Digital Inclusion Alliance Aotearoa

From time to time I get approached by a partner who suspects that one of their customers is ‘scamming’ the Jump modem process. When this happens we try and work out a strategy to handle this on a case by case basis, so that partners and their staff are not having to face confrontational situations. Staff safety is paramount and we are happy to provide whatever support we can to ensure that the Jump delivery experience remains a positive one.

I have summarised a few scenarios below, as reported by partners and suggested some possible responses.

1. More than one modem requested by people living at the same address. There are many situations where this is totally okay. The most common example is social housing units (although these typically have separate apartment numbers), but we also encounter this where people are living in different dwellings at the same physical address (this is quite common in many rural properties for example). But is also occurs when someone is living in a cottage separate to the main dwelling where the distance is too great for the WiFi signal. In some situations, two or more families are living in the same house, and provided they are not part of the same family unit, then they can be supplied with separate modems. Suggestion: For online applications I get an alert whenever a duplicate address shows up; I then check the applicant’s name, phone and email and if necessary view the property on Google Maps street view to determine if it is a single or multiple dwelling site. If I have any concerns I suspend the delivery until Shelley contacts the applicant to find out more. What is interesting is that most people do not respond to Shelley’s text inquiry (which in itself suggests there could be something fishy) and the application expires after 10 days. It is difficult for partners to do this sort of checking, but the principle really is to query anything that looks odd; if you are satisfied with the explanation, then you can proceed to issue a modem. But if you are not, then you have the discretion to decline the application.
2. Same person requests a second modem within a short time. This definitely needs an explanation before a further modem is issued. If you are not satisfied, then you have the discretion to decline the application. One of our partners discovered repeated applications by the same family and the same address; they were shopping around, getting modems from different libraries in the same city. Staff became aware of this and created an informal ‘black list’ as an alert for any future applications. The exception of course is when the modem is faulty. Suggestion: Before issuing a modem to someone who claims their modem is faulty, make sure they have reported the fault to the Skinny Care Team or they have returned the faulty unit to you. Partners can also check their Jump GSheets to identify repeat applicants. Simple do a search (Ctl F) for the applicant’s name to identify duplicates.
3. People who miraculously change their address when the address checker indicates ‘no coverage’. This is a bit more challenging. Skinny Jump does operate on a ‘high trust’ basis, but if there is clear evidence that someone is providing a false address, then partners have the discretion to decline the application. For online applications, we frequently get people at addresses that pass the coverage test, but then ask for the modem to be sent to a different address (which 9 times out of 10 fails the coverage check). Suggestion: For online applications we automatically decline any applications where the requested delivery address is not in Jump coverage. We then contact the applicant to find out why they want it sent to an address where the modem cannot be used. In most cases, we never hear back from those who are possibly scamming the system; people who do have a genuine reason always respond.
4. People who ‘give’ their modems to someone else and then want another one. This is a bit strange and partners who have reported this have advised that they suspect the modems might have been on-sold (as opposed to ‘given’). It is a breach of the Jump conditions of service for anyone to sell or otherwise dispose of a Jump modem. The Terms and Conditions state: “You may not sell, lease, dispose of, lend or otherwise part with possession of, or modify the Modem in any way“. Suggestion: In this situation, we would advise partner to respectively decline to issue another modem, unless there is an incredibly good explanation. An exception we have encountered is where two people living together have split and one person has taken the modem with them, even though it was registered under the other person’s name. In this case, we treated the modem as ‘stolen’ and asked the Skinny team to block it and delink, so the customer could set up with a new modem.
5. My modem has been stolen or lost. Regrettably, this is a very common issue. Almost every day at least one Jump modem is reported as ‘lost’ or ‘stolen’. Suggestion: Customers must be directed to the Skinny Care team, so that the modem can be identified and blocked before a replacement is issued. Partners should never replace a modem unless the old one has been returned.
6. Other situations? Do send me an email (jump@diaa.nz) if you are encountering any other ‘suspicious’ behaviour.