Trying out a new ISP in Kuta Bali

Getting online in Bali has always has its challenges, ranging from slow connections to power outages. Things have gotten better though and the range of solutions has increased. Currently I’m using a service with an antenna on my roof, which connects my laptop to the receiver on AJ Hackett’s bungy tower by microwave transmission. The service is good but the prices are a bit high, around $120 every 6 weeks.

Telkom the phone provider has introduced DSL to replace its aging dial-up connection. By all accounts this is fast and cheap. I don’t have a phone line in my house so was excited when someone told me about XL, another modern ISP with a fast connection and low prices. Before going to Singapore I took my laptop down to their office, the 2 story bright and shiny corporate place on the Sunset Rd. The helpful staff told me getting online was easy, with monthly packages of 299,000rp and 499,000rp, for a good speed connection. My only problem was I needed a 3G phone to connect. This last trip to Singapore I bought a nice phone for $550 and returned this afternoon all set to get online and do wonderful things. The hour it took the staff to connect my machine wasn’t really a problem, neither was a request for my credit card and passport. It was when she asked if I had a phone line, that I started to go ‘oh no, here we go again’. Turns out I need a phone line (they told me I did not 2 weeks ago, that’s why I bought the phone) and cannot get online with XL.

So that’s my afternoon’s adventure, a lot of screwing round for nothing. Anyway the staff at XL are sweet and do their best to be helpful. I’m sure their service is good but they could save themselves a ton of time by simply asking the customer what they want and if they have the required components.