[LINK] Bigpond ad -- bad maths

Thu Jul 30 14:13:14 AEST 2009

I agree it is somewhat misleading, but all the Bigpond materials I have
looked at make a big song and dance about the rate for the first 12 months
(50% off for that period) if you sign up for 36 months.
I can't imagine anybody wanting to sign a 36month deal in telco, but
apparently there are many.
Regards,
Michael Skeggs

2009/7/30 Jan Whitaker <jwhit at melbpc.org.au>

> At 01:13 PM 30/07/2009, Scott Howard wrote:
>
> >So either their fine print is simply wrong, or you're misreading it and
> it's
> >showing the "normal" price which applies after the 12 month mark.
>
> That's all well and good, but like most tv offers, that's not what
> they say. The fine print is unreadable. They also don't provide a
> website, they provide a 1300 number. I didn't try that number, but I
> can imagine that it's a hard sell call centre. I'll keep my eyes open
> for the ad again. It's one of those set-ups with two women oo-ing and
> ah-ing over what a great deal it is and how marvelous it is to be
> able to have everyone in the house doing different things online at
> the same time.
>
> On a different page on that website it says:
> Minimum cost on $59.95 BigPond Liberty 12GB plan over 24 months is
> $2,287.79
>
> that is probably the bottom line in the tv ad. So how is this minimum
> cost $59.95 matching the bit about $29.95?
> http://www.bigpond.com/internet/plans/adsl/plans-and-offers/
> You have to have a full-service Telstra homeline [so it's a bundled
> offer by default], 12GB of data.
> Here's a fine print bit, too, from another webpage:
> http://promo.bigpond.com/homenetwork/ [homenetwork is the one on the tv
> ad]
> for the "free" homenetwork gateway [$99 I think it said elsewhere on
> one of the other pages; it's not listed on this page]
> # After bill rebate (which will appear by your second bill), when you
> stay connected for 24 months. Offer available until 15th August 2009.
>
> Then there's this:
> ADSL 1 port modems and Home Network Gateways which are professionally
> installed or are purchased directly from us (online or over the
> phone), may be configured to work only with a BigPond or Telstra
> Business Broadband service either at the time of purchase or at a later
> date.
>
> According to this, you're locked to them!
>
> The competition must be getting to them. This ad has 6 caveats on it,
> with 5 and 6 not connected to anything on the page:
> 5. With the addition of an optional Digital Entertainer device (not
> included).
> 6. For ADSL/Cable BigPond members.
>
> Jan
>
>
> Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
> jwhit at janwhitaker.com
> blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
> business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
>
> Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or
> sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
> ~Madeline L'Engle, writer
>
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