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$0/Month Minimum Spend, Low Cost (1.5c/MB) 3G Data Plan from Exetel **Updated with Cashback**

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$0/Month Minimum Spend, Low Cost (1.5c/MB) 3G Data Plan from Exetel **Updated with Cashback**
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Cashback
tg on 04/01/2010 - 23:32 exetel.com.au (2690 clicks)
Last edited 24/01/2010 - 00:00 by 2 other users

Just got a link from a friend who is an Exetel agent.
Now Exetel is offering a very affordable 3G data plan.
This will be good for iPhone users or other 3G smart phones users.
If you mainly use 3G data and seldom make phone calls, then WM A and WM B plan are for you.
If you are keen, you can use VoIP that comes with those plans.
It costs 15c/min for mobile calls. Charged per second, no flag fall.
Considering that 3's 1GB cost $15, this will cost you $15 for 1GB (but if you use less, you will save).
By the way, this is with Optus 3G network.

UNFORTUNATELY, Exetel decided to impose a refundable $25 activation fee
Good luck to those who signed up before Exetel imposed the refundable $25 activation fee in the evening on Jan 5, 2010.
No more ZERO activation for WM A/B plans now.

CASHBACK (from agent, not from Exetel)

Many agents (not limited to Exetel) offer cashbacks if you sign up with their agent code.

If you cannot find one at the moment, my friend is an Exetel agent. He said that if you use the agent code s291 and sign up HSPA, you will get $10 back three months after the activation date. $10 = 200MB for 3 months :)
My agent friend told me that he will know you have signed up as he will have your mobile number and name (no other details). He will contact you via SMS to your mobile once you activated your new mobile.
If you signed up WI A/B/C/D where agent s291 could NOT contact you with your mobile number (WM A/B plans come with mobile number), you must send email with your name to [email protected]

Mod(neil): Please don't use referral links. Changed link to the plan page

Referral Links

Referral: random (614)

Referrer gets 10% off per referral (up to $10/month per referral) for 6 months.

Mobile Mobile Hspa

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closed Comments

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 10:20

      15c/min calls to mobile, charged by seconds, is VoIP call and it uses around 8MB per hour
      25c/min calls to mobile charged in 30sec block, is normal mobile call, does not use data

  • eccentriq on 05/01/2010 - 10:16

    HSPA: 1.5c/MB
    SMS: 8c/SMS
    Calls: 25c/MIN

    Flagfall for calls?

    Sounds good but i wonder if there are any catches…

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 10:29
      +4

      Exetel HSPA WM A/B
      NO activation fee
      NO contract
      NO minimum monthly spend
      NO flagfall for calls
      NO charge for VoIP DID
      NO support, well.. This one is not true, although many believe so :)

      • eccentriq on 05/01/2010 - 10:45

        lmao, i like that last one :)

  • uraha on 05/01/2010 - 10:28

    both download and upload is count….

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 10:31

      Thanks for stating the obvious
      but no carrier in Australia is counting download only for 3G data
      how long have you been in Australia? :)

  • TheWiz on 05/01/2010 - 10:35
    +2

    I've been on Exetel's HSPA M1 - HA plan since March of last year. No complaints at all. Cheap data and mobile phone rates and if u use the exeSMS app on your phon SMS's are only 8 cents. Id like to see anyone find a better value plan than Exetel offer.

    It seems as though the $5 access charge still applies to these old plans though so a change of plan may be in order.

    The WM A plan is awesome value but the WM B plan is even better for mobile call charges (12.5c per 30sec as opposed to 25c) if you lock into a 24 month contract, which I don't see as a bad thing considering how cheap it is. Although you do have a minimum spend of $10 for mobile calls/SMS.

    As for people who keep saying Exetel has no support, you are obviously not an Exetel customer. They don't have a massive call center like other ISP's but that is becasue they are a budget ISP (If you need premium support then sign up to a different ISP and pay the high prices they charge to cover that). They do actually have a small call center as well as a great forum and online support. In my time with Exetel over the past 3 years I've barely ever needed to use their support facilities anyway.

    • ShortyX on 05/01/2010 - 10:59

      Agreed…I haven't been with Exetel HSDPA but I've been using them for internet for a couple of years now (ADSL2+ and ADSL1) and they have been great.

      I initially had dropout issues with my ADSL2+ but their support was great - issue was fixed within a day.

      It'd be interesting to see how I go if I had a major issue with my connection but looks like the minority has experienced this.

  • soupiejr on 05/01/2010 - 12:56
    +1

    Personally, I would never do business with a business that so has such a blatant and outrageous disrespect for its customers. The fact that they're offering this is because the people in the company believe that everybody in the world thinks like they do, that only money talks. It also means that they're desperate to get more business and that people are starting to wise up to their obvious disregard for common decency and are leaving their business. That's how they can continue to operate as a business (and why they'll always remain a small provider). Money is NOT the only thing that matters in this corporate world, people matter too!

    All it takes for evil to succeed in this world is for good men to stand aside. I for one, will NOT stand aside.

    • stumo on 05/01/2010 - 13:12

      But most companies are evil, what makes this one that much worse than the others?

      • soupiejr on 05/01/2010 - 13:20

        This one didn't care enough to hide it.

        Any head of a large corporation who would write any email to a customer calling them ridiculuous or crazies would've been instantly removed and replaced with someone with more tact. (http://stewartmedia.biz/myblog/Why-Im-leaving-Exetel/)

        • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2010 - 14:59

          Thanks for the link - I guess if you are inclined to be anti exetel, then it can be read as offensive in response, but clearly Jim is upset and has taken the trial, as meaning it will happen, whereas Steve has just explained its only a trial.

          Frankly I think Jim seems to be the unreasonable one - he doesnt acknowledge much of Steve's response so Steve tells him to move on, which Jim has already said he would do, so in someways he admits he wont be a customer anyway and Steve's acknowledged that.

          The crazies comment was on his blog about all the emails he was getting, it wasn't directly sent to Jim, Jim introduced this aspect to the correspondence in his blog.

          While maybe you or I would have handled it better iit's not that bad. A storm in a tea cup.

          • soupiejr on 05/01/2010 - 15:22

            @[Deactivated]: No matter what the customer throws at you though, as a representative of a company, not to mention as a decent human being (Steve is whom I'm talking about here, not Jim), words like ridiculuous and crazies should not even pass your mouth when you're talking to the public. As I said, if this was said by any other heads of company, they would've been at the very least apologetic about it, at worst be replaced by someone more public-friendly.

            What they do within the confines of their own company is entirely private and within their rights. But, when that attitude permeates their conversation with the public, it's a sign that it's capitalism at its worst. Customers may not always be right, but always treat them with respect and courtesy.

          • YesPleaseThankYou on 05/01/2010 - 16:21
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: It's not a storm in a tea cup as Exetel has been offensive in its complaint handling on a number of occasions. The sort of response discussed in that thread appears to be the norm, rather than an exception.

          • Jimboot on 05/01/2010 - 21:13
            +1

            @[Deactivated]: Great site everyone! Thanks for the traffic today :) Thought I'd just weigh as it seems a lot of people here were interested in my blog post (I keep a close eye on referring sites :)) . @ozpete Exetel directors seem to treat their customers publicly & privately in my experience with absolute contempt. I have had worse service from other ISPs over the years but never an email from a company director that read like it belonged in flame war. So as long as you never need to escalate something to them they seem like any other ISP. No worse no better. Usually when I deal with company directors I get a polite response even if they disagree with me. That's fine. To call a customer ridiculous isn't in any customer service manual I've read.
            Jim

    • WaywardOne on 05/01/2010 - 13:43

      It wasn't long ago that Exetel had a huge fanbase online and everyone was singing praise and recommending it to their friends and family. Now the consensus on Exetel here seems to be overwhelmingly negative. It might just be that negative votes are a lot more visible.

  • bohn on 05/01/2010 - 12:59
    +1

    Lots of people make negative comments but do not VOTE negative (or at all) on OzBargain now.. and a couple in this post alone.

    OZPETE - as you say 'Negative votes are important and misuse of them detracts from their power to inform. Help the community which helps you.'

    By making a negative comment and not voting negative doesn't help the community either.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2010 - 14:29

      Agreed:

      But your account needs to be open 30 days before the forum will let you vote Negative.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2010 - 15:11

      I tend to disagree that voting negative is essential when a comment is also fine. Really many of the negatives against exetel are based on the attitudes of this guy Jim.

      Go to Whirlpool as you probably know and every ISP has horror stories. The only thing more passionate is the Mac Vs PC or Ipod vs Zune

      So keeping the comments without the passion is some people choice.

      Its not everyone's mission in life to pay back an ISP for something that they didnt like,

      And Archer thats why we introduced the 30 day vote.

      1. So people started to understand when and how it can be used
      2. So trolls (no not Bohn) couldn't just sign up and start a vendetta gainst a company or vendor.
      3. Negative votes have the power to take a post out of circulation, so it should be used wisely and in fact can be counter productive, as the comments and the post are then lost to all to see.
      • YesPleaseThankYou on 05/01/2010 - 15:32

        I continue to fail to understand why this site has such an interest in the way people vote, to the point of "un-voting" and so on.

        It is especially interesting that the site is concerned about negative votes, but not so much about positive votes.

        • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2010 - 16:54

          Did you read my post just above you - especially point 3

          Because the way the site is set up, a negative vote can as I point out take a post out of circulation - that is make invisible from most peoples view. As such again as I point out it kills discussion when which is against the interests of both the negative and positive posters.

          This is a legacy when there was no REPORT button, so it was used to kill spammers, and blatantly wrong posts, it wasn't meant to be used not because someone didn't like a vendor's style.

          If you want to discuss this (and I encourage you to do so) then post in the forum under feature requests or talk to a moderator - also read the wiki here http://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/help:voting_guidelines

          Positive votes are also a way to encourage people to post deals, without them we have no bargain forum, try posting one yourself, maybe then you might say yespleasethankyou a bit more often. Rather than often pulling down others efforts to share

          • YesPleaseThankYou on 05/01/2010 - 17:00

            @[Deactivated]: When I find a genuine bargain, I will.

            • [Deactivated] on 05/01/2010 - 22:37
              -1

              @YesPleaseThankYou: When you do then please surprise us all and be the one who posts it. You have had a year so far…..

  • Kranbone on 05/01/2010 - 13:43

    Again really keen to know how they can tell the difference if the sim is in a phone as opposed the a 3G USB modem.

  • bargrin on 05/01/2010 - 13:54

    if its mobile 3G data your after, why isn't the Virgin broadband BYO modem @ 5GB for $34/month not a better deal ?

    Only downside of course is that its ONLY for mobile data and cant be used to make call or SMS.

    • Kranbone on 05/01/2010 - 14:12

      Whilst that's great for some users, I only really need less than a gigabyte of data for checking emails on the go on my netbook.

      • samfisher5986 on 05/01/2010 - 14:35

        Its not great for any.

        I don't know anyone who uses XX a month on their phone every month.

        This Exetel plan means you only pay for what you use, it ends up being better value then anything else out there i'm pretty sure.

        • bargrin on 05/01/2010 - 14:50

          yeah I use the Virgin BYO as both phone mobile and whilst at home via n95 as modem for home internet.

    • freddy on 05/01/2010 - 17:18

      Isn't Virgin the one that charges $2/Mb for excess? So 5Gb is $34, and 6GB is $2034 !?
      Looking…. OMG, shaping for 250MB over, then cutoff. Excellent! How did I miss that for so long?
      Might be cancelling my 3 6GB/month service.
      I don't see any catches like a 24 month commit or connect fee or anything (unless you are silly enough to get modem plan, not BYO.)
      Can you make voice calls and SMS on the SIM, as you can with 3 and exetel?
      Have Virgin sorted their network congestion? It used to be awful, much worse than optus for some reason.

      I get decent Optus speed here, so does that mean Virgin is OK?

      one catch: "peer to peer speed limited to 32 Kbps". That could still add up to a few GB/month if running each night.
      Is it like the exetel ADSL shaping, where everything else gets slower when you p2p?

  • ajd4096 on 05/01/2010 - 15:42

    Optus coverage still sucks - I can get voice but no data here.

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 18:07

      Did you check Optus coverage map for data/voice before you signed up?

  • JakDac on 05/01/2010 - 21:04

    NO charge for VoIP DID ???
    Do we get Voip DID on this Free

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 21:33

      Yes, you can get 1 VoIP DID (to receive calls) for free.

  • flyingtrapeze on 05/01/2010 - 21:46

    I signed up today in the afternoon. I just wrote an email to submit the agent code s291. Please let you agent friend know so I can email him the order number.

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 22:18

      Sure.
      I have updated the description of the cashback offer.

      My agent friend told me that he will know you have signed up as he will have your mobile number and name (no other details). He will contact you via SMS to your mobile once you activated your new mobile.

      I asked him why one has to wait for 3 months before cashback.
      He told me that he only gets commission from Exetel after 3 months from date of activation (not date of signup).

      • flyingtrapeze on 08/01/2010 - 10:13

        exceltel just replied to confirm agent code has been added to the order
        [Exetel Billing #2059756]: Re: Thank you for choosing EXETEL HSPA ( CUST-152370 ) - 0423718232
        used to be an adsl agent myself.

  • JakDac on 05/01/2010 - 22:48

    Yes, you can get 1 VoIP DID (to receive calls) for free
    On the mobile WM A PLan can you get a DID ?

    • tg on 05/01/2010 - 23:37

      One free VoIP DID for any HSPA plans (WM A included)

  • STEVEOO6 on 06/01/2010 - 00:27

    Just so everyone knows exactly what they're getting into… it's priced at 1.5cents per MB (but what's an MB)… an MB, as stated on their page is 1000000 bytes NOTE: this is not the same as a megabyte, there are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, and 1024 kilobytes in a megabyte… so you're actually paying 1.5cents for 97.65% (1000/1024) of a megabyte (which is 97.65% of a kilobyte)… if you factor in gigabytes then it's another 97.65%…

    additionally… it says it rounds you to the nearest "megabyte"… so does that mean that they can round you to 1024 kilobytes, then charge you 1.5cents per 1000 kilobytes… putting you at 1.536cents

    it's probably a really confusing post… but just have a look at their definitions of MB and GB and it should make sense… if someone could be bothered crunching the numbers to get exact pricing details, that would be great… i would but i'm feeling cbf

    • samfisher5986 on 06/01/2010 - 03:03

      why does it matter?

      all internet data seems to be calculated this way, so it shouldn't matter if anyone knows hows its calculated or not.

      • STEVEOO6 on 06/01/2010 - 03:35

        it's simply so you can determine how much your data usage will cost you… if you have a program monitoring monthly download/upload, and it tells you that you've used 40 megabytes (41,943,040 bytes) over the past month… you can work out that it'll cost you 62.91456 cents (as opposed to 60 cents)

        the problem is that all internet data is not calculated this way… if you have a monitoring program converting at a different rate any estimates made would be off

  • STEVEOO6 on 06/01/2010 - 00:34
    +3

    okay so i decided to crunch the numbers after all…

    there are 1,048,576 bytes in a megabyte…

    since exetel charge 1.5 per 1,000,000 bytes, you actually pay

    1.5cents for 95.367% of a megabyte

    thus you actually pay 1.572864cents per real megabyte

    it's clearly not much more (roughly a dollar extra per gb ~$16 instead of ~$15)… but the point of the exercise was to make sure you read and understand everything

    • soupiejr on 06/01/2010 - 11:04

      voted +ve for the time taken to calculate this :)

      I especially liked how you put 6 figures behind the decimal point instead of just 5.

  • tg on 06/01/2010 - 11:44
    +1

    With the introduction of refundable $25 activation fee, the minimum monthly cost is not $0 any more.
    Based on 6% p.a. interests you can get from the $25,

    $25 x 6% = $1.5
    $1.5 / 12 = 12.5c

    So basically you are paying 12.5c monthly fee on WM A/B plans.

    With agent's $10 rebase after 3 months
    $25 - $10 = $15
    $15 x 6% = 90c
    90c / 12 = 7.5c

    So basically you are paying 12.5c monthly fee for first 3 months,
    and then 7.5c for subsequent months.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/01/2010 - 12:09

      Not to hijack this thread but where can you get 6% at call or are you saying TD - if TD then there are minimums to deposit….and BTW would the 12.5c be rounded down or up?? LOL

      • freddy on 06/01/2010 - 12:39

        For anyone who has a mortgage, increased spend means less off the mortgage, so paying ~6%.
        Or think of it as a redraw.

    • 0 0 0 on 07/01/2010 - 23:39

      Very poor taste with exetel doing a switch on their website and charging me the $25 fee even though I signed up when it clearly stated that there was $0 charge.
      I've sent through an email to 'please explain' and demanded my $25 back.

      $25 from each signup may not seem like a lot but it all adds up and they're just using it to improve the balance sheet of their company. 1000 signups = $25k. If they go belly-up then they've just managed to steal a little bit from everyone. Very dodgy.

      • YesPleaseThankYou on 08/01/2010 - 08:16

        This is what happened when the last lot of customers ask for refunds: http://johnl.blogs.exetel.com.au/index.php?/archives/3511-Ch…

        • randoom on 08/01/2010 - 08:46

          Just FYI to anyone trying to click that link, there are supposed to be 6 periods at the end of the URL and for whatever reason something munches those into 2 ellipses. There's also a search on the page. Cheers for the link.

      • stumo on 13/01/2010 - 17:10

        Did you get anywhere with this? I'm in the same boat and signed up before the bait 'n switch. Now my SIMs have arrived and I want to know if they are worth activating now that they are thinking about charging me $25.

        • YesPleaseThankYou on 13/01/2010 - 17:59

          It is typical of Exetel to change the rules at a whim.

          Be very careful!

      • YesPleaseThankYou on 05/02/2010 - 16:52

        Well, it turns out that the:

        "refundable $25 activation fee"

        is not so refundable.

        Exetel is now claiming what is termed as a

        "+ Security Deposit of $25.00 required on sign up refunded when the customer terminates the service"

        on the website, is actually an "Activation Charge" and is non-refundable.

        Anyone who has signed up for a WM-A or WM-B plan should contact Exetel and seek clarfication. You'll see what I mean.

        You will also note that the wording on the Tax Invoice is not "Security Deposit", it is "HSPA Activation Charge".

  • randoom on 15/01/2010 - 09:06

    Just received my SIM, have just activated it last night but haven't been charged anything yet. Interestingly, the Members online page said that my payment for activation had been successful (umm, nothing out of my account yet?). I guess we'll see.

  • EarthMan on 04/02/2010 - 02:00

    I don't see any reference to included VOIP DID number with WM A/B plans ! Has it been removed

  • EarthMan on 10/02/2010 - 14:05

    For existing Exetel users, do you get charged separately to your ADSL service or combined ?

    • TheWiz on 10/02/2010 - 14:17

      Combined.

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