Smart Telecom Broadband - changeover issues

danoli

Does anyone know how long it takes Smart to activate a broadband account from the moment that you cancel your Eircom broadband subscription. They've told me that 'it is normally 3 weeks, but it could be up to 6, depending on how quickly Eircom switch lines'.

I'm very sceptical about all of this.....anyone have any experience with this. In addition, is it a better/quicker line in reality, or is that just sales talk.

The Gnome

So many witticisms..... can't use just one.... AAAARGGGHHH:D

Ruu_Old

Get ouha that garden, OP. Post reported to be moved.

Mr E

Its not Magic, its just Snape?

The Bollox

Smart! THAT's the other Horcrux, of course, it's so obvious now

Faith

Is everyone else seeing this in the Harry Potter forum?!

hellboy99

danoli wrote:

Does anyone know how long it takes Smart to activate a broadband account from the moment that you cancel your Eircom broadband subscription.

It can take up to 3 months or more.

byte

5 working days for me, but that was possibly the exception more than the rule.

hellboy99

byte wrote:

5 working days for me, but that was possibly the exception more than the rule.

you were very lucky, i was told today that i would have to wait 12 weeks or more to change over

dub45

hellboy99 wrote:

you were very lucky, i was told today that i would have to wait 12 weeks or more to change over

That really sounds ridiculous!!! Are there any exceptional factors in your case?

Just to remind people about what's involved in the changeover - firstly you have to cancel with your current provider which usually means a month's notice - then you need a cancellation number from your isp - you also need an eircom account number - Smart cant do anything without either of those.

If your telephony is also with your isp that has to be brought back to Eircom also.

That was my experience anyways.

hellboy99

dub45 wrote:

That really sounds ridiculous!!! Are there any exceptional factors in your case?

no exceptional factors, i was gobsmacked when i was told. a minimum of 12 weeks is what i was told , you tell me why thats the case. i'd image they wont be getting many customers that already have broadband with other providers when they are told this.

spurious

The delay is caused by Eircom. They're not best pleased at you going to Smart so they take as long as they want. Oh, of course they will deny this, but anyone who has dealt with them knows the truth.

They took eight weeks to transfer me, all the time claiming everything was in order. Their incompetence knows no bounds.

Once you get to Smart though, it's like childbirth - all worth it in the end and free of scummy Eircom.

hellboy99

spurious wrote:

The delay is caused by Eircom. They're not best pleased at you going to Smart so they take as long as they want. Oh, of course they will deny this, but anyone who has dealt with them knows the truth.

They took eight weeks to transfer me, all the time claiming everything was in order. Their incompetence knows no bounds.

Once you get to Smart though, it's like childbirth - all worth it in the end and free of scummy Eircom.

My broadband service has been with Esat since it's launch and my phone service with Eircom. Near the start of last year I moved my phone service to Smart (now back with Eircom as Smart was too dear) that took about 3 weeks to be done and roughly the same time again to move back to Eircom this year.
I'd love to know why then it will take 3 months or more to change my broadband service over

Foxwood

hellboy99 wrote:

I'd love to know why then it will take 3 months or more to change my broadband service over

Because they can. It's just as unreasonable that they take 3 weeks to switch the phone over, for a 5 minute task. If it cost eircom as much to delay a change over as it costs the customer, there wouldn't be any dealys.

A sliding scale whereby eircom gets paid 100% of the changeover occurs in 2 days, 85% after 3 days, 70% after 4, and so on, is probably the only way to get 21st century service levels on this kind of change.

By the way, what did you find expensive about Smart?

hellboy99

Foxwood wrote:

By the way, what did you find expensive about Smart?

At the time the amount of calls i made both to landline & mobiles were dearer with Smart and then Eircom came along with their talktime anytime package where as Smart unlimited local and national calls only applied when ringing other Smart customers.

Foxwood

hellboy99 wrote:

At the time the amount of calls i made both to landline & mobiles were dearer with Smart and then Eircom came along with their talktime anytime package where as Smart unlimited local and national calls only applied when ringing other Smart customers.

Given that less than 10% of phone users are Smart customers, there wouldn't be much value in a package that gave unlimited call to just Smart customers. In fact, I was under the impression that calls to other Smart customers were always free.

Having said that, I just looked at their website, and their description of Smart Talk for €35.99 implies that Line Rental of €20.18 is extra, which wouldn't compare too well to Eircoms TalkTime for €39.99, which explicitly includes line rental.

dub45

Foxwood wrote:

Given that less than 10% of phone users are Smart customers, there wouldn't be much value in a package that gave unlimited call to just Smart customers. In fact, I was under the impression that calls to other Smart customers were always free.

Having said that, I just looked at their website, and their description of Smart Talk for €35.99 implies that Line Rental of €20.18 is extra, which wouldn't compare too well to Eircoms TalkTime for €39.99, which explicitly includes line rental.

From the Smart website: http://www.smarttelecom.ie/newsfull.php?newsId=384

Smart slashes prices in summer deal

11-07-2006

Smart Telecom has slashed prices as part of a summer deal to attract more customers.

The company has shaved €4 off the cost of its line rental -- taking it to just over €20 -- as part of a promotional package.

The Smart Talk package offers discounts on all telephone calls, with unlimited calls to all local and national numbers seven days a week. Smart customers also receive free calls to each other. The promotional price, inclusive of both line rental and local and national landline calls, is €35.99.

The company is also offering a 17% saving on mobile phone calls and a 82% discount on international calls as part of the package.

Foxwood

dub45 wrote:

From the Smart website: http://www.smarttelecom.ie/newsfull.php?newsId=384

Me, I don't tend to read news releases to find out the price of a product or service - I usually just read the products own description.

The description of Smart Talk certainly suggests that Line Rental is seperate - it tells me that line rental costs €20.18, and that Smart Talk itsef costs €35.99 (at the moment).

Smart Talk €35.99 (actual price is €39.99, offer is €35.99 for promotional period)

* Save up to 17% on your line rental – Smart Telecoms line rental is €20.18 compared to Eircom’s €24.18

It doesn't make any odds to me, as I don't need an unlimited calls package anyway, but someone at Smart should probably get a kick in the arse for sloppy copy-editing.