Best Broadband Providers

[Steve57]

Hi all, we are in the market to replace Telstra as our home broadband provider.
Their support is absolutely appalling. I am sick of talking to numpties in India via text!
Who is the best provider out there with local telephone support?

[wazamac]

I switched to Internode. Can't complain about the service. Their call centre is here in Adelaide.
Also heard good things about Aussie Broadband from my daughter.

[AndyP]

Aussie Broadband have been good. I have it, and have heard other people recommend them too. Reasonable pricing and local support. If you want a reference code, we might get a free month each.

[PerryGroves]

Steve, Telstra is like the banks, hopeless but occasionally you find a unicorn in the respective organisations who takes the problem upon themselves to solve. I haven't used Telstra since I sold my house, I thought they were improving and had implemented a process to fix customer issues.......perhaps not.

My own example outside of Telstra is that TPG are worse, they are cheap enough and when nothing goes wrong they are fine.....when you have issues as I did they are unable or unwilling to resolve.

[gazgolf1]

I'm with Aussie and they have been good, no dropouts unlike Superloop which seemed to dropout every second day with the same router.

[PeteyD]

I am on Telstra. Once it got sorted (NBN changeover - it was a prolonged and painful experience) it has been great. We do get the occasionaly dropout, but I have not had to deal with support for a while now.

[Steve57]

Thanks all for your advice.
Yes PG I understand what you are saying as we have been with Telstra for nigh on 20 years without a problem.
Unfortunately now the minute I need help they are unable to sort out what really is a simple problem, our modem needs replacement!
And thanks for the tip on TPG, definitely won't go there.

Andy I may take you up on your offer, will depend what I can get out of Foxtel Broadband as I need to go to Foxtel direct if we leave Telstra as our Foxtel is through them.

[markTHEblake]

Onthenet is locally owned and staffed. The HQ is near Bond Uni, so you could go yell at them personally if need be.

Personally I use Exetel.

One thing to remember is that NBN is like the electricity service, there is only one provider, but many resellers. They are all the same aside from customer service. The bigger companies can offer 24/7 helpdesk from overseas, the smaller ones often only daytime or not even 7 days (onthenet). Its like choosing between working for a family business or a corporation, good and bad on both sides.


P.s. seems like you need to test another modem. Sadly i think i chucked out about 4 spares a month ago

[markTHEblake]

Also check out Swoop, formerly DCSI, they are a locally private company in Warragul VIC, same profile as Onthenet, only locally staffed

I dunno anything else about them but seem to have a niche following, and only good things come from Warragul!

[Steve57]

Onthenet is locally owned and staffed. The HQ is near Bond Uni, so you could go yell at them personally if need be.

Personally I use Exetel.

One thing to remember is that NBN is like the electricity service, there is only one provider, but many resellers. They are all the same aside from customer service. The bigger companies can offer 24/7 helpdesk from overseas, the smaller ones often only daytime or not even 7 days (onthenet). Its like choosing between working for a family business or a corporation, good and bad on both sides.


P.s. seems like you need to test another modem. Sadly i think i chucked out about 4 spares a month ago

Thanks Mark,

I have another modem that works perfectly with the NBN, it just does not have the phone capability which we would like to keep.
That's how I know that it is the Telstra modem that is playing up.

[markTHEblake]

Telstra altered the firmware on their routers that locks and hides the VOIP settings, so if the phones aint working but internet is fine there aint much else to troubleshoot.

I guess you might already know that.

[Steve57]

Telstra altered the firmware on their routers that locks and hides the VOIP settings, so if the phones aint working but internet is fine there aint much else to troubleshoot.

I guess you might already know that.

Yep understand.
Have decided that we don't need a home phone anymore, everyone rings our mobiles anyway!
So can now use my modem/router.

[Steve57]

Aussie Broadband have been good. I have it, and have heard other people recommend them too. Reasonable pricing and local support. If you want a reference code, we might get a free month each.
Yes please. PM incoming.

[Steve57]

Bit the bullet with Aussie Broadband and connected and running already!

Thanks again to all and especially AndyP for the discount code.

[AndyP]

Bit the bullet with Aussie Broadband and connected and running already!
Wow! That's a good result early.

[Steve57]

Wow! That's a good result early. Yep was up and working within 2 hours!Great start.