On 29/03/2011 10:48 a.m., Glen Eustace wrote:

Thanks to Paul Brislen (TUANZ) we have now found out who the 'new provider' is.

Any chance you'd consider sharing this? It will happen to someone else one of us knows and it would save a lot of shenanigans to be able to contact them right away. Cheers, Gerard

There was a story that when slamming was first invented in the US, somebody started a virtual phone company called "I don't care". Then they would call a punter, ask "What phone company do you want to use?". If the punter replied "I don't care" they grabbed the account. It seems that in NZ, even this trick is unnecessary. Regards Brian Carpenter On 2011-03-29 11:52, Glen Eustace wrote:

On 03/29/2011 11:17 AM, Gerard Creamer wrote:

...

...

Thanks to Paul Brislen (TUANZ) we have now found out who the 'new provider' is.

Any chance you'd consider sharing this? It will happen to someone else one of us knows and it would save a lot of shenanigans to be able to contact them right away.

Probably but not yet. I would like them to have the opportunity of 'fessing up' first. And I agree that 'It will happen to someone else' which is why I believe that the system needs to be changed.

Paul commented, off-list, that the Electricity Industry had a similar process and in the early days it was abused as well. They have got themselves sorted out, the Telco industry needs to do the same. It can't be that hard.

For what it's worth I will be writing to all the telcos to suggest this kind of thing is unacceptable and that we take a dim view of such nonsense. And if any more cases pop up I will explain it all to Fair Go and let them loose on the matter. They love a good juicy scam and it's been weeks since they had a telco in their sights. Cheers Paul Sent from my iPhone On 29/03/2011, at 9:06 PM, "Steve Holdoway" wrote:

Interestingly, i had a call from someone who told me my business phone calls would be loads cheaper next week...

It's frustrating... even though I couldn't get any sense out of them and she ended up hanging up on me... I still worry that my account may now have been grabbed in a similar manner.

Steve

On Tue, 2011-03-29 at 19:51 +1300, Brian E Carpenter wrote:

...

There was a story that when slamming was first invented in the US, somebody started a virtual phone company called "I don't care". Then they would call a punter, ask "What phone company do you want to use?". If the punter replied "I don't care" they grabbed the account.

It seems that in NZ, even this trick is unnecessary.

Regards Brian Carpenter

On 2011-03-29 11:52, Glen Eustace wrote:

...

On 03/29/2011 11:17 AM, Gerard Creamer wrote:

...

...

Thanks to Paul Brislen (TUANZ) we have now found out who the 'new provider' is.

Any chance you'd consider sharing this? It will happen to someone else one of us knows and it would save a lot of shenanigans to be able to contact them right away.

Probably but not yet. I would like them to have the opportunity of 'fessing up' first. And I agree that 'It will happen to someone else' which is why I believe that the system needs to be changed.

Paul commented, off-list, that the Electricity Industry had a similar process and in the early days it was abused as well. They have got themselves sorted out, the Telco industry needs to do the same. It can't be that hard.

_______________________________________________ NZNOG mailing list NZNOG(a)list.waikato.ac.nz http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/nznog

-- Steve Holdoway http://www.greengecko.co.nz MSN: steve(a)greengecko.co.nz Skype: sholdowa

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When a user gets a domain name they get a unique key called a UDAI (Unique Domain Authentication ID) which needs to be quoted to allow a new registrar to take over handling a domain.

Whilst in principle this could work, we might get a similar situation where web design companies seem to transfer domains to a registrar of their choice having obtained the UDAI from the customer who didn't really understand what was going on. i.e. Telco: So, you want this cool new cellphone, thats great and we will need your landline UDAI too. Client: Why? Telco: Oh, you know, it just makes things easier and you'll get your new phone up and running much quicker. Client: Oh, OK its abc123. Are you sure you need it? Telco: Yes, don't worry we'll get it all sorted for you. ... ... -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Glen Eustace GodZone Internet Services, a division of AGRE Enterprises Ltd. P.O. Box 8020, Palmerston North, New Zealand 4446. Ph: +64 6 357 8168, Fax +64 6 357 8165, Mob: +64 27 542 4015 http://www.godzone.net.nz "A Ministry specialising in providing low-cost Internet Services to NZ Christian Churches, Ministries and Organisations."

Good idea. Happy to take that up If there's a need. Sent from my iPhone On 30/03/2011, at 8:06 AM, "Andy Linton" wrote:

On 29/03/11 Tue, Mar 29, 21:33, Paul Brislen wrote:

...

For what it's worth I will be writing to all the telcos to suggest this kind of thing is unacceptable and that we take a dim view of such nonsense.

And if any more cases pop up I will explain it all to Fair Go and let them loose on the matter. They love a good juicy scam and it's been weeks since they had a telco in their sights.

Cheers Paul

Paul,

I wonder if there's scope here for a scheme like the one we use with .nz domain names.

When a user gets a domain name they get a unique key called a UDAI (Unique Domain Authentication ID) which needs to be quoted to allow a new registrar to take over handling a domain.

Or in the mobile space the use of the PUK code.

Surely it's not beyond the telcos to devise something that handles land lines like this.

andy _______________________________________________ NZNOG mailing list NZNOG(a)list.waikato.ac.nz http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/nznog

Bloody hell! Any other stories? Sent from my iPhone On 30/03/2011, at 10:02 AM, "Brian Gibbons" wrote:

Hi Paul

Back on this side of the fence eh :)

Here's one for your list - TelstraClear.

They offered my wife a new calling plan, she agreed but knowing I was anal about broadband confirmed that this was not affected or part of the deal. My broadband at home died, it took me a while to work out why, but being an ISP certainly helped.

TelstraClear had "unbundled" the local exchange, moved my copper/POTS to their gear in the exchange and in the process killed UBS/DSL. They refused to put it back the way it was on the basis that I could move my broadband to them.

I had to order a new Telecom truck, pull my number back and order a new UBS to get back Telecom DSL, not a cheap exercise.

I'm taking them to court...

Cheers

BG

On 29/03/2011 9:33 p.m., Paul Brislen wrote:

...

For what it's worth I will be writing to all the telcos to suggest this kind of thing is unacceptable and that we take a dim view of such nonsense.

And if any more cases pop up I will explain it all to Fair Go and let them loose on the matter. They love a good juicy scam and it's been weeks since they had a telco in their sights.

Cheers Paul

Sent from my iPhone

On 29/03/2011, at 9:06 PM, "Steve Holdoway" wrote:

...

Interestingly, i had a call from someone who told me my business phone calls would be loads cheaper next week...

It's frustrating... even though I couldn't get any sense out of them and she ended up hanging up on me... I still worry that my account may now have been grabbed in a similar manner.

Steve

On Tue, 2011-03-29 at 19:51 +1300, Brian E Carpenter wrote:

...

There was a story that when slamming was first invented in the US, somebody started a virtual phone company called "I don't care". Then they would call a punter, ask "What phone company do you want to use?". If the punter replied "I don't care" they grabbed the account.

It seems that in NZ, even this trick is unnecessary.

Regards Brian Carpenter

On 2011-03-29 11:52, Glen Eustace wrote:

...

On 03/29/2011 11:17 AM, Gerard Creamer wrote:

...

> Thanks to Paul Brislen (TUANZ) we have now found out who the 'new > provider' is. Any chance you'd consider sharing this? It will happen to someone else one of us knows and it would save a lot of shenanigans to be able to contact them right away. Probably but not yet. I would like them to have the opportunity of 'fessing up' first. And I agree that 'It will happen to someone else' which is why I believe that the system needs to be changed.

Paul commented, off-list, that the Electricity Industry had a similar process and in the early days it was abused as well. They have got themselves sorted out, the Telco industry needs to do the same. It can't be that hard.

_______________________________________________ NZNOG mailing list NZNOG(a)list.waikato.ac.nz http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/nznog -- Steve Holdoway http://www.greengecko.co.nz MSN: steve(a)greengecko.co.nz Skype: sholdowa

_______________________________________________ NZNOG mailing list NZNOG(a)list.waikato.ac.nz http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/nznog

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_____________________________________________________________________ This e-mail message has passed virus scanning by Outersite Technology. _______________________________________________ NZNOG mailing list NZNOG(a)list.waikato.ac.nz http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/nznog

I said I would name the slammer. We have been trying to get things sorted with them but it really has been an exercise in frustration. It has reached the point where I am not sure that an amicable resolution is ever going to happen. The company concerned is Compass Communications. I would like to thank them for removing my daughters telephone landline service for 10 days and denying her broadband access for nearly a month, for lousy customer service, i.e. no follow up after the unauthorised transfer that prevented her from knowing who the services had been transferred to, for having a truly excellent version of "telephone pass-the-parcel" in their Customer Services team that always seems to end in someone dropping the ball, for not recognising that they screwed the pouch on this one and trying to get back some kudos by helping with the resolution. I would also like to thank Telecom NZ for initially doing everything they seemed to be able to do to assist within, what I consider to be, a seriously flawed system and for providing a timely remedy in the form of a new phone line and service both landline and broadband at no charge. It would seem that Telecom have learned the lessons of old, "that service is what counts". -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Glen and Rosanne Eustace, GodZone Internet Services, a division of AGRE Enterprises Ltd., P.O. Box 8020, Palmerston North, New Zealand 4446 Ph: +64 6 357 8168, Fax: +64 6 357 8165, Mob: +64 27 542 4015 "A Ministry specialising in providing low-cost professional Internet Services to NZ Christian Churches, Ministries and Organisations"

Excellent. Our strongest defence appears to be incompetence. Choice. Sent from my iPhone On 30/03/2011, at 10:27 AM, "Glen Eustace" wrote:

On 03/30/2011 09:46 AM, Brian Gibbons wrote:

...

They offered my wife a new calling plan, she agreed but knowing I was anal about broadband confirmed that this was not affected or part of the deal. My broadband at home died, it took me a while to work out why, but being an ISP certainly helped.

In my daughters case, if the Telco involved had managed to pull the service without breaking it, she would never have known the landline had moved (a 12 day outage is a bit hard not to notice), she would have been ringing Telecom to find out what had happened to the broadband.

So in both of these cases, had broadband not been involved. The customer would only know the service had moved when the new provider tried to collect payment.

-- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Glen Eustace GodZone Internet Services, a division of AGRE Enterprises Ltd. P.O. Box 8020, Palmerston North, New Zealand 4446. Ph: +64 6 357 8168, Fax +64 6 357 8165, Mob: +64 27 542 4015 http://www.godzone.net.nz

"A Ministry specialising in providing low-cost Internet Services to NZ Christian Churches, Ministries and Organisations." _______________________________________________ NZNOG mailing list NZNOG(a)list.waikato.ac.nz http://list.waikato.ac.nz/mailman/listinfo/nznog