Fuzzy Duck

We got the good news today that we have been approved for the rental we applied for last week.

We need to get a phone provider sorted ASAP for normal calls and an internet connection, we get the keys on Friday and want to be online Monday if not sooner.

Should we go with Telstra? They get a bad rap from everyone but is it deserved? What are the other (Better,cheaper) Options?

Thanks all.

Pollyana

Telstra is the easiest to get connected phonewise, and the line is almost certainly with them anyway. best thing with the internet is to buy a startup disc for Telstra or Optus from Aus Post, for a few dollars, then once you are online you can register with someone like Dodo instead. The disc will get you up and started at once - thats how I did it, online within 10 minutes, then could just let that account expire when the time I had paid for ran out,while I changed to Dodo.

Flying Banana

I was on Telstra dialup for the first few months I was here and it was bloody awful. I was regularly getting booted offline, email was down for days at a time and if you could actually get on their website the staus simply said 'some known network problems'

Their tech support were even worse than BT in the UK and that is saying something!! If you are looking at going broadband in the future I'd suggest having a look at iinet, they will do your phone as well (same line rental as Telstra $29 pm) and if you have phone and broadband with them they knock $10 a month off your bill and double your download quota. I'm paying $49 a month for broadband (1.5Mb line and 10Gb Download limit during the day, with another 10Gb limit off peak between 12AM and 8AM)

I did check out all the operators and put a comparison table together if you want it PM and I'll email it to you (it's in Excel) still check the ISP websites as they all change theri special offers regularly but it will give you a starting point.

Pollyana

Optus dailup was the same as telstra, I got off it asap, and onto dodo, but at least the discs give you a start and you can get online.
I now pay $69 for three months, unlimited access, unlimited downloads, on Dodo dialup.

Flying Banana

Sounds like you have a good deal with Dodo Pollyanna. As you say the prepaid dialup discs are the easiest way to go to get started.

Fuzzy Duck if you do go onto Telstra or Optus etc I'd say make doubly sure you are on the no contract pay as you go option for the net, that way it will leave you free to move to a proper ISP once you get settled, the Telstra shop people will desparately try and sell you the 2 yr contract package, but resist lol.

For those yet to get here the dialup plans work slightly different to the UK, whereas in the UK you can get a free dialup account with pretty much every isp and then its just call charges the way it works over here is a local call is flat rate (18c??) so that is all you will pay for the call regardless of how long you're online for. You then pay for hours of internet access which you can top up online similar to a PAYG mobile phone. Usually the more prepaid time you buy the better the deal.

Pollyana

And because they charge you for each call - each connection - Telstra and optus have lovely little tricks like disconnecting you after three hours or so, even if the line is active, thus forcing you to redial and give them more cash! Also they disonnect after a ridiculously short time if you are inactive.
One thing that attracted us to dodo is the fact that the line doesn't drop out like that - we have at times been connected nonstop for over 48 hours.

Siren & Brian

PLEASE DONT GO WITH TELSTRA BIGPOND....

THEY OVER CHARGE AND UNDERPERFORM....


iinet are doing the best deals at the moment with the Dslam but you have to be in the right areas. Westnet offer a great service aswell. You will be able to get connected to a dial up service as soon as your telephone is connected. Just a matter of ringing up an ISP give details etc and be surfing 5 minutes later.

Personally I dont like Dodo i think they over charge aswell, but everyone is different.

biggy

i got an optusnet disc from an electrial store think it was $20 for 30 hours or summit....because I had been with them and got my email address I just signed up for their dial up...which was $29 a month for 400mb limit, the service was great and never had any probs. Decided to upgrade to Broadband because we could get it for the same price as the dial up connection, but found that the 400mb limit was crap........so now on the 12gb one (with free downloads between 2am and 9am Sydney time) it works out at $52 a month as we have our home fone with them we get 3 months free internet.......if we get a mobile with them we would get 4 months free internet. They r also offering free connection and free modem atm

we have had no probs with the service and the technical help is very good(had to ask them a few dumb questions lol)

Hope this helps


Just be careful when signing up, as most of them are for 24 month contracts and if u break the agreement before that time....even if u r moving home but staying with them they charge u a huge fee Optus is only $60....(quote from telstra between $200 & $300) :scared: which is shit if u r in rental and dont know how long for

soapy©

so what are u saying here biggy?, if i move house big pond will charge me 300 bucks?

biggy

thats what they told me when I asked....we were gonna wait till we moved to new house to get BB, but when we got such a good deal with Optus and were not goin to get penalised for moving the service...we got it the now

soapy©

there is no chance they are gettin any cash outa me. im still a customer. im just moving house !!!!!
that cant be right, cos i have foxtel bb and the phone. so they would have to charge me a fee for them all. they better not even try....burn telstra burn

biggy

lmao........well matey I suggest u look into it, cos its in all the teeny weeny small print that nobody reads....except sad gets like me lol

soapy©

too much hassle, ill just contact them by phone. it cant be right, theres so may people rent here !!!!!!!
are u sure its not if your moving to someone else????

Wol

I use Hypermax dialup: nothing but praise for them. It's 3-4 times faster than my UK ISP, had two disconnects in 6 months and their backup is excellent. Not the cheapest but hassle free.

biggy

nope thats what I thought too. I got quotes of loads of provifers...and a few of them also said it would be between $100 and $200 they said that it wasnt them....Telstra charge them to get the lines changed etc...and as telstra own most of them...they can do what they want...u can chat online to a rep via bigpond website