sick family member), otherwise I would be driving the 80 km's round trip daily, to my nearest public access area (one has to factor in some reason and economy though).

Are you aware Phil, if the installation date can be brought forward at all?

Munka writes...

What date have you been quoted bigpondhater?

Sept 23rd. My anniversary date with BigPond is 16th if memory serves – seems like a waste of money and I'm so pissed with Helstra I don't want to give them anything more!

bigpondhater writes...

Are you aware Phil, if the installation date can be brought forward at all?

Generally Skybridge issues the first available installation date. The way the process works is that Skybridge contacts their local technican for their first available date and that is then fed back to you.

Also with your current service just double check you don't have to give notice, some providers require 30 days notice to cancel your account, you may be able to get a partial credit if this is not the case.

Thanks again for the reply Phil and explanation.

I've contacted BigPond re notice of cancellation and once I hear back, will post what I've discovered for the benefit of others.

Howdy,
I just want to acknowledge my change from a 512k/128k 6GB Total AussieBB plan to a 1024k/256k 9GB Total Wideband plan, and how that went without a hitch, charge or any further fuss at all.
I am very happy with the service and the inhouse migration to a plan that better suits my usage patterns.

I changed to the 1024/256 15GB plan, i was more than impressed on how this was changed through a few whim's to phil.

Thanks again Aussie/Wide!

JordanPara

Jordan Para writes...

i was more than impressed on how this was changed through a few whim's to phil.

This is defiantly not the norm, you should always follow the correct process of e-mailing in or contacting our team on the phone, but l do help on some occasions.

If u change from an aussie plan to a wideband plan do u keep your original email address? Probably a silly question but i ask anyway.

jayw writes...

original email address
Yes same email address and log-on details, all the same network.

Probably a silly question but i ask anyway.
Not really, I, though not concerned about it, was wondering the same thing, until the change occurred.

jayw writes...

If u change from an aussie plan to a wideband plan do u keep your original email address? Probably a silly question but i ask anyway.

Nothing changes, just the usage.

Yep that is correct only the plan changes.

Thanks Jordan and Phil. Thought that would be the case but wasn't 100% sure..

bigpondhater writes...

After having spoken to a lady at the ABG six times in the past six months or so

At last I have also become eligible for another subsidy after being with Telstra under the old HiBis scheme, I gave up the satellite 6 months ago and have been really struggling on very slow dial-up.

I am very happy to be given another chance, and will be taking my business to Wideband as well.

Cheers CB

Hi Crafty boomer, Ive only been with AussieBB for a bit over a week but i must say i'm more than happy with the level of service after being stuck on dialup for so many years. I dont think you will regret using Aussie/Wideband..

After trying on no less than 4 occasions yesterday to get through to someone at BigPond, I finally managed to talk to a person at their satellite broadband dept about cancelling our service. Since we're no longer under contract, we can cancel any time without penalty. The service will cease from the day I instruct them to cancel. I'll leave this for a few more days yet, since I'm paid up till Sept 15th. Then I'll use a mate's internet connection pending the installation of our new service with Wideband on the 23rd.

Can't begin to tell you all what a relief this is going to be to have a good service at a reasonable fee. My teenage kids are counting down the days they can use the internet again without being blasted for downloading too much or playing games on the net.

I did articulate my reasons for cancelling with BigPain and received an "oh – so sorry to hear about this" type email from one of their foot soldiers, who at the end of the day probably doesn't give a rat's about my situation or that of anyone else who calls them to quit their accounts. I find it really sad that our (still majority public owned) national telecommunications provider is in such a bad state of affairs, as is reflected by their share values. Oh well, there's a lot to be said of private enterprise and perhaps they can take a few lessons from companies like AussieBB and Wideband Networks – hopefully they'll see the light and wake up to their ever growing disgruntled customers, before they lose the plot completely.

bigpondhater writes...

hopefully they'll see the light and wake up

Don't hold your breath on that one, but then....
I was interested to see that the recalcitrant dinosaur is now allowing others to access the nextG network as wholesale clients ie. 3

Munka writes...

I was interested to see that the recalcitrant dinosaur is now allowing others to access the nextG network as wholesale clients ie. 3

Although very selectively, l had my Telstra rep in the office today and trying to get Wholesale access to ADSL2+ and NextG is just a joke.

Phil Britt writes...

Although very selectively

Yeah, 3 may have promised their first born to get this access, and I am not even sure if it covers the whole network.

Phil Britt writes...

Wholesale access to ADSL2+

That would be a last resort, like the ship is about to go down, we're still in the deck chair shuffling stage :)

Munka writes...

access the nextG network as wholesale clients ie. 3

Ya – one of my continued arguments with BigPain yet to no avail. My sister in Perth is on a 3 gig plan with "3" for $19 a month, including rental of the wireless dongle... compared to me at $169 a month for 1 gig as a long term direct loyal client. Clearly there's no reward given for loyalty and as a result, many like me, have and will continue to move on to better providers.

I've had an interesting experience – I'm an installer working for just about everybody. I've been ringing a batch of HarbourIT customers only to find out that the Harbour salesman has apparently jumped ship to Aussie and has gone around to everyone that he has signed up with Harbour in the last 2 or 3 weeks to try and convert them to AussieBB.

It seems pretty unethical to me and I hope that Aussie don't condone his behaviour.

I dont see a problem with him doing this, if the harbourIt customers aren't under a contract..Just my opinion.

jayw writes...

if the harbourIt customers aren't under a contract

Well, they would be, wouldn't they? They wouldn't send me out to install them if they didn't have a valid contract.

Well for your info i got installed with AussiBB and they dont hold u to a contract. So i wasn't sure if anyone else had NO contract deals.....

jayw writes...

Well for your info i got installed with AussiBB and they dont hold u to a contract

I think you'll find that you still have a contract, just not of any particular length.

Any agreement to enter into a services and/or equipment supply for payment is a contract.

I imagine that you have agreed to pay Aussie for their service while they are supplying it?

http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c123.htm

Do you do installs for AussieBB?

jayw writes...

Do you do installs for AussieBB?

Yes. I install for everyone other than Optus & Telstra.

Well why whinge Your going to get the job anyway.

jayw writes...

Well why whinge Your going to get the job anyway.

I consider it unethical, that's why. It has nothing to do with doing the job or not. My days are filled with work regardless of whether I get these particualar jobs or not.

I resell for a company and don't let the installations for other companies interfere with that or use those customers to push a competitor's product that I sell when I go to install.

I'm interested in the official take on it rather than yours.

Chaosdog1 writes...

I've been ringing a batch of HarbourIT customers only to find out that the Harbour salesman has apparently jumped ship to Aussie and has gone around to everyone that he has signed up with Harbour in the last 2 or 3 weeks to try and convert them to AussieBB.

We certainly don't condone this sort of behaviour and l agree it’s not the right thing for a sales person to be doing. I have no idea if he is an agent or not. I know he isn't staff because we don't employ Sales staff outside of our call centre in Warrnambool.

Chaosdog1 writes...

I think you'll find that you still have a contract, just not of any particular length.

There is an access agreement which covers the period that the customer is connected with us. It comes into effect once the customer signs it and finishes when their service is closed and any outstanding monies (if applicable) are paid.

Once you have signed up, you can cancel before the installation without fee provided that the equipment hasn't been dispatched from Skybridge.

Phil Britt writes...

We certainly don't condone this sort of behaviour

I'm pleased to hear it, Phil.

I have no idea if he is an agent or not.

He'd be a reseller.

There is an access agreement which covers the period that the customer is connected with us. It comes into effect once the customer signs it and finishes when their service is closed and any outstanding monies (if applicable) are paid.

Legally, this is a contract, regardless of whether you call it a contract or an agreement or whatever. I know that you may say that I'm playing semantics, but I'm pedantic. :o)

Chaosdog1 writes...

I'm interested in the official take on it rather than yours

I didn't realise these forums were for OFFICIAL replies only..Anyway i'm out of this discussion.

jayw writes...

didn't realise these forums were for OFFICIAL replies only

Oops – I didn't mean to hurt your feelings – I was just mentioning what I was hoping for – which Phil has now provided.

jayw writes...

I didn't realise these forums were for OFFICIAL replies only

It's a general discussion for AussieWide, and i think the owner can pretty much do what he wants in here.

Anyway i'm out of this discussion.

Great! *does dance* Hopefully a termination notice soon follows...

dslme writes...

Hopefully a termination notice soon follows...

Why would i get a termination. He asked for opinions and i gave mine. It wasn't what he was after so i said i would leave the discussion. Aren't we allowed to voice our opinions on an open forum.I have no problem with AussieBB/Wideband or anyone else here
P.S Who is the owner.

This forum is for everyone to voice their opions either good or bad, l will answer what l can but sometimes commerical reality means l can't answer everything.

Phil Britt writes...

l will answer what l can but sometimes commerical reality means l can't answer everything.

Could you comment on dish size please? I've been on sat for about 5 years. The installer then was a bloke who really knew his tech stuff. His advice then was "better reception with a bigger dish". Wideband seems to only want to install a small dish. Widebands site mentions 2 sizes but staff there tell me the smaller dish will be fine. From what I know bigger dishes are much better in poorer reception weather. The govt is paying for the dish via the subsidy so if it shouldn't matter to Wideband.
I do know my reception now in bad weather is better than neighbours on the IPsat with a smaller dish.
Other than this my application is going fine and the contact staff are great.
Looking forward to decent upload speeds which I can't get with my present modem & Bordernet(grrrr-rr)

Basically we install the dish to a certain specification and it depends on your location. We use a tool provided by IPSTAR which outlines their coverage areas and we specify the maximum speed of the service (the highest plan we have or intend to sell) and your location in latitude and longitude.

From there it splits out the correct size dish for that specific location.

Whilst a larger dish does increase the signal, it also adds extra requirements in terms of the mounts and wing loadings. We only install the larger dish where required because it increases the overall cost of the installation (which we have to pay) and there is no need for the larger dish in most instances.

To give you an idea we install about 3 large dish to every 100 small dishes. The IPSTAR system has one of the best coverage’s of Australia and there is no need for the larger dish in most areas.

Could you comment on dish size please?
It's not the size that matters, it's how ya use it :p

@phil
Just out of curiosity, if I were to be able to get ADSL tomorrow, what would happen re. dish, LNB, terminal etc?

It would all stay on your roof, you own it. I would also point out that we are also able to offer DSL, although currently only in Victoria but NSW and QLD will be online by October so you if your town did get ADSL you could swap over to us on ADSL and keep your email etc.

Basically we install the dish to a certain specification
and there is no need for the larger dish in most areas.
a larger dish does increase the signal

Thanks for your reply
my point exactly
I just don't want to put a lesser setup than I already have
I've heard that IPSTAR does have good cover
signal strength in bad weather is what it is all about. I've never had a dropout with my present setup. Perhaps the drought hasn't allowed a good test---

dslme writes...

It's not the size that matters, it's how ya use it :p

definitely — but if there is on thing better than a good little man it's a good big man

Can the LNB be used to pick up FTA TV off Optus D1 if the dish is repointed?

No idea, but l am guessing not because each Satellite uses specific frequencies plus you would need an Optus decoder.

dslme writes...

Hey dslme, ebay=KU band LNB 11+ GHz $9.95, local (Au.) seller.
easy :)

EDIT: Link, errr $9 for postage, still cheap

I gave wideband a second try today. Phil Britt is an impressive and accomodating member/leader? for their team.

Phil has rescued me with a great plan and the girls (Kylie and Skye) were great today they helped immensly. I am greatful for all the help and look foward to getting on board soon.

Thanks Phil.

ants44 writes...

member/leader? for their team.

I'm the Managing Director for Wideband / Aussie Broadband.

Good to hear that it all worked out, we do have a great team and l think that really shows with glowing reports like this, so well done to the team.

Munka writes...

Hey dslme, ebay=KU band LNB 11+ GHz $9.95, local (Au.) seller.
easy :)

EDIT: Link, errr $9 for postage, still cheap

Thanks :p

Has anyone tried this before? and is it easy for a complete n00b to re point a dish??

dslme writes...

easy for a complete n00b to re point a dish??

To do it so it works, is easy, to do it properly takes a bit more.
I did it with a compass and blind determination, and probably quite a bit of luck, and now occasionally skip from sat. to sat. and enjoy feeds etc, which is not too bad for a noob. An installer would tell you to do it right takes skill and the right equipment, they are probably correct, I spent a lot of time up and down a ladder, but in the meantime developed an understanding of the setup :)

You realise of course you need a tuner/decoder, also available at a reasonable price on ebay.
I recommend... well truth be told I can't as I have so little experience, but I use a strong srt4658X, that I paid 75$ for on ebay.
Here is a good review forum and for all things FTA Satellite

I have a Supernet 488a kicking around, so that part is done, so hopefully when i get DSL here, I'll have to (sadly) dump ABB, so i thought i could probably get some use out of the dish (that, or paella, jut like abuela makes :p)

dslme writes...

I have a Supernet 488a kicking around,

Don't know that model, but probably do the job.

dslme writes...

when i get DSL here
You do know god kills a cute little kitten every time a satellite user gets DSL?
or maybe I have that back to front :)
Meanwhile this helped me immensely when I was pointing my dish http://i35.tinypic.com/fmq39i.gif

Another good site for Dishpointing etc is http://www.dishpointer.com/?satellite=1200 , also the MAXPEAK meter is a very handy gadget..
Anyhow. Happy Hunting,,,

We're on Wikipedia now, i made an entry.