Feel like a rant?

Dangger

Should a member mail shot be considered for this?

Gadgie

Originally posted by ekehoe
RTE needs people who STILL don't have broadband....anyone out there? Please let me know!!!

Try PMing Watty about the functional internet access thing. I think he is off-line at present due to his crappy connection, but I recall him saying that he could pick up his email at work - if he has email notification turned on he might get your message.

Try PMing shinzon about the broadband.

Is it neccessary to travel for the interview or can it be done over the phone or by a crew from the regional news team?

cgarvey

Anna (I think) rang from RTE, but was only interested in stories about Dubs who still can't get BB.

The point I was trying to make earlier was that Elana should have an IoffL address (or any publshed address), and, more importantly, that contact details for IoffL should be included on the website.

.cg

Dangger

Contact details have been up on the site for years (mine then Christian's). Since the AGM Christian's number has been removed. I'm sure the acting committee can get a number up there.

The issue here is not contact being made. Contact has been made.

The issue is people coming forward with their stories. RTE want to highlight the fact that Eircm say broadband is available throughout Dublin, yet they know there are many who cannot get it. They also know there are many outside Dublin who can't get it, but for *this* news item the focus is Dublin.

Could I suggest that the thread title be changed to something more explanatory as most of the people come here for a rant any way!

Adam I am compiling your list with my right hand as I type this, you will have it tonight.

dahamsta

The email address is available on this page on the site. If you want a phone number, email us and we'll send it on.

adam

Ciaran500

Double Post

Ciaran500

So, if we get through do we have to appear on TV or do we just tell them our story to RTE

Cork

I am personally so tired of the slow roll out of broadband. My area will not get broadband for years.

Still, I am subjected to TV ads proclaiming the benefits of broadband.

daymobrew

Anna from RTE rang me last night and we had a good chat.
She didn't know when an interview might happen (no guarantees that I would be chosen) - could be as early as next week or as late as the end of the month.
She is interested in getting shots of my letters to Dermot Ahern and and Philip Nolan. I'll dig out the one from Feb 2002 where I asked him to sort out the stuff with ComReg to allow the rollout of i-stream.

swiss

My family home is in the sticks and as such can't get any DSL product. When I move back I have a choice between 56k (which is more like 40k even on a good connection) and wireless if I'm especially nice to a few people in Irishwan. I haven't even bothered to deal with Eircon or Comwreck because I know it would be about as productive as sticking my head in a blender, with approximately the same level of stress.

I don't know if this case is good enough to warrant any kind of interview, but I hate Eircom for their anti-competitive practices, and I know a few people around my area with similar complaints.

Personally, I think it would be preferable that the interviewee should have some personal experience with Eircon's inept customer service and engineering departments. It would be ironic if we couldn't get Watty to complain about his poor connection because of his poor connection.

zynaps

When I was living in my last place in Finglas, I initially investigated IBB as a broadband provider (better/cheaper/not eircom) but they were absolutely atrocious (called me back once, sent me out forms including a DD form I filled in and sent back, then didn't get back to me until I called them about 2 months later and said "WELL?"), then called eircom for a line test for DSL (intending to use another provider, either utv, (then) netsource or esat).

They said no, but they weren't sure, so I called back about a week later and was told the line passed and I could set up an install whenever, to which I said "I'll consider it, thanks bye (yeahright)".
A few days later, they called back at about 8pm one evening, got my ma on the phone and told her someone had enquired about the service and did we want it installed or what, to which she (assuming I did) said "yeah go ahead", and put the phone down just as I sprinted in mouthing "NO!!!".
So I called them straight back and asked them to cancel the order that had just been placed, because we didn't actually want it, and thanks anyway.

All good, right?

Anyway, a few weeks later, I called utv and went about setting things up with them, since they were then the cheapest and had a less-laughable bandwidth cap.

A few weeks later again, I called back to ask what the story was, and was told eircom had returned their order saying there was another order 'pending' on the line.
Thus began a two week process of calling eircom and utv every morning repeatedly to ask them what the problem was, having eircom DSL sales tell me the order was confirmed as cancelled, yada yada, while utv kept telling me "eircom wholesale" were saying that there was a slot in some exchange reserved for me which was stopping my order.
At the same time, eircom complaints refused to take my complaint about the issue as they said it was utv's responsibility (and presumably, not my right), and also refused to give me any way of directly getting in touch with eircom wholesale (who also weren't responding to utv's emails, according to utv).

Basically, some flustered manager at eircom ended up giving me the number of a mysterious engineer who wanted to help, but didn't get much of a chance as soon after, out of frustration, I called Comreg anyway and told them the story.
A day or two after calling Comreg, a friendly chap from eircom called me to explain that everything was sorted and sorry bout that, dunno how it could have happened. Comreg also called back a few days later to confirm that the issue had been resolved. Sometimes their bark is enough, I guess.

Ironically, and unfortunately for utv, IBB had finally come through and started communicating just before eircom had sorted themselves out, and offered me a free install for having been fobbed off for so long.
Soo... basically utv lost out because eircom messed something up that went unfixed for something like two months, and only then because I complained to Comreg.

Anyway, sorry that was so rambly, it was a long and annoying story (wish I'd kept notes now).

zynaps

damien

Zynaps,
I'd like to use your "experience" as one of the Broadband Horror stories. Any chance you could email this story again to research@irelandoffline.org and include your full name. Also, if you want to make it less rambly it'd be appreciated but I can use it as is here.

Damien.