Skinny Jump address checker offline today

Vanessa Tedesco from the Fingertip Library in Christchurch alerted me at 8.46am this morning that the Jump address checker was not working. Since then, I have received numerous alerts from other partners.

Usually with issues like this, the software team at Spark is onto it like a shot, and before I can get around to a blog post, the problem has been sorted. But here we are over 8 hours later and when I checked a few minutes ago, the address checker was still not working.

I have been advising everyone who contacted me to use the Skinny Wireless Broadband address checker as a backup.

Skinny Jump uses the same wireless network as Skinny Wireless Broadband customers, so this should be pretty reliable.

I’ll provide an update when Skinny advises me that the Jump address checker has been fixed.

Oh dear – another ‘annus horribilis’?

2025 is rapidly becoming for Jump modems what the late Queen Elizabeth II referred to in 1992 as an ‘annus horribilis‘. In a speech marking the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne she said: “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an ‘annus horribilis.'”

Now, the Queen was not referring to Jump modems in 1992 – the internet had only recently been invented. She was in fact referring to troubles within her own family.

But we also have troubles within our Jump family. We have reached an all-time low with the supply of Jump modems; it was bad enough during the Covid years when suppliers in China closed their factories and international freight was disrupted.

We currently have 179 Jump delivery partners waiting for just under 3000 modems. 40% of these partners have no stock or almost no stock. So far this year, the supplier (CEVA) is 2000 modems short of their agreed shipment levels (1400 per month).

One of the reasons for the lag is that CEVA is refurbishing modems and while that in itself is a good thing (and good for the planet), it is taking a lot longer than simply provisioning new modems.

We are doing the best we can to prioritise deliveries to partners with no stock or only 1 or 2 modems, so it is more important than ever for partners to make sure their Google Sheet record matches reality.

Check the top of your GSheet for these cells. ‘Actual Stock on hand’ is the number of modems we think you have available for issue, including delinked modems, and this controls your delivery priority; so if this number doesn’t match the number that you actually have, please email jump@diaa.nz the IMEI numbers of the modems you are holding so that we can get your GSheet back in order.

The Queen got through her ‘annus horribilis‘ and lived for another 30 years, so we are hoping to do the same.

Always Navigating Digital Realms, Online Insights Daily

What’s this got to do with Jump, you might well be asking. Well this is a test for those of you who like Friday afternoon challenges – find the hidden code!

Now what I really wanted to update you on is a problem that some Jump Partners have been discovering with the App – where the ‘Forgot Password’ link was sending a reset password email with button links that didn’t work.

The good news is that this was fixed earlier this week (the morning of 5 May 2025, to be precise) by the App development team.

If you receive a visit from a customer with this problem, can you assist with the following troubleshooting steps:

(1) Open the ‘Google Play store’ app > search for ‘Skinny Jump App’ > tap ‘Update’ if available and then attempt to log in via the app.

(20 Uninstall and reinstall the Jump app, then restart the device before attempting to log in or use the reset password link.

(3) Check the device system software for any updates.

And for those of you still scratching your heads about the puzzle, here’s a clue – this ‘Forgot Password’ problem has only been experienced on Android devices.

Ciena – and the winner is….

Ashburton Library, with their stunning Ciena display! I understand some goodies will be winging your way soon.

A reminder to all our Jump partners – you too can be a winner and sign up families with school-aged children in your community for the Ciena plan – free internet for the rest of the year.

All Jump partners can be Ciena partners; you just need to register with Sue (sue@diaa.nz) or Shelley (shelley@diaa.nz) and they will explain the process.

216 new families have already joined the Ciena family this year, but we still have room for another 384! 45 partners have already signed a family up so far this year – the leaders are in the table below. Over 25% of all the signups are in just one city – it probably isn’t too hard for you to work out which one this is! And I am sure they won’t mind me sharing their secret weapon – everyone signing up for Skinny Jump is asked if they have school-aged children and if so, would they like the Ciena plan (210GB free data every month).

Jump PartnerTotal Ciena Plan
Shirley Library26
Ranui Library17
Hastings War Memorial Library16
Linwood Library15
Flaxmere Library9
Matatiki Hornby Centre9
New Brighton Library9
Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po Levin8
Glen Eden Library7
Glenfield Library7
Ashburton Library6
Mt Roskill Library6
Glenview Community Centre5
Marlborough Library5
Pukete Neighbourhood House5
Dargaville Library4
Glen Innes Library4
Highland Park Library4
Onehunga Library4
Otara Library4
Pakuranga Library4
Smart Newtown4
Avondale Library3
Kaiapoi Library3
Northcote Library3
Te Atatu Peninsula Library3
Havelock North Library2
New Lynn Library2
Papatoetoe War Memorial Library2
TaiTech2
Taupo Budget Advisory Service2
Waitakere Library2
Wellsford War Memorial Library2

Making things stick!

This would make a good Kahoot Quiz question – What do the two images above have in common?

You may recall my earlier post about refurbished modems making their way into the supply chain. Well this is one of them – this looks just like a regular Smart modem, and it is, but some partners have pointed out a problem in getting the Modem Return sticker to stick. It appears that the cleaning substance used by the modem refurbisher is making the surface of the modem slippery, so that the orange sticker will not attach.

Well done, you guessed it! The solution lies in the image on the left. A quick wipe with some methylated spirits cleans the mystery substance and hey presto – we have stickage! Sorry about this inconvenience, but in terms of the bigger picture – every refurbished modem helps save the earth. So, thank you!

Customers needing replacement modems – it’s your call

Clarifying the Process for Replacement Jump Modems

We regularly receive reports from partners about Jump customers requesting replacement modems — often because their modem has been lost or stolen, or because they’ve been referred by the Skinny Care Team. These situations can put pressure on your staff, especially when customers arrive unannounced and expect an immediate replacement. In some cases, they may become quite insistent or even stroppy.

However, Jump partners do not have the tools or access needed to issue replacement modems on the spot. That’s why our recommended process is for all replacement modem requests to be directed to the Skinny Care Team (0800 475 4669).

The Skinny Care Team has the systems in place to:

  • Check whether a modem is genuinely faulty.
  • Verify the customer’s identity and Jump status.
  • Complete the required Modem Returns form, which triggers the modem de-linking process and a request for DIAA to courier a replacement.

Once the form is submitted:

  • We (DIAA) arrange for a replacement modem to be sent directly to the customer.
  • We also include a prepaid courier bag for returning the faulty modem.
  • The de-linking process takes a few days, ensuring that by the time the new modem arrives, the customer’s account is ready to be activated.

Lost or Stolen Modems

If a modem has been lost or stolen, partners must not issue a replacement under any circumstance. The customer must contact the Skinny Care Team directly to report the issue and begin the verification process.

Incorrect Information from Skinny Care

It seems that part of the confusion arises when Skinny Care agents mistakenly direct customers to Jump partners for replacements. Please note: Skinny agents should never refer customers to partners for replacement modems. If they confirm the modem is faulty, they should complete the Modem Returns form instead.

Managing Customer Expectations

We know it’s not always easy to turn customers away — especially when they show up unannounced. That’s why we strongly encourage all partners to:

  • Clearly communicate to your community the type of support you offer.
  • Decide whether Jump support is provided via:
    • Drop-in sessions,
    • Set times during the day/week,
    • Appointment only.
  • Avoid providing support during staff lunch breaks (12–2pm) or during busy periods such as school holidays, when other programmes may take priority.

Optional Modem Replacement by Partners

If you do choose to issue a replacement modem (e.g., if you have one available and have time to assist), that’s entirely up to you. While this is outside our standard process, we’re happy to support you if you have the capacity.

Just ensure that customers understand:

This is a back-end procedure that cannot be fast-tracked — not by delivery partners, the Skinny Care Team, or DIAA.

The de-linking process cannot happen instantly.

Is there still a problem with Jump modems not being properly de-linked?

Partners trying to reissue returned modems during the last 3 months have experienced numerous problems when they try to use these ‘de-linked’ modems, only to discover they are still linked to the previous owner’s email.

I appreciate that this has been extremely frustrating and appears to have resulted in partners feeling a bit nervous about re-issuing de-linked modems.

We think the problem is because of staff changes in the Skinny Jump team and misunderstandings about the de-linking and resetting processes. We appreciate that there has also been confusion about exactly what is required to de-link, reset and reprovision a Jump modem.

After much discussion between the Jump team in Spark and the Skinny support team, a new de-linking process was introduced on 24 March 2025 that we believe will solve the problem.

We have also used this as an opportunity to be very clear about what is meant by the terms used to describe this process. It is unfortunate that the language used in the new November 2024 Jump Partner Guide is still a bit confusing.

The umbrella term to be used for all returned modems is now “de-linking”, whether the modem is to be reused or sent for repair.

This involves completely deleting the customer account linked to the modem, which both frees up the modem for re-use as well as releasing the customer’s email for reuse should the customer wish to set up a replacement modem.

In the past, we have used the terms “resetting” and “reprovisioning” to explain how delinked modems are readied for reissue with a 35GB start-up data plan, but we are going to stop using these terms, as they are just sub-sets of the de-linking process.

Every modem that is delinked is automatically reprovisioned with a new 35GB start-up data plan, whether the modem is for reuse or repair.

The only exception is modems that are reported as ‘lost’ or ‘stolen’; these are permanently blocked.

The good news is that the new process seems to be working well, with timely notifications to partners as well as excellent tracking of the various components of the de-linking process. The not so good news is that the delinking process is taking a bit longer – up to 3 or 4 days. But in our view if this results in a more robust process it is well worth the wait.

We are going to be watching very closely any modems that have been delinked since 24 March to make sure the new process is working as expected. Partners holding modems that have been reset before this date are welcome to submit them again if you have any concerns that they might not have been de-linked properly.

Footnote: You might also be wondering what happens to any credit on a customer’s account when their old account is deleted. The Skinny team records the amount of this credit on the customer card, so that when a customer calls up and asks for the credit to be transferred to their new account, they can arrange this.

Skinny Jump Care Team tackling customer waiting times

If your customers have tried contacting the Skinny Care team on 0800 4754669 they would have noticed two recent changes – one is a voice response that estimates the time customers are likely to have to wait to talk to a Care Agent. Unfortunately this is often becoming a rather long wait, like 30 minutes or more.

The good news is that a call-back option was introduced about a week ago. Callers now have the choice of requesting a call-back from a Skinny agent, rather than having to hold on to the call for a long time.

This appears to have been well received, with most callers selecting this option. Please share any feedback from your customers about how this new option is working for them.

Reburbished Jump modems making their way back to customers

You might be wondering what happens to all those faulty modems you send back to us for repair. Some are beyond repair and are extracted for recycling, but others are returned to ‘as new’ and are now being distributed with regular shipments to partners. The first batch of 173 refurbished Smart modems were distributed in recent shipments.

You might notice marks on the modem case or other slight imperfections, but don’t be fooled, the inside electronics are in top working condition. Some of us think refurbished modems are in even better condition than new ones. Each has been individually repaired and tested while new ones are often sample tested, resulting in some being faulty right out of the box.

So if you spot a refurbished Jump modem, do tell your customer how lucky they are to not only receive a unit that has been individually tested but also for making a positive contribution to the environment.