Getbroadband.ie info and Magnet Entertainment Competition

Abc1

Hi All,

I've ran it by Moriarty and he has kindly allowed me to post this.

1. We have been listening to feedback from customers for the past 8 months and have changed the way we list packages.

These include tooltips to explain contention, download speed, upload speed and what each different type of connection offered means.

You can now display the cost of the broadband package including line rental. This gives the consumer more transparency when choosing a connection.

You can now sort by price, price including line rental (where applicable), provider, download speed, upload speed, contention ratio and connection type.

The price including line rental sort really is an interesting comparison....

http://www.getbroadband.ie/broadband_deals.php?County=Dublin%20South&Area=Clonskeagh

Full details of changes: http://www.getbroadband.ie/broadband_news.php?news=23

Comments as always are very welcome as this helps us to improve and a lot of the feedback I have received here by PM has been excellent.

2. Clearw!re have been added as a provider.

3. Last but definitely not least! We are running a competition on Newstalk 106 at the moment in conjunction with Magnet Entertainment. We are giving away a years supply of Magnet Entertainment to 2 lucky winners. This package offers 8 meg broadband, 30 digital TV and Radio channels and Free local and national calls to any landline in the republic.

http://www.getbroadband.ie/provider_package_details.php?packageID=203

Full details of the competition and how to enter: http://www.newstalk106.ie/competitions.htm


Thats it!

Thanks,
ABC..

http://www.getbroadband.ie

watty

Price inc Line Rental and display line rental should be the default. Excluding line rental COMPLETELY gives a false picture:

Magnet moves from top to SEVENTH, almost joint with Digiweb Metro, who move up from 17th (for Metro Wireless).

It should also indicate if the wireless includes POTS jack for phone. Many don't. Obviously most ADSL do.

If it VOIP phone then it should indicate if Fax or Modem (Alarms, Digibox, direct dialin servers etc) work.

I appreciate the site is a lot of work but to the newcommer to broadband the initial setttings are TOTALLY misleading almost to the point of dishonest.

Also if you select a different Area, the pricing defaults back to NOT including or showing line rental.

Also the site does not appear to take account if the services are available/possible in the Area.

You should also point out that Magnet TV unlike Chorus/NTL TV with Cable Broadband is of poorer quality than Cable/Satellite TV and uses about 1/2 the broadband connection, and that multiple settop boxes in the Cable/Satellite sense are almost impossible as the connection can only really deliver one channel at a time. With Satelite or Cable you may have as many simultanous TVS on different channels as you desire.

You should also point out that Magnet seems to use a VOIP codec that is not good enough for Fax, Home Alarm,modem or Digibox mirror sub, even though a conventional phone line connection could technically be provided on the Magnet connection.

AFAIK all other ADSL suppliers supply a real phone connection, though there is the option for lower cost VOIP calls.

Abc1

Hi Watty,

Cheers for the comments!

On the line rental point I don't think there is any other site that even mentions line rental when it comes to getting a broadband connection. I have taken your comments on board and will speak to the MD about the sort!


On the magnet point, we have signed up many customers to this service and the feedback we get (we do check) has been nothing but positive. Are you speaking from personal experience?

ABC..

watty

How many of those people have:
1) Tried to use any non-voice service on the VOIP
2) Can compare Satellite, DTT or Cable Digital TV
3) Tried to watch two different channels on two TVs.

All my comments are valid.

Other sites do include /compare Line rental.

What about the location issue. i.e. Not actual ADSL / Wireless availablity is checked?

technet

Nice site guys! It's not perfect but the show line rental option is a great feature. Did a search on google and can't find anything that shows the providers as tranparently as yours. Keep up the good work!

CoolBoardr

Great site - full of good info, but how come Smart aren't listed?

Abc1

http://www.getbroadband.ie/provider_deals.php?provider=ntl&business=No

Xterminator

HI,

your site doesnt seem to list Smart, even in areas they are live?

X

damien

Abc1 wrote:

On the line rental point I don't think there is any other site that even mentions line rental when it comes to getting a broadband connection.

Your point being? Remember when your mammy asked you if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you do it. Think about it. Total cost of ownership should be included in this, especially LLU products like Magnet.

On the magnet point, we have signed up many customers to this service and the feedback we get (we do check) has been nothing but positive.

And that's a reason for not being more transparent?

Out of interest, do you guys get a referral fee for everyone that signs up to Magnet via your service?

fightin snr

Abc1 wrote:

3. Last but definitely not least! We are running a competition on Newstalk 106 at the moment in conjunction with Magnet Entertainment. We are giving away a years supply of Magnet Entertainment to 2 lucky winners. This package offers 8 meg broadband, 30 digital TV and Radio channels and Free local and national calls to any landline in the republic.
[/url]

:rolleyes:

Sponge Bob

Magnet have me confused.

they were €72 a month a few months back incl tv and BB and line rental

now they quote themselves at €34 or so without line rental and without telly IIRC , I am not sure whether they fully or partially unbundle either.

I would ask except that they have a ratty techie who frightens me

Abc1

damien.m wrote:

Your point being? Remember when your mammy asked you if all your friends jumped off a cliff would you do it. Think about it. Total cost of ownership should be included in this, especially LLU products like Magnet.




And that's a reason for not being more transparent?

Out of interest, do you guys get a referral fee for everyone that signs up to Magnet via your service?

Hi Damien!

First and foremost I would like to take this opportunity for all the excellent work you have done and continue to do regarding broadband access in this country. We are both on the same side here...

Damien, we do show total cost of ownership for all products.. I don't see how we can make the pricing any more transparent (Open to Suggestions!)

Don't know why you ask that particular question about magnet? We act as an independent intermediary between the consumers and the broadband providers. It doesn't cost the consumer anything to use our website. It saves them having to check multiple sites to compare prices and our signup process doesn't have the 'What did you eat for breakfast' option.

ABC.

Sponge Bob

Abc1 wrote:

Damien, we do show total cost of ownership for all products.. I don't see how we can make the pricing any more transparent (Open to Suggestions!)

are Magnet fully or partially unbundled then ????

cormac_byrne

Abc1 wrote:

we do show total cost of ownership for all products.. I don't see how we can make the pricing any more transparent (Open to Suggestions!)

You could add in the cost of NTL Analog TV so it appears when the "Display Line Rental Charges" option is selected.
Maybe change that option to "Line or Cable rental charges"

There should be 2 install charges listed
self install (if available) and engineer install

Also minimum contract term should be listed

Where there is an initial discounted rate you should indicate the number of months the discount lasts as well as stating what rate applies thereafter. Would be nice if you could calculate the average monthly cost over the term of the minimum contract.



I should then be able to click a few buttons and get the total cost of ownership including installation for any package for 1 year and see the monthly rate that applies thereafter

Valentia

I think including line rental should be the standard layout.

No UTV???

cormac_byrne

Sponge Bob wrote:

are Magnet fully or partially unbundled then ????

Magnet's ADSL2+ offerings (Cont 1:1) are fully unbundled

but they have one product 2Mb ADSL (Cont 48:1) which they offer in areas where the exchanges aren't unbundled. This package appears to be a bitstream reseller package a la BT etc...

Sponge Bob

ahh OK

so the €29.99 package should have standard eircom line rental of €24.10 added to it for TCO.

what is the cheapest Magnet Unbundled DSL including line rental and what is the cheapest unbundled DSl + Linew rental + TV one wonders ????

also why does Digiweb DSL show up in the price comparisons I looked at but not Digiweb Metro ?

Ludo

==>EDIT - never mind this - answered later - EDIT<==

Clearwire are listed as being 29.99 for both packages. This is incorrect. This is an offer for the first six months only, then the price goes up to 49.99 for the performer package.

I think this is a very dubious website when they prices are listed and not the standard price you will be paying once you have signed up for a few months.

I even went into the order clearwire now page and it still told nothing about the real price.

I have ClearWire so I know this is not the correct price Therefore I will not trust anything else this GetBroadband.ie site tells me.

It does have great potential though so I hope it gets sorted and can be used as a reliable guide at some stage in the future. Not there now though.

Abc1

Sponge Bob wrote:

are Magnet fully or partially unbundled then ????

Hi Bob,

Yes they are fully unbundled but where they don't yet provide service in an area but where that area is within the exchange footprint they offer magnet broadband, a bitstream product, as an interim while awaiting the unbundling of the exchange.


ABC

http://www.getbroadband.ie

Abc1

Ludo wrote:

Clearwire are listed as being 29.99 for both packages. This is incorrect. This is an offer for the first six months only, then the price goes up to 49.99 for the performer package.

I think this is a very dubious website when they prices are listed and not the standard price you will be paying once you have signed up for a few months.

I even went into the order clearwire now page and it still told nothing about the real price.

http://www.getbroadband.ie/provider_package_details.php?packageID=213

€29.95 is an introductory offer for the first 6 Months, €49.95 thereafter.

We even mention the fact that they don't allow p2p!

ABC.

Abc1

Valentia wrote:

I think including line rental should be the standard layout.

No UTV???

UTV have been contacted numerous occasions and have never gotten back to us.

ABC.

damien

Abc1 wrote:

Don't know why you ask that particular question about magnet? We act as an independent intermediary between the consumers and the broadband providers. It doesn't cost the consumer anything to use our website.

I don't think that actually answered my question which was "do you guys get a referral fee for everyone that signs up to Magnet via your service?"

BTW, I like your site, it is good to see comparisons all on one site.

uRbaN

damien i'd be very u****ressed if he answered that q
Referrals and the like are generally not openly discussed

Ludo

ah ok...I didnt click on the details link. I just looked at the available packages sorted by price and clicked on Sign Up thus bypassing the provider main details.

I take it all back...

SeaSide

damien.m wrote:

I don't think that actually answered my question which was "do you guys get a referral fee for everyone that signs up to Magnet via your service?"

BTW, I like your site, it is good to see comparisons all on one site.

This site is being touted as independent and its not. No UTV no Smart. Only those who have agreed to the referral fee

Abc1

SeaSide wrote:

This site is being touted as independent and its not. No UTV no Smart. Only those who have agreed to the referral fee

Hey Seaside!

UTV have been contacted numerous occasions and have never gotten back to us.

Smart are going live tomorrow..

ABC.

damien

SeaSide wrote:

This site is being touted as independent and its not. No UTV no Smart. Only those who have agreed to the referral fee

Ahhhh I see.

parsi

technet wrote:

Nice site guys! It's not perfect but the show line rental option is a great feature. Did a search on google and can't find anything that shows the providers as tranparently as yours. Keep up the good work!

Good man yerself. A quick google on "broadband in ireland comparison" brought up http://www.finfacts.com/bestbuys.htm which gave a link to http://www.finfacts.ie/Private/bestprice/broadband.htm

What terms did you use ?

technet

parsi wrote:

Good man yerself. A quick google on "broadband in ireland comparison" brought up http://www.finfacts.com/bestbuys.htm which gave a link to http://www.finfacts.ie/Private/bestprice/broadband.htm

What terms did you use ?

Yeah. I've seen the goverment site many times before. What I was trying to say was that no other site I know of shows the providers side by side with line rental costs included. Very transparent no?

Abc1

damien.m wrote:

Ahhhh I see.

The quote by seaside has no evidence to back it up, is completely unfounded and is in fact a wild allegation

To Answer your question Damien..

We have a business model that works. We don't charge consumers anything. We spend a lot of money on advertising, staff, heat, light, food, broadband!, telephone bills, server rackspace, rent, prescription drugs etc...

We take on average about 100 enquiries (not signups) a day from users looking for advice. We deal with them, offer the end user an unbiased opinion and try and point them in the right direction. If we can't cover them with a package that is on our site but we know of a community based scheme etc that can we would always point them in that direction.

I hope this answers your question.

ABC..

uRbaN

I dont know abc but I used his site to find which ips were in my area. In the end I signed up with NTL, who already had turned me down. After 2 months of messing me around, I saw his site and blah blah blah I got NTL after all, thanks to the help I received from his site.

The general punter really doesnt care who pays for what as long as they DONT. The bog standard customer who wants to get a broadband line hasn't a balls notion what they are doing, and would be grateful guidance, regardless of how many such website guides there are.
All the nabs that are whining that its not independent, I sugggest u make a site with the holistic uncapitalistic notions you have, that offers a free service, and come back and post the ip. gl with that.

Splitting hairs over omg not indepndent because its a business omg
Im sure it wasn't easy convincing all the providers to appear on his site, and fair play for seeing a niche and going for it.

my 2 cents, no harm no foul

now where is that endorsement cake you promised me :P?