Is there a ADSL scam...

watty

A certain company seems to be ADSL enabling an exchange, then ringing and offering ADSL to existing dialup customers...

The other ADSL suppliers don't seem to know the exchange is now enabled till "later".

If I was the executives of the other supply companies reselling wholesale product I'd be complaining to TDs, Comreg and the Media even if it was legal.

I have some suspicion this scenario is entirely true.

lucernarian

Is there a good reason for not saying the name of the accused company??

That sounds very dodgy to me. I'm suprised though. I found out a couple of weeks ago that the Collon exchange had been enabled and I told a friend of mine who had complained to eircom about lack of bb availability etc. He was able to sign up for BT as soon as I told him.

dahamsta

BT resell their business service, but on a very, very limited scale. It's obviously Eircom, I don't know why watty wouldn't just say it. :rolleyes:

Plus of course if watty has evidence of this, it should be reported to both ComReg and the Competition Commission, instead of vaguely alluded to here in an idiotic manner.

adam

watty

Well it is obvious who I mean, but I don't like to name names without PERSONAL evidence.

It isn't one of the tiny number of Ex Esat locations either.

The other companies claim the exchange has no ADSL. This was true a week ago. It isn't true now. A customer has been offered ADSL, WITHOUT him contacting the supplier first. Cold called by the supplier. He rang the other other companies and emailed them and received replies that they do not have ADSL there.

I bet they will have soon though.

lucernarian

What exchange is it?? I think I remember you mentioning that someone got cold called to be told their exchange was now upgraded. Was that the same person as you're on about now? Did you try the guy's number in an online checker?

SeaSide

If said BB co is ringing other peoples customers then there is serious breach if its their own customers then what can you do?

IT Loser

a very similar thing happened with me. A certain well known ISP rang me and like, "by chance" [or not.....] the guy puts my number through and hey presto I'm good to go. I thought it was a big coincidence too.....when I asked how can something like this "just" happen the answer I got was vague..he said that someone just "changed plugs" on an exchange.

Interestingly, I had pressed this ISP for details on phone/bb deals before XMAS, resulting in their contacting me with a view to signing up. I ignored their offers as I said their phone package was worth nothing w/o BB....next thing I know the guy is all over me with, as described above, a call literally out of the blue. What gets me is that me and him had already had a conversation to the effect that BB wasn't available in my area, so why's he ringing back? He always had my number so its not to difficult to imagine him running tests of his own in the background.

Watty has raised an interesting point no doubt.

IT Loser

SeaSide wrote:

If said BB co is ringing other peoples customers then there is serious breach if its their own customers then what can you do?

I think its prospective customers. Why didn't the other ISP's like Eircom send word around, and why is this happening [in my case at least] JUST AS a major Regional Broadband Scheme is about to go live?

If a guy has a phone line with Eircom and has no BB then he's not really anybodys customer, in my opinion, because the minute his line/exchange is good to go Eircom, by default, should be the ones getting off their asses the minute it happens and telling him. If they don't then the customer is fair game in my opinion.

Sponge Bob

I believe that eircom retail owns eircom.net and that eircom.net are getting information on who uses dialup and cold calling them about BB once the exchange is enabled.

I see no problem if the customers are existing an eircom flat rate customer or if they use the subscription free service on 1892150150 ....as long as that exchange has been released for sale to all carriers before the cold calling starts. It just means eircom is more on the ball .

If they use a different carrier such as UTV for their dialups then its different but the complaint actually has to come from UTV once it is brought to their attention.

watty

It is their own customer, of course. But is not abusing the wholesale market cold calling the VERY likely ADSL potential customer BEFORE telling the other operators that they have enabled the exchange?

My understanding is that they are ringing the most likely upgraders to BB / ADSL and then anouncing publically the exchange is enabled.

yankinlk

Eircom have always done this, I remember a post about this a couple years ago.
If Comreg had any real power, they would OWN the BB. Any news would be released direct from them. Kinda like having a starter at a foot race. Whats the point if the starter is the kids uncle and lets him hide halfway donw the track while the rest of the runners are waiting at the starting line for the shotgun start?

ive also seen a thread where someone was told by esat that their exchange was going to be upgraded on a certain date (obviously eircom told esat it would be done by certain date). Then when it didn't happen customer was all like ESAT is at fault, thats a big catch 22 for poor old esat.

Eircon sends out email announcements of what exchanges will be done around 3 months ahead of time. Lately they have been completing the same exchanges 2 months earlier then their roadmap. BUt recently I was told by ESAT that the exchange was ready before I saw the reseller email from Eircom...so it looks like ESAT knows but doesnt always know what to do with the info like Eircom does. or isnt as confident about the completion date as good ole eircon.

After waiting 2 years for any sort of BB to come to my area, I was offered 4 different kinds in the last month 2 x wireless and 2 x DSL...when it finally rains it pours.

yankinlk

watty wrote:

My understanding is that they are ringing the most likely upgraders to BB / ADSL and then anouncing publically the exchange is enabled.

Basically as a customer upon hearing a BB exchange is enabled the first thought is: Great BB is available from Eircon, I wonder when the OTHER companies will offer it? So eircon try and play on the idea that if you want it NOW (isnt that what every BB customer wants) you have to come through them.

As a customer if i thought i could get BB without phone line rental I would wait for that...

damien

yankinlk wrote:

If Comreg had any real power, they would OWN the BB. Any news would be released direct from them. Kinda like having a starter at a foot race. Whats the point if the starter is the kids uncle and lets him hide halfway donw the track while the rest of the runners are waiting at the starting line for the shotgun start?

Very good analogy but ComReg do have the power. They have a wide-enough remit, they're just not going to do anything until they're told to do so. Reminds me of the sheriff in cowboy westerns before Clint Eastwood comes in and takes the badge off him and becomes the real law and kicks the ass of the bad guy. We really need a Michael O'Leary in the broadband market. Oisin could almost do it!

dahamsta

damien.m wrote:

We really need a Michael O'Leary in the broadband market.

Low budget, low standards, crap customer service? Take your f*cking pick.

damien

Yeah but someone that takes no crap from the Govt.