Kogan's Mobile network, is anyone on OzBargain using it?

Johnny-Kun on 05/01/2013 - 14:10

I am interested in switching over from my current postpaid Vodafone plan to Kogan's Telstra network. Switching over for obvious reasons, was wondering if anyone here is currently using it and what's their thought on the network.

I've done some research and my phone has 850 3G compatibility so I wont have a problem connecting to the internet.

One of the main key reasons I have chosen Kogan over Vaya is that Kogan has a "PREMIUM ACCESS BOLT-ON PACK" which allows you to call international. Anyone know the fine print on the pack, higher rates to call to mobile users? I keep in contact with relatives in Japan and call their mobile and all I can find is $0.10 per min for Japan. If I were to purchase the 365 Access for $299, I'm assuming I have to pay $14.99 for each month?

Just to clarify their "unlimited", it includes Standard mobile calls, Standard national calls, Calls to 13/1300 & 18/1800, Voicemail deposits and retrievals. So that covers pretty much everything huh?

This deal sounds so good so there has to be a catch somewhere?

My current postpaid plan at the moment is Vodafone's Unlimited $45 with $15 International Pack (200 minutes to Mobile/Landline on selected countries)

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Comments

  • The Quote Train on 05/01/2013 - 14:52

    I'm also interested in switching over from TPG mobile.

    Overall, is the coverage better than Optus (TPG)?

    Is it true that HSPDA+ is not achievable?

  • ozhunter on 05/01/2013 - 14:59

    This deal sounds so good so there has to be a catch somewhere?

    You get a typical download speed of 550kbps-3Mbps and upload speed of 300kbps-1Mbps (peak network download speed of 7.2Mbps

    Coverage is great, download speed not so much.

  • Slippy on 05/01/2013 - 15:52

    im thinking of switching from dodo (optus network) prepaid over to this for price mainly. from what ive read its very good coverage for voice calls and about average for data and download speeds. theres a review comparing it to the actual telstra network http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/444517/how_fast_kogan_…

  • Johnny-Kun on 05/01/2013 - 17:11
    +1

    I've ordered a Kogan sim but they haven't sent me any information in regards to dispatch. I'm not too fussed about download speeds considering I get around 1Mbps downloads/uploads.

    Being able to use my data without it dropping out and having great coverage is all I want. All I do on my phone is Skype, emails, browsing "OzBargain" and download a couple of apps once in a while. I guess with 6GB of Data, I could tether it to my HP Touchpad.

  • whitearray on 09/01/2013 - 11:35

    I was also very interested but it doesn't have roaming and international calls are not included :\ They use the Telstra network so I'm assuming coverage is better than Optus, Three etc.

    Anyone know if it's an offer that's ending soon? or is it the actual normal price?

    • Johnny-Kun on 09/01/2013 - 22:56

      International calls are included if you purchase the add-on pack for $14.99, Their 3rd shipment of the Sim should ship out on the 15th of this month. I've already pre-ordered the sim and will be porting over from Vodafone so I'll tell you how it turns out

      • whitearray on 12/01/2013 - 01:09

        Did you mean the bolt on pack? http://www.koganmobile.com.au/prepaid/boltons

        Cool, didn't see that before. Thanks! Will be cool to see how it goes.

      • ozhunter on 12/01/2013 - 04:39

        The bolt on pack is $15 and you get $15 of international credit. I don't think your whole plan includes international calls.

        • Johnny-Kun on 13/01/2013 - 11:12

          Yeah, I have a pack which is kinda like this on Vodafone at the moment. Not a frequent international caller so this pack suits me fine

      • Steptoe on 13/01/2013 - 10:55

        Have you considered VOIP for international calls? e.g. Pennytel

        • Johnny-Kun on 13/01/2013 - 13:59

          Never looked into VOIP for international calls, I'll check it out. Know any other decent providers?

        • zfa on 13/01/2013 - 15:52
          +1

          I'd forget about VOIP. In my experience it's very hit and miss with regards call quality, latency etc.

          As Kogan is unlimited national calls (I think) I'd recommend Rebtel. The best way to use them is via their app if you have a smartphone. You just dial the international number normally but the app intercepts it, changes your call to a local 'access no' instead (so it's 'free') then connects over their infrastructure. Alternatively you can register your overseas contacts on their site and they'll give you a local Aussie number for them, calling this routes your call to the target transparently. Finally you can just dial their access number and then put in the overseas number - this is just like the double-dialling you do with a calling card.

          With the app installed it's all pretty transparent though. Dial overseas and it jumps in and does all the cheap routing for you. Just set and forget.

        • RockyRaccoon on 14/01/2013 - 07:40

          Have used Mynetfone for years and found call quality great even with my marginal ADSL. For the occasional poor quality line at the price, I just hangup and try again.

          Then there is Maxotel, which while it costs a few cents more does have feature to call you back on your home phone, then use VOIP at their end to call overseas. That means no matter what your adsl line quality is like, the call is better.

          Both are low cost to start with so maybe worth a try. See whirlpool.net.au for how to get their members plan which saves more

          Costs vary according to the country's you call and if you want a plan which again is influenced by how often you call.

        • whitearray on 14/01/2013 - 11:26

          My current plan with three includes international calls in my plan. Mine's a $49 plan with $500 (I think?) worth of calls and there's no limit on the international calls I can make. Beats paying extra $ to Kogan or VOIP providers, imo.

        • Johnny-Kun on 14/01/2013 - 13:05

          My old Vodafone plan had something similar to that but that was years ago. Don't think they offer that type of plan anymore and I'm switching over from Vodafone due to their horrible telecommunication infrastructure. 3's pretty non-existent since Vodafone bought them out.

          Kogan's $14.99 addon package is still good since there's no connection fee and it's going to cost me 0.10c a minute from mobile to mobile to Japan. Checked some of the VOIP and Kogan's 10 cents cheaper.

          My Vodafone Package I'm subscribed to at the moment is "Talk International $15" which includes 200 minutes of included standard international voice calls to fixed and mobile numbers and 25% off the standard international rate for your calls to the Talk International destinations for the rest of the month once my 200 minutes are all used up.

          They did offer free Skype using Vodafone Skype app but it seems like its been removed from the plan.

          Only good thing I have with Vodafone is SMS to international numbers are free due to Unlimited SMS from their old "Infinite $45 Plan". Not too fussed since most people use IM app's like Skype/Facebook Messenger or email.

          I've already disputed with TIO regarding my problems and Vodafone has kindly offered 50% off for 3 months. I'll probably hold out and see what happens, By that time I'm sure Kogan would have ironed all the bugs maybe.

          Also heard that Vodafone will be merging with Optus towers in May?

        • ylangylang55 on 16/03/2013 - 10:44

          can I use on windown phone or ipad?

  • crumbo85 on 13/01/2013 - 15:12
    +1

    Have a Kogan sim and currently using it in a old Bigpond 7.2 Gateway. Working like a charm! Have similar speeds when I have the telstra sim in. Am taking it out bush for a few days in my SGII so will comapre the coverage. Majority of people are really happy with it, great deal, great speeds and they're getting slightly better with the customer service side of things. A lot more info and reviews on whirlpool.

  • RockyRaccoon on 14/01/2013 - 11:34

    Anyone else have to verify the amount charged to their credit card for a sim with Kogan?

    Its a $4.95 shipping charge and I have to ring my credit card supplier to find out the actual charge. I am not going to spend time on the phone chasing this down for a less than $5 fee. Now if it was $100 I can understand, and why arent we informed beforehand. Its a big hassle

    • Johnny-Kun on 14/01/2013 - 12:52

      I paid via credit card through Paypal, having no issues with the shipping charge of $4.95.

      The statement showed up as $4.95 for me

  • zombie hunter on 14/01/2013 - 19:58

    I got sim in a unlocked virgin broadband router aka Globalsurfer II unlocked.
    I am outside Canberra on a farm. Works better then Vodafail and on par with Optarse.
    Problem I have is the grey army up the road in the Caravan park slowing it down at night
    In the Morning it is real fast. I cant get ADSL. So i treat like a home phone and internet.
    For $30 per month I cant complain.

  • mp3police on 16/01/2013 - 14:09

    i ordered one and they sent the wrong simcard they sent me a nano instead of the standard so i just got a replacement sent today however with the old one i got scissors and cut it into the shape of a normal sized sim card and its working like a charm i just registered the sim card up and now waiting for my number to transfer

  • Johnny-Kun on 16/01/2013 - 16:01
    +1

    Got an email from Kogan today

    Thank you for pre-ordering your Kogan Mobile SIM starter pack.

    We need to inform you that, due to unanticipated production delays, there has been a slight delay in dispatching your Kogan Mobile SIM starter pack. We expect your Kogan Mobile SIM starter pack to be dispatched no later than Monday 21st January. You will receive a dispatch notification by email on the day of dispatch.

    We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank you for your patience.

    • indianregulator on 22/01/2013 - 20:22

      got the same message, ordered on the 16/01/13, still havent got it, or a dispatch message…

      • Johnny-Kun on 22/01/2013 - 22:02
        +1

        I got my dispatch email today, hopefully I'll have it by Friday

      • kierann on 25/01/2013 - 17:13

        Don't worry to much about the postage delay if you are thinking of porting a number. Apparently the system they use to port numbers is stuffed. I have been waiting for 1 week now and they are still stuffing around with it. Should have expected this level of service from Kogan I guess!

        • Johnny-Kun on 25/01/2013 - 21:09

          Yeah, I got my sim on Thursday but I'll probably hold out till my 3 month 50% off with Vodafone is over in April. Hopefully by then, the whole craze of Kogan should have cooled down :)

  • mcor82 on 30/01/2013 - 19:05

    having heaps of troubles for days for porting over, first they say its a VOdafone issue, then its my details are wrong which they are not, so i call AGAIN, 1 hour 10 min on hold… abuse the hell out of them and ask to speak to a manager and he hangs up on me…

    I know Vodafone suck but seriously i might reconsider this mob

  • mustard on 30/01/2013 - 22:24

    Yeah, good luck trying to port your number through AT ALL. Activated my sim card and requested to port on Friday, since then have spent approximately 3 hours just waiting on the phone to talk to them (after which I am given exactly the same info that is on my account dashboard) and have received 2 error emails saying that my DOB or account number is incorrect. Also submitted 3 support tickets, but haven't heard a word about them.

    My Telstra (post-paid) sim was deactivated earlier tonight, and I have full bars of service on Kogan, but am unable to make calls or receive calls even though I opted for the $299 yearly plan (big mistake). Just keep getting the same message when I try to make calls: "Your service has expired. Please recharge etc." and people get this message when they try to call: "This number has been disconnected". Since it was only tonight, I'll give it until tomorrow morning before I try to call them again, fingers crossed!

    I understand that Kogan is a budget service, but this is absolutely NO service at all. I even tried to cancel the porting at one point, and the person on the phone told me that he could not do it from his end… how else are we meant to cancel it!? I know people on Whirlpool definitely have it a lot worse than me though.

    Should also note that a large percentage of people have ported fine, albeit a bit delayed, I am probably just part of the minority.

  • mcor82 on 31/01/2013 - 18:06

    Bugger yeh im getting something similar unfortunately, what a bummer :(

    Cheap for a reason, and yeh hours on hold to be told exactly the same thing, i blasted them on their system, im like is the name wrong, is the dob wrong? WTF is wrong… umm we don't know…. grrrrrrrr i really don't want to have a new number as ive had this number for a good 10 years

  • Johnny-Kun on 31/01/2013 - 18:55

    Wow, I'm kinda scared with Kogan's porting number horror stories, I'm probably gonna switch over to Vaya. ..

  • mcor82 on 01/02/2013 - 12:38

    i think its cause were trying to port our existing numbers, not sure if they are f@cking things up for new numbers, very much doubt it.

    They guy on the phone totally clueless, i asked him why aren't more people working if you know there is an influx of ports/new connections coming in… "i don't know…" lol lovely…

  • mcor82 on 02/02/2013 - 06:21

    Looks like another Telstra fuck up to me… haha!

    Got this in my email yesterday arvo.

    Dear XXXXXXX

    We would like to sincerely apologise for the delay you are experiencing with transferring your number to Kogan Mobile. We would like to give you a bit more information about what has been happening and what we are doing to fix the issue.

    So what's the problem?
    There is currently a fault in our network provider's platform that is causing delays in transferring your mobile number to Kogan Mobile. A normal transfer should not take longer than 48 hours, however we are aware that your mobile number transfer is taking longer than this due to the fault with the network provider's platform.

    There is some further information here: http://www.telstrawholesale.com.au/products/mobile/mobile-se…

    What's being done?
    As the issue lies with our network provider's platform, it is beyond our control to directly resolve the issue. However, we are and have been working with the network operator on a constant basis to ensure that they resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

    Why can't I contact you?
    Needless to say that this issue along with the unprecedented demand for Kogan Mobile has put our call centre under huge pressure. We regret that it may have been difficult to get through to us at times but we have already quadrupled our support team since we launched 6 weeks ago, and are continuing to expand the team rapidly. We are continuing to work on reducing the number of customers affected. We anticipate that, once the network operator resolves the underlying issue, our call centre will be able to assist with all remaining customer enquiries in a timely manner.

    We will update you again on Monday once we have received feedback from developments that take place at the weekend.

    What happens next?
    You don't need to do anything further at the moment and you will still be able to continue using your existing SIM card with your current mobile provider until our network operator resolves the problem.

    Once the issue is resolved, the transfer of your number will be processed automatically and we will let you know by automated email and SMS when this has happened.

    In preparation for your number transfer, please leave your current SIM in your handset and save your contacts to your phone. When your current SIM loses service, take that SIM card out of your phone and put your new Kogan Mobile SIM card in to the handset to start enjoying your new Kogan Mobile service.

    It is normal to lose service for up to 4 hours on the day your number is transferred. If you lose service with your current provider and your Kogan Mobile service is not up and running within 4 hours, then it is worthwhile checking that your phone is unlocked and that it supports an 850Mhz network.

    Thank you
    Thank you for your patience so far. We understand that this issue is frustrating and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that the underlying issue is resolved as quickly as possible. We believe the wait will be worth it though, with the best prices on Unlimited Access, you.ll soon be able to enjoy your Kogan Mobile service.

    Kindest Regards,

    The Kogan Mobile Team.
    1300 0 KOGAN (1300 056 426)

    • mustard on 03/02/2013 - 21:57

      Got the email too… still have no service :(

  • mcor82 on 04/02/2013 - 09:26

    We will have to wait and see, have given the TIO a handy call to nudge them along also :) Lets hope that helps.

    If they keep on hanging up on me, and telling me the issue is with my account, which obviously isn't and they keep people in the dark for a week they obviously deserve it in my opinion.

  • deedlee on 07/02/2013 - 16:44

    just got my wife's number ported from TPG..
    requested 14 Jan
    ported 7 Feb

    mine was requested 22 Dec
    Ported 29 Dec

  • mcor82 on 08/02/2013 - 08:10

    Nice, lucky, looks like they are having major issues… The TIO confirmed my request, within an hour Kogan called me, haha!

    Blasted them and unfortunately still in pending, saying its a telstra fault, so i told them if i walk into a telstra shop I can't be ported in a few hours? LOL The answer I received was less than impressive.

    • mustard on 08/02/2013 - 15:29

      Is your sim card with Telstra disconnected already?? Because mine is :( and they keep freaking telling me that they're waiting for Telstra but I've called twice and they confirmed that my number is disconnected!! Arghghgh

  • BuyoTheCat on 08/02/2013 - 11:15

    1 weeks to port a number still sounds like a really long time.
    I am waiting for my sim from kogan. they said it will be shipped before 20th Feb.
    i cannot port my number will end of March so I am in no hurry.

    I still have questions about the mobile broadband bandwith that kogan is using. Will it be Telstra nextG? or 3G? or 2g?

  • mustard on 08/02/2013 - 15:27
    +1

    Just called the TIO and lodged a complaint… seeing as I have no mobile service, I don't have a clue as to how they'll contact me!

    • kierann on 09/02/2013 - 14:12

      Funny, I have been waiting over three weeks for a number port now, and have spent quite a bit of time on the phone with the no help desk. I was told to leave my old SIM in and they will call me once the number has been ported??? HTF does that work?

      • mustard on 10/02/2013 - 14:53

        Yeah, I've been told to leave my old SIM in as well… except when I tell them it no longer works they are baffled and continue reading off their same script! It's so ridiculous. I think I've received about 10 "Delay to your Kogan Mobile port" emails over the past week or so, I really just want to scream at them!

  • mcor82 on 10/02/2013 - 12:10

    My port was completed on Friday afternoon, funny enough Thursday afternoon was when I was contacted by someone from Kogan in regards to my TIO complaint…

    TIO these f**kers literally and you will get results… I should have called the TIO sooner but ces la vive.

    Hope you guys have your issues resolved quickly as its a pathetic joke.

  • Dobbyd on 25/03/2013 - 15:59

    God I wish I had seen this before I ported my number this morning

  • Dobbyd on 26/03/2013 - 09:14

    I just thought I would say that I did do my sim card yesterday up in 8 hours

  • randomhat on 05/04/2013 - 12:21

    read the stories here ,https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kogan-Mobile-Fail/436912296385920?fref=ts
    dont join kogan mobile
    my daughters account was closed,no reason given ,the only way we found out was when the credit ran out we couldnt
    re new and the it took ages to get through to there customer service to find out it was because of over usage
    kogan fail

  • thereyougo on 09/04/2013 - 09:01

    I've been with Kogan for several months now and not one complaint with their service. I choose to go with a new number and it was up and running in a couple of hours.

  • [Deactivated] on 16/04/2013 - 16:17

    kogan are crap. my simcard took 3 weeks to arrive and only when i filed a paypal complaint for their crap $4.95 shipping did i get an email saying item shipped.

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