Eircom - How much do I have to pay for reconnection?

seamus

Fs, I'm 3 weeks with a phone line and already having trouble with this shower.

OK, there used to be an ISDN line in the house. eircom.ie reliably tells me that if the house had a previous phone line, reconnection is €24.99. Cool.
So I order a reconnection (as PSTN obviously). A week later, I get a phone call from the engineer - "I'll be there in 5 mins". Nice guy, sticks a box on the wall for me, and heads over to the exchange to switch me back to PSTN. Great, all working.

2 weeks later, I get a reconnection agreement, with a connection fee of €129.99 on it. Um...no. I call 1901, explain the situation to a nice lad called Jason, who checks that yes, the number on the line did in fact exist before, and so happily tells me that my next bill will be credited for €105. Ok......easily resolved, I won't let it bother me.

Yesterday I ring to check if I can just transfer the reconnection fee into their account, as opposed to sending off a cheque with the reconnection agreement :rolleyes:, and get told that in fact I will have to pay the €130 reconnection fee because "It was an engineer install. If it can be reactivated electronically, it €29.99, if an engineer has to come out, it's €129.99." I tell him that's bull, he tells me to ring customer services (although I'm pretty sure he WAS customer services and just didn't want to deal with me any longer).

I check the eircom website, which is where I ordered the line:

A once-off connection charge of 24.99 (inc. VAT) applies where there has been previous service on the line and all line work remains in place. A once-off charge of 129.99 (inc. VAT) applies for premises that have never had previous service or line work needs to be completed.

"Line work needs to be completed." Hmmm, well there was no line work started, so I couldn't have been charged for completing anything.

Installation costs:
Reconnection following disconnection due to late payment of bill 23.05
If your premises previously had a working phone line: 24.99
First time connection: 129.99

An previous ISDN line is still a "working phone line".

So I reckon it's open and shut. Especially considering nobody rang me to say "Oh, we couldn't do it electronically, we're going to need an engineer out, and that'll cost full whack." If they had said that I might be willing to pay, but the engineer just turned up on my doorstep, with the previous phone number, and no mention of any extra charges.

Just looking for other people's opinions.

spongebob

This is fuzzy. Eircom DID have to complete line work and remove the ISDN box, replacing it with a PSTN socket.

As you are in a house, the argument could well be that they should have done this when the PREVIOUS occupant ceased the line and not when the NEW occupant requested a reconnection. The equipment should normally be collected at that point if you read the ISDN T&C's . You are unfairly subsidising this OTHER contract.

If the PREVIOUS occupant did not facilitate Eircom in this regard then that equipment COLLECTION is still a matter between them and Eircom and not between you and Eircom.

If I saw an ISDN box in the house I would personally remove it and put a PSTN socket in myself. Eircom may have to do some wiring in the exchange but they would not have to visit me and could not charge me.

What ISDN box are ye talking about lads, it is a normal telephone socket like all the rest of them ?

M

seamus

Heh, well in fact he didn't. I removed the ISDN box and put in a PSTN point. The engineer arrived, asked me if I wanted him to put in a branded point since "You are entitled to one with the line" and I said, sure, why not? Then I gave him the ISDN box to take with him.

spongebob

Well!

He didn't have to visit you in re: the NEW connection , he visited you to collect left over equipment from a PREVIOUS contract.

See the " Eircom Complaints " thread in the IoffL forum in the last week.

I woulda binned the ISDN box or given it to the Cat as a scratching post.

M

seamus

Cheers Muck, some good ammo there.

Gonna transfer the €24.99, and send in an accompanying letter with the agreement form, on the understanding that my next bill will be credited for €105.00

Our man in Havana

Similar thing has happened to me.

Moved in and there was a dissconnected phone. Called eircom to get connection. Gave biddy the info. Said would be €24.99

It takes them 6 weeks to connect me. Resulted in eircom bod coming to huse cause he coudnt identify pairs in exchange. Phone now on.

Had wrote a stinker to JG Ryan about the delay etc. Turns out they were going to sahare for a full install. eircom say they would only charge €24.99 and give me 2 months free rental. Fair enough.

Got first bill today. And they have still charged me for full install €127 but did get 2 months free rental.

Called "complaints line 1800 " website dosent work. Spoke to a male biddy (surely a rare thing) and said they would get back in touch so far no go.

Where can I go with this.

Thanks
James

BrianD

i had a bad experience when connecting in an apartment in Dublin. There was a socket on the wall but I had no handset to check for a tone. When I signed up they told me it would be either €24.99 plus VAT if a working line or €130 if not.

They decided it was not a working on line on the grounds that it had not been used within the last 12 months.
At that point I had refused to pay €130 on the grounds that it was rip off (living in an apartment block in a capital city in the 21st century etc etc.). In the mean time they send out an engineer to snoop around the block. He rang me (at first pretending to be from accounts) to enquire the whereabouts of the telecoms box. It soon became apparent that he was actually in my building.

Actually he was most helpful and recommended I check the line with a handset. When I connected a handset I discovered that there was what they call a "soft tone" that allows you dial 999 or automatically connects to Eircom sales if you wait a few moments. Now that's what I call a working line! I rang Eircom and had a row with sales (sales were rude and unhelpful each time I called them) . They still wanted €130 - after all who was going to pay Eircom for this installation. I said why should I have to!

My engineer called again to indentify the phone number of the line. He's not supposed to tell me but opened his diary so I had a good look at the number. He told me that it was now up to me and sales. I said I wouldn't pay €130 on principal if a perfectly working line existed and all it required was the opening of an account.

As I left I passed by my friendly engineer in his van who was speaking on his mobile. 30 minutes later he rang and asked me would I agree to being connection at €24,99. I agreed and he said that the line was active now.

This engineer had gone out of his way to assist me and gained a customer where sales had failed miserably. It gets better, a few hours later an Eircom supervisor called me to say that he was sending out a crew to lay down my telephone line. I said I now had one! He didn't believe me and I offered to call him back on it!!

Eircom:
- Unfriendly and rude sales staff
- Charging customers a premium connection for existing lines on the grounds they haven;t been used for a year. Eircom does not physically disconnect any line - they just leave in hibernation for future use.
- They send out an engineer twice even though I had refused to sign an agreement
- When I verbally agreed to be connected it was some weeks before they sent me out a contract.

If it wasn't for the more than help ful engineer I would never have connected

seamus

Eircom sales are scum. Once you start paying people commission, they couldn't give a flying **** about the people on the other end of the line, all they want is to sign you up and get you the hell off the line.
Engineers though, have no such scum streak, and are only there to do a job. Any I've met have been thoroughly nice blokes.

spongebob

Originally posted by seamus
Engineers though, have no such scum streak, and are only there to do a job. Any I've met have been thoroughly nice blokes.

90% of them are great, the other 10% are chancers in my experience rather than scum, Management are often selected in a Darwinian way from that 10% .

M

BigEejit

Originally posted by BrianD
He's not supposed to tell me but opened his diary so I had a good look at the number.
If it wasn't for the more than help ful engineer I would never have connected

[offtopic]
Heh ... the book/diary I saw during the summer that the local Eircom engineers had was so dog eared/filthy I doubt that it would even catch fire if soaked in petrol and thrown in a furnace .... those fellas would be in serious trouble if they lost it
[/offtopic]

I have found that the engineers are sound enough, its the cúnts on the phones that do my head in ... ALL OF THEM

spongebob

Originally posted by Bond-James Bond
Similar thing has happened to me.

Moved in and there was a dissconnected phone. Called eircom to get connection. Gave biddy the info. Said would be €24.99

It takes them 6 weeks to connect me. Resulted in eircom bod coming to huse cause he coudnt identify pairs in exchange. Phone now on.

If you had the previous number then the excuse is facile.

I is possible (esp if you live in the countryide) that the engineer actually had to chase the pairs as they said. I got a €25 connect in 15 mins because I gave the previous number on my line.

My brother did't have the previous number but got a €25 connect coz we did a deal with the engineer (we saw the van around and went to him) that we would sign off the installation as complete and give him more time to find the pair (D-Side in Engineer terms)

Luckily I tracked down the previous number in the brothers gaff, rang the local engineer and the phone was live about an hour later when he linked the dside to the block in the exchange. The pressure to meet time based instalation targets in rural areas often leads to pairgains being used when the engineer is under pressure to finish a job, another Royal cockup compliments of Comreg if you ask me.

In an URBAN area, especially with a street address or apartment address with only one line coming in, Eircom can link the D-Side to the address from their database without knowing the previous number, if you live in a flat or house then the excuse is b0llox, technically speaking, and you should escalate to Comreg. if the D-Side has been taken that is their problem for not haing enough copper and you should not be penalised when they swipe a D-Side from your address.

Eircom are suppose to resolve these complaints in 2 days according to the complaints procedure on their own site, thats a further stick to beat them with over at Comreg.

HTH

M

Our man in Havana

Originally posted by Muck
If you had the previous number then the excuse is facile.

I is possible (esp if you live in the countryide) that the engineer actually had to chase the pairs as they said. I got a €25 connect in 15 mins because I gave the previous number on my line.

My brother did't have the previous number but got a €25 connect coz we did a deal with the engineer (we saw the van around and went to him) that we would sign off the installation as complete and give him more time to find the pair (D-Side in Engineer terms)

Luckily I tracked down the previous number in the brothers gaff, rang the local engineer and the phone was live about an hour later when he linked the dside to the block in the exchange. The pressure to meet time based instalation targets in rural areas often leads to pairgains being used when the engineer is under pressure to finish a job, another Royal cockup compliments of Comreg if you ask me.

In an URBAN area, especially with a street address or apartment address with only one line coming in, Eircom can link the D-Side to the address from their database without knowing the previous number, if you live in a flat or house then the excuse is b0llox, technically speaking, and you should escalate to Comreg. if the D-Side has been taken that is their problem for not haing enough copper and you should not be penalised when they swipe a D-Side from your address.

Eircom are suppose to resolve these complaints in 2 days according to the complaints procedure on their own site, thats a further stick to beat them with over at Comreg.

HTH

M

Update

After writing to €ircom remoinding them of my complaint and the threat of legal action, they rolled over and gave in. They agreed in writing they were wrong and they will refund the cash.

A nice little victory.

Did you have any luck with them Seamus?

James

embee

In my house, we had a phoneline that just needed re-activating, so we rang them up and they said 30 euros. So, we went to get it re-activated, and they tell us theres a charge of 150 euro for a first time bill payer. What is that all about? Its like going into a travel agents and having them charge you 150 euro because your going on your first holiday.... are eircom allowed to do that?

seamus

Originally posted by Bond-James Bond
Update

After writing to €ircom remoinding them of my complaint and the threat of legal action, they rolled over and gave in. They agreed in writing they were wrong and they will refund the cash.

A nice little victory.

Did you have any luck with them Seamus?

James

Jammy luck probably. Just transferred the €24.99 over, sent in the Telephone service agreement form, and shore enough on the bill, there's a refund of €105. Lucky me.

Our man in Havana

Originally posted by embee
In my house, we had a phoneline that just needed re-activating, so we rang them up and they said 30 euros. So, we went to get it re-activated, and they tell us theres a charge of 150 euro for a first time bill payer. What is that all about? Its like going into a travel agents and having them charge you 150 euro because your going on your first holiday.... are eircom allowed to do that?

Eircom seem to be trying it on with reconnections lately. I have come across this alot recently. It happened to me and Seamus and a few others on this board. It seems they are making up new excuses to charge for full installs where its only a simple reconnection. They push the matter until you threaten the courts on them.

The gave in for both me and Seamus So my advice is to not pay for the full install and write a letter to the Company Secetary about it.

Best of luck

james

seamus

Originally posted by Bond-James Bond
Eircom seem to be trying it on with reconnections lately. I have come across this alot recently. It happened to me and Seamus and a few others on this board. It seems they are making up new excuses to charge for full installs where its only a simple reconnection. They push the matter until you threaten the courts on them.

The gave in for both me and Seamus So my advice is to not pay for the full install and write a letter to the Company Secetary about it.

Best of luck

james

One would think that they get commission for a new connection, and zero commission for a reconnection

seamus

Originally posted by embee
In my house, we had a phoneline that just needed re-activating, so we rang them up and they said 30 euros. So, we went to get it re-activated, and they tell us theres a charge of 150 euro for a first time bill payer. What is that all about? Its like going into a travel agents and having them charge you 150 euro because your going on your first holiday.... are eircom allowed to do that?

Whoever told you that is bull****ting you. The website specifically states that you pay €24.99 if there was a previous working phoneline in the house.

Redshift

If you move into a new house that has a soft Dial Tone dial 199000 and the computer will read back the number to you. There can then be no arguement about working lines.

jd

Originally posted by embee
In my house, we had a phoneline that just needed re-activating, so we rang them up and they said 30 euros. So, we went to get it re-activated, and they tell us theres a charge of 150 euro for a first time bill payer. What is that all about? Its like going into a travel agents and having them charge you 150 euro because your going on your first holiday.... are eircom allowed to do that?

Yeah- First time I got a phone in my name I had to pay a similar amount up front cause I had no credit record with them. Clarify that the money will be refunded after 6 months/1 year, if they won't budge...
note I'm not 100% sure of current situation-it's possible rented/shared accomodation is viewed as higher risk-as perhaps is your age... (I can see where they are coming from thinking back to my student days )
jd

Our man in Havana

Originally posted by Bond-James Bond
Update

After writing to €ircom reminding them of my complaint and the threat of legal action, they rolled over and gave in. They agreed in writing they were wrong and they will refund the cash.

A nice little victory.

Another update. Turn for the worse.

Checked my bank account and they debited the full amount ie €109. Turns out they just credit towards next bill. As I have CPS to UTV I will be in credit for 4 months.

Seems sneaky by eircom. The letter was dated November 5th and they DD today.

Can I force them to give the money back?

Thanks for your help/suggestions

James