Most of you may have heard about the Digital Divide, which separates the internet “haves” from the “have not’s”, but more importantly the inequality of life this separation promotes; however if you look at the inequality of broadband in New Zealand, is there any wonder why people don’t bother?
An example, not related to Broadband in New Zealand, but to highlight the inequality;
You have a friend who purchased a really nice Ball Point pen from Company X, and impressed, you also buy a Ball Point Pen off the internet; excited, it arrives a few days later and you rip into it only to find a Crusty old Chewed up Pencil.
You then ring Company X, and after a 20 minute wait and being bounced around 3 different operators, you are finally speaking to the right person. They tell you that the pencil was in fact a Pen when they packaged it, but due to factors outside of their control, the quality of the Pen may vary by the time you receive it.
An example, not related to Broadband in New Zealand, but to highlight the inequality;
You have a friend who purchased a really nice Ball Point pen from Company X, and impressed, you also buy a Ball Point Pen off the internet; excited, it arrives a few days later and you rip into it only to find a Crusty old Chewed up Pencil.
You then ring Company X, and after a 20 minute wait and being bounced around 3 different operators, you are finally speaking to the right person. They tell you that the pencil was in fact a Pen when they packaged it, but due to factors outside of their control, the quality of the Pen may vary by the time you receive it.
Not once did they offer to send a replacement, or review their means of delivery.
HOLD ON, WAIT JUST A MINUTE.... Doesn’t this go against some Fair Trading or Consumer Guarantee act???
The simple answer is, YES, in any normal situation you are covered...
but with the Internet, and Broadband Capable Internet Service Providers in New Zealand; they have forced us to accept their lack of responsibility over the delivery methods, which unfortunately affect’s their service quality greatly.
Where does the responsibility fall if not with the people YOU ARE PAYING for the product/service; or at least for those people to follow it up with the people responsible at least?
The only thing which does seem to stand out amongst the crowd is an ability to provide support to customers. Whether or not they waste your time or cause you more inconvenience, seems to be irrelevant in any case.
Now, while many have their own horror stories for New Zealand Broadband, examples of this in-equality comes from my own experience but also confirmed by years of helping people setup and configure their internet connections.
I have lived in three different houses in my city, and from all three houses the pricing of my Broadband changed very little however the responsiveness and performance varied greatly. (In fact truth be told, I am paying twice as much now, given my need for responsive internet in my line of work, for only half the speed I had at Hillcrest – 5m/bit average, while only 2.4m/bits average, where I am now).
My question TO ALL broadband capable ISP’S in New Zealand.
Why am I paying the SAME money for you to deliver less than HALF the service I used to receive? I am actually paying twice, but that was my own choice to unsuccessfully try and get better internet.
Who is responsible for the gross inequality of this ‘expensive’ service?
Doesn’t this unacceptable spread in service quality indicate some sort of need for a tiered pricing structure?
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