Whirlpool

I'm moving house and to my shock i have learned that the exchange that my new house is connected to has only ADSL2 enabled by Telstra. Dam.

While searching around for a new Internet provider i decided to bite the bullet and check out bigpond. To me, their prices are nothing short of ridiculous:

ADSL2
$59.95 600MB
$89.95 12GB
$99.95 25GB
$149.95 60GB

How can they justify charging people this price. I was previously with Optus, got 60GB a month on ADSL2 for $69.95. Telstra's price is more than double that!

$59.95 for 600MB? what a joke

Do people actually pay these inflated prices?

Why are they so much, i don't understand how they stay in business when companies like TPG offer 150GB ADSL2 speeds for half the price of bigpond's 60GB plan....

edit: and i just saw that they charge for excess usage!! hahah i feel so sorry for anyone stuck with BigPond.

rakem writes...

i have learned that the exchange that my new house is connected to has only ADSL2 enabled by Telstra.

And no cable?

Cable prices are more sensible like $60 for 12 Gb capped

And possibly faster in reality

Yes it is disgusting, but Telstra seem to pride themselves on doing business this way.

No way of getting wireless? Maybe even moving house again to avoid Telstra (I say that with humour)?

InfinityChaos writes...

No way of getting wireless? Maybe even moving house again to avoid Telstra (I say that with humour)?

well when i moved optus originally told me that i was on an ADSL2 enabled exchange. A few weeks later they said they made a mistake and they can't service me at all!!! if i had known this i would of considered somewhere else..

The Possum writes...

And no cable?

Cable prices are more sensible like $60 for 12 Gb capped

i would prefer a wired connection. Going to run VoIP and i game a lot so i need reliability and big quota.

Remember new customers get up to 12 months half price + free modem.

kronz writes...

Remember new customers get up to 12 months half price + free modem.

well that makes it slightly more attractive.... not sure if i want to go with bigpond thou.

do you have a link with the details of this so i can research

rakem writes...

Going to run VoIP

Remember that Pigpond count uploads as part of your over-priced quota. So you might chew through a bit on VOIP. Basicly a 25gig quota is really ~20gigs or less after taking uploads into account.

i game a lot

Pigpond do host unmetered game servers. So it doesn't count towards your quota.

Only thing about Pigpond is there usage meter. Always incorrect and always in favour of Pigpond if your on a plan that has excess charges.

I've just change to IINET, but the last 4 months before changing, I was on a 60gig quota and every month they would just round me up to 60gigs 2-3 days before the end of the month. I even proved it too them in the first 3 months and when it happened again on the 4 month I canceled.

If you can avoid Telstra, avoid it at ALL COSTS!

rakem writes...

do you have a link with the details of this so i can research

Well you have to have a fixed line with Telstra to be eligible. Little catch there. But 76% of Aussie landlines are with T anyway so.

Yeah, I've heard they can get in trouble if they try to low their prices to competition.

Telstra are getting more competetive.
I was with ADAM INTERNET ADELAIDE paying 40 bucks for 5 gig.
Have been with them for years but never offered any sort of loyalty deals.
My home phone and Foxtel has been with Telstra even longer and last Friday was contacted Telstra call centre, from Pirrie Street ADELAIDE, with a much appreciated fluent English speaking support officer, offering a customer loyalty deal.

1. "ADSL 2+" offering 12G, counting downloads only and SHAPED to 64kb after
thats exceeded.
2. Free local calls unlimited.
3. Calls to Telstra Mobiles $0.75 for 20 mins charged in 30 sec blocks.
4. Calls to other Mobiles $1.75 for 20 mins charged in 30 sec blocks.
5. Free access to message bank, normally $6.00 a month.
6. A $120.00 bonus which equates to the first 6 weeks use.
7. Free 4 port Ethernet hub with Wi-Fi.
8. Free Wi-Fi dongle.
9. Monthly line rental included.
10. Total package costs $89.95, less than previous line rental with calls and
ADSL2+

For me this was a good offer and the security knowing if theres a fault, Telstra's responsibility will be to my home Network Boundry point. So all in all, I guess for me this was a good deal. Shop around I guess is the answer and don't be to eager to flick Telstra else you too may miss out on loyalty rewards.
Sure a long time in the comming but looks like there starting to listen to what people want and expect.

Cheers!

OzRick writes...

1. "ADSL 2+" offering 12G, counting downloads only and SHAPED to 64kb after
thats exceeded.

For some reason i doubt that one. They do count upload. Unless if you get the offer in writing, or new regulation.

OzRick writes...

ADSL 2+" offering 12G, counting downloads only and SHAPED to 64kb after
thats exceeded.

Fat lie...Pigpond always count uploads. They love it.

Total package costs $89.95, less than previous line rental with calls and
ADSL2+

They didnt mention at what quota? Could be a 200mb quota which will cost you an arm, a leg and your 2 front teeth by the end of the month.

but looks like there starting to listen to what people want and expect.

Only what shareholders want, not consumers. Sol Trujillo couldn't give a rats what consumers want.

I can't comment on the other points in your post, purely due to that fact I've never used those particular services with Toolstra...but if the Pigpond salesmen are anything to go buy, I wouldn't believe those points either.

If anyone has half a brain, they wouldn't ever signup to a Toolstra deal. Far better deals out there. If Toolstra is your only choice where you live, then I feel for you as it's your only choice. Shame....

Point taken, but once I get all the paper work I'll try and share it here. I have no vested intrest to lie about this, the deal was 12 G anytime, not split as peak and offpeak. So until I get this in writing as you say, I'll keep quiet.
However the salesperson did mention these are new offers, and not listed on there web site. Only being made available via direct contact with current customer base.
Anyhow time will tell.

OzRick writes...

However the salesperson did mention these are new offers, and not listed on there web site.

Just so you know...another lie.

rakem writes...

$59.95 for 600MB? what a joke

Do people actually pay these inflated prices?

Sure they do! Telstra's broadband market share increased from 46% to 49% last quarter. There are plenty of people out there with money to burn.

serf2000 writes...

There are plenty of people out there with money to burn.

Hehe, don't you mean...with no intelligence to use?

And they trust Bigpond more than those "garage-ran" ISPs like internode, iinet, westnet. They go with the big name with the assurance that the ISP will not shut down on them.

rakem writes...

do you have a link with the details of this so i can research

http://bigpond.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/bigpond.cfg/php/enduser/live_param.php

BigPond Live Help. Absolutely wonderful, best service, and quick responses (matter of seconds).

oz geek writes...

garage-ran" ISPs like internode, iinet, westnet.

Hardly garage run...IInet & internode have fantastic reliability, far better deals and their customer service reps have a higher IQ than Pigpond's useless monkeys.

Can't say much for Westnet, haven't ever used their service or know anyone who has...

InfinityChaos writes...

Hardly garage run...IInet & internode have fantastic reliability, far better deals

Exactly. iiNet has few hundred of thousand customers. Top reliability. As for prices, you just cannot compare it with Telstra.

Oh, how I love these trolling posts. Always bring out the fun BigPond haters who don't even have the service but would be screaming if anyone was over in their ISP's forums dissing their ISP of choice.

I really can't be bothered with the rest of the reply I was going to post, because reading the calibre of the arguments already displayed on this thread, it's a waste of my time, wit & energy.

I will say this for the people grumbling about sales reps – I have no doubt that when iinet or Internode ever get big enough to start doing active out-bounded sales, they'll have some dodgy sales-people saying anything to get a sale, too. Every company does – it's just that bigger companies have more staff and larger staff numbers tend to lead towards a higher number of dodgy staff – much like the US has a huge number of obese people, because they have a large population – therefore more people to potentially be overweight.

InfinityChaos writes...

Hehe, don't you mean...with no intelligence to use?

Actually its a question of trust. Dont trust the other providers. Dont mind paying extra for the service.

InfinityChaos writes...

Can't say much for Westnet, haven't ever used their service or know anyone who has...

Westnet are fantastic I have never had an outage that i have not been notified of before hand. As for prices Telstra blocking other companies going into my exchange installing adsl 2. I go on a adsl 1 plan booster to 8 mb. Cost abit more but you can't put a price on service.

interesting how its stable as hell over "telstra’s" phone line but back in the day when i use to be with bigpond’s adsl it fell over at lease once a day.

Or should I say pigpond??? :P

rakem writes...
well that makes it slightly more attractive

The half price deal makes the pricing more reasonable

Say the 25GB plan, over the contract it works out to be $75 per month, so overall $15 a month more than an internode 25GB plan which isnt too excessive.

OzRick writes...
with a much appreciated fluent English speaking support officer, offering a customer loyalty deal.
InfinityChaos writes...
Just so you know...another lie.

The deal you have been offered sounds like a defender plan, apart from the free uploads it is probably the correct plan
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=Telstra_Bigpond_Bundle_Offer

The wiki says it is on Cable however there is nothing to stop them offering it on ADSL

InfinityChaos writes...

Hardly garage run...IInet & internode have fantastic reliability, far better deals and their customer service reps have a higher IQ than Pigpond's useless monkeys.

Can't say much for Westnet, haven't ever used their service or know anyone who has...

Then how come I've never heard of them until I got Broadband? I had been on dialup for years and have lived in eastern Australia all my life.

OzRick writes...

So until I get this in writing as you say, I'll keep quiet.

AFAIK they never give their "special deals" in writing... assume your own reason for this..???? :-)

OZ-Geek Wrote>> "And they trust Bigpond more than those "garage-ran" ISPs like internode, iinet, westnet. ""

This one made me cough up a fur ball... he he he he ROFL !!!!

oz geek writes...

garage-ran" ISPs like internode, iinet

Oh yeah, like iiNet the third largest ISP in Australia.

Garage-ran in the beginning, but little bigger then a house party these days.

OzRick writes...

ast Friday was contacted Telstra call centre, from Pirrie Street ADELAIDE, with a much appreciated fluent English speaking support officer, offering a customer loyalty deal.

What you described is a genuine deal ... except for counting downloads only. Uploads are also metered.

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=Telstra_Bigpond_Bundle_Offer

InfinityChaos writes...

They didnt mention at what quota? Could be a 200mb quota

Um ... I believe he did state the quota.

OzRick writes...

Point taken, but once I get all the paper work I'll try and share it here.

Refer my link above.

InfinityChaos writes...

Just so you know...another lie.

Sigh ... you have no idea, do you.

InfinityChaos writes...

I can't comment on the other points in your post, purely due to that fact I've never used those particular services with Toolstra

Perhaps you should follow your own advice and not comment on what you you don't know about.

If anyone has half a brain, they wouldn't ever signup to a Toolstra deal.

Well, here's the thing ... I'm actually chasing them to see if I can get myself one of those deals. Does that make you the one with half a brain?

More Power writes...

AFAIK they never give their "special deals" in writing... assume your own reason for this..???? :-)

Interesting ... I have a copy of the details of one of these special deals .... offered in writing by good old genuine snail mail.

oz geek writes...

And they trust Bigpond more than those "garage-ran" ISPs like internode, iinet, westnet. They go with the big name with the assurance that the ISP will not shut down on them.

What utter RUBBish!!!

Bigpond STill trade on the ignorance of the general public.Give me my "Garage Run" IInet anyday.Most (not all) of Telstra customers sign up out of ignorance.

oz geek writes...

"garage-ran" ISPs like internode, iinet, westnet.

What a foolish statement.

They go with the big name with the assurance that the ISP will not shut down on them.

I don't see Internode, iinet, Westnet shutting anytime soon,

oz geek writes...

Then how come I've never heard of them until I got Broadband?

Ahhh, I guess because you never heard of those ISPS, they must be crap. Seriously, if you never heard of those ISP's then maybe you should stop living under a rock. IINet advertise on TV all the time.

EDIT: I guess this thread has gone off topic. Pigponds pricing is crap, everyone knows that (well, except the ignorant). If people are gonna sign to Pigpond, well then so be it, it's their money.

rakem writes...

i have learned that the exchange that my new house is connected to has only ADSL2 enabled by Telstra. Dam.

go adsl1 then to adoid telstra's bad planning

oz geek writes...

Then how come I've never heard of them until I got Broadband? I had been on dialup for years and have lived in eastern Australia all my life.

LOL this made me laugh so hard i had to run to the toilet HE HE HE

InfinityChaos writes...

EDIT: I guess this thread has gone off topic. Pigponds pricing is crap, everyone knows that (well, except the ignorant). If people are gonna sign to Pigpond, well then so be it, it's their money.

I wouldnt say their pricing is totally crap. I currently get 25gig at around $49 (dont have the exact price on me). Granted this is haf price, but I got a deal at half price for 18 of the 24 months. For what I use the net for, this was decent and totally suited my needs. Yes I have bundled my home phone, but that hardly gets used and is there more for the convenience factor. I dont consider myself to be ignorant, the fact is that Bigpond were the only carrier I could get ADSL2 from (this is a different topic so dont start flaming on that) and I have been pleasently suprised with their service since changing 2 months ago.

magikalcrab writes...

I really can't be bothered with the rest of the reply I was going to post, because reading the calibre of the arguments already displayed on this thread, it's a waste of my time, wit & energy.

Your so elite. I started this thread not to troll, but to voice my opinion about how absurd their pricing is. Perhaps if more people were educated on bigpond alternatives then their market share would drop, forcing them to have more competitive prices.

Andy.. writes...

go adsl1 then to adoid telstra's bad planning

This is what i'm doing. TPG 25/25 1.5Mb plan for $69.95. Telstra can't really match that for the price.

oz geek writes...

Then how come I've never heard of them until I got Broadband? I had been on dialup for years and have lived in eastern Australia all my life.

*Cough* 'WEST'net.

Internode: Originated from SA.

iiNet: Originated from WA.

It doesn't surprise me you haven't heard of them.

Ted Bullpitt writes...

I don't see Internode, iinet, Westnet shutting anytime soon

Westnet has been taken over by iinet.
Not shutdown maybe but swallowed up.

rakem writes...

Your so elite. I started this thread not to troll, but to voice my opinion about how absurd their pricing is

to start a flaming war against Telstra/Bigpond, no not trolling at all

competition gives you choice , you dont like the pricing you go elsewhere, now if the other ISP's ( garage set ups or not ) dont offer what you like then go give them hell in their forums

theres no point bitching at those that do offer what you are after just because it doesnt fit into your maccas wages

This is what i'm doing. TPG 25/25 1.5Mb plan for $69.95. Telstra can't really match that for the price

good, seeya,

I feel the Op's pain.
Ive moved house and im on the pairgain system. Only thing available to me is Telstra "Next G" for 110$ a month for a lousy 3gb and im sure they count uploads. they say because telstra has the greatest coverage etc. they have to raise prices, but dosent/didnt the governement put in billions of dollars into the telstra network to build all this infrastructure?

drahcir writes...

you dont like the pricing you go elsewhere, now if the other ISP's ( garage set ups or not ) dont offer what you like then go give them hell in their forums

That doesn't exactly work if telstra is the only isp offering ADSL2. Sure he could go get normal ADSL but I was under the impression that he wanted ADSL2... And I doubt complaining in Telstra's forums (if they have any) would change that

ODST05 writes...

but I was under the impression that he wanted ADSL2... And I doubt complaining in Telstra's forums

which is why i said go complain in the other ISP's threads because they are the ones that arent offering it

And I doubt complaining in Telstra's forums (if they have any) would change that

you are right as Telstra/Bigpond already offer it, the complaining needs to be directed at those ISP's that arent offering it

and with the wholesale of ADSL2+ just around the corner the op needs to take a bex and have a good lie down until it happens

oz geek writes...

Yeah, I've heard they can get in trouble if they try to low their prices to competition.

i belive that had something to do with the port cost of telstra wholesale and not BP pricing.

yes $59 for 500mb adsl2+ is a joke.

drahcir writes...

competition gives you choice , you dont like the pricing you go elsewhere, now if the other ISP's ( garage set ups or not ) dont offer what you like then go give them hell in their forum

this is what i have done. I have never nor will i ever go with Telstra, just found it amazing how much they charge.

And i would give other ISPs the same treatment if they charged as much. Its just that no one comes close. I have been vocal on many topics that i was not happy with while i was with Optus.

theres no point bitching at those that do offer what you are after just because it doesnt fit into your maccas wages

You don't know me dude. Don't try to insult me with your "maccas wages" statement. This isn't about what i can afford, i could easily afford bigponds prices however i never would as a matter of principal.

ODST05 writes...

That doesn't exactly work if telstra is the only isp offering ADSL2. Sure he could go get normal ADSL but I was under the impression that he wanted ADSL2...

ADSL2 would be ideal. No one but Telstra offers it on my exchange. I'm comming off ADSL2 from optus which was great, so now i have to down grade.

drahcir writes...

which is why i said go complain in the other ISP's threads because they are the ones that arent offering it

Why don't they offer it? I have actually been posting on TPG and iinet forums asking why they can't enable ADSL2 in my exchange. No response as yet. I have also posted on the TPG forums on their website and no response there either.

I'd be happy to pay a bit more for wholesale ADSL2, this could be many months away thou and i'm not prepared to be without an Internet connection for months.

OzRick writes...

So all in all, I guess for me this was a good deal. Shop around I guess is the answer and don't be to eager to flick Telstra

Looks like you jumped too quick and should have taken your own advice..

was contacted Telstra call centre, from Pirrie Street ADELAIDE, with a much appreciated fluent English speaking support officer

If it's not in writing, then it's a case of your word against theirs and you have no proof.

Uploads are counted as others have already said, so makes this "good deal" even more suss.
By the time you realise you were suckered in it will be too late and you will be stuck in a 2 year contract with high penalty /exit fees.

rakem writes...

You don't know me dude

macalmdown "dude"

I have never nor will i ever go with Telstra, just found it amazing how much they charge

i find lots of things amazing but dont start threads for the sake of it about them

I'm comming off ADSL2 from optus which was great, so now i have to down grade

you dont have to , you choose to

Why don't they offer it?

well only they could answer that, seeing how you have already asked the question i suggest you wait for an answer from them

Davy Jones writes...

Uploads are counted as others have already said, so makes this "good deal" even more suss.
By the time you realise you were suckered in it will be too late and you will be stuck in a 2 year contract with high penalty /exit fees.

uploads counted!!excess usage one hundred & fifty dollars per gig!! on some plans, compared with other ISP's charging as little as three dollars per gig and with uploads counted meaning if your on a 25 gig thats NOT what you are able to download so as the op has said bigpond pricing is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!! I would be happy to switch to telstra if they would offer competitive plans they should be able to match other ISP'S plans but choose to rip off thier customers instead.

OP,

i would wait for a while. get adsl 1 if you really want broadband now and then change later when telstra offer wholesale access to its adsl2 network. so go and sign up to a plan for the company of your choice and then get adsl2 with them when telstra opens the ports up.

I don't know how long this will take and taking my advice will probably cost you more in fee's and stuff because you pay to set up adsl1 and then pay again for adsl2. if you can live on dialup say for three months then i would use dialup if i were you.

I agree that telstra have very poor prices however they are obviously getting people signed up to them otherwise they wouldn't offer their adsl2 services.

you need to remember that bigpond advertise the most and as far as im concerned the most in your face company that you see their advertising nearly everywhere, so really i think they are taking advantage of non tech savvy people or people who don't shop around so quite often its possible that they don't know that they could be getting a better price.

skaifey02 writes...

i would wait for a while. get adsl 1 if you really want broadband now and then change later when telstra offer wholesale access to its adsl2 network. so go and sign up to a plan for the company of your choice and then get adsl2 with them when telstra opens the ports up.

yea this is my plan. TPG have 6 month contracts so thats not to long to be stuck on ADSL1

f you can live on dialup say for three months then i would use dialup if i were you.

no way i can live on dial up. I need to provide support for users from home fairly regularly which means opening up out SSL VPN which just would not be good at all

Hopefully this wholesale ADSL2 thing happens quickly.

rakem writes...

'I'm moving house and to my shock i have learned that the exchange that my new house is connected to has only ADSL2 enabled by Telstra.

If Telstra begin wholesaling ADSL2+ you may get some relief from these ridiculous prices, but probably not a lot.

Internode are interested in gaining access to Telstra ADSL2+ ports. At present Internode provide 25GB for $59.95/month (through their own DSL2+ DSLAMs), plus $29.95/month home phone (Telstra).

I expect that an Internode plan using a telstra ADSL2+ port would cost about $70 – $80/month, plus $29.95 home phone (Telstra), given that telstra are expected to charge quite a high price for access to the ports. Although a Node plan might only save you $15 – $20 month, the major benefits would be that the Node plan would not count uploads, would not have ridiculous excess charges, and would not be metered by Telstras dodgey metering software.

Not ideal, but still much better then $99.95/month for 25GB, incl uploads, plus $29.95 home phone.

oz geek writes...

Yeah, I've heard they can get in trouble if they try to low their prices to competition.

I think will find this is so they do not overprice the wholesale price so that everyone has to charge what Bigpond does. The competitive pricing policy has to be that if Bigpond can charge X for it so should other ISP's without massive losses. The problem is that while other ISP's pass on good savings due to this competition policy Bigpond inflates them at retail....

The Possum writes...

Cable prices are more sensible like $60 for 12 Gb capped

Whats the use of 12GB on cable? I'm on ADSL1 and struggle to not go over my 18GB limit...

i would say 95% of whirlpool if not all members know how RIDICULOUS pricing are by bigpond expect old people and family's unless they do re-search them selfs

Andy.. writes...

pricing are by bigpond expect old people and family's

+1. They either get conned by the door to door salesman saying 600MB is a whopping huge download and that the price they are getting it for is a steal. Or the infomercials on TV brain washing them into thinking its the only decent internet company.

I've already used like 4GB is 5 days and thats just surfing the net! Also few downloads like the daily update Mcafee does etc. What the hell is 600MB for a month? You would need to disable all automatic downloads and unplug the modem so it doesnt download the few MB it might uses just idling and strictly stick to just checking the news, email and getting off.

lol.. Some classic Telstra ignorance in this thread. $60 for 600mb is atrocious. However, white wash marketing is enough to convince many Inernet/computer illiterate that Telstra is the only option. Let the mugs pay too much, its hilarious.

Cable will never be as fast as adsl2+ with cable i was getting about 300-350k/sec with adsl2+ you get on average 3MB p/sec.

Yes Australian broadband prices are absolutely ridiculous! and have been since i ever got on net! over 10 yrs ago, they ought to be ashamed of themselves! but we as absolute fools pay the price and let them get away with it!

So unless we stand together and say right thats enough! it will remain the same!

For christ sake in other parts of the world they get it for free!

If we all threatened to cancel our accs for 1 month! what do think would happen to the isp's? They would absolutely crap themselves!This is about the only way i ever see Australia ever getting cheaper broadband.

So let go of mummy's apron strings and stand up for christ sake!!!!!!!!!

I think I'm one of the majority that 'forced' to use Telstra because other reseller dont offer any ADSL services in area...

So dont give out a blanket statement that we are a bunch of ignorance fool with shite loads of money to burn....

Speedz writes...

I think I'm one of the majority that 'forced' to use Telstra because other reseller dont offer any ADSL services in area...

You must be referring to adsl2. I am in the same situation i can only get adsl2 through telstra, however they aren't going to get a cent from me.

skaifey02 writes...

You must be referring to adsl2. I am in the same situation i can only get adsl2 through telstra, however they aren't going to get a cent from me.

Well...

My old man want Foxtel, and so do I because of NBA and EPL...

Also just cant see myself fighting with my chatty mum over the dialup connection, so we force to use cable...

Cant change over to other ISP at all because they have NO plan what so ever to expand their services to cover over the Parkinson area...

unique7 writes...

email and getting off

well porn can add a fair bit to your usage ; )

skaifey02 writes...

i think they are taking advantage of non tech savvy people or people who don't shop around so quite often its possible that they don't know that they could be getting a better price.

Its the other way around too, the so called better price isps will try take advantage of the non tech savvy people hoping they would fall for the cheaper price.
When the non tech savvy people join up they will be in for a big surprise when they see the cheaper isps dont do what they were promise .As one certain isp who is popular on this site and a group of people are thankful they left that isp.

They know not to take cheaper price isps for granted even though this particular competitor(isp) is always getting the praise on this site.

As i warned them be wary of going to a isp who always get praise they arent what they seem.
And they found out the hard way.

Again Bigpond is not forcing people to join them nor to look at thier prices,

I was offering unlimited cable download by Telstra representative today, has any use this service? What is it like?

Their pricing sounds competitive but i'm concern about service reliability as their reputation had never been great in the past.

Germe writes...

unlimited cable download by Telstra

I'm not sure there is such a thing are you sure the person wasn't talking shaped after you reach your limit, at a speed that makes using the internet impossible?

Germe writes...

I was offering unlimited cable download by Telstra representative today

It wouldn't be Unlimited.

Germe writes...

was offering unlimited cable download by Telstra representative today

Technically, the 12gb and 25gb are unlimited, just slowed to 64Kbits after your quota has been used.

Many people find that their internet connection becomes pretty much useless after being capped. Any webpage that has the slightest hint of multimedia (pictures, videos, flash etc..) just usually timesout or takes till Christmas to load. Many say to change your MTU to 576 and disable picture loading in your browser, in order to help with the lag.

This problem people experience when capped isn't just purely with Telstra but all ISP's that cap to 64Kbits.

Well this is what the rep told me, i was abit suspicious and still is. Another thing he told me is that free local phone call.

This is actually some new promo plan around my area, it claims to have download speed at 30mb/s.

Well i'm still with Internode and i really have no problem with them, i just want some opinion.

Confusedman writes...

Its the other way around too, the so called better price isps will try take advantage of the non tech savvy people hoping they would fall for the cheaper price.

lmao. You often make little sense, but this one is a beauty.

When the non tech savvy people join up they will be in for a big surprise when they see the cheaper isps dont do what they were promise .

One ISP represent all does it? What dont cheaper ISP's do as 'promised'?

Again Bigpond is not forcing people to join them nor to look at thier prices,

Why wouldnt you look at their prices? We arent all blind sheep.

Two years ago; not really knowing what i was getting into i signed with big pond 400m of download for the princely sum of $39.50 a month then i found out that all my contact were on a much better deal with their providers my contract will be up on the 19th of July 08 as i am a pensioner with our home phone with Telstra having been with them for about forty years and with big pond internet for 9 years – i guess when you are small subscriber your just a number.

frelaines writes...

i guess when you are small subscriber your just a number

all customers are ( with exception to perhaps gov contracts and the such ) just a number

i am a pensioner with our home phone with Telstra having been with them for about forty years

400m of download for the princely sum of $39.50 a month then

so it would have been $20 for at least 9mths?

frelaines writes...

Two years ago; not really knowing what i was getting into i signed with big pond 400m of download for the princely sum of $39.50 a month

Don't confuse a plan with a contract. You can change your plan at any time without affecting your contract – i.e. you are not tied to any particular plan.

unique7 writes...

+1. They either get conned by the door to door salesman saying 600MB is a whopping huge download and that the price they are getting it for is a steal.

that's true but like most of us on here we found re-search a very good thing and we pass it on to people we know and that even to adults etc....

for an example if everyone around australia knew about WP i don't think they would be this big today with ugly pricing but then again who knows....

2greedy writes...
Cable will never be as fast as adsl2+ with cable i was getting about 300-350k/sec with adsl2+ you get on average 3MB p/sec.

Cable is realistically much faster than ADSL2+ , i have no problem getting 17mbit downstream where if i was on ADSL2 i would be lucky to get 5mbit. A slow cable connection is usually caused by a faulty connection from the pole to the house which is easily fixed.
Then there is Melbourne and Sydney which can get 30mbit downstream due to network upgrades.

Cable is much better in terms of your distance form the exchange as speed does not deteriorate the further you are located from an exchange (cable is not actually all that dependant on an exchange)

Germe writes...
I was offering unlimited cable download by Telstra representative today, has any use this service? What is it like?
Their pricing sounds competitive but i'm concern about service reliability as their reputation had never been great in the past.

The downloads are unlimited however slowed once you reach 12 or 25 GB depending on which plan you were offered.

Have a look at the wiki where you will be able to see the deal you have been offered.
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=Telstra_Bigpond_Bundle_Offer

As for reliability i have had cable for ~7 years and can only recall a small handful of network based outages none of which lasted very long

Those prices are ridiculous, $60 for 600mb?.....

Germe writes...

Their pricing sounds competitive but i'm concern about service reliability as their reputation had never been great in the past

which pricing sounds competitive?

rakem writes...
which pricing sounds competitive?

He has been offered a 'defender' plan which are a pretty good deal
http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/?tag=Telstra_Bigpond_Bundle_Offer

InfinityChaos writes...

Pigpond

8) he he

I agree Telstra are expensive and the service from what I can now gather is a long wait, I pity Telstra employees, it must be hell for some of those poor bastards.

I know a girl that has been waiting for a ridiculous amount of time to get her internet on – she must be in the "iron" zone !!! 8) he he he

InfinityChaos, This appears as totally different approach to what you had earlier.
You bagged Testra earlier in this post. Hey like were "STUPID" we know what capped means and slowed to 64K means.
I doubt if you'd know how many bits are in a nibble without googling it, let alone program a Siemens S7PLC.
Dont paint all others intellegence with the same brush that stroked you, I say this ducking and weaving...lol
Oh and for those who doubt, theres no daily quota, and since my uploads are less than 5% of my downloads, well Im still miles in front.
However others with "less intellegence" will try to prove this wrong.

So mods, when does this become completely pointless and you close the thread?

2greedy writes...

Cable will never be as fast as adsl2+ with cable i was getting about 300-350k/sec with adsl2+ you get on average 3MB p/sec.

Thats a nice generalisation.. Just because your cable was shit doesn't mean everyone's cable is the same!

For what it's worth i easily download between 17Mbit and 24Mbit speeds often reaching 2.10Mbytes/sec on cable. Unless your living next door (or very close) to an exchange you will never reach those speeds on ADSL2+.

Also 10Mbits = 1.2Mbytes/sec. With PPP overheads and other factors it is not possible to obtain 3Mbytes/sec on ADSL2+ unless your synching at around 30Mbits and i don't know of any ISP's that have equipment capable of any more then 24Mbits.

noone really answered my question; most of the cabling infrastructure that telstra "owns" was not a large part of it paid for by the government or atleast helped by the gov?

and lmao @ Pigpond sounds so funny maybe its just the lack of sleep.

DJ Yella writes...

noone really answered my question; most of the cabling infrastructure that telstra "owns" was not a large part of it paid for by the government or atleast helped by the gov?

No

OzRick writes...

InfinityChaos, This appears as totally different approach to what you had earlier.

No just stating fact.

I doubt if you'd know how many bits are in a nibble without googling it, let alone program a Siemens S7PLC.

Oh I guess your so intelligent, you know what I know and don't know. Yeah, good on you.

Dont paint all others intellegence with the same brush that stroked you, I say this ducking and weaving...lol

No not everyone, just the ones who can't see past the Bigpond Advertising propaganda.

Oh and for those who doubt, theres no daily quota, and since my uploads are less than 5% of my downloads, well Im still miles in front.

Well good for you.

However others with "less intellegence" will try to prove this wrong.

Dont paint others intellegence with the same brush that stroked you.

EDIt: *sigh* Telstra will continue to rip off consumers, unless more people refuse to do business with them. I understand that there is no other choice sometimes, in which case, shame.

DJ Yella writes...

noone really answered my question; most of the cabling infrastructure that telstra "owns" was not a large part of it paid for by the government or atleast helped by the gov?

Government use taxpayers funds to build the infrastructure. Cabling, exchanges and so on. Worth billions. Then it gave it to Telstra for free. If anyone disagrees and thinks it was Telstra's own money or the money of its predecessor, then please explain where the money came from. In other words how this capital outlay was funded. Telstra got a business loan from a consortium of banks (which, when, how much or what)?.

Then Telstra got all the population as customers. Again for free. Now look at iiNet. To get more customers it had to purchase OzEmail. To fund that iiNet had to borrow money in order to fund this purchasing transaction. Which is comparable with its yearly turnover. And pay money back with interest.

And the very last thing the government did was giving Telstra the only telecomms license. To ensure there are no competitors so that Telstra could milk customers with unreasonable prices.

Telstra did exactly that. And it got so much money that it was able to repay back to the government lots of profit and to keep the infrastructure it got for free in good order and even to further build and improve this infrastructure. And even to cover its own operational expenses inspite of all that inefficiency which Sol's team exposed. All that just on huge cashflow of customer's money, not because it was simply better than non-existing competitors and it won in honest competition.

These years turned Telstra into multibillion dollar financial gorilla. Then government enabled competition, issued more licenses but at this point of time there already was no level playing field in this industry.

Udp writes... 

Government use taxpayers funds to build the infrastructure.

The PSTN network yes however i am pretty sure that the HFC (Cable) network was done by Telstra with their own money (this would be one reason it is only a limited roll-out).

Udp writes...

Then it gave it to Telstra for free.

You think so?

If anyone disagrees and thinks it was Telstra's own money or the money of its predecessor, then please explain where the money came from.

The shareholders!

Telstra (and its infrastructure assets) were owned by the government. The government then sold Telstra (and its infrastructure assets) to the new shareholders.

The government received a considerable sum for this infrastructure. Was it full price, who knows, but the government was nonetheless paid for the sale of this infrastructure.

skiitz writes...

The PSTN network yes however i am pretty sure that the HFC (Cable) network was done by Telstra with their own money

That's exactly what I said "and even to further build and improve this infrastructure." However the Telstra's own money came from milked customers.

JunkCrusader writes...

The shareholders!

Telstra (and its infrastructure assets) were owned by the government. The government then sold Telstra (and its infrastructure assets) to the new shareholders.

Ok so, the Governent built it, where do they get thier money? Taxpayers, and shareholders are taxpayers, so the shareholders paid for it to be built, so since the shareholders are taxpayers and the Government used their money, they already owned it, keeping mind that the Government is a representative body and only "owns" things by virtue of being such a body. Then the Government sold it to Telstra, who raised the funds by selling shares to taxpayers who then became shareholders, so the taxpayers who are shareholders, who have already paid for it, paid for it again even though they already owned it by virtue of being taxpayers and citizens of Australia?

Seems a bit round about to me, why didn't the Government simply keep it? That way we would all still be shareholders instead of just those who payed twice for it.

Steve the (original) name pirate

Steve writes...

so the taxpayers who are shareholders, who have already paid for it, paid for it again even though they already owned it by virtue of being taxpayers and citizens of Australia?

You could say that some tax payers (and some not – foreign investors) bought it from all tax payers. And, all tax payers received money from the sale of Telstra which the government (on behalf of tax payers) decided how to spend/invest.

why didn't the Government simply keep it?

Well, that is a whole different question, one which many people asked when the whole subject of the sale was first raised.

"why didn't the Government simply keep it?"

Cause the Liberal government were on the way out, and saw it as a quick means to "TOP UP" there retirement funds and guarantee there existance after Government.

Federal and state governments, Liberal, sold many assets.
Was a way to put money in bag and shift liability to others.
This fund I refer to I think the called it "FUTURE FUND"

<< bigpond extreme 25g for 39.95
..such a sweet deal i say
*edit*
cable

rakem writes...

While searching around for a new Internet provider i decided to bite the bullet and check out bigpond. To me, their prices are nothing short of ridiculous: If your not willing to pay for it go somewhere else, why whing about it? Your pointing out the obvious pricing available anywhere.

OzRick writes...

"why didn't the Government simply keep it?"

Cause the Liberal government were on the way out, and saw it as a quick means to "TOP UP" there retirement funds and guarantee there existance after Government.

Can you please elaborate further and explain how they topped up their retirement funds by selling Telstar ?

There's clearly alternatives...don't like Telstra, don't join.

rakem writes...

While searching around for a new Internet provider i decided to bite the bullet and check out bigpond. To me, their prices are nothing short of ridiculous:

Telstra keeps their prices so high because there are too many sheep out there that just sign up with telstra regardless of what they charge and don't shop around.

I have adsl1 with bigpond and as soon as my plan finishes im switching over.

As I seem to recall, at the time of the debate over the privatisation of Telstra the government had their election promise of cleaning up Australia's overseas debts to fulfill. Selling off large parts of their own infrastructure such as Telstra and adding more taxes was their quick fix to this problem. They sucessfully used fears over Australia's poor economy to swing the decision in favour of making the sale.

As for why people keep paying for Bigpond's extortionate fees I believe that effort lays in the hands of businesses not individuals. Yes you will get a certain amount of sheep flocking to these deals because they didn't read the fine print, however I would say most of their profit in this area comes from businesses who fall under the fallacy that as national service provider who own the copper network, Bigpond will provide the most reliable (or at the very least most accountable) service.

So turning individuals away from these packages is not likely to make much of a dent at all.

ResmeN writes...

Telstra keeps their prices so high because there are too many sheep

I have adsl1 with bigpond

hello sheep

Sounds like you got sucked in by the old 'Switch and Bait' trick. Get'm in and we'll rip into them slowly.

I wouldn't pee on Telstra if they were on fire and if it was Sol in the middle, I would get out the fan.

As far as your comment is concerned regarding Telstra being responsible to your home network boundary, what a joke. I had my phone, fax, internet connection down for over three days. My fault they said, but they took 3 days send someone around. 15 minutes before they were due to come...lo and behold, they found the problem at their end.

Either you are gullible or you work for Telstra.