Stuff Fibre Plans 2020

​We review Stuff Fibre, a high-speed, very likeable ISP that is arguably the cheapest

Updated 6 April 2020

There’s a lot to like about the Stuff Fibre service, with highlights including market-beating prices, fast speeds and unlimited data. Add in New Zealand-based customer service, low cancellation fees and a free connection (for any 12 or 24-month plan), and it’s understandable why Stuff Fibre won best ‘Best Fibre Broadband Provider’ in the 2018 and 2017 TUANZ New Zealand Broadband Awards.

​Overall, we see Stuff Fibre as a refreshing entrant to the fibre market that competes on price but doesn’t compromise on service and benefits.
 
Our review covers:

• Prices and Plans
• Advantages of Stuff Fibre (Beyond Speed)
• Stuff Fibre Review Our Verdict

Who is Stuff Fibre?

Stuff Fibre, trading as NZ Fibre Communications Limited, launched in 2016 and operates as a dedicated fibre ISP. Since launching, Stuff Fibre has won numerous awards, including Best Fibre Broadband Provider in the 2018 TUANZ Broadband awards. Like all fibre ISPs, Stuff Fibre doesn’t own the infrastructure (i.e. Fibre). Instead, it provides a select number of plans for anyone who lives in a fibre-ready address.

Stuff Fibre Review: Prices and Plans

Plan Essentials:

1. Stuff Fibre offers two plans, Boost (up to 900 Mbps) and 100 (up to 100 Mbps).
2. Both plans offer unlimited data and are focused on speed and value for money.
3. You can pay monthly (a 'no-term' plan), or sign up for a 12 or 24 month plan. 
4. To explain the annual costs we’ve presented a summary below. We also explain why signing up for a 12-month plan is far more cost-effective than a no-term plan. 

  
Annual costs – Boost and 100 Options

Boost Plan:

• 12-month contract - $899.50 ($89.95/month, including the first four months at half price)
• No-Term - $1,359.35 ($104.95/month, plus a $99.95 connection fee)

100 Plan:

• 12-month contract - $799.50 ($79.95/month, including the first four months at half price)
• No-Term - $1,179.35 ($89.95/month, plus a $99.95 connection fee)

Know this:

1. Signing up for a 12-month plan is cheaper than going with the ‘No-Term’ option. This is because the No-Term charges a $99 connection fee and a higher monthly price.
2. If you sign up to a term plan (12 or 24 months), you’ll get a lower monthly price and an upfront discount. and but if you cancel before 12 months.​

Broadband, TV, Phone and Mobile Bundles

Stuff Fibre doesn’t offer any bundles, other than the Voice App:

1. For an additional $10/month, Stuff Fibre offers a ‘Voice App’ add-on. Unlike a landline, the Voice App is not a traditional phone service.
   
2. Instead, the Voice App runs as a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). This means you can make unlimited local and national calls (landline to landline).
   
3. However, you won’t be able to make ‘chargeable calls’ – for example, calls to mobiles, 0900 numbers and international calls.

Our view: For most households, an extra $10/month to make unlimited landline-only calls will probably be unnecessary to anyone with Whatsapp and/or plenty of phone minutes. 

Stuff Fibre Review: Coverage

Fibre is progressively being rolled out around New Zealand, and currently is in every city. To find out if you can access Stuff Fibre, click on the broadband map and enter your address. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are extensively covered, but there are instances where fibre cables are yet to be laid in some neighbourhoods.

Stuff Fibre Review: Performance

The Stuff Fibre Boost plan is advertised as ‘the fastest possible speed available to you’. In most areas of the country, the download speeds will be 700 - 950 Mbps. As a comparison, this works out to be 20-60 times faster than traditional VDSL and ADSL broadband services. 

The standard Stuff Fibre plan offers up to 100 Mbps, which costs $10/month less (on a 12-month contract) than the Boost plan.

Stuff Fibre Review: Customer Support and Satisfaction

​Overall, recent reviews MoneyHub cited praise the performance and pricing of Stuff Fibre’s 100 and Boost plans. We noted (on a public forum)that a Stuff Fibre employee confirmed there had been six outages over 12 months. The outages were said to be very short in length. 
 
The majority of complaints concerned the process of getting connected. A lot of the issues are, in fairness, outside of Stuff Fibre’s control. We believe the same problems would arise regardless of who the fibre ISP was. We explain the process below. 
 
Getting Connected – What You Need to Know to Avoid Frustration

• If your property doesn’t have Fibre connected, Stuff Fibre, like all fibre ISPs, relies on working with the local fibre provider in your area.
  
• Once an appointment is confirmed by the fibre provider, Stuff Fibre arranges to send their router so your technician has it on hand when they make the connection.
  
• If there is a limitation in local fibre technicians, which Stuff Fibre has no control over, your connection may be delayed. This would be the same whatever ISP you selected to sign up to.
  
• Be aware that the installation process will depend on the type of property you live in.

​

Advantages of Stuff Fibre (Beyond Speed)

1. Price
From the numerous ‘Fibre Gig’ 12-month plans currently offered by Slingshot, Orcon and Vodafone (among others), Stuff Fibre is the most price competitive. Secondly, it charges one of the lowest cancellation fees.
 
2. Customer service
Stuff Fibre is committed to New Zealand-based customer service and support. It offers a range of ways to get in touch – phone, email, live chat, Facebook message and Twitter. The support team are available 8am - 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday.
 
3. Installation times
Stuff Fibre advises that if your property already has had Fibre laid out to the ONT (Optical Terminal Network), a connection to Stuff Fibre will typically take around a week. Read our guide to fibre installation (LINK) for more details and tips. 

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Downsides to choosing Stuff Fibre

Unlike plans from Spark (LINK) and Vodafone (LINK), there are no add-on services such as Netflix and Lightbox, or tie-ups with Sky TV. Stuff Fibre has positioned itself as a no-frills high-performance fibre-exclusive ISP, so a lack of media add-ons is understandable. 

Stuff Fibre Review: Verdict

1. Stuff Fibre is the price-leader for 12-month Fibre Gig plans, which offers unlimited data and a reasonable $99 termination fee.
   
2. Stuff Fibre focuses on two things – speed and value for money. With a locally-based support team working 8am to 8pm weekdays (and standard weekend hours), our view is that Stuff Fibre is arguably New Zealand’s leading fibre ISP.   
3. While the optional phone plan add-on isn’t a high-value service (and could arguably be restrictive for many people), there is plenty to like.

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