[LINK] shafted by my ISP [iinet]: how often does this happen in Australia?

[Andrew Thornton]

                    Hello
                            IInet has engaged in unethical and 
unprofessional business ethics of a level that I have never come across 
before:

                            I have had adsl2 with them for about 6 years 
without any problems. A month ago my internet for some reason slowed 
down to 1995 dial up speed. So I phoned iinet. For 3 weeks they ran me 
around doing isolation tests, checking phone lines, checking for malware 
etc each time blaming me for the slow down. Only about a week ago, after 
I had spent 1000 bucks on a new router, electricians and so on, did 
iinet admit that it is 100% their fault at their end. Two pieces of 
evidence made it impossible for them to deny it: [1] I found a pattern 
that my internet is at normal speed until 8 am when it plunges to a 
crawl and [2] I get normal speed at any time if I go into iinet ftp 
sections but I get a lousy crawl elsewhere on the net. So I lodged a 
fault and I have got no feedback from this a week later. I have 
submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman. iinet have 2 weeks to respond. 
They won't respond. I no longer exist as far as iinet are concerned. 
Never mind that this morning I received the auto debit charge of 59 
dollars 95. 59.95 for what??????? Where is the Monty Python skit? I had 
to harass their finance dept a few days ago to get a pro rata refund. 
They better have kept to that.

                           The deadline of 2 weeks may become moot if I 
leave these clowns. But that is complex as I am in a 2 person business 
in which I don't own the internet account. In the meantime pages take 20 
minutes to load and the video content that I paid for on Lynda and 
Digital Tutors is useless; I am a digital modeller who uses Zbrush. It 
is more luck than management that I am not being damaged more by my 
inability to use video content.

                           Anyway, to me there is only 1 explanation 
that makes sense: iinet have shafted me. I am a low GB user; I use about 
30 GB a month. They have done a flag scan of all low-use accounts. Then 
they have given them to spotty nosed gamers who give iinet more cash. 
This points to the unethical profiteering at all costs, anti-customer 
ethos of both iinet and their head honcho Michael Malone. A few days ago 
iinet had a propaganda fest open day in Perth. Their slogan was "iinet 
knows business". Sure. They know business - the business of ripping you 
off and shafting you.

                         I have also been censored by whirlpool.com.au 
where as tooold2rock I have been banned from posting in the iinet 
section of the forum. I don't care who knows that that's who am I. This 
shows the joke site that whirlpool is; it's just 1 ISP advert where free 
speech is not permitted.

                         Internet in this country has a long, long way 
to go until it is mature industry that is customer focused. Now it is a 
cabal of spivs [look at Optus' overcharging] who sell products that are 
rubbish by world standards. I say "rubbish" as someone whose internet 
use is modest. I am not a gamer. I am amazed at all of this. I had no 
idea that shafting occurred. IInet are the most ethically deprived 
company that I have used since Funk and Wagnalls in the 80's who double 
crossed me over extra books.

                       Incredible. Welcome to Australia where you DON'T 
get what you pay hard earned money for. In fact the company just turns 
around and screws you in the hunt for profit.

                      Andrew