Whirlpool

Have just churned to 1500/256 TELI plan.
The changeover went smooth without any problems. yet after 4 days, my service is suddenly disconnected without any warning or notification.
Despite e-mails via another computer and requests for communication from EXETEL. ..... nothing.
After 4 attempts, finally discover that the reason was supposedly due to incorrect bank account details being provided.
Dispute that as details were copied and checked from bank statement.
Nevertheless one would have thought that contact would have been made in order to rectify any mistake.
The inability of EXETEL staff to understand & speak ENGLISH is but another indictment as to the poor service.
I wont be recommending EXETEL and doubt I will stay long term.

not surprised

your experience matches my own pathetic support saga

it would seem the Exetel business model of limited and low cost support may lead to happy customers when everything is hunky dory but at the first sign of trouble everyone wishes they had used someone else

I have never had a problem but it sucks for those who have had bad experiences..

been with exetel for a few months. had a few problems here and there. the help from exetel is less than desirable every time. luckily I was able to rectify the problems either by myself through the help of some technically able friends in the end. I know the feeling of not getting the proper help from exetel, especially when the problems are not resolved.

I've had a somewhat similar experience. I had my cc details change, yet when I rang exetel to see what was going on (I had the blocked browser response when loading pages) they tried to tell me my account had been blocked because I was spamming from my only email account which is clean of virus/spyware etc.

There's definitely a lack of communication going on behind the scenes

salmond1 writes...

I was able to rectify the problems either by myself through the help of some technically able friends in the end.

Does that not indicate that the issue you experienced wasn't one which Exetel could rectify anyway?

If you resolved it by myself through the help of some technically able friends, than the issue clearly did not require assistance from Exetel to begin with.

Blytzwyng writes...

(I had the blocked browser response when loading pages

In that case, why call? The page clearly explains how to resolve the issue.

For those unaware of the page, I believe this is it:
http://blocked.exetel.com.au/failed_payment.php

Monsters Inc writes...

In that case, why call? The page clearly explains how to resolve the issue.

I picked up it was a blocked url, I actually saw nothing in the browser it just timed out

edit – a timely email from accounts would have been nice, rather than, here we'll let you guess

Exetel may not contact you personally when a failed payment occurs, but nor will a lot of other ISPs. The blocked page you received was pretty clear... no idea why you think posting this shows any negative cause by Exetel.

IF the fault was theirs, surely by reading the blocked page you could've resolved the issue quickly enough by calling them and explaining what you see, can they check your account? (seeing as tho it was a recent churn)

In regards to your initial post, try putting more buzz words in caps... IT HELPS HEAPS!!! (and i'm surprised you didn't capitalize 'poor service')

As far as Exetel goes, perhaps their SMS system used for activations could also be used as a payment reminder when an account is overdue and/or blocked.

How does a blank page tell me anything ?

I only saw the url for a fraction of a second and it wasn't helpful, I rang exetel off my own bat not because a page told me too, but this isn't my thread, back to the op

I'm guessing that maybe the same happened to the OP, and didn't mean it to sound rude – but if I got a blank page, reset my router, same thing, couldn't ping, I'd probably call them directly and just ask.

it would seem the Exetel business model of limited and low cost support may lead to happy customers when everything is hunky dory but at the first sign of trouble everyone wishes they had used someone else.

Hi,
There is always conflicting views with Exetel. I have been with them a few years
with ADSL2, & now Naked DSL. I have also been with about six other ISP`s.. No better. I can say when i changed to Exetel Naked DSL a couple of months ago there were a few hiccups. But you know it turned out to be my fault. How often does this happen ? I still had my Lifeline / Fallover line connected to my ATA. Not thinking about it, of course it will not work like that !
They replied to my Emails within the hour & there were more than 4 or 5 of them.
What is wrong with that ? Now my Naked connection is 3 x times speed it was on the ADSL2 Line. It is only around 4 MB, but I am 3.5k`s from exchange . After looking far & wide, it is the most economical ISP I can find. I am happy with that I think users should look around their own end first before blaming everyone else.

Cheers, Kesh....

Pay your bill, problem goes away.

Enter your bank account details correctly, problem doesn't occur in the first place.

You have an obligation to pay for you service, you failed to meet that obligation.

Learn from it and move on.

Agree.
However IF there had been a mistake, surely some courtesy would have been to communicate instead of denying service. I know I copied my bank details directly from the account. Nevertheless once service was denied, had no other way of being able to "rectify" any errors.
Apparently EXETEL"S reputation for poor if not NON EXISTENT service is well known.
Still doesnt mitigate their failure to return messages nor their employment of individuals whose ENGLISH communication skills leave much to be desired

bigmac53 writes...

finally discover that the reason was supposedly due to incorrect bank account details being provided.

How did you discover this?

Apparently EXETEL"S reputation for poor if not NON EXISTENT service is well known.

Only from some very sick trolls who keep coming back to this forum

Still doesnt mitigate their failure to return messages nor their employment of individuals whose ENGLISH communication skills leave much to be desired

I have never had an issue with Exetel returning emails or fault tickets, as to the slag about language skills...that's just what it is, a dirty slag.
Perhaps your ability to understand simple concepts is the real question.

bigmac53 writes...

Despite e-mails via another computer and requests for communication from EXETEL. ..... nothing.

After 4 attempts, finally discover that the reason was supposedly due to incorrect bank account details being provided.

I had them bill me for local VoIP calls. One email to them and problem solved. Refund will come on next bill.

bigmac53 writes...

The inability of EXETEL staff to understand & speak ENGLISH is but another indictment as to the poor service.

bigmac53 writes...

Still doesnt mitigate their failure to return messages nor their employment of individuals whose ENGLISH communication skills leave much to be desired

No problems with that. Email works fine. No need to waste time on the phone when email is the way to go. Had to wait 18min on the phone for service from a “BIG” telco. These guys makes big bucks and service is still shit. No need to speak English for fast service.

bigmac53 writes...

Apparently EXETEL"S reputation for poor if not NON EXISTENT service is well known.
Apparently well known to who? What do you base this claim on? Any statistics, polls or links? Any proof at all?

Will.
---

I thought this threads title would describe some people on whirlpool's attitude towards exetel, seems I was right.

i'm sorry to hear that you have had a few dramas.
Lets go through your post.

The changeover went smooth without any problems
As it should. But then again this is not always the case, there are many factors that can cause delays out of Exetel's control.

my service is suddenly disconnected without any warning or notification.
This is common with a lot of businesses these day, not just Exetel.

Dispute that as details were copied and checked from bank statement.
So where the details correct or not? I don't take any thing for granted these days. I would of double checked.

one would have thought that contact would have been made in order to rectify any mistake.

Why, They have taken your details in good faith that they were correct, there is a discrepancy, so your saying your should be able to download what you want until it is sorted? There is a lot of fraud going on out there these days. So your suggesting they should take it at face value and allow you download data, which they are charged for, with out you paying for it.

The inability of EXETEL staff to understand & speak ENGLISH is but another indictment as to the poor service.

Maybe it's your understanding of the English language and tolerance that has caused this assumption. I personally have never had a problem communicating with any of the Exetel staff.
If I have not understood what they have said, I just politely ask them to repeat it.

I wont be recommending EXETEL and doubt I will stay long term.

You'll stay long enough not to incur a penalty?

So, Is your problem resolved?
What was the problem?

First thing you gotta do when something goes wrong with Exetel is hop onto another pc with net connection and go into your Exetel account.... On that page it usually tells you what the problem is and what you have to do to rectify it...

Whilst that may be the optimum, for me
I dont normally have access to another computer with Net access.
Just my brother called in with his laptop and was able to access EXETEL for me.
I strongly suggest that EXETEL modify their procedure whereby enable clients to make contact without simply denying their service.
At least allow people to verify payment details or if necessary, edit their details.

so much bad vibes ----- how much was this a user problem — come to whirlpool winge like a banshee.

dude if you cant type in your own bank account details correctly. what do you expect.

has the overall iq of internet users dropped --- or only for Exetel.

has the overall iq of internet users dropped --- or only for Exetel.

winge ????

I have to sit on the fence here, i had lost my wallet and canceled my cards and had a failed payment of $1.40 and wham i was cut off no warning, its no big deal it you can actually access the page they try and link you to but the fact is that page doesnt load, so the customer has no way of resolving the issue unless they can get onto another computer which is not always possible.

While its the customers fault for providing wrong details/losing wallets whatever the reason may be, there should be a clear working process which allows the issues to be resolved with as little fuss as possible... ie block my internet thats fine, but atleast make sure your links to your failed payments page work.

HungLikaFlea writes...

but the fact is that page doesnt load,

This happened to me last week and for me the page also didn't load... but 6 months ago it also happened and the page did load...

I think it's only recently that the page has been offline... or Inaccessible from a disconnected Exetel account...

€vil Ðr Рhil writes...

dude if you cant type in your own bank account details correctly. what do you expect.

has the overall iq of internet users dropped --- or only for Exetel.

We are only human after all, mistakes happen with simple procedures such as these.

I'm actually rather surprised at how many people JUMPED the guy as soon as he said anything slightly negative about Exetel, seriously, People "make" mistakes, no one is perfect these things happen.

I made a similar Mistake myself when I first signed up to Westnet, however they have awesome customer service and the issue got sorted in about 2 minutes at the most from me dialing the number. (You usually don't have to wait for someone to pick up the phone).

The idea I look at whirlpool is simply this: A Place where you can gather insight on particular Internet Providers be it Download Quotas, Prices, Availability, or even an ISP's reputation and how they handle such issues, thus his "whinge" to me may be good reason to stay away from a particular Internet Provider because they don't suit there needs or don't have the required services like decent Customer Support. (Which Exetel is not the only provider that is guilty of such a thing) – But then again Exetel has a slightly different demographic than most other providers anyway, they target absolutely lowest price with great quota's and make minimal profits in comparison to other providers.

Don't beat the guy down for voicing his opinion, just try and help and guide him in the correct direction.

I've got no problem with people making mistakes, I do have a problem with them making mistakes and blaming someone else for them.

Lord Apophis writes...

I made a similar Mistake myself when I first signed up to Westnet, however they have awesome customer service and the issue got sorted in about 2 minutes at the most from me dialing the number. (You usually don't have to wait for someone to pick up the phone).

They also charge about 50% more for a plan comparable to mine. I would prefer to save the money and be careful with my payment details so I wouldn't need to contact support.

Exetel should ring a customer if they are going to be disconnected in a case like this.

sp0radic writes...

Exetel should ring a customer if they are going to be disconnected in a case like this.

A customer should not allow themselves to be disconnected in a case like this. Pay your bill as you agreed to do and the situation doesn't occur.

Flak writes...

A customer should not allow themselves to be disconnected in a case like this. Pay your bill as you agreed to do and the situation doesn't occur.

"Mistakes Happen" – I doubt your any exception to that rule in any regard, Plenty of people have regular payments taken out of there account via Direct Debit, and just before the Direct Debit comes out, the bank may just "happen" to take out it's fees, thus issues arise.

Sure, it "WOULD" be awesome for it to never happen, and for everything to go perfectly smoothly for the entire 100 years give-or-take that you are alive without this kind of problem occurring, the point is this particular issue seems to be a common one with Exetel, so don't you think something should be done to smooth the process over? – Even if it's an automated re-direct, emails, some form of notification would be good, as no one is perfect and issues do and will arise regardless of who you are.

Yes I pay more for my connection, but I also "Get more" in other areas that may not interest you, but do interest me like: Gaming Servers, Free Zone – which consists of iiNets and Westnets files, and other little tidbits, and hopefully soon free Xbox Live downloads! – That to "me" is worth paying that extra "50% more" – as I would save download quota in the long run anyway, and probably end up downloading more than most of you people on Exetel Plans anyhow.

As I said earlier each ISP has different targeted core demographics, Exetel is a "No frills, bare bone" internet provider much like Dodo Internet, where other ISP's like Internode, iiNet, Netspace, Westnet etc' target different customers, Sure the service is awesome while it works, but if an issue crops up, then you wish you were with an ISP with better customer service, I experienced that before with other various ISP's not related to payment issues.

Also "Customer Support" also extends past just people sitting on the phone waiting to fix your issue, it extends to all the services and infrastructure an ISP has, Be it email servers, bandwidth, gaming servers, modem support. – If you cannot understand that then you surely would have a hard time understanding how ISP's target customers.

Possibly the most annoying thing on Whirlpool however is the constant Exetel vs Internode vs iiNet vs AAPT vs TPG etc etc etc, I think people are missing the points I stated above, I would also find it better if people were more willing to help a bloke out with an issue instead of basically telling them to go "annoy someone else" – In the end the constant flaming at each other will only give a particular ISP a bad reputation in a worst case scenario, or just make you seem antagonistic.

Lord Apophis writes...

"Mistakes Happen"

and when they do, it's the responsibility of the perpetrator to take responsibility for the mistake and rectify it if possible. They should also try to learn from the mistake.

Exetel is a "No frills, bare bone" internet provider much like Dodo Internet, where other ISP's like Internode, iiNet, Netspace, Westnet etc' target different customers

Why are they "no frills, bare bone"?

They offer a wide range of plans to consumers, offered over a wide range of infrastructure: ADSL1, ADSL2, HSPA.

They offer value adds such 5c SMS, a fax gateway with email=>fax and fax=>email.

Their VOIP offering is competitive in terms of price and performance.

They offer a mirrors and peer with PIPE.

They provide customers with a choice of content through high quotas rather than limiting them to unmetered content.

Also "Customer Support" also extends past just people sitting on the phone waiting to fix your issue, it extends to all the services and infrastructure an ISP has, Be it email servers, bandwidth, gaming servers, modem support.

Exetel offer all of this (they may have dropped the game servers).

They have also developed a suite of support webpages which allow you to remotely check your Radius login log, ping your connection and perform a traceroute. I used this functionality to remotely fix my father's Exetel connection on the weekend. This was an issue with nothing to do with Exetel's service, but the tools they provided empowered me to resolve the issue quickly without having to pester support.

If you cannot understand that then you surely would have a hard time understanding how ISP's target customers.

I understand that different ISPs bring different products to the market in an attempt to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

What I don't understand is how people justify whinging and moaning about an issue they have created.

I also struggle to understand how someone who chose Westnet as their ISP is qualified to comment on the quality of Exetel's network and support. If you have first hand experience I apologise, but if you don't you are not in a position to call them "no frills, bare bone".

Flak writes...

I also struggle to understand how someone who chose Westnet as their ISP is qualified to comment on the quality of Exetel's network and support. If you have first hand experience I apologise, but if you don't you are not in a position to call them "no frills, bare bone.

I have been with Exetel, It was a good and trouble free experience, However they were limited by only serving Optus ports (To my knowledge) where Westnet Offers Optus, iiNet and soon Telstra ADSL services, so they can offer more Customer ADSL 2 than most other ISP can.

Plus I am a gamer, thus the gaming services were a huge boost to me, I often spend a good 50gb at least downloading game patches, demo's, trailers, mods, and playing games, so you can see the value there alone for me.

It's a shame really I was looking at Netspace which years ago were advertising themselves as the "Gaming ISP" – but it seems that quality has dropped over recent years in that regard, which is what I picked up from reading various posts.

And in comparison to what Exetel offers me in comparison to what Westnet offers me they are a "no frills and bare bone ISP" – I get my own personal webspace (not a big deal in my opinion), Footy Tipping, Weather, News, Internet Radio services, Various Live TV shows like NASA TV and a crap-load of file mirrors from both iiNet and Westnet which are quota free, the ability to ring-up with a question or an issue at any time-24/7 and talk to a real Australian without any waiting time – the only time when customer service is non-existent is on Christmas day, which is understandable.

Plus the good thing is when you "are" shaped whenever you want to do something in the Westnet or iiNet Freezone it's all at full speed regardless if your speed reduced, not that I have been throttled yet, I have a Usage grabber that works wonders in a Vista Modified Sidebar running on Windows XP.

There is no P2P throttling ever, however the technology is in place which probably goes for all ISP's anyway which would be enabled if they reach maximum entropy on there bandwidth.

As for PIPE – when I was with Netspace years and years ago they offered PIPE, it was a service I hardly used, I'm not exactly sure if Westnet offers Pipe, but then again it's not something I look for in an ISP regardless.

and when they do, it's the responsibility of the perpetrator to take responsibility for the mistake and rectify it if possible. They should also try to learn from the mistake.

I completely 100% agree, they should take responsibility and say they "Stuffed up" – but from the sounds of it people have had issues "trying" to rectify it, not sure if the issue still exists but that is why I pay my internet bills at the post office now, so I know that I wont have to rely on a Direct Debit which has caused me headaches in the past. – That and the bank refused to send Westnet a fax to let them know they have removed the block, it was a strange situation really, because the bank refuses to let a direct debit pass and place my account into the red, they place a block on all direct debits as soon as one fails, ringing them up and removing the block and allowing direct debits to continue usually works, but some company's need "proof" it has been removed, unfortunately my bank was un-willing to do such a thing, and I even went as far as giving westnet my Banks Branch phone number to ring them up and get approval but Westnet decided not to take such measures, thus the reason why I decided to pay at the post office, so now I have my bill paid in advanced without any worries at all.

They provide customers with a choice of content through high quotas rather than limiting them to unmetered content.

I've never disputed that fact, I enjoyed the large quota's but I was still throttled allot nearing the end of my month due to my habbits stated above, thus Exetel wasn't a service for me, Also another horrible side effect was the constant filling-up of my Hard Disk Drive, which is only 120gb in my notebook with a 160gb external USB powered drive, I was actually contemplating on going Internode, but as soon as I heard that Westnet would be offering ADSL 2+ using Telstra they became my primary choice, as only Internode and Telstra offer ADSL 2+ services in my area, and Internode to me although a good ISP like most others (Besides Telstra and Dodo) didn't offer anything I found that I liked, except for probably the free Usenet which I probably wouldn't have used much anyway.

At least there is something that all Australians can agree on however is that in comparison to the United States, all Australian ISP's suck quota and price wise, yet there ISP's don't offer additional services like ours do.

After reading quite a few pages on different forums, it seems that Exetel has some pretty strong supporters, compared to all the other ISPs, on Whirlpool. When anyone has a genuine problem with Exetel they are more often than not unreasonably attacked. I often wonder who these strong supporters are, it seems like they could be Exetel staff.

peterjrm writes...

I often wonder who these strong supporters are, it seems like they could be Exetel staff.

They are more than likely average people defending there favored service, it happens all the time, like Intel vs AMD, nVidia vs ATI, Xbox 360 vs PS3, Mac vs PC. – It's just the way things go unfortunately, Exetel -is- a good service, but so is many ISP's provided they fit your needs, most people don't seem to understand that fact.

peterjrm writes...

I often wonder who these strong supporters are, it seems like they could be Exetel staff.

I'm a strong supporter because they've been the most reliable service I've ever been with. Their philosophy is to provide the best product and the lowest price and they certainly do it.

Mostly I'm grateful that they are not providing a call centre so people can call up and ask for help on setting up things. I never needed it, never wanted it, and would not like to subsidise other customers who do need it.

They are very clear about this so I have little sympathy for people who join Exetel and expect Westnet style call centre service. I expect most other 'strong supports' would feel the same.

Clive writes...

I'm a strong supporter because.........

Love it. Well said.

peterjrm writes...

After reading quite a few pages on different forums, it seems that Exetel has some pretty strong supporters, compared to all the other ISPs, on Whirlpool. When anyone has a genuine problem with Exetel they are more often than not unreasonably attacked.

Yeah, I'm with exetel and I agree. I'm happy to tell it like it is.

peterjrm writes...

When anyone has a genuine problem with Exetel they are more often than not unreasonably attacked.

Please post links to a few examples of these unreasonable attacks.

Flak writes...

Please post links to a few examples of these unreasonable attacks.

Here you go /forum-replies.cfm?t=1087017 ?

Will.
---

Whooah1979 writes...

Here you go /forum-replies.cfm?t=1087017 ?

I'm struggling to find anything unreasonable in that thread apart from people refusing to take responsibility for their own mistakes. Could you anchor a link for the alleged unreasonableness?

Flak writes...

I'm struggling to find anything unreasonable in that thread apart from people refusing to take responsibility for their own mistakes. Could you anchor a link for the alleged unreasonableness?

I’m confused now. Are we talking about unreasonable attacks on Exetel or PEBKAC?

Will.
---

Whooah1979 writes...

I’m confused now. Are we talking about unreasonable attacks on Exetel or PEBKAC?

Read the quoted post at /forum-replies.cfm?t=1087017&p=2#r34.

Some people here are so defensive about Exetel you would think they were employees...

Look, I like Exetel. They've been giving a good deal for years and in the year I've been with them they've gone down once. I can deal with that.

But their customer service is SHOCKING. There is never, ever a need to have that attitude even if you're cost-cutting. Does cost-cutting include cutting out the manners and general nice attitude?

A few weeks ago I got sent a pleasant email from Exetel telling me to basically accept their fee rises or move to another ISP – almost in those words! Seriously, how is that good business??? Did they really have to add the second part? And yesterday I was reading through their email set-up instructions, which is crawling with bad attitude – basically, if you can't do this we are NOT helping you, do NOT call us, get someone smarter then yourself to help you out. Oh, and we are ABSOLUTELY NOT going to help you as these instructions are so EASY.

I know who these guys are. They are the sys admin guys that have been abused one too many times and now they're trying to run a business. But look, I'm pretty loyal to Exetel but that attitude of yours just makes me feel like saying "What, accept this or I should leave? Um, ok, I'll leave then!" when I never even thought of leaving.

If there are any of you reading this, I'm just saying. Doesn't hurt to remember we're still paying for your services. You don't need to come across as patronising or aggressive in your customer correspondence cuz we don't all whinge and whine. I haven't bothered you once.

swho writes...

But look, I'm pretty loyal to Exetel but that attitude of yours just makes me feel like saying "What, accept this or I should leave? Um, ok, I'll leave then!" when I never even thought of leaving.

So when is your churn date? Which ISP are you going to?

I have been with Exetel for several years and not once have I had an issue with support. I only just emailed them this morning and a reply in around 15 mins. I have hooked up others with Exetel and found the whole process simple, fast and without any problems. If you are not happy with Exetel then go elsewhere, pay more and I suggest you would probably have the same issues with support.

Lonx writes...

Exetel may not contact you personally when a failed payment occurs, but nor will a lot of other ISPs.

You are correct, why do people assume ISP/Telcos do all this manually?
All these systems are fully automated, Exetel themsevles wouldn't have a clue it happened to you unless they looked at your account. Nobody sits there reviewing accounts and nobody sits there sending requests to helstra or optus to remove a clients port code.

As far as Exetel goes, perhaps their SMS system used for activations could also be used as a payment reminder

They again automatically process these, if the bank returns a failed status code Exetels automation will see that as "cant pay account" and switch a few flags in a database and presto, connection suspended.

When my CC approached expiry some time back, Exetel sent me out a warning at the start of that month, and because the bank was lazy and did not sent my new CC out until a few days before it expired, I recall getting Exetel warnings daily in the last week, so you can't say they don't give you ample and fair warning, optus also sent me a warning at the start of the month as well.

As far as Exetel goes, perhaps their SMS system used for activations could also be used as a payment reminde

more cost to Exetel because a user can't be bothered to ensure payment details are up to date? Oh and please dont give me it costs them 2 cents an SMS, because if they had to do it to a lot of people every month all the time, that soon adds up. it costs nothing to send an email.

swho writes...

A few weeks ago I got sent a pleasant email from Exetel telling me to basically accept their fee rises or move to another ISP – almost in those words!

I presume you're referring to the email about the $3 admin fee, which partly read as follows...

"Should you consider this fee increase constitutes a significant variation in the terms and conditions of the supply of services to you by Exetel then you should make arrangements to transfer your current Exetel services to another provider prior to midnight on 19/12/2008

yesterday I was reading through their email set-up instructions, which is crawling with bad attitude

Exetel will not accept either telephone calls or emails from you to assist you set up email accounts. If the directions provided here are not sufficient for you to accomplish this simple process then you must get assistance from a computer savvy family member or friend or pay for a computer professional to help you.

The instructions are very simple for most people. If a user cannot understand them, then they really do need to get someone smarter than themselves to help them. BTW... there's nothing stopping a user from asking for help on the Exetel Help Forum... that's what it's there for.

Exetel is a business, and that email, and those instructions, are worded in a businesslike manner.

It's well-known that if you want your hand held, Exetel is not the ISP for you.

Look guys, i think its pretty clear that exetel is cheap and there are compromises. And their reputation is well known esp given the number of threads on here.

So basically if you sign up with them you are paying the least per month for given quota, that is why we signed up in the first place. Bang for buck? depends on other variables as we all know.

We also know that exetel doesnt provide much support and do not tolerate customer mistakes very well. There are certain acts of curtesy which some of us expect in certain situations but that rarely happens with exetel.

However in my experience they have amended errors on their end efficiently and swiftly. That is just my experience and i may be more fortunate than others.

So really most of us are pretty well informed before we joined given the wealth of information on whirlpool. If i hadnt come on here i wouldnt know they existed. TBH when i signed up, i knew i wasnt signing up for customer service of any sort unless the fault was at their end. I knew what i was getting, cheap internet with good dl quota (no idea the speed till you try it) and that was it.

If i required customer service/curtesy shown, i would not have signed up at the outset. But knowing that, when something goes wrong, it can be frustrating nonetheless

gee its late.............

scheps writes...

Look guys, i think its pretty clear that exetel is cheap and there are compromises. And their reputation is well known esp given the number of threads on here.

So basically if you sign up with them you are paying the least per month for given quota, that is why we signed up in the first place. Bang for buck? depends on other variables as we all know.

We also know that exetel doesnt provide much support and do not tolerate customer mistakes very well. There are certain acts of curtesy which some of us expect in certain situations but that rarely happens with exetel.

However in my experience they have amended errors on their end efficiently and swiftly. That is just my experience and i may be more fortunate than others.

So really most of us are pretty well informed before we joined given the wealth of information on whirlpool. If i hadnt come on here i wouldnt know they existed. TBH when i signed up, i knew i wasnt signing up for customer service of any sort unless the fault was at their end. I knew what i was getting, cheap internet with good dl quota (no idea the speed till you try it) and that was it.

If i required customer service/curtesy shown, i would not have signed up at the outset. But knowing that, when something goes wrong, it can be frustrating nonetheless

gee its late.............

It was rather early ....

I would agree with most of what you have written, except for the comments about support / courtesy.

I am an active user on the Exetel Forum, both to obtain and provide help. I find the user and staff community over there extremely helpful and most courteous. This is not only for 'Exetel issues' but LAN and other problems that occur.

The Exetel forum, I find, is excellent for troubleshooting and brainstorming problems. If not resolvable by the recommendations and suggestions, then there is formal support via the ticket system.

I have only had to use the formal support twice (both for mobile set up / activation). I used the phone, was answered in less than a minute (by a person). I explained my issue, they asked some further questions and raised the ticket.

It was then followed up by email, several times, until we got the issue resolved.

So, I am not suggesting others have had different experiences, however, mine have only been positive.

On top of that I get exceptional quota for very low cost.

Happy as a pig in the proverbial....

swho writes...

A few weeks ago I got sent a pleasant email from Exetel telling me to basically accept their fee rises or move to another ISP – almost in those words! Seriously, how is that good business??? Did they really have to add the second part?

Yes, they do. As you may feel that Exetel is breaching terms and conditions and you might go and complain to someone (like the TIO for example).

I was with exehell for about 6 months on a naked dsl service. One thing that pissed me of was that shapping issue and i sure wasnt about to wait 2hrs for a 30mb or bigger to download due that dam thind the netenforcer gizmo ....it slowed everthing down so i was so dam glad to get a get out of jail free card ....leave for free and churn to the best isp by far in the country internode ....ive never seen downloads at speeds over 1mb/ps untill now its a dam miricle ...as for there customer support ...i wouldnt be ringing india anytime soon....next to bacisally useless it is as it was always bloody hard to understand them let alone hear them talking....but overal i wouldnt dare let anyone i know join them. im dam very happy now with node wont be looking back again.

GG33 writes...

ive never seen downloads at speeds over 1mb/ps untill now its a dam miricle

So... what sort of speed do you get when shaped??? You know, after you've used up your 10GB allowance, at that blinding speed. (Exetel's NAK2C plan provides 24gb/48gb for the same cost... plus no shaping if you want to continue downloading)

as for there customer support ...i wouldnt be ringing india anytime soon....next to bacisally useless it is as it was always bloody hard to understand them let alone hear them talking

Good luck...

The only significant negative issue is customer service which, I reckon, has worsened with time – /forum-replies.cfm?t=1092372#r12

During peak times any phone contact with them is almost impossible, If you send them a request by e-mail thats even worse. (It took billing 14 days to respond to a e-mail and then they did not even read the one I sent properly)
there billing system i think was made to pee me off. – /forum-replies.cfm?t=1092372#r10

Twice i havnt had my call returned & 2 weeks ago a friend was asking where he should move to & i told him to ring internode...he did & left his details only to never have his call returned. – /forum-replies.cfm?t=1092372#r14

I have been on hold for 25 minutes with no option to leave a number to get a call back! Thats not fair! Is it because I am already a customer? – /forum-replies.cfm?t=995388

I am considering going to another ISP because I just can't get customer service out of internode any more. – /forum-replies.cfm?t=939986

Personally, I've had no issues whatsoever with making fast contact with Exetel, or the level of their customer support. I've also seen many posts from people here in this forum who have described their very good experiences, as well as a few who have had poor experiences.

I think that every ISP has it's good and bad instances, and customers who have good and bad experiences... no exceptions.