Broadband Complaint: How Did I Miss This?
If I missed it, you may have done too. Browsing the website of our very own non-profit consumer watchdog the Consumer's Institute I came across this news item dated 24 November;
| Consumers'
Institute has lodged complaints with the Commerce Commission
and Advertising Standards Authority over Xtra's Go Large broadband plan
advertising "unlimited Internet usage at maximum download speeds." Xtra's Go Large plan is subject to what it calls a "Fair Use Policy" and "Traffic Management." Look up these conditions on Xtra's website and you'll have to read down six paragraphs to get to the real content of the Fair Use Policy. It says: "If in a single day you use more than 700MB of data during the peak hours of 4pm to 12am (midnight) then we'll get in touch with some advice on how to reduce your usage." Why consumers should have to reduce their usage on an unlimited usage plan is unclear - unless it isn't unlimited. [my
italics]
|
But wait, there's more!
| Because
of Xtra's traffic management, we believe the claim of "maximum
download speeds" is also false and misleading as the speed is being
manipulated. Peer-to-peer users won't experience speeds "as fast as
your phone line allows." They
will experience speeds as fast as Xtra's
manipulation allows. [my italics] |
Given the number of complaints we've had on Press F1, this very blog and also in this month's print mag, I'm surprised the CI's complaints haven't had more publicity.
But
then again, perhaps not. Telecom dominate our media with
serious dosh being spent in both
print and on television, and a large slice of this year's budget went
into promoting "Max" broadband . You don't have to
look far to see who's behind
some of our top-rating current affairs shows. It's not about buying
silence of course, but it is
about pedalling influence. Are news outlets more or less likely to give
prominence to stories that could cost them big dollars? How
vigorously is a newsdesk likely to pursue an investigative story that
could cost them a series sponsorship?
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Comments
This mucking around by Telecom & Xtra is slowly killing them, as other ISPs looking for alternatives to the telecom network
Posted by: kgen04 | December 20, 2006 9:24 AM
Oops, sorry! Forgot who wrote this blog!!!
Posted by: Adam Dawson | December 17, 2006 9:01 PM
Yeah, I saw this on Xtra's website the other day, while I was checking to see if they "might" have released broadband in our area yet (been waiting since '99). The shouldn't get away with it. Why not set Geoff Palmer on them again?
Posted by: Adam Dawson | December 17, 2006 9:00 PM
In response to John W:
These aren't "modern business methods". They've been the same for centuries, thus "Caveat emptor". But they do have to operate within a designated structure of legality, any breach of which the Commerce Commission and Advertising Standards Authority can decide on. I just hope they've got the technical know how in-house to fully conceive the level of the alleged breach. Maybe you could offer your services Geoff?
Posted by: Patrick Duffy | December 17, 2006 7:18 PM
Behind all their phoney 'looking good' image games what we have is a culture of lies and liars, dressed up as 'modern business methods'. The rest of the telcos and isps are no better. THAT'S what we're teaching our kids is OK to do.
Posted by: John Waterman | December 14, 2006 10:12 PM
Dirty tactics they may be, but as far as Telecom goes, its just modern business methods.
They are trying to exert control over anything that can make things tougher for them. Most big businesses will do this. Microsoft is a prime example. Its now up to the governing bodies to fight fire with fire....
Posted by: Chris | December 14, 2006 11:07 AM
This is shocking to some, very sad, and yet no surprise to most of us... A company like Telecom will always use dirty tactics like this, Hopefully they will get pwned like they deserve.
Posted by: muzzle | December 13, 2006 1:14 PM