Letters to editor in Examiner - 9 Nov

damien

There was apparently a letter to the editor in the Examiner yesterday complaining about Broadband. Has anyone got a copy of the examiner and type up this story and post it here ? Or maybe just scan it ?

vinnyfitz

Err, they do have an on-line version Damien!
Subscribing is free at www.irishexaminer.com.

Anyway, here is the letter

09/11/04


Eircom leaves ISDN users in the slow lane
EIRCOM is offering broadband connections to the internet — a much faster service than ISDN and reasonably priced.

Is it time once again to celebrate the joys of privatisation? No, once again it is not. Eircom rolled out broadband in Skibbereen recently.

Anecdotal evidence from round and about the town shows that ISDN users like myself have been switched to narrowband as a consequence.

In my case, upload and download speeds have gone from an unremarkable but serviceable 7 kilobytes per second to a useless 2.30 kps when transmissions are not completely stalled for ten minutes at a time.

There are two theories being advanced to explain this.

Some believe that the roll-out has been rather too successful and that the new broadband customers are hogging virtually all of Skibbereen’s miserly allocation of bandwidth, leaving the hindmost for the numerous ISDN users.



Then there are those contrarians who argue that the uptake of broadband has been disappointingly small and that Eircom has resorted to starve-‘em-out tactics in order to move stubborn ISDN users over to the higher priced broadband.

I would abandon principle and move over like a shot if I had the option. Alas, I have not been fingered for broadband heaven. Population density out my way makes the exercise unprofitable, I suppose, and besides, the rude engine-room noises inherent in the line connecting me to the exchange are certain to offend the sensibilities of a hot-house communications medium like broadband.

Surely the privatisation of public assets has meant once again that efficiency and low cost, while gains for the private sector, mean niggardly investment, irresponsible service and cheap quality for the customer.

Ned Bright
Cooragannives
Skibbereen
Co Cork

damien

I wanted someone to sweat and type it up ! Ok, I didn't check actually.

Right, so usual idea, start sending in your letters. Explain your situation if you cannot get broadband. Highlight that it's a national problem and that it's not just happening in remote Skibbereen. What's the email addy for letters to the editor ? Someone can post it.

SkepticOne

There are two theories being advanced to explain this.

Some believe that the roll-out has been rather too successful and that the new broadband customers are hogging virtually all of Skibbereen’s miserly allocation of bandwidth, leaving the hindmost for the numerous ISDN users.

Then there are those contrarians who argue that the uptake of broadband has been disappointingly small and that Eircom has resorted to starve-‘em-out tactics in order to move stubborn ISDN users over to the higher priced broadband.

That's very odd - Eircom dumping people off ISDN because the exchange has been upgraded for DSL. I'm not sure if either of these explanations stand up, but there does seem to be something here for ComReg to investigate if they are so inclined.

Blaster99

That article is probably the greatest pile of crap I've read in a long time, and being a frequent visitor to Boards.ie that says quite a lot. How about contacting the ISP instead of trying to come up with "theories"? Or how about changing ISP if the problem doesn't get better? Plenty of dial-up providers out there.

dahamsta

Blaster99 wrote:

That article

It's a letter, not an article. Big difference.

Tom Dunne

SkepticOne wrote:

That's very odd - Eircom dumping people off ISDN because the exchange has been upgraded for DSL. I'm not sure if either of these explanations stand up, but there does seem to be something here for ComReg to investigate if they are so inclined.

No, I think you misunderstand what the person is saying - the way I read it is that since the exchange has been upgraded to provide DSL, his ISDN speeds have dropped considerably.

SkepticOne

tom dunne wrote:

No, I think you misunderstand what the person is saying - the way I read it is that since the exchange has been upgraded to provide DSL, his ISDN speeds have dropped considerably.

Ah OK. Twas this: "Anecdotal evidence from round and about the town shows that ISDN users like myself have been switched to narrowband as a consequence" that gave me that impression. Anyway, ISDN should give a full 64k back to the ISPs pop. If Eircom are interfering with this, then it is definitely a matter for investigation if the problem is not with the ISP.

Tom Dunne

SkepticOne wrote:

ISDN should give a full 64k back to the ISPs pop. If Eircom are interfering with this, then it is definitely a matter for investigation if the problem is not with the ISP.

Agreed, but anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. A co-worker was in ISDN hell for a long time while living in Edenderry last year. One of the notable nuggets was that Wednesday and Saturday evening, at around 7:40pm his ISDN connection would grind to a complete halt - around the same time the Lotto machines uploaded for the draw. Eircom of course refused to even entertain such a preposterous allegation so he got rid of ISDN and moved back to Dublin.

MadKevo

tom dunne wrote:

No, I think you misunderstand what the person is saying - the way I read it is that since the exchange has been upgraded to provide DSL, his ISDN speeds have dropped considerably.

The meaning I got was that the writer of the letter has 7kB/s on ISDN from his ISP and if he had to downgrade to analogue he would "have" to use V90 dial up access (why?)with traansfer speeds of ~2.3kB/s. Maybe the writer doesn't realise what broadband/DSL is and what is to be gained 7kB/s -> 40kB/s - and the editor pounced onto these "facts" put together into a plausbile though spurious letter as an eicom-bashing opportunity.
My 2c
/MK

seamus

The meaning I got is that he thinks that Eircom have allocated all of the bandwidth to DSL users, to the detriment of ISDN users. Doesn't sound totally implausible.

He reckons that DSL is "more expensive" than ISDN, so clearly he's unaware of exactly what DSL is.
It's a good thing in that he hasn't swallowed eircom propaganda.
It's a bad thing in that enough obviously isn't being done to educate.

Anyone know how to contact him? Would the editor of the examiner release his contact details, or pass on a message?

MadKevo

seamus wrote:

Anyone know how to contact him? Would the editor of the examiner release his contact details, or pass on a message?

You could always use the phone book (he *is* in it, so he does actually exist). But that's bad form; a well-informed, well written letter back to the editor is more civilised.

/MK

damien

Email address for letters to the editor: exam.letters@examiner.ie

vinnyfitz

Not sure if anyone noticed this one in the Times yesterday?

Madam, - I signed up to Eircom Broadband in January 2004. At this time there was only one home broadband service available. During spring/summer of 2004 they launched a second broadband service (broadband home plus). "Home Plus" essentially offered increased bandwidth and download allowance over the original service, which was renamed "broadband home starter". All existing broadband customers were, without any notification, automatically put on the higher-spec "plus" service. Essentially, they lowered the price of the service but continued to charge existing customers the original price.

When I noticed this in September I called Eircom expressing my dissatisfaction. They referred me to the Eircom shop where I originally signed the contract. I was told there that I had missed the window for a free downgrade, a window I was neither informed nor advised about. If I wanted to be downgraded now I would now have to pay a €70 fee.

I am not a particularly heavy user of my broadband service and was satisfied with the then limits. I explained that I was never consulted on the upgrade and after much discussion they agreed to return me, for free, to the service I originally signed up for.

Unfortunately, two days later I was contacted by Eircom informing me that they changed their mind and would not, after all, be returning me to my original service without the fee.

It is patently clear that Eircom are partaking in a massive consumer deception. They have reduced the price of their service without passing it on to existing customers. They are, quite simply, charging customers in order to be charged less. The fact that there was an unannounced window of opportunity not to be upgraded speaks volumes as to their attitude to their existing customer base. - Yours, etc.,

DIARMAID MARRINAN,

Balbriggan,

Co Dublin.

eircomtribunal

Is the transcript of the recent sitting of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications available by now?
They quizzed McRedmond, Goggin and Doherty, as far as I know. The theme was to be on Eircom's billing amongst other things, if I remember correctly.

P