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In New Zealand, when phones are reported lost or stolen, they are blacklisted within 48 hours. You can use the serial number to check if a device has been blacklisted at mindyourmobile.co.nz.
Even if a device is not showing as blacklisted when you check the serial number, there is a chance it can be blacklisted in the future if the person who sells it to you has obtained it through fraud.
The only way to be sure your device is not stolen is to buy through a mobile provider or a reputable retail store.
If you call your mobile provider immediately once your device is stolen, they can put a temporary block on the number to prevent any calls or charges being made to your account.
Your provider can also provide you with the IMEI, or serial number of the device, which you can use to file a report with the police. If your phone is handed in, the police will contact you once they match the serial number with your report.
In the meantime, it’s always worth checking places you’ve recently visited.
Many people believe that second-hand devices are just as valuable as when they were purchased new. Unfortunately, like cars, they lose value very quickly, so you may not recover much of the original cost of the device.
Even when devices are out-of-date, they still have valuable minerals and can be recycled rather than added to landfill waste. Visit remobile.org.nz to donate your second-hand device for recycling, with 100% of the proceeds going to environmental charity partner Sustainable Coastlines.
You would be surprised how many structures and devices in your home can affect the performance of your Wi-Fi, even electric fences!
Watch this short video to learn about factors within your home and surrounding environment that can impact on your broadband performance.
Your internet performance may be affected by factors beyond your service provider’s control, both inside and outside your home.
Visit our Broadband Performance information help centre to learn about connection, hardware and environmental factors that slow your internet speed, and find out how to troubleshoot and fix these issues yourself.
Connecting to fibre is a complicated process that involves some construction work. That’s because fibre is a new technology that needs to be installed, rather than a new service over old technology, such as VDSL which runs over the legacy copper network already available at most addresses.
Once fibre is available on your street, to connect to it you must have a cable installed from the roadside connection to the outside of your house, a network termination box (ONT) is installed inside your house, and then the ONT must be connected to a fibre-capable modem.
Many factors affect internet performance, and there are some factors which are specific to fibre, because fibre requires a network termination box as well as a modem which need to be placed in the correct position to obtain the best service possible.
Visit letstalktelco.nz to find out more about the fibre installation process.
When you move house, you should call your existing provider in advance and inform them of the date of your move, so you are not charged for the services while you’re not using them, and to avoid delays getting new services connected.
If you are cancelling your services, make sure you read your contract as there may be early termination charges to pay.
While it’s possible that your telco provider may ring you if you have an overdue account, if you receive an unexpected call asking for credit card information, write down the details of the call but don’t give out any bank or credit card information.
Instead, look up the registered number of your provider, call them, and check the status of your account and the details provided in the call you received are correct.
If the account is in arrears the most secure way to make payment is by online banking.
Posting on a public forum such as social media or a petition website is unlikely to help your telco provider solve your issue quickly and easily.
You should always complain to your telco provider first. Where you are not happy with their solution, contact Telecommunication Dispute Resolution (TDR), an independent disputes resolution service which is free for consumers and small businesses to use.
Visit tdr.org.nz for more information.
You like the services technology brings you, but you don't want to spend time thinking about it - you just want it all to work!
The telecommunications industry is complex and there are many ways consumers can learn to help themselves and improve the quality of services they receive.
Visit letstalktelco.nz to find out useful tips and tricks to get the best from your telco services provider
You may not have all the answers yet, but you're on your way to becoming a Telco Guru!
The telecommunications industry is complex and there are many ways consumers can learn to help themselves and improve the quality of services they receive.
Visit letstalktelco.nz to find out useful tips and tricks to get the best from your telco services provider
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