[kyungjunim]

*This ended up being a long post so I have put TLDR at the bottom. I also want to ask which providers do you guys use and what latency do you get when you traceroute to 222.231.22.* (SC2 Asia server IP range)

I manage a small gaming net cafe in Brisbane CBD. I recently have changed my workplace Internet to iiNet to provide better latency to Asian gaming servers.

However, our SHDSL was connected with Internode rather than iiNet. Internode's Asian routing is terrible at the moment, peaking upto 330ms in the evening compared to iiNet's 230ms (I use iiNet at home)

I sent a following email to my account manager and their tech team on 1st May when the service was connected.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear X,

I am writing this letter to you about a breach/change of contract that I was not aware of. I initially signed up for iiNet SHDSL service (40mbps/40mbps) with an intention of providing better latency for our customers.

Since we have started using the service yesterday (1st May), I have noticed that our connection is not with iiNet but Internode. It also came to my attention that latency and overseas routing between two ISPs are quite different. At 11am, upon completing the migration from the old provider, I have noticed that latency to different gaming servers in Korea were around 250-270ms, while iiNet line provided consistent 150-170ms according to your looking glass (which also aligns with my personal experience from home).

I have escalated the problem to your technical team (Internode) at 11:20am and I have been waiting since then. Then, I just noticed that the problem have gotten worse (which was foreseeable as routing was through HK where afternoon/night time congestion is very common). I am currently getting 300ms+ to gaming servers, with that we cannot provide ANY services to our customers who wants to play Korean games (which are 80% of our customers). I rang once again to let your tech team know about this problem, but unfortunately there were not able to give me an ETA.

Today, I have received a very disturbing email from your tech team that there was NOTHING that they can do at this stage since Internode has a different peering route to iiNet. As far as I am concerned, if a party is providing a service through a third party or a company of a consolidated group, they should be reasonably equal in prices and quality of service and must be informed, which I believe is not the case at the moment as Internode is performing very poorly. *Please see the screenshot below

We are very upset at the moment since this is a major downgrade for us, instead of upgrading. The service at the moment is not sufficient enough for our purpose, especially after I have told you (who explicitly work for iiNet) that our main purpose was to benefit from iiNet's latency and optimized routing to different gaming servers around the world. I even mentioned looking glass and my personal experience of iiNet and told you that is what we are expecting.

I am writing this letter to you to find out remedies and solutions that you can provide to us. Here are our requests that we think are reasonably,
1. Put us into iiNet network like the original agreement.
2. Y

This is a severe business life threatening issue for us and if these remedies cannot take places, we would need to look into cancelling the service due to your company's breach of the contract.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Regards,
Jun
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the last 2 weeks - we have been talking back and forth - after a number of strong complaints, they have told me that their "networks operations manager has contacted me and is looking into options to either change routing or setting up a subnet to reduce latency." and that they are 'working on a problem' However, could never give me an ETA

Today, I have got a confirmation that their iiNet's peering network won't be used anymore in a month and hence that is why they have started wholesaling their products to iiNet (funny that because the first time they have told me it was only SHDSL that was being wholesaled). Also iiNet will follow the routing path of Internode after a month. I asked whether it will affect their existing customers and the answer was sadly yes.

After wasting and waiting 2 weeks for a solution, they have offered me to cancel the service without the contract break fee and won't charge me for the service that we are using now. (I will be also taking this to TIO as I believe the compensations are necessary...)

They told me that they are currently talking with either upstream/downstream providers to provide faster ping to Asian servers but that won't be happening for another a couple of months.. This means iiNet may not be suitable for people who play Starcraft II on Korean servers and other Asian games in a month.

It seems like non of this stuff is currently posted on Whirlpool or SC2SEA (therefore decided to put this up here so people could know)

TLDR:
- iiNet won't be using their peering providers (eg: Telstra) after a month.
- While they are looking for another peering providers, they will be using Internode's providers - their latency to Asian servers around 330ms in the afternoon-evening.
- iiNet is wholesaling their products through Internode for new customers and they will be put onto Internode's network.
- Current iiNet customers will be also affected by this.
- no ETA is available for Internode's new peering provider

[|Erasmus|]

Well, that sucks... not with them but even less australian ISPs providing decent latencies to KR can't be good.

[kyungjunim]

I am going around each ISP's looking glass to look for another ISP for the business. Meanwhile, I will be just changing my net to Telstra at home.. (Suitable Telstra business plans are just ridiculously expensive for businesses $9k a month :O)

[mGGDaedalus]

As someone who uses Iinet, if this becomes a serious issue for me is this a breach of contract in any way? (ie could I potentially get out of a contract due to this change?)

[kyungjunim]

Originally Posted by ETL.Daedalus

As someone who uses Iinet, if this becomes a serious issue for me is this a breach of contract in any way? (ie could I potentially get out of a contract due to this change?)

Generally no, they might let you go out of goodwill. The contract does not guarantee latency. With this case, it was a contract break because I have email guaranteeing iiNet network - routed to Telstra.

Besides, iiNet contract break fee is really reasonable! It's not $xx * like other ISPS or mobile companies lol

[VB_Boony]

Are you saying that all iinet customers are going to be switched to internodes overseas routing network?

[kyungjunim]

Originally Posted by VB_Boony

Are you saying that all iinet customers are going to be switched to internodes overseas routing network?

Pretty much, that's what they have told me which is sad.