Dealing with NBN connection delays

Can't get your NBN set up and working?

Unfortunately, waiting on your internet to connect is something many users will have to deal with at some point. The key is to have a good understanding of what you’re dealing with. In this case, it’s the NBN.  

Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) is a government funded initiative that was put in place to give Australians access to faster internet. NBN Co was created to facilitate this change and remains owned by the Australian government. All of the retailer telco providers operating in Australia offer the NBN, including the likes of Telstra, Aussie Broadband, and Optus. So when we're talking about getting your internet connected, we're talking about the NBN here (no matter what provider you're with) as NBN is the 'main source' for the internet.

Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s talk about getting your NBN connection hooked up and working. When you are moving into a new home, connecting your NBN is likely going to be one of your main priorities, along with making sure your furniture arrives, the electricity works and the water runs. Or maybe you’re not moving at all and you’ve had delays while waiting for someone to reconnect your lost NBN connection after property damage. Unfortunately, these things happen. Sometimes getting your NBN connected can take longer than it should, or you might run into trouble.

This is understandably stressful as so much of our life revolves around being connected. There’s no need to panic though! Most of us have had trouble with our internet connection at some point. With so many customers using the NBN network services, things can fall through the cracks. But just because things go wrong, it doesn’t mean they have to stay that way. Network providers will always have a system in place to assist their customers. If you know the right steps to take to get the issue fixed with your provider it doesn’t have to be a stressful process, but if you ever need more help dealing with your telco issues, we’re here to help!

Understand your NBN issue 

We get it, not being able to get your NBN connected or losing touch with your existing NBN connection can be a total nightmare. To get this resolved ASAP, the first thing you need to do is identify the issue -  being able to tell your provider what you need is critical to them being able to quickly figure out an effective solution to your problem. 

Here at Ajust, we’ve seen and helped out with lots of common problems consumers tend to run into when it comes to getting their NBN connected. From our experience, most of the problems with getting the NBN connected in the first place come from one of the following:

1. Delays in getting a new NBN connection for new builds, or repairs to a damaged connection point on existing houses. 
2. Delays in receiving NBN hardware, or missing NBN hardware.

How long does it take to get NBN connected? 

The time frame for NBN installation depends on a few different things. Generally, it will take around 4-6 weeks if you don’t have any NBN connection to your home at all. However, if you already have some of the required installations then it could only take a few days. As access to the internet forms an integral part of our daily lives, most consumers understandably want to get connected as quickly as possible. If this is you, then it’s a good idea to plan ahead if you plan on moving into a new place anytime soon:

• If you are moving into an existing building, ask the real estate agent to confirm that all the existing NBN connections are in place, and make sure the existing owner or tenant hasn’t taken the NBN box that is supposed to stay on the premises.
• For new builds, make sure you’ve spoken to your builder or the developer to ensure that the NBN connection point has been taken care of. 
• If you live in a rural community your delivery timeframe for NBN hardware will likely be longer, as they sometimes need to deliver the NBN via satellite rather than a direct line. If you can’t find this information or your order is taking longer than the time frame provided, it’s best to get in touch with a representative and see what’s going on.

Get in touch with the right people for your NBN

When figuring out who to talk to, you need to work out whether you should be reaching out to your retail service provider, i.e. the likes of Telstra, Optus, Aussie Broadband etc, or the NBN Co itself. 

For most problems people have with their internet, your retailer provider is who you need to be dealing with. Your internet provider will be responsible for things like:

• A technician hasn’t turned up to your appointment to install your equipment. 
• Equipment that is missing, e.g. if a new modem hasn’t arrived. 

Your retail provider will also be responsible for most of your internet issues after you’ve had the internet installed, including if there are issues with slow speeds, disconnections from the network etc. 

You should only need to deal with NBN Co directly in a few limited scenarios. These include: 

• If you’re having an issue with an NBN certified professional contractor who is installing something at your home 
• Your NBN equipment or property has been damaged, e.g. if your NBN line has been cut or if there has been damage to cabling that connects your house to the NBN from the connection point on the street. 

On a final note

You might be tempted to try and take care of the problem yourself. This may not be the best idea! It's not wise to try and handle damaged equipment or fix an issue with property on your own, as you might end up making things worse. Make sure you leave it as is, and wait for the professionals.

Finally, when contacting your provider, it's important that you have all the information you need to make sure your complaint can be dealt with quickly. Check out our helpful article on the information you need to deal with the complaints process or try using Ajust to get your NBN connection issue sorted. 

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