News

NewsWhy I Switched Telco's
Why I Switched Telco's

Why I Switched Telco's

Tags: Telco & Broadband
Last updated by Kayley Harris on

For the past few years I’ve been paying $300 a month to my telco. This includes 2 mobile phones, home phone line rental and data. The mobile component is $120 a month, $99 for my phone and $30 for my elderly mum. While discussing mobile plans with a girlfriend the other day over coffee, she was astounded to find I’m paying so much! I thought I was on a good deal because I do use the phone extensively both for private and work use. 

One of the girls in the Fiftyup office mentioned that she had been paying $50 a month for unlimited everything so I thought it as time to look around.

Earlier this month we launched the Fiftyup Club’s new True Blue Telco offer, the first time the Club has moved into this space so I asked our token Gen Y expert here, Dave Liston what the product offered. Sometimes the best deals are right under your nose.

It ticked a lot of my boxes:

6GB of data ✔

Unlimited National Calls ✔

Unlimited National SMS ✔

How much is it a month? $47  ✔

Lock in contract?  NO  ✔

On Australia’s most trusted 4G network? ✔

Can I transfer my own number? ✔

Can I bring my own phone? ✔

Offshore Call Centre NO (AUSTRALIAN BASED) ✔

I’m waiting for my new sim card so I’ll have an update in next week’s newsletter…..

The reason offshore call centres matter to me is that I like to support Australian jobs and I find it hard to get answers sometimes from consultants reading from a script overseas.

For example: If there’s one issue bound to get my family wound up it’s internet speed. Two teenage boys who are passionate about online gaming and a teenage daughter who is “insta-famous” apparently means there is little internet capacity left for me.

Now I’m not the smartest person in the room but for the life of me I can’t figure out why I can’t have cable to my house. When I speak to my provider, which I did the other day (via offshore call centre), she said no you can’t have cable. When I asked why she said “because it’s not in your street”. Seems weird to me when a neighbor of mine a few houses down has it. When I mentioned this to the (offshore call centre) lady she said that her information (read cue card) says I can’t have it and that’s the end of that.

So I spoke to my neighbour and she said ‘yes you can get it but it’s best to complain to your local member as he seems to be able to get things done’.  What? The only way to resolve this is to complain to my local member?

So I thought I’ll just wait for the NBN, it’s being rolled out everywhere so that should be coming soon…. WRONG! Not due in my area til 2020! What???

Now my monthly telco bill is around $300 a month and includes 2 mobiles, home phone line rental and data. The data/home phone line rental component is $160. I’m hearing ads on the radio for “unlimited data and home phone line rental for $59.95 a month with no lock in contract”. So I ring my provider back and ask if they can match that. She said “No we don’t do unlimited data and our contract period is 24 months”. What?

I’m one of those over-50’s who are too rusted onto their providers because I just don’t have time to compare prices and packages and basically, it can seem all too hard.

(So while I draft a letter to my local member about cable, at least I’m saving on my mobile bill!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Originally posted on .

Join the conversation

FiftyUp Club
Why I Switched Telco's

Share your views with other members. 

Want to leave a comment? or .
Read our moderation policy here.
lisa
lisa from VIC commented:

Just an FYI I purchase monthly (30 days not 28) identical deal to true blue telco including unlimited calls to mobile and landlines, unlimited SMS and MMS, 6GB data plus $200 of international calls to nominated countries from Aldi for $35 p/m and they use Telstra 4G - don't think you'll find better! Lisa 

Someone
Someone from QLD replied to lisa:

Hi Lisa.Who are you with right now? can you give a name, Sound good for me. Rita 

Sandra
Sandra from QLD commented:

OPTUS is no good to me, as it falls out, or I can't get it when I want it. Also, in solid cement-walled high-rise buildings on the Sunshine Coast, you have to leave the building to get reception. Therefore, those on the Telstra network are the only option for me. I'd like to be able to use 19 numbers, but they seen to be excluded with a lot. 

Karen
Karen from NSW replied to Sandra:

19, 13 and 1300 numbers are excluded from all plans which means you pay extra to use them on top of your monthly fees. And what number do you have to use to call your telco? Yup, 13 or 1300 number! 

Peter
Peter from NSW replied to Karen:

Only number I have to pay extra are the 19 numbers which is fine with me as I never use them. 

Tony E
Tony E from NSW commented:

Our mobiles,x2 are 30/month and we get all local and national calls,included.We also have a landline,computer and foxtel bundle,which is why mobiles are this cheap. If you tell your supplier it's cheaper else where,they will come to your party,so to speak. Try 'em. 

Sandra
Sandra from NSW replied to Tony E:

Tony E, who are you with? 

Sandra
Sandra from QLD replied to Sandra:

My mobile is with TPG, but they changed to the Vodafone Network. Previously however it wasn't work well with OPTUS network, in places that I frequent. 

Tony E
Tony E from NSW replied to Sandra:

I'm in Sydney and have been with Tealstra for 20yrs+.I went to Optus for 3months,and things went pear shaped,so straight back to telstra.Most other companies use telstra lines ,anyway. Good Luck. T. 

Sandra
Sandra from QLD replied to Tony E:

Cheers Tony. 

Tony E
Tony E from NSW replied to Sandra:

Telstra, Sandra. 

Tony E
Tony E from NSW replied to Tony E:

BTW, that's 30- each,sorry if I wasn't clear on that. 

Chris
Chris from VIC commented:

I've been with Aldi mobile fir 3 yrs now. $35 / month, unlimited calls, txt, mms, 6 gig data, which rolls over Aldi use the Telstra 4g network. Cannot fault this deal !!! 

Lars
Lars from QLD replied to Chris:

very true Chris l have been with Aldi mobile since they started 

Lillian
Lillian from QLD replied to Chris:

That sounds just perfect. 

Chris
Chris from VIC replied to Lillian:

Yes,it is ! I have contacted their call centre once in 3 yrs, that was simply to connect and take my number from Telstra. I travel lots in Aus with seamless connection between 3 and 4g. Aldi is a huge company, and growing! Can't fault their phone service !! 

Someone
Someone from NSW commented:

OK. We get your sales pitch ( or BS ). Sounds like a telstra advert. Where is the important information & the details ? 

Sandra
Sandra from QLD commented:

Important info is on this site to the right above. Arrow through from View Our Latest Offers, to True Blue, to Important Info and Pricing, etc. Last bits on the left of the page. Hope this makes sense. Cheers, Sandy. 

David
David from QLD commented:

No time to compare. I've done it for you https://www.jeenee.org.au/ . Its the Optus network but the cost is great. Seriously needs to be looked at one big switch did this a couple of years ago. 

Jenni
Jenni from VIC commented:

Blah blah. What had the nbn got to do with mobile plans and call centres. Mobile data speeds will be what they are depending on the provider,congestion and distance. Yes Telstra has widest coverage but we ain't grey nomads and when we go outback we take a Sat phone as Telstra is useless really. If I really need Telstra I have a spare SIM sitting around but have not needed it. If u are in a country fringe area then cough up with Telstra but the rest of us don't need to be ripped off. Vaya is $20 pm with 1.5g data. $33 p.m with 9g data unlimited talk and text. With Optus. Have been for years no problem and have the whole family 5 phones for $100. Need more data just pay the little extra. All else a ripoff. Enough said. 

Mark
Mark from NT commented:

Interesting Liz from VIC. I have recently been looking at both the attractive looking offers from Woolies and Coles too. Interesting that the Woolies phone uses Telstra network. It's a must-have to me! Thanks Liz! Pity the writer is so locked into city culture that the network seems not on their minds. It's an essential piece of the choice equation. 'Mark from NSW' now back in the NT and rebadged as: 'Mark from NT' 

Liz
Liz from VIC commented:

We are housesitters and need our own data as sometimes there is not enough at owners' homes. We have the Wooworths mobile plan...works with Telstra. $45 gets 8 gigs data with unused rolled over to next month (up to 15gb). We also get unlimited talk and text Nationally with $100 overseas calls. Not bad. 

Mark
Mark from NSW commented:

If you're a Grey Nomad drifting across this Wide Brown Land then there only two choices to consider: (expensive, infuriating, inflexible) Telstra and Boost (the low cost Telstra offshoot that uses the Telstra Network). Boost is much cheaper than Telstra. I find them very good. Again, not the cheapest. The others? Forget them unless you are tied to a city or a large town and don't need signal as you travel. Many of the alternatives use the Optus Network. Take a look at the Optus coverage map and you will see the regions they do and don't cover. The claim to a 99% coverage is SO misleading to an Outback traveller. 

Comment Guidelines