I'm an Exetel customer who came across this deal. The wording "Fair use" in the download allowance suggests a type of unlimited plan. Bundled with their $20/mo with 9000mins of included calls, this seems like a sweet deal for the heavy user.
So what do you think of this one?
Referrer gets 10% off per referral (up to $10/month per referral) for 6 months.
They have had fair use before, its them trying to stop small businesses from getting an this account.
I'm sure TPG would monitor their heaviest users as well.
Simply No!
You can max out your TPG Unlimited plan 24/7 and TPG do not mind.
All ISPs monitor their users - their in the business of selling internet service, why would you expect anything else? It helps them plan how they purchase data from transit and other providers.
Whether they use this data to keep their users in check is a different matter. Basically you don't see many TPG customers complaining about TPG - should tell you something.
In my opinion there is a difference between singling out single users because they have downloaded too much and looking at some graphs of the overall usage to see how much is being used.
Again, TPG is far ahead of Exetel in many ways, this is not an unlimited plan.
The plan is priced higher than their 200 GB plan (100 peak/100 offpeak) and lower than their 1 TB plan (500/500), so I would expect the fair use limit would be somewhere in between.
Exetel is also known as the no-pirating ISP. Their CEO has publicly stated they'll help the entertainment bodies go after their users.
EDIT Holy crap, that CEO died last month. Well then I don't know.
Every ISP is a no pirating ISP. If there is irrefutable proof that you are pirating, don't expect any ISP to go in to bat for you.
Different ISPs handle customers differently though.
Sure. But iiNet would be willing to spend millions defending your rights and privacy in the Australian courts. Exetel will sell you out as soon as they're legally allowed to. Or at least that was the impression I got from the now deceased CEO so the situation may have changed.
For the record - my ISP is Exetel.
So, what are the circumstances surrounding this CEO's death?
Any chance fowl-play was involved, eg, by a group of Exetel's biggest (alleged) pirate users…?
(Humor, only… not to be confused with allegation of any kind;
don't put me in jail or get my uni to toss me out before I graduate… spin-off from a story on today's :=)
This is obviously an ideal plan for someone so passionate about the GNU license that they must download and archive everything released on it, or someone who enjoys streaming multiple highdef porn channels.
I know your joking, but everything on the GNU license is generally avaliable forever, why would you want to download and archive something like that?
New CEO is way better (was chief engineer)
Think of it like this; someone uses a bus to get to a shopping centre each day, steals some CD's from a record store, then gets on the bus and goes home. The record store sends a letter to the bus company saying that a person is using the bus to get to and from their store to steal CD's. They ask the bus company to caution the person, and if that person keeps doing it, refuse to take them on the bus any more. Hmmm, don't you think the record store owner should just call the police?
Good to know, it's nice to have up to date information, thanks.
really? the old tough guy was so arrogant, and sometime even rude. I hope the new CEO could be a more reasonable guy.
Chinese wisdom:
Compare the -hard- teeth to the -soft- tongue;
note which lasts longer…
;-)
Looks like only mobile calls to optus included in the 9000 mins.
No, the only excludes are 13 and 1300 numbers.
I'm unsure how this is a good deal.
TPG are easily better for many reasons.
Didn't TPG have speed issues, at least in past?
No, they've had issues at certain exchanges in the past, but all value ISP's do.
If you want a flawless ISP go with Internode and enjoy lower limits and higher prices.
nm
I am with Exetel. I would be very very careful with them. No contract means they can change the fees from next month and they have done it many times. Just read whirlpool forums.
Whirlpool users discussing this plan now- http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1888638
i think it is a horrible idea. it is not unlimited. you never know what the average user usage is. they are better off just sticking to existing plans where you get what you pay for.
Currently with Exetel and I'm about to change to TPG. I cannot recommend them to heavy users whatsoever.
I'm on their 500+500MB ADSL2+ plan but owing to my crap location I'm unable to get speeds that allow me to download the full 1TB in a month (this is not Exetels fault of course).
I download 24/7 30 days a month - basically constantly using torrents and Usenet for the most part. Despite my low speeds (5 or 6 Mbit) they seem to constantly lower the speed I'm able to achieve until I stop downloading whereupon a day or so later it's back to normal until another half a day of downloading. This is bull*** basically - there is no way in hell I'm one of their users that's placing a heavy load on the network with my speeds and I'm paying for 1TB whilst downloading at speeds where I'll never reach that amount of data transfer.
Also get ready for their plans to change on you - they have a habit of changing conditions very reguarly.
The one positive thing I can say about them is for a budget ISP they do have a very responsive help system - but this is not enough for me to stay.
As far as the piracy thing goes … who knows but I could see it would be advantageous to say these things to try and avoid possible legal proceedings in light of the iiNet situation. I don't really think iiNet should be thought of as a "crusader for our rights on the internet": if it made more buisiness sense for them to comply with whatever anti-piracy agent was mounting the action they would have. As it happens it didn't so they fought it.
All ISP's have no-piracy clauses in their terms & conditions but unless they have interests in media simply don't care what their users do as long as they aren't constantly recieving complaints that they have to pay someone to deal with.
If you have an ABN then you can get Exetel small biz package for $49 per month which includes Line rental, Unlimited ADSL2+, Free Local/National and calls to Optus Mobiles, 12 month contract.
http://www.exetel.com.au/business_plan_pricing_new.php
Nice plan. Interestingly it says Plans are available only for businesses with ABN's, but then excludes Sole Traders. Don't sole traders also have ABN?
Don't know this for sure but probably to stop people getting an ABN and either not meeting the requirements to have one or doing just the minimum to qualify as a business.
BTW, I looked it up a few years ago and the first offence penalties for getting an ABN (a process that takes a minute or two online) when you aren't actually a business weren't very high at all, just a small fine. Worth it if you want to get business grade internet connection and not actually have a business.
However the requirements to actually be a business in terms of activity (rather than "defrauding" people by pretending to be a business) are pretty low - it varies by industry. I think I recall for auto electricians it was 5 jobs a year or something tiny (do the families cars and you've done it heh).
Don't take this as gospel, do your own research etc of course.
There seems to be a fence around -getting- an ABN.
Seems unduly -hard- to navigate ATO's online web app to reach a successful outcome…
so much so, that there are companies out there charging ~$100 to get you an ABN faster.
(This kind of public-private "scam" (IMO) should -never- be permitted…)
Apparently they do check your ABN and it has to be a company.
In that case, they'd ask for an ACN.
So, I think being a business would/should be enough.
will the tio still act on your behalf if you are a business?
Dont go near these amateurs. They have no real plan. Everything is made up on the fly and they will withdraw your plan within weeks. They have no sense of honouring their customers no matter how faithful they are.
With no real plan and no direction this so called ISP simply reacts on a weekly basis, attacking its customers and charging them more if they have the audacity to use what they paid for! They appear to gamble and assume customers will not use their quota…When they do all hell breaks loose and the plan revisions start. People, plans and conditions are culled and changed,the customers attacked by staff and their fanbois on various forums. New charges are introduced, plans renamed again, new fees added. The rants of Exetel staff and fanbois are broadcast extensively.
With Exetel its been like this on a monthly basis for years. You may think they will settle down and there will be some calm time. NEVER!! The nature of Exetel is to annoy and alienate its own customers and treat them like shit, all this for a service which is only technically passable. Its like an ISP for masochists. For residential they are amateur. For commercial I would think 'laughing stock'. Pay an extra $20 per month and get a proper one…..
Do you want broadband or a soap opera?
In business consistency and predictability are all important, with Exetel neither applies, once again these people are amateurs.
What I don't understand is how ozbargain doesn't already know this and why people want to waste their time with a company like this.
We should have guerrilla consumer checkers…
eg, hire lots of unemployed / work-at-home mums,
to test the deals & - if they can't get them, or
terms change unjustifyably, they all complain to
TIO (in a kind of "class-action" complaint, that
a lousy ISP will -lose- $$$ from, ie, so they
think -seriously- before repeating their unlawful
actions.
Why put up with ISP nonesense… do something
about stopping it. ;-)
Been with Exetel for many years and found them to be excellent in every way.
Be warned though.. in an effort to keep costs down they do not tollerate awkward customers and these are usually the ones that complain about being moved on.
Most people I know around here are with them also and would not change.
I have had an internet connection since it was introduced in oz and during that time I really found out what a BAD ISP is several times… and Exetel is not one of them.
Doesn't change the fact that this is not an unlimited plan.
has anyone else noticed the fair use plan is abbreviated as the 'FU' plan? the guys from exetel marketing are probably having a good snigger about it.
'Fair Use' is their way of saying this is unlimited but not really unlimited.