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Nicole
Posts: 2845
Joined: 9/15/2004
From: Nambucca / Kempsey, Australia
Status: offline
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Bad PR - 6/24/2005 5:52:50
I've been getting more and more fed up with my ISP lately, mainly with their persistent email problems and with one complete loss of internet service for 1 whole day.
The most frustrating aspect was that their usually very helpful tech support help desk was replaced during these times with a recorded message telling you to try again in 1 hour. But I think this next bit just takes the cake for very poor PR and will probably see me change to a new ISP very soon.
It's Friday evening here, and at 6.06pm i've received an email advising of possible disruption to internet and email services starting Monday and lasting until Thursday next week. It's only possible disruption i'm told, but of course following their recent performances I suspect the worst.
It's the fact though, that they've emailed me and probably everyone else well after close of business on a Friday with this news, giving me, and others no way of contacting my clients to advise them of my possible inability to connect to the internet and therefore work and receive and send emails, effective presumably beginning before start of business on the next business day.
I find this highly irresponsible and I even believe they've done this with the intent of not being bombarded with complaints had they have provided adequate notice to businesses using their services.
Spooky, if you read this, I'm talking about Ihug, now known as iiNet, and I know they're your ISP and am really, really interested to know if you received your email at 8.06 your time (which would mean that you received it the same time I did), or at 6.06pm (which would be the same time after close of business, but 2 hours before I received mine).
If anyone reading this lives in Perth, i'm more than interested what time you received your email.
Nicole
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Kitka
Posts: 2520
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Australia
Status: offline
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RE: Bad PR - 6/24/2005 7:06:38
Hi Nicole,
iHug do not have a good reputation for customer support. They are cheap, which is good so long as nothing goes amiss.
We highly recommend Internode. Customer support is unparalleled and technically we have never had cause for even a minor complaint in three years (for our own connections or customers we have connected to Internode). Numerous clients who have insisted on connecting to Telstra or Optus broadband against our strong initial advice, have eventually switched to Internode with nothing but happy results.
Simon Hackett, who owns Internode, frequently answers posts personally in the Whirlpool forum, which is unheard of with other ISPs.
At one time, Internode were dependant on some hardware that Telstra supplied as part of their contract. But periodically it would go down on a Friday and not be fixed for non-Telstra clients until Monday (deliberately we are told, so we will be tempted move to Hellstra  ). So Internode installed their own equipment, bypassing Telstra. Since then we have not had any downtime at all, beyond a very rare couple of minutes that is barely noticeable.
Disclaimer: we are (regrettably) NOT agents for Internode. Despite signing up numerous clients, we have never received a cent as they don't have a reseller scheme. We still recommend them as quality is always worth supporting in the longer run, money means zilch.
< Message edited by Kitka -- 6/24/2005 7:12:14 >
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Kitka
**It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.**
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Nicole
Posts: 2845
Joined: 9/15/2004
From: Nambucca / Kempsey, Australia
Status: offline
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RE: Bad PR - 6/25/2005 17:56:46
Thanks Kitka and Jaybee,
I'm kind of hanging out on changing ISP's until I can afford broadband, so while ihug frustrates me so much i may stick with them just a little longer, but Internode look okay, thanks for the tip.
I guess I did get some notice at least also, but like I've said it's potentially made it difficult to contact my clients before start of business Monday, by which time the problem could already be happening.
It's funny, but trying to implement good communication and business practice in my business hasn't been hard, it's mostly common sense. I may have fewer clients than my ISP does, but they also have more staff and better resources. I had reason to call the ihug help desk while configuring my email accounts for my new computer yesterday, and spoke to a wonderfully helpful and polite guy. I did though manage to tell him how unimpressed I was with the lack of notice given in this instance, I raved on for a minute or two while he was silent. The shame is, it wasn't probably anything to do with him, but he wears the brunt of people's frustration.
Oh well.
Nicole
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