A well-documented problem for many people - at least in Australia - is having Telstra Bigpond as your internet service provider (ISP). The problem is not so much having Bigpond as your provider, as understanding their approach to business and what you need to do to keep them on their toes.
A colleague has been on a "1GB business plan" for $59.05 per month for the past three years. Not being tech-savvy - he's really only interested in doing things with the computer, which is a novel concept for some people - he's never really explored his options there. Telstra changed their plans and charge rates eighteen months ago, but unless you specifically request it, they leave you on your old plan and conditions. Telstra's argument is that they can't make value-judgments as to what's "better" for a client so therefore they do not change your plan to a "better" one when it comes in. So in this instance - a 1 GB plan that is no longer available, with a 15c per megabyte excess charge, stayed in place. The fact that there is a 10GB plan, with no excess, available for $59.95 (a whole $0.90 extra) was never specifically advised.
Things have been going fairly swimmingly for some time, but unfortunately my colleague bought his daughter an iPod, and she started filling the iPod with (I'm sure it's legal) music from the internet. So far, the excess charges could have bought a nice CD collection...
The lesson is, always monitor the Bigpond plans and keep aware of what you're fees and charges are through sites such as Whirlpool. Telstra won't tell you. A capped fee is best - your TD (Teenage Daughter) risk exposure is minimised then. As a Telstra shareholder, and rubbing my hands with glee at one level, with trepidation at another, I do wonder how many other Telstra customers like that there are out there.
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