Utility providers
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"Lazy tax" as it is otherwise known - people don't think about changing, or think it is too much hassle, so they stay.
If I get the insurance and it has gone up by a percentage I'm not happy with, I'll call them. Electricity isn't as much of a problem since I got solar
but I do keep an eye on the rates as they change - this year they went down!Utilities are the worst, particularly over here where electricity is almost a hegemony
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@NTA said in Utility providers:
"Lazy tax" as it is otherwise known - people don't think about changing, or think it is too much hassle, so they stay.
If I get the insurance and it has gone up by a percentage I'm not happy with, I'll call them. Electricity isn't as much of a problem since I got solar
but I do keep an eye on the rates as they change - this year they went down!Utilities are the worst, particularly over here where electricity is almost a hegemony
You've got solar? How's that going? You should tell us all so we can change too.
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@Crucial said in Utility providers:
@NTA said in Utility providers:
"Lazy tax" as it is otherwise known - people don't think about changing, or think it is too much hassle, so they stay.
If I get the insurance and it has gone up by a percentage I'm not happy with, I'll call them. Electricity isn't as much of a problem since I got solar
but I do keep an eye on the rates as they change - this year they went down!Utilities are the worst, particularly over here where electricity is almost a hegemony
You've got solar? How's that going? You should tell us all so we can change too.
Funny bastard, eh?
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@NTA said in Utility providers:
"Lazy tax" as it is otherwise known - people don't think about changing, or think it is too much hassle, so they stay.
If I get the insurance and it has gone up by a percentage I'm not happy with, I'll call them. Electricity isn't as much of a problem since I got solar
but I do keep an eye on the rates as they change - this year they went down!Utilities are the worst, particularly over here where electricity is almost a hegemony
It's a hegemony with fairly cheap prices - unlike NZ.
I canned Foxtel with Telstra at the start of this year, for something petty, they wouldn't let me use Telstra Rewards for the two months I had it on pause while you blokes watch cricket. But, it didn't really matter to Fox as I got Kayo as a replacement.
Although it's also petty of Telstra, let me buy a couple of months worth of discounted movie tickets and I'd still be their customer.
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I would love to shop around for this stuff, but we're so fucked in FNQ.
For electricity on a retail level you have the option of Ergon, or Ergon. Zero competition here.
For your mobile phone you can shop around, but you either take Telstra, or you get dogshit coverage. So by the time you package everything, the price ends up not too bad for a one-stop shop.
Insurance is not bad option-wise, except it's a cyclone zone, so more than one company is not interested in the risk profile. This means they either refuse cover, or price it in such a way you would be a mug to take it.
That leaves banking, and all the big 4 are as evil and exploitative as each other
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@mariner4life said in Utility providers:
For electricity on a retail level you have the option of Ergon, or Ergon. Zero competition here.
I spent about a day f**king around on one of those electricity/gas comparison websites and it made barely any sense, so I switched to the company that gave me gold class move tickets once every couple of months. I'm probably paying a bit more each quarter but it's less than the cost of the gold class tickets so I'm happy enough.
A bunch of the cheaper mobile providers will use Telstra network so shouldn't you be able to use them?
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My ISP are Exetel - they use Optus and the coverage is pretty good because I live in suburban metro. $30 a month for 18GB data for the kids, unlimited calls. I pay $25 for 10Gb because I'm not on my phone watching reddits or anime or some shit.
Telstra are fucked. My wife is paying $40 a month for fuck all data and she never changes it because every time she goes to, the price is $50 for a decent amount of data, but that is bullshit. Yeah sure, when we're in Tasmania we might be relying on her phone for coverage in certain areas, but honestly I'm cool with not having phone reception while I'm on holiday.
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@NTA said in Utility providers:
My ISP are Exetel - they use Optus and the coverage is pretty good because I live in suburban metro. $30 a month for 18GB data for the kids, unlimited calls. I pay $25 for 10Gb because I'm not on my phone watching reddits or anime or some shit.
Telstra are fucked. My wife is paying $40 a month for fuck all data and she never changes it because every time she goes to, the price is $50 for a decent amount of data, but that is bullshit. Yeah sure, when we're in Tasmania we might be relying on her phone for coverage in certain areas, but honestly I'm cool with not having phone reception while I'm on holiday.
Is that because it gets tricky watching porn on the wife's phone?
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@NTA I’m on Jeenee $20 a month for 15GB (I’ve never gotten close) and $100 of NZ calls (which I’ve used once) - but also pay for my Mums slightly better plan so spending about $48 a month.
They’re a charity but I don’t think that’s why I joined them, they also let you upgrade when they bring new plans out so I started off on about 5GB then 8GB now 15 and I think I’m paying $5 less.
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I've got 50G a month. Not even i can watch that much porn
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@Crucial said in Utility providers:
Is this some weird thing in Oz because wired internet is shite? 50G on a phone! Have you never heard of wifi?
Last time I was in NZ I saw a Spark billboard offering "Unlimited" which worked out to 80Gb and then shaping.
And yes, Australia has one of the fastest mobile networks across the world precisely BECAUSE our public wifi and terrestrial internet is so shite.
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@Crucial said in Utility providers:
Is this some weird thing in Oz because wired internet is shite? 50G on a phone! Have you never heard of wifi?
the wifi at home is shit, because our home internet is shit, because we were a new development tacked on to an existing, and we are approximately 47 light years from the node. And at the end of the line. It's fucking shit house. So in all honesty my phone runs three times faster than my home internet.
And at work too much shit is blocked on the network.
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@NTA said in Utility providers:
@Crucial said in Utility providers:
Is this some weird thing in Oz because wired internet is shite? 50G on a phone! Have you never heard of wifi?
Last time I was in NZ I saw a Spark billboard offering "Unlimited" which worked out to 80Gb and then shaping.
And yes, Australia has one of the fastest mobile networks across the world precisely BECAUSE our public wifi and terrestrial internet is so shite.
Mobile speeds here are fine (easily 30Mb on 4G) 16 NZ Pesos for about 1.5 to 2 Gb is all I need as there is plenty of accessible WiFi and the home WiFi speed is around 100Mb. Only need to pay for extra data if traveling to the wops and even then it’s unlikely as the reception is probably shit. Guess we are the opposite.
In London still only used about 2G a month due to free and fast WiFi everywhere -
@NTA said in Utility providers:
@Crucial said in Utility providers:
Is this some weird thing in Oz because wired internet is shite? 50G on a phone! Have you never heard of wifi?
Last time I was in NZ I saw a Spark billboard offering "Unlimited" which worked out to 80Gb and then shaping.
Got that. Also an additional 10 bucks for hotspotting. I normally use about 45Gb a month (about 2 gigs each working day)
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funnily, my new provider started supplying me yesterday...was supposed to switch at 5pm I think. and at 4.30, our power went down and I thought it was my previous supplier being spiteful cnuts...which they werent, apparently that is illegal haha.
was an issue due to high winds yesterday afternoon downign some services
The thing with the prompt payment discounts, is they are more likely punishing the lower income families who cant afford to pay on time.
Which probably has a consequence of them choosing not to turn on the heating over winter when they need it in order to save some money on power...
I pay on time whether i get a prompt payment discount or not, just easier having the money gone at the same time each month.
