WTF Netspace - Forced Plan Migration

[Wrathlon]

So I'm on Naked DSL 400gb with Netspace and today I get this email:

Dear Allan,

We're emailing to let you know of some changes scheduled for your Netspace broadband service.
Between September 23rd and October 7th we'll be carrying out changes at your exchange that will see your broadband service transferred to new infrastructure. As part of this move your current Naked Home-2 plan will no longer be available, so we'll be moving you across to our Super SP-3 broadband service.
After the move you'll continue to enjoy the same quota and speeds, but your new plan will require a fixed line phone connection - so we'll get this up and running for you as well.
Although you'll now require a fixed phone service, your VOIP service remains active so you can keep enjoying this service. We'll also let you know should future upgrades to your exchange allow you to return to a Naked service in the future.
The new combined monthly cost for your broadband service and phone line rental will be $99.90. If you'd like more information on the changes, please visit our FAQs page.
Broadband plan changes

Here's a closer look at your broadband plan changes:

Your old plan		Your new plan
Naked Home-2 $89.95/month		Super SP-3 Including Home Phone & VOIP plan $99.90/month
Old quota		New quota
Peak	Off-peak	Peak	Off-peak
200GB	200GB	200GB	200GB

• Off-peak time for your new plan will be between 2am - 8am, with the remainder classed as peak. Uploads will be counted as part of your monthly quota.

• So not only am I being forced to pay $10 a month more for a phone I don't want and won't use, I'm also getting my Off-Peak cut from 1:00am - 9:00am to the new 2:00am - 8:00am.
  
  Can they even do this without breach of contract or am I entitled to bail to someone else?
  
  Apparently they are changing from Optus hardware to Telstra hardware and this is why, though I should consider myself lucky - some customers, in exchanges where there isn't provision for it, they are being forced back onto ADSL1 and being told their speed shouldn't change (I'm assuming they are hoping the people are syncing at 8mbit or less).
  
  Forced onto ADSL-1 http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum....cfm?t=1704073

[Aegis]

you should be within your rights to move elsewhere. That said, they're within their rights to make that difficult for you

[Wrathlon]

Thinking of going Optus - I'm already on Optus infrastructure and for $79.95 a month I get 250peak/250off peak and a better off peak time of 12:00 - 12:00.

I'd be trading 256k shaping for Optus' 128k and Netspace's shaping rules of if you shape offpeak then peak times are still full speed and vice versa - for Optus exceed peak time and all are shaped, exceed offpeak and all further traffic counts as peak traffic but no shaping. I'd save $20 a month ($10 a month on what I pay now) and get an extra 50gb peak/50gb offpeak and better times.

Actually now that I think about it those shaping rules are better.

Edit: Or with my ABN I could get business 500gb for $89.95 and get no peak/offpeak crap and 256k shaping & static IP

[ResLo]

Not interested in Node or can't you get it?

[Jay]

Have tried contacting Joel yet?

Otherwise you're free to leave from the contract with this.

[Wrathlon]

Not interested in Node or can't you get it?

$99 for 300gb any time 256k shaping with node vs $89 500gb any time with 256k shaping and static IP with Optus.

That's ignoring the fact Optus' shaping rules are way more than acceptable in my books.

Edit: And if I sign up to the business plan I get a $100 visa gift thingy and no connection fees so I'll probably go with that.

[ResLo]

The Optus plan sounds like the one for you, but don't forget node give a $20 discount if you also have VOIP with them, which sounds like a service you already have and therefore would bundle.

[Wrathlon]

Nah I don't have VoIP, everyone here just uses mobiles, either way to get the same downloads, even if I bundle in VoIP would end up costing me more. Even if I take that Visa card and split it up over the 24 months that's basically another $5 a month cheaper again.

[Lothar]

So wrath your on an optus ULL service at the moment. Look at churning over to another optus ULL replacement if you wish to keep on your said same naked connection. (hint I think Node do naked on optus equipment.)

With the change of the contract from the Netspace side of things if you change within 30 days of that notice there will be no Contract break fees. Look at the thread on WP at the moment for more info. http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum....cfm?t=1704073

[Wrathlon]

Yeah but the optus business plan is superior to the node one for the same price, in any case, I called Netspace and told them how I felt and then signed up with Optus.

[close001]

They seem to have changed my plan as well, but I didn't receive any notice at all, they've just started billing me a different amount, and i have no idea what plan they've actually moved me onto :S Its the connection at my mums place, so I'm not even sure what the speeds of the new connection are.. :S

[Lothar]

There should be no speed changes at all maybe a 5% variance in sync speed that you should not notice anyway. Only moving from Optus infrastructure to Telstra Wholesale. Only in certain instances where the Telstra infrastructure does not have ADSL2 exchange enabled and only has 8 Meg would you be forced on a slower connection however the statistics I was reading on whirlpool indicated this was less than 200 customers in total.