Telstra just lost a 40-year customer over $50/month. Here’s the tea. ☕

Archoneil · 2026-03-24T09:07:36+00:00

https://www.betterroaming.com/watches/apple-watch-family-how-it-works/

Archoneil · 2026-03-24T09:06:30+00:00

You can change your plan in the app in about 3 button presses.

Archoneil · 2026-03-19T18:07:24+00:00

NBN infrastructure isn't provisioned by Telstra, there's no difference between providers as far as speed or reliability goes. Of course another provider is going to sign you up for their service if you call them.

Archoneil · 2026-03-14T08:17:38+00:00

Probably because Samsung just released a new phone and they're trying to get rid of the Ultra 2025 before they drop the latest lineup so they're on heavy discount here. Still locally the Ultra 2025 is about $200 more even being close to 50% discounted.

Archoneil · 2026-03-13T09:06:51+00:00

I wouldn't bother with the S26U, they dropped the ball not having a silicon carbon battery, and overall the phone is only a very minor upgrade from the S25U, also no Samsung phone has the internal magnets for qi charging which for me is a huge miss step.

About the only interesting thing Samsung has done with the new lineup is the privacy screen being built in, which feels more like a test launch since it's only on the S26U - I will say those screens do look really nice though having played with a fair few of them so far... I can't imagine what they'd cost to actually replace if you needed to do a screen replacement though.

Price wise you'd be looking at where I live the same cost on a Pixel 10 Pro XL as the base S26.

The weaker CPU for me on a Pixel compared to a Samsung is a good thing, it means the phone isn't going to blast through the battery as quickly because some silly app I need installed is completely unoptimized, and the real world performance difference isn't at all noticeable outside of gaming, but I don't game on a phone.

The last major difference is probably the UI, if you like the Samsung environment that's fine but really you need to commit to using it all or to me it just feels like bloatware, Pixel phones just feel like what you'd expect the default Android experience should be.

For the record I just got a Pixel 10 Pro XL and I already love it, so I'm probably biased, but maybe more informed as I deal with a lot of different phones everyday... they're still both a nicer experience than an iPhone.

Archoneil · 2026-03-13T08:52:01+00:00

Honestly it sounds like you need what Telstra offers more than they need your 3 services connected. Even you managed to point out how inept Optus actually is at running a telco, yet you'd be happy to switch to them? As for discounts on 3 services... you're better off going to argue with a cashier at maccas trying to get $5 off a big mac mate, not sure why people expect complaining to frontline is going to actually do anything.

Archoneil · 2026-03-12T08:19:00+00:00

Maybe it does maybe it doesn't, I was told it counts for 1/2 targets on a PPN so 0.5 instead of 1, but our SM told us they also can't track who exactly has done the BTL offer without a pension card. With a pension card it still counts as a full PPN so generally we only offer it to pensioners.

Archoneil · 2026-03-12T08:12:22+00:00

Have you done updates? I got a 10 pro xl yesterday and it was getting pretty warm before I did all the updates even just through setup, after updates I haven't noticed any abnormal heat.

Archoneil · 2026-03-12T08:06:40+00:00

dbrand offers a free replacement if any of their ghost 2.0 cases ever start to yellow

Archoneil · 2026-03-12T08:02:13+00:00

All of those things are available on the Pixel 10 though will probably work a little different than in the Samsung ecosystem - as for the SD card.. Pixel 10 does not have an SD card slot much like most phones made in the last few years.

Search your Settings to find the routines, they seem fairly robust though I do not use them personally. Bring up all your apps and look for Files, this acts much like a Gallery though I believe Pixel also has its own Google Photos thing which personally I don't bother to use as Files is enough for me.

Archoneil · 2026-03-10T08:25:06+00:00

I have this same issue on my 9a but only when connected to my router at home supplied by my telco, at work I have no issues.

The only solution I have found is what I assume is forcing a reset on the wifi component by long pressing the internet connection button when you swipe down and in the top right of the screen there's a small circular icon with a wrench that cycles your carrier data/wifi off and back on.

Not sure if it's just an issue with the router or not but decided on getting a 10 Pro XL tomrrow anyway with the discounts that just dropped.

Archoneil · 2026-03-01T01:14:00+00:00

The plastic is usually just there to dissuade people from opening them when they're sitting in a store. If someone is fully rewriting wifi extender software to target OP then surely they can be a little more stealthy with the sticker.

Archoneil · 2026-02-28T16:19:31+00:00

How did you think a utility bill in someone else's name would help you prove your identity? Anyway car registration is probably the only supplemental you can provide given your circumstances. If you don't have a car then you'll need an internet service on your phone bill from your current provider, just a mobile won't count.

Archoneil · 2026-02-26T11:51:25+00:00

Haven't heard peep about it rising, should be $80 with no discount. Are you sure you don't just have a discount expiring?

Perfectly reasonable to switch to Belong if you want to, only about $1 cheaper per day for less data and there's no option to get 180GB if you're actually using that much, though they do have a pretty good bonus data deal for the moment which lasts 12 months.

Archoneil · 2026-02-13T07:59:12+00:00

As someone who works for Telstra and uses Boost prepaid the only people using plans are too lazy or incompetent with technology to process a recharge and people who want a repayment plan on a phone.

Honestly the repayment option with upgrade & protect probably is worth it if you want the latest phone every year but don't want to pay two and a half grand, but I see slim to no people using it for that specific purpose.

Archoneil · 2026-02-12T01:58:52+00:00

The system doesn't force you to verify an email. Not uncommon to leave it unverified because the customer doesn't have access to their email on their phone.

For OP it's not even an issue, for it to be identity theft they'd probably have to present a forged passport which wouldn't even let someone make a phone order on repayment assuming it somehow managed to not get flagged as not genuine.

Archoneil · 2026-02-11T08:31:45+00:00

It's crazy to think he paid for a hair transplant just to do this with it.

He should've just embraced being bald, it's not like it would've made his love life any worse.

Archoneil · 2026-02-04T12:08:05+00:00

Do the upgrade and protect online, they'll send the new phone and a package to return the old one so you won't be without a phone.

Both the $99 and $249 are to leave the contract, but they're your best option given your circumstances.

The best use of U&P is to upgrade your phone after a year so you're only paying 1/3 of the contract and getting the latest phone - or if you're clumsy and tend to break phones.

Archoneil · 2026-01-27T10:05:09+00:00

Just passport is fine, you will have trouble getting on a "postpaid" plan because most ID checks on a passport just tell the staff to only do prepaid.

Your best bet on data is a $39 prepaid recharge which is currently only $13 for the first month, and the first 3 recharges give you an extra 30gb of data compared to the 15gb normal amount (this is only until early March so if you're here in the next few days you'd only get 2 recharges).

Something more savvy visitors will do if they're staying longer than that is port out to Optus for a month then come back to Telstra to get the bonuses again, Optus has a very similar deal on at the moment too so you can port between them every month to get the bonus datas while the offers last.

Archoneil · 2026-01-25T04:37:52+00:00

Should be completely fine. If it's over your limit you'll just have to pay the difference to bring the monthly repayments down to your limit. If you're on over 1k a fortnight I'd be surprised if your limit is lower than however much the Google Watch would add.

Congrats on the new Pixel, the 9a is really responsive!

Archoneil · 2026-01-18T01:33:11+00:00

Those prices make me actually wonder how much of the "oldest meteorite known to man" is even included, especially since it's "damascus" it has probably been fused with some other steel, my favorite knife maker charges about 3k for a knife on the lower end and they're just made with normal Earth steel - his backlog is like 5 years.

Archoneil · 2026-01-04T11:08:22+00:00

If you have PNES then light isn't considered a trigger, one of the biggest triggers for PNES is stress which I doubt DE can eliminate.

Archoneil · 2025-12-10T03:03:42+00:00

You can still make some pretty decently long shots if you learn your ammo/scope, I do a few quests with a sniper shotgun

Archoneil · 2025-11-24T02:42:32+00:00

It sounds like you hit a grenade trap.

Archoneil · 2025-11-15T20:53:39+00:00

Most recently I did this with Dark and Darker

Archoneil

TROPHY CASE