Comments on: Internet service providers – the good, the bad and the ugly http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/ Writings on technology and society from Wellington, New Zealand Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:56:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rowan http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/comment-page-1/#comment-241 Rowan Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:06:14 +0000 http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-241 I ran Consumer's ISP survey in about 1998, I think it was their first one, and (the still shiny) Xtra bottomed out way back then, too. TelstraClear (then Clear) were second worst. Paradise.net were head and shoulders the best. I'm still a Paradise customer but now Paradise is run by TelstraClear. I haven't bought the latest Consumer report but I don't expect to be surprised by the bottom-dwellers. Wait times on the TC helpdesk were only 82 minutes the last time I bothered calling them for help (last week), due to 'unexpectedly high call volumes'. The same was true nearly 10 years ago. I don't know how many years it will take them to expect high call volumes. Nothing's changed, Colin. Isn't that a shame. I ran Consumer’s ISP survey in about 1998, I think it was their first one, and (the still shiny) Xtra bottomed out way back then, too.

TelstraClear (then Clear) were second worst. Paradise.net were head and shoulders the best. I’m still a Paradise customer but now Paradise is run by TelstraClear. I haven’t bought the latest Consumer report but I don’t expect to be surprised by the bottom-dwellers.

Wait times on the TC helpdesk were only 82 minutes the last time I bothered calling them for help (last week), due to ‘unexpectedly high call volumes’. The same was true nearly 10 years ago. I don’t know how many years it will take them to expect high call volumes.

Nothing’s changed, Colin. Isn’t that a shame.

]]> By: colin http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/comment-page-1/#comment-229 colin Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:18:25 +0000 http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-229 <p>Peter - you are quite right that getting a domain name is a great way to separate your email and web address from that of your provider. It's the way to go if you want set yourself free to choose the best deal.</p> <p>Something else to watch out for is that different ISPs charge different amounts for domain names, and you don't have to get your name from your own ISP, any registrar can provide one or take over your existing name if you wish. I wouldn't pay more than $40pa per name, and you can find them down to less than $30.</p> <p>Colin</p> Peter – you are quite right that getting a domain name is a great way to separate your email and web address from that of your provider. It’s the way to go if you want set yourself free to choose the best deal.

Something else to watch out for is that different ISPs charge different amounts for domain names, and you don’t have to get your name from your own ISP, any registrar can provide one or take over your existing name if you wish. I wouldn’t pay more than $40pa per name, and you can find them down to less than $30.

Colin

]]> By: Peter Lynch http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/comment-page-1/#comment-226 Peter Lynch Sun, 11 Nov 2007 09:11:52 +0000 http://it.gen.nz/2007/11/09/internet-service-providers-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/#comment-226 The reason my wife and I now have our own domain name is because Xtra's Bubble service cannot handle email ids with the '&' character, pete&cath in our case. (By the way, this website does not accept that character either). Fortunately, Xtra advised us of this two or three months before their new system went live, so we had enough time to get our new email address (which still has '&' in it) up and running, and so avoid all the problems other people faced. As a bonus, we can now change our ISP (still Xtra, but not for much longer) whenever we like, but not have to worry about advising all and sundry of a changed email address! The reason my wife and I now have our own domain name is because Xtra’s Bubble service cannot handle email ids with the ‘&’ character, pete&cath in our case. (By the way, this website does not accept that character either). Fortunately, Xtra advised us of this two or three months before their new system went live, so we had enough time to get our new email address (which still has ‘&’ in it) up and running, and so avoid all the problems other people faced. As a bonus, we can now change our ISP (still Xtra, but not for much longer) whenever we like, but not have to worry about advising all and sundry of a changed email address!

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