New Zealand coverage

[wco81]

Went to a mall in Chistchurch which has both Spark and Vodaphone stores.

First, the Vodaphone store tried and still couldn't get LTE or 4g on my iPad Air 2.

Then I went to the Spark store, told them my concerns about getting LTE or 4g. The sales clerk took the sim out of her iPhone 5, where it displayed 4g and it showed LTE on my iPad Air 2.

Only thing is, they didn't have a trio SIM with no data for $5. Instead all they had was the $29 sim with 1.5 GB. And then I could add data bundles. So I bought the $29 sim even though it wasn't as good a rate as buying the $5 sim and adding a $50 or $90 bundle.

One of the places I stayed in only had Zenbu with 100 MB bundles so I want to have mobile data as a backup.

The next day I went to a different Spark store. They did have the $5 trio sim but they would not exchange or credit the $29 sim I had bought at the other Spark store. They claim no returns, unless the first store was willing to refund my money. I had the receipt and I didn't open it at all.

First, maybe not all Spark stores are owned by Spark? Second, I can't believe there is no return policy for unopened items. Is it specific to Spark? Is it a general policy in NZ?

I remember on a tour I went in Wellington the guide said the city is offering free wifi for 30 minute sessions in many public areas -- as many cities around the world were doing.

He said Wellington wants to become a tech hub for the region.

But their telecom infrastructure could be more competitive. It would be nice if there was a third mobile network, so these mobile cos. Had more competitive prices and more consumer friendly attitude.

And then there is the inadequate wired service at travel lodgings. Daily limits and slow speeds. At least Zenbu seems to be on the way to becoming more rare.

[kiwisteve]

We have a 3rd network ( 2 Degrees ) this has 4G in the main centres on 1800 Mhz I use this network and find it works very well on my Samsung J2

You could also try SKINNY which also operates on Spark Network various sims and packages

As for returns normally if you have a receipt and its not suitable for the
required purpose you should be able to return it

I dont buy directly from a store like Spark I use The Warehouse or Noel Leemings which have good return policy

Spark would also be well down on my choice of providers