LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Ian McLeod <drwho@firstlinux.net>
  To  : Andrew Hill <list@fornax.net>
        <;>
        < linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 16:25:53 -0800 (PST)

Re: ADSL & Primus

Thanks for the info - I think I will demand some more answers.  I would not normally be so sceptical except that I have emailed the guy something like 5 times politely asking how they are going in relation to my queries and I have not heard squat - that got my alarm bells ringing.

I am wondering if I should wait before signing a 12 month contract to see what alternatives are available or come up.

I will take a look at Agile and see what they can do.  I am very unhappy with the technical support at Primus (where Linux is concerned) and am wondering if another ISP would be better suited.  The only problem is that I have found local ISPs to be very expensive, strict on quotas, etc (in the past) so I have been turned off them also.

I hope Agile can offer what I am after.

--- Andrew Hill <list@fornax.net>
> wrote:
>Hi Ian,
>
>Ian McLeod wrote:
>
>> They want me to sign a 12 month contract for '1.5Mbs' connection with
>> (at this time unconfirmed) $300 yearly renewal fee at $135 / month.
>> I think a 12 month contract is unreasonable - 3-4 months would be fine.
>
>Hmmm, I disagree. Telcos really do have some large up-front costs in
>installing this kind of thing. I work for a Telco, and we can spend
>something like $5000 installing a wireless microwave link, and charge
>customers as little as $1500 - a longer contract is just the pay off you
>have to have to a reasonable install fee!
>
>> They never got back to me regarding potential price increases over the
>> course of the 12 month contract (considering that I would be required
>> to pay the rest out if I cancel if, say, the connection sucks) or what
>> the yearly renewal fee is.
>
>Well, I'd ask to see the contract in full. Okay, if you cancel the
>contract because you changed your mind, it's fair that you pay out the
>remaining cash. But if you cancel the contract because Primus have
>failed *their* end of the deal by not supplying the serivce they said
>they would (i.e. the connection sucks) then you'd be in a position to 
>argue that Primus broke the contract, and not you. Have a look at the
>T&C.
>
>
>> I am wondering if ADSL is worth the bother at all considering the
>> technology has been available for a very long time now and is much
>> cheaper in other countries ($30 / month in the USA I heard).
>
>Well, Telstra have never been the most rapid of movers, has it? *grin*
> 
>> When I asked about Linux support or the willingness to provide
>> technical informatiion if required (I made it clear time and time
>> again that I am happy to work things out myself if I just have the
>> right techincal informatin) - Primus literally told me to get
>> stuffed - they told me that I am on my own thank you very much.
>
>Well, sometimes they have to do that - make it clear (at a sales level)
>that this is the case - see if you can talk to a tech in support before
>signing up?
>
>> Any thoughts people?
>
>Otherwise, have a talk to Agile about their ASDL - I've known Simon a
>while, and I'd imagine that their ASDL will be what you need when they
>release it. (No, I don't work for that Telco in Adelaide :-)
>
>Cheers,
>
>-- 
>Andrew Hill
>
>"Right now, I'd happily snort gunk from the sink if it would take
>my brain somewhere away from here...." - JB

_____________________________________________________________
Want a new web-based email account ? ---> http://www.firstlinux.net

-- 
LinuxSA WWW: http://www.linuxsa.org.au/  IRC: #linuxsa on irc.linux.org.au
To unsubscribe from the LinuxSA list:
  mail linuxsa-request@linuxsa.org.au with "unsubscribe" as the subject