Service providers

[Smithers]

Hi all so we have found our first base in Adelaide,rented a nice house in Dover gardens. The agent as signed us up to a company that will connect all the services into our name. Does anyone know who the cheapest provider is for gas and electricity also what are the options for the broadband? I guess we still need the house phone or does it all come in to package etc?

thanks

steve

[cliffy]

Have a look on the comparison websites to see what they offer. I recently got fairly good rates through Alinta, but my daughter tells me their customer service is terrible, whereas Origin, who we previously used had good service, but their elecetricity rates were not so good. I make sure I am not locked into a contract, so can change at any time to another supplier if I am unhappy. I also look at the basic daily supply rate charged, as this can vary greatly. Also, Summer and winter rates are different. I find it a minefield to work out whether I am getting the best deal I could.

Broadband - the first thing to do is find out if you can get ADSL 2 at the address, or what is available. Most companies give an inclusive charge for broadband and landline and the caps are quite generous. I like Internode, because they have a local call centre and I have always had good service from them,but not sure how long that will last now they have been taken over.

[Rammygirl]

I picked energy contracts I could change easily when I had time to study it properly as they are very hard to compare. With broadband you need to check first what service you can get, there are bundles with TV and landlines and even mobiles available. It will depend on how you use it. We went for unlimited broadband as we stream a lot and face time/ Skype a lot, it also gives cheap calls abroad too.

[KennyKen]

I also live in Dover Gardens and we use Altinta for Elec. Origin for Gas. Adam Internet for ADSL!

[snifter]

We use Internode and pay $30 a month for each of our phones and $60 a month for internet. Got great bandwidth limit with it which helps.

 

Check how far you are from your exchange as we have found this to be problematic in some areas if too far away, internet is slower.

 

FWIW, we don't bother with a home landline anymore, not had one since we got here. Just use mobiles and if we need to we put credit on Skype and use that now and again for calls.

[DougM]

......... Adam Internet for ADSL!

 

Used to be but since they were sold out to IInet their service is deplorable. We've recently swapped to Optusnet, unfortunately, not mush better.

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

We were with Adam internet for may years but their service when something went wrong was shocking.

Changed to TPG and now have unlimited broadband...you can get a phone through them as part of a package with unlimited calls depending upon the package.

 

The utility companies may offer you bigger discounts if you speak to them directly. We are with origin at the moment and my daughter is with Dodo. We were with AGL for a long time but origin offered a better rate and bigger discount. You can also get additional discounts for having electricity and gas (if the house has gas) and you can get pay on time discounts and direct debit discounts.

There are comparison websites like Moneyhound that may be useful.