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FAQ - ADSL Transfer / Churn

This document is copyright © 2004 by Simon Hackett and Internode Systems Pty Ltd.
Copying of this document in whole or in part is not permitted without prior written permission.

What is DSL Transfer (Churn)?

DSL Transfer, also called DSL churn, refers to the process of changing between two ADSL Internet Service Providers, where both providers participate in a Telstra-provided changeover (or 'churn') process. The process is designed to make that changeover smooth and simple.

Until the release of the churn process, the only way you could change to Internode from an existing ADSL provider was to cancel with your old provider, wait until the cancellation had taken effect, and then sign up with Internode.

This old process meant that you had to pay Internode a full new 'signup' fee, and that you have to suffer potential downtime while the old service is disconnected, until the new Internode service is activated.

The Churn process is a much better way to change over to Internode if you have an ADSL service with an existing ADSL provider, and if they are also a participant in the process.

The process has these great features:

  • No need to cancel with your old provider before signing up with Internode .. However, it is a very good idea to contact them AFTER the churn has been successfully completed to finalise your account with them - especially if they enforce a notice period for cancellation.
  • Just sign up with Internode and your old service is cancelled and your new Internode service is turned on at the same time - in one step - with very little downtime (typically an hour or two).

     The churn process typically takes around 3-5 business days to complete, from the day on which you apply with Internode - and we confirm the exact churn date once the churn order has been submitted to Telstra. This is, however, not guaranteed.

    We suggest that you order the churn to Internode around  8-10 days before the end of your current charging period with your current ISP, to minimise the potential for additional monthly charges from your current ISP during the transition process
  • The cost is substantially lower than paying a new setup fee to Internode.
  • You don't need to coordinate the changeover with your old ISP, we do all the work for you! however it is a very good idea to contact your old ISP AFTER the churn has been successfully completed to finalise your account with them - especially if they enforce a notice period for cancellation.
  • Once your service has been confirmed, a message will be sent to you detailing your username and password. This message will be sent to you via email and/or SMS and/or fax.

What does it cost to use the Churn process to change to Internode?

When churning into Internode from other ADSL providers who support the Churn process, you will get a reduced setup fee of $39.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You may owe your existing provider a cancellation or contract break fee if you are leaving them prior to the expiry of your current contract. See here for more information.

What are the wrinkles in the process?

Nothing is ever quite perfect, and this is the case here as well :)

If you are leaving BigPond, this new fast, low cost changeover process is available to you now - don't just sit there, sign up with Internode :)

If you are with another ADSL provider and you want to change to Internode, the new fast churn process is only available if your existing ISP is a also participant in the churn process.

Right now, about the only way to figure out whether your existing ISP is using the new churn process is to ask them (or perhaps to consult their web site).

If you are sure that your existing ISP is NOT a participant in the churn process at this time, and you wish to join Internode, then you need to use the old, two-step process: Cancel with your existing provider, and then sign up with Internode, and pay the full Internode setup fee. Sorry.

How do I use the Churn process to sign up?

Its very easy. If your existing ISP participates in the churn process (including Telstra BigPond ADSL), just use our online signup form to sign up, type in the name of your existing ISP in the box provided on the form, and that's it!

To use the churn process, it is important that you do NOT cancel with your old ISP first - or the churn process will fail to work and you will have to pay a full setup fee to Internode.

If, and only if, you want to do it the 'old' two-step way (or you have to because your old ISP isn't yet 'playing'), then you should cancel with your old ISP before signing up with Internode.

If you are not sure whether your old ISP is a participant in the process, just sign up with Internode, tell us the name of your old ISP, and do not contact them directly to cancel.

If we can churn you, we will.

If we can't churn you, we'll automatically try to sign you up 'normally' instead - you don't need to take extra actions at this point.

If that 'normal' signup fails, for instance because your existing ISP is not a participant in the churn process yet, then we'll contact you about it.

At that point, you will just need to explicitly cancel with your old provider and ask us to re-order your Internode ADSL . In this latter case, the normal setup fee will apply as there will have been no 'churn' achieved, meaning we will have had to pay a full setup fee to Telstra to connect up your service.

What are my obligations to my old ADSL provider?

It is really important to appreciate that your contractual and legal obligations to your old provider are not avoided in any manner if you change to Internode using the churn process.

Using the churn process is, legally, exactly the same as if you had explicitly called your old ISP and cancelled with them - any remaining contract service fees, contract break fees or other charges you may currently owe your old ISP remain fully payable to your old ISP.

We are not responsible for those charges, you are.

The new process is more convenient, and it allows us to avoid having to charge you a full Internode setup fee to join Internode - but that's it - but even though we effectively give 'notice' to your old ISP on your behalf, the consequences of this are entirely your own to deal with.

Please make 100% certain that you understand the contract break fees that apply to leave your old ISP (if any) before you sign with Internode.

How does the Churn process work in terms of my Internode bill?

When you join Internode by churning to us from another provider, such as BigPond, this is what we do:

  • We first connect you up and we charge our churn setup fee and monthly fees with our normal charging timing, as per our billing faq.
  • If we can NOT change you to Internode using the new churn process (which means that your existing ISP is not a participant yet), then you will need to call us and explicitly ask us to re-lodge your order as a normal order, we'll then sign you up 'from scratch' (either because your service is completely new, or because your old ISP isn't yet playing in the churn process),then the normal Internode setup fee will apply, however If we can make the churn process work for you, we will - so if you are unsure, get us to try!
  • If you don't get churned but you are certain that your old ISP participates in the churn process, just contact our sales department and let them know, and they'll chase it up with Telstra on your behalf.

    (We don't expect this to be an issue in practice, but because the underlying Telstra process is new, its possible that we might need to manually handle a small subset of cases where wheels do not turn perfectly for you. In such situations, don't panic, just contact us and we'll deal with the situation manually for you)

Does the churn take any longer if you wish to change to a different line speed as a part of churning to Internode?

No. Its all done at the same time, in the same one-step changeover. It doesn't cause any extra downtime.

We also don't charge you any extra if your chosen new line speed is different to the one you have with your current provider.

In particular, our current $39 setup fee churn offer applies, regardless of whether you are also changing line speed in the process!

If I move house i.e. change phone lines, does the churn process cover this as well? Basically will it be cheaper to move from Internode to Internode?

No. Why not? Because this isn't a churn.

A churn is a change of the ISP 'owning' a line, where the physical line hasn't changed - i.e. in the same property.

Telstra have no concept of a 'move of house' as something that includes any consideration of ADSL whatsoever. This is a whole new area where the battle to get Telstra to do something special/generous/reasonable hasn't even begun, unfortunately.

If you change premises (even if you manage to keep your old number because you're nearby), the new ADSL service you establish in your new place is a completely new service as far as Telstra is concerned. It is 100% independent of the existing/old one.

Don't think about it as a move of house. Think of it as a completely new connection - because unfortunately, it is.

The only (minor) positive about this is that it means you can get the new one operational before you cancel the old one.

And is it possible to keep all the current settings (username,webmail, webspace, etc)?

Yes. We do what we can, despite the above, including being perfectly happy to preserve your existing email address and other account characteristics when you do move house.

What our folk do is establish your new ADSL service using temporary usernames etc, and then once it is up and you move, then 'flip' them over, and then shut down the old one.

A pain in the neck for all concerned - but we really do try to do what we can to smooth the waters here. Unfortunately the only thing we can't do is waive the new setup fee, because its a totally new setup at the Telstra side - and we are slugged accordingly.

Hope that makes sense. I know it isn't great - just be clear that its not our doing.

I strongly advise that you call our office during office hours and ask to speak to one of our sales folk about how you can arrange to move house and set up ADSL in your new place (if possible!).