iBurst Softcap Falling Away

[Aminal]

Am I the only one upset about the fact that the softcap on iBurst is falling away?

They cleverly market their new packages but the fact is we are all worse off now than before. Now we get to download 2Gigs at decent speeds and then get cut off?

In the past you could download 1Gig and still be able to access email etc month long. We were also able to download in excess of 10Gigs even on the slow speeds. Less for more?

Now you have to be on a 5Gig and better account to be able to spend ADDITIONAL money to get a slower speed connection. This has clearly not been done for the benefit of the consumer, but only in the interest of iBurst and the fact that, in typical South African fashion, companies can't make a fair profit but have to rip the hole out of their customers!

The ONLY reason I chose iBurst was the softcap option. I'm going to have to re-evaluate my options now. Come end of Feb, it's goodbye iBurst!!!!

 

[ZombiePriest]

Am I the only one upset about the fact that the softcap on iBurst is falling away?

No.

They cleverly market their new packages but the fact is we are all worse off now than before. Now we get to download 2Gigs at decent speeds and then get cut off?

It's not clever. It's incredibly stupid. Everybody knows that bandwidth should be getting cheaper, not more expensive. At my current bandwidth usage, I would be paying more for the same amount of bandwidth.

The ONLY reason I chose iBurst was the softcap option.

Same here. I agree with you - iBurst took away their unique selling point plus other options are cheaper.

Other ISPs, you have an opportunity to make a sales pitch now. I'd like a new connection in 3 months time. Thank you.

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Hence my new 384 ADSL and R399 uncapped screamer account. I have downloaded 9gig already this month and it only costs me R100 more than the R599 iBurst package (which will now be the 8gig without a "bolt on" softcap). I'll probably get 30gig a month now... quite easily!

 

[InTheCube]

I believe that you aren't forced to stick with the new packages. If you want your old package, then you can keep it. iBurst have to do this, to abide by the contract you signed (if indeed you are on contract).

It's not the end of the world like you guys make it out to be. And iBurst's prices for entry level packages are WAY cheaper than ADSL.

 

[stepper]

I believe that you aren't forced to stick with the new packages. If you want your old package, then you can keep it. iBurst have to do this, to abide by the contract you signed (if indeed you are on contract).

It's not the end of the world like you guys make it out to be. And iBurst's prices for entry level packages are WAY cheaper than ADSL.

They sent out mails stating that "you'll be switched to the new 2Gig package and get 64k throttled service for free until Feb". I'm also looking for other options come end of Feb.

 

[ZombiePriest]

I believe that you aren't forced to stick with the new packages. If you want your old package, then you can keep it. iBurst have to do this, to abide by the contract you signed (if indeed you are on contract).

That's my interpretation too, though I just got served a notice that I'm migrating to a package for which I never signed an agreement.

It's not the end of the world like you guys make it out to be. And iBurst's prices for entry level packages are WAY cheaper than ADSL.

Not true. iBurst entry level packages are more expensive per gig than Telkom's entry level packages.

On iBurst's current rates, I'm paying about R250 for 1 GB - soon to be 2 GB. The rest is included in my contract at throttled rates, which I don't mind because I have to put up with iBurst's wireless connection (which is shoddy at best due to the nature of wireless) and shoddy bandwidth monitoring (which has never been accurate according to my own bandwidth monitor, but I didn't mind as I paid R250 for internet).

On Telkom's Do Broadband, I'd be paying about R199 plus line rental of about R150, meaning it's R449 for their entry level package. I don't get much international bandwidth, but I get plenty of local bandwidth meaning I won't get capped (most of my net usage is just local browsing and solid line bandwidth somehow doesn't go as quickly as wireless).

On other packages, I'd only pay my Helkom line rental and their ISP fees, meaning I could get away with about R350 per month and then top up my internet as I need it at about R50 per gig. This would work out far less than iBurst, for which I'd now have to upgrade anyway if I'd like to maintain my current levels of bandwidth usage.

I'm not sure what to make of their email notice, but it appears that they'd like me to pay my current fees (about R250) plus a subscription fee to get the throttled speeds I already have of about R250. This leaves me with a total of about R500 per month for what I'm getting now at R250 and for what I could effectively get at Helkom for R439. It also means that on any other entry level package, I could top up my account 3 times (that's about 6 GB of FAST not throttled internet).

I currently use about maximum 8 GB of bandwidth per month. It's simply not worth my while to pay R500 for slow internet if I could spend R500 and have fast internet all month.

I think iBurst shot themselves in the foot big time with this move.

 

[Napalm]

Most of us on Iburst signed up specifically for the 64K throttled uncapped.....

and now they rip the rug out right under our feet, leaving you "Faced" in the sand. (Jou gesig innie sand)

Not chowing on gigs of data but tons of dirt....


My 2cents

 

[Madhawk]

*iBurst's response*

1. Double Caps please, you've got it...

2. Lower OOB prices please, you've got it...

3. Keep 64kbps service please, P*ss Off...

 

[deweyzeph]

If you're on a 5 gig or 8 gig package your out of bundle rate has gone down from R199 per gig to R59 and R49 per gig respectively. Even I have to admit that that is great value for money for a wireless connection. Not sure why there's anything to complain about.

iBurst is now definitely cheaper than ADSL.

 

[steve-rsa]

If you're on a 5 gig or 8 gig package your out of bundle rate has gone down from R199 per gig to R59 and R49 per gig respectively. Even I have to admit that that is great value for money for a wireless connection. Not sure why there's anything to complain about.

Doesn't matter - 5Gb/8Gb it is still capped.

 

[Nerfherder]

I think this is just iBurst's way of getting rid of their customers that can't read

 

[deweyzeph]

Doesn't matter - 5Gb/8Gb it is still capped.

I'd rather have a 8GB package for R592 per month with R49 topups at 1Mb/s than uncapped at 64kbps.

A similar package with ADSL would be:

R130 - Voice Line Rental
R413 - ADSL Line Rental (4Mb/s, only guaranteed up to 1Mb/s)
R232 - ADSL Data (Afrihost 8gig @ R29 per gig)

Which gives you a grand total of R775 per month compared to iBurst at R592 per month.

 

[Gekco]

I'd rather have a 8GB package for R592 per month with R49 topups at 1Mb/s than uncapped at 64kbps.

A similar package with ADSL would be:

R130 - Voice Line Rental
R413 - ADSL Line Rental (4Mb/s, only guaranteed up to 1Mb/s)
R232 - ADSL Data (Afrihost 8gig @ R29 per gig)

Which gives you a grand total of R775 per month compared to iBurst at R592 per month.

4MB/s ADSL is in a different league entirely.
You won't realize how big the difference is until you have actually tried it.

On a personal note I agree with you on the 64kbps issue though.
I never used it while I was with iBurst and would also have preferred the new structure.

However a lot of people seem to like it and signed up specifically for it.

 

[deweyzeph]

4MB/s ADSL is in a different league entirely.
You won't realize how big the difference is until you have actually tried it.

On a personal note I agree with you on the 64kbps issue though.
I never used it while I was with iBurst.

However a lot of people seem to like it and signed up specifically for it.

I agree, 4meg ADSL is in a league of it's own, I've got a 4meg line myself. But as far as wireless pricing goes iBurst seems to have come up with a winner here.

 

[Gekco]

I agree, 4meg ADSL is in a league of it's own, I've got a 4meg line myself. But as far as wireless pricing goes iBurst seems to have come up with a winner here.

Quite honestly I like what they have done.
If I had still been with iBurst I would have been fairly happy with the changes they have made.

Now if and this is a BIG IF, they can get their usage/admin/billing sorted and most importantly communication with their customers they may yet go places.
They have been aware of these issues for a long time now.

 

[Vrotappel]

Hardcap coupled with the fact that Iburst is really struggling to accurately measure bandwidth used will be fun for the ones remaining with them. IMO iBurst took a step backwards with this decision. Time to move on.

 

[ZombiePriest]

As an example of how crap iBurst is (as if you needed any more convincing by now): A few days ago, I received the compulsory breach of contract migration notice. The notice email claims that:

The good news however is that all customers migrating to the new packages will be able to enjoy this benefit free of charge until February 2010.

Also something or the other about this 'special offer' whereby their services get downgraded but their prices increase is apparently valid for 3 months, during which I am supposed to get uncapped internet access, with the throttled browsing supposedly being cancelled, right?

This means that the 3 month period should last up to February 2010. If my maths does not fail me, this makes my 3 month period of supposedly uncapped internet browsing from December 2009 up to and including February 2010, as per the above.

Yet I have not been migrated to the new scam, I'm still on the old scam and my browser is still being hijacked to go to the iBurst notice page that supposedly says I'm capped and I need to buy more bandwidth.

Am I migrated already? If I am, I haven't had this supposed uncapped internet access because I'm still being notified that I am capped.

Am I not migrated yet? If not, am I going to get my 3 months of supposedly uncapped internet access later? In this case, surely the final date would have to move to beyond February 2010? Or not?

My conclusion here is that iBurst couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery. As the recent migrants into the new iBurst towers show, iBurst is for the birds.

 

[PeterCH]

I agree, 4meg ADSL is in a league of it's own, I've got a 4meg line myself. But as far as wireless pricing goes iBurst seems to have come up with a winner here.

The difference between 64kbps (iBurst only does about 56kbps) and 1Mb/sec (they do the full 1Mb/sec) is much greater than the difference between 1Mb/sec and 4Mb/sec. I have a 4Mb/sec line at work and it's not very fast often enough.

 

[PeterCH]

As an example of how crap iBurst is (as if you needed any more convincing by now): A few days ago, I received the compulsory breach of contract migration notice. The notice email claims that:



Also something or the other about this 'special offer' whereby their services get downgraded but their prices increase is apparently valid for 3 months, during which I am supposed to get uncapped internet access, with the throttled browsing supposedly being cancelled, right?

This means that the 3 month period should last up to February 2010. If my maths does not fail me, this makes my 3 month period of supposedly uncapped internet browsing from December 2009 up to and including February 2010, as per the above.

Yet I have not been migrated to the new scam, I'm still on the old scam and my browser is still being hijacked to go to the iBurst notice page that supposedly says I'm capped and I need to buy more bandwidth.

Am I migrated already? If I am, I haven't had this supposed uncapped internet access because I'm still being notified that I am capped.

Am I not migrated yet? If not, am I going to get my 3 months of supposedly uncapped internet access later? In this case, surely the final date would have to move to beyond February 2010? Or not?

My conclusion here is that iBurst couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery. As the recent migrants into the new iBurst towers show, iBurst is for the birds.

iBurst still sends those notices once you reach your 64kbps speed, irrespective.

After 3 months you can go back to the old package including 64kbps throttle.

For me, I'd rather buy a booster or two at R39/GB then keep my laptop, external HD, iBurst modem etc running the whole night.

 

[Gekco]

I have a 4Mb/sec line at work and it's not very fast often enough.

You are probably sharing that line with your colleagues at work.
At home you will have that line all to yourself.