Modification To 'Shaping' Option

[ForumAdmin]

The shaping option has proven to be very popular since it was introduced with over 12% of ADSL1 and ADSL2 customers selecting it on at least one time period.

However, as with all good and sensible ideas that are designed to benefit the customer it is being abused by a few customers, and abused quite substantially.

Therefore we are modifying the basis on which the 'shaped' option operates which will not, in any way, inconvenience the people who genuinely want a 'safety net' to protect them for additional cost in going over their plan download inclusion but will stop the abusers.

We will modify the text on the User Facilities page used to select the shaped/not shaped options as follows (amended text is in 'bold'):

Option To Select Restricted Speed After Either Period's Quota Is Reached

The default setting for your ADSL or Wireless plan is to allow you to exceed your plans included peak and off peak downloads and to be charged $3.00 per gigabyte or part thereof for downloads in each separate period. The below boxes are therefore set as 'unchecked' as the default.

You can also elect to have your line speed restricted to 64 kbps after you reach either or both of your peak and off peak download inclusions. This selection will slow your access for the remainder of that calendar month for 2 gigabytes additional downloads to allow you to freely access your email and web browse and do minor downloads. It is not intended that you abuse this option by continuing to use your ‘shaped’ service to download as much as you can.

Therefore, if you have selected the ‘shaped’ option it is valid for a further 2 gigabytes of downloads for the remainder of the calendar month. Once you download more than 2 gigabytes you will then be charged $6.00 per gigabyte or part gigabyte in either period.

We believe this will continue to be of benefit to genuine customers who want to safeguard their monthly payments but will eliminate the abuse that is currently in place by a disappointing number of Exetel customers.

This change will come in to effect from November 1st 2008.

[Dazzled]

Sorry FA, but is that: it costs you $6 now, or should it say return to $3?

[ForumAdmin]

Sorry FA, but is that: it costs you $6 now, or should it say return to $3?

You are correct - I will get the web site text amended. It means if you select the shaping option and then go over the 2 gigabyte buffer you will pay $6.00 per gb or part thereof (not $3.00 per gb as in the non shaped option).

[vk3xem]

Sounds more than fair to me. The way I look at it is if you are continually going over your monthly quota it is time to review your plan or usage.

[ForumAdmin]

Sounds more than fair to me. The way I look at it is if you are continually going over your monthly quota it is time to review your plan or usage.

Exactly the view we take - and that most people take in selecting the shaped plan - they just want to guard against extra charges if they go over their plan's quota by a small amount. (2 gb is a very generous "small amount").

[flak]

Will the shaping actually work?

In the past I have gone significantly over my quota simply by queueing downloads on the last day of the month, expecting to use up the remiander of my quota and then be shaped. Instead I have not been significantly shaped and ended up downloading large amounts at ADSL2+ speeds.

If the shaping doesn't work (ie actually shape the connection to the advertised speed), this new system could prove very costly for those with decent ADSL2+ speeds and defeat the purpose of chosing shaping

[Rex Nebular]

defeat the purpose of chosing shaping

It will still give you an extra 2GB but it could get expensive if you aren't careful. I suggest you stop your downloads on or before you reach your limit. Browsing goes to poop when shaped but some downloads can still be very fast, especially if there are Australian seeds/sources. It can take hours for shaping to come into effect but on the other hand it can hours to be unshaped on the 1st of the month. It never seemed like a 64 kbps hard shape, I thought it was just a leechers pool.

[marrow]

I always wondered if those with really fast connections would abuse shaping

Question answered

I agree with the Change Exetel

[PM]

Great idea. Will be "interesting" to read the banter/whinging on the Whirlpool forum.
Personally I would have set the after shaping limit to 100MB. 2GB is too generous.
One can do a lot of web surfing and email on 100MB.

[Col]

I think this is a very good idea. 2GB is a generous buffer for most people, and if they go over that too often they really need to think about upgrading their plan.

Is that 2GB per period or in total?
Does the speed of the connection stay shaped once you pass 2GB and start paying at $6/GB? Can people be directed to a webpage once they hit that 2GB to warn them?
How about giving an option of "cutting off" the connection for the rest of the month instead once you pass the 2GB (like when you run out of credit on the new concept plans)?

[Rex Nebular]

How about giving an option of "cutting off" the connection for the rest of the month instead once you pass the 2GB?

You have that option, just unplug your modem

It would be reasonable to auto cut off if the user was racking up a huge bill and that was out of the ordinary. Any cut off option would need to support a custom GB amount and might be good even for the $3/GB plan (no shaping).

[austdata]

This selection will slow your access for the remainder of that calendar month for 2 gigabytes additional downloads to allow you to freely access your email and web browse and do minor downloads. It is not intended that you abuse this option by continuing to use your ‘shaped’ service to download as much as you can.

Very generous free excess quota FA, that's a terrific idea.

Therefore, if you have selected the ‘shaped’ option it is valid for a further 2 gigabytes of downloads for the remainder of the calendar month. Once you download more than 2 gigabytes you will then be charged $6.00 per gigabyte or part gigabyte in either period.

Wow, I like that! If customers keep abusing my resources and costing me money I want to make them pay too. Are we sure just doubling the price to these mongrels is enough to recoup costs and "encourage" them to pay for what they bloody well use?

Cheers,

Mike

[Gidget]

Personally I would have set the after shaping limit to 100MB. 2GB is too generous.One can do a lot of web surfing and email on 100MB.

By the way, 1 GB is 1,000 MB not 100 MB 2 GB is therefore even more generous than you might think

Gidget

[peterh_oz]

If the shaping actually turned on at the time you hit your limit, it'd be pretty difficult to run up a huge download quota surely? Are these huge data users actually NOT being shaped, and continuing on full speed for hours or days, thus adding multiple Gb? Or am I missing something?

Whilst I support the idea in general, I would want some assurance that the 2Gb wasn't counted until my speed ACTUALLY SLOWED. If I have a radio or video running which threw me over the limit, I would expect something to trigger that my Gb has now started. The fact that my download has now slowed to a trickle would be enough. What I wouldn't want is to be out for the day, and then come home and find that the kids had used up the whole 2Gb in a couple of hours of downloading. At least if it is slowed to a trickle (64k) then if there WAS something running, it wouldn't get too far without me being able to turn it off.

I know my usage is my responsibility, and I accept that, however if I am to be slowed for 2Gb then I expect to actually BE slowed at the start of the 2Gb warning period. Not to find that "oh you've gone over your limit, and you've used your 2Gb warning period so you're now being charged $6 per Gb, even though your usage wasn't slowed and you didn't realise".

[ForumAdmin]

Will the shaping actually work?

In the past I have gone significantly over my quota simply by queueing downloads on the last day of the month, expecting to use up the remiander of my quota and then be shaped. Instead I have not been significantly shaped and ended up downloading large amounts at ADSL2+ speeds.

If the shaping doesn't work (ie actually shape the connection to the advertised speed), this new system could prove very costly for those with decent ADSL2+ speeds and defeat the purpose of chosing shaping

Once you download 1 gb of the shaping allowance the system will automatically block you with a 'block page' that tells you you are half way through your allowance and suggesting that you stop downloading large files.

Once you reach the 2 gb alowance you will again be blocked and told that if you continue to use the service you will incur the $6.00 per gb charge.