Slammed !

bminish

My phone service provider used to be BTireland

A couple of weeks ago I downgraded my ISDN line (bill for which was still with eircom) to a normal analog line (POTS)

before ordering the downgrade from eircom I did the following

1/ Checked with BTireland if I could expect to get slammed, They said that this does not usually happen any more but to check afterwards anyway

2/ When ordering the downgrade (at a cost of 120 Euro I might add) from eircom I asked them to confirm that I would not be slammed. They told me that there would be no problem and my Carrier would remain BTIreland

Last Friday a rather lazy Eircom engineer arrived out to 'do the downgrade ' the downgrade involved Me climbing under My desk to remove the old ISDN NT and fit a socket that the eircom 'engineer' provided me with. Followed be me having to ask if he would take the old ISDN NT away for disposal (WEEE directives and all that).

Today I used the shortcodes (after a week looking in places like the phone book, comreg's web site etc for the aforementioned shortcodes )to see who my phone provider is, expecting to find that it is still BTIreland only to discover that my provider is now eircom. I have been slammed.

What can I do about this?
what are my rights?
Do i I really have to pay Eircom for all calls made, even though these are costing me more than my normal provider?
How do I get un-slammed fast?

For the benefit of others here are the hard to find shortcodes

19800 - International calls
19822 - Local calls
19801 - National calls

.brendan

Sponge Bob

start by logging a fault online

Then email complaints@eircom.ie and tell them you need confirmation that you were not slammed to eircom when you simply changed access channel from isdn to pots and that they have 24 hours to confim this and unslam you and confirm that you will not be billed for the calls.

Then after 24 hours if complaints have not sorted it as you instructed send this into Comreg and tell them you have no contract with eircom to carry calls so you could not owe them money, along with the reply from complaints. Also ask Comreg how this could have happened when all you did was change access channel

bminish

Sponge Bob wrote:

Then email [email]complaints@eircom.ie[/email[/email]

To: complaints@eircom.ie
Subject: Unauthorised change of service provider
Sent: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:30:47 +0100

did not reach the following recipient(s):

complaints@eircom.ie on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:30:17 +0100
The recipient name is not recognized
The MTS-ID of the original message is: c=us;a=
;p=exchange;l=NTS_CTCNT010609131930S4ZW87TR
MSEXCH:IMS:Exchange:Central:NTS_CTCNT01 0 (000C05A6) Unknown Recipient

Sponge Bob

www.eircom.ie

customer care

log your complaint (form)

and from their code of conduct

Service Degradation - If your complaint falls under the category of Service Degradation we will respond immediately outlining the investigation procedure and the resolution timeframes envisaged.

bminish

Sponge Bob wrote:

www.eircom.ie

customer care

log your complaint (form)

and from their code of conduct

Done all that last night, got a couple of automated replies telling me that my complaint was 'important to eircom' and can expect a response within 10 working days

Meantime I am on hold with eircom for the last 1 1/2 Hours (still holding)
So far I have been told by eircom that this is normal since I changed service levels and was told that I must have been misinformed by the previous eircom rep if I was told that this would not happen!

Updates later as this saga proceeds

.brendan

Sponge Bob

you simply changed access channel from ISDN to POTS and THEY changed the CPS provider for your number themselves. An access channel is a separate issue from a CPS carrier. You did not change the carrier you use for the access channel so how could you have changed CPS carrier then ????

Eascalate to Comreg for 'clarification' that this is indeed the case. No point having a silly billing dispute with eircom when you

a) have no contract with them to carry calls
b) could get cut off if it drags on a bit

at least Comreg can intervene so you will not be cut off during this 'dispute' period .

Fitzee

Sometimes when eircom engineers visit customers in this fashion, the customer's account number, magically and inexplicably, changes. Thus you drop off CPS (account number and telephone number(s) no longer match...), Find out if you're account number has changed? Maybe if they change it back, your calls will go back to BT.

Sponge Bob

Thats funny (ha ha ) that fitzee:D, he still has no contract with them though and owes them not a cent !

Fitzee

True, he shouldn't have to pay for the calls.

Also, ComReg are pretty useless in cases like this, they only get involved (loose description :mad: ) if you have first "exhausted the complaints procedure" of the telco, in this case eircom.

bminish

Fitzee wrote:

True, he shouldn't have to pay for the calls.

Also, ComReg are pretty useless in cases like this, they only get involved (loose description :mad: ) if you have first "exhausted the complaints procedure" of the telco, in this case eircom.

I spent quite a while on the phone over the last couple of days, in total a little over 2 hours (mostly on hold) with eircom and a while with BT, Oh and a useless call to comreg. who told me to file a formal complaint with eircom.

This reminded me that I had in fact filed a Formal complaint with Eircom via E-mail in the beginning. I chased that up and then Eircom played silly buggers again.
"oh you want to make that an official formal complaint do you?"
Me "yes That's why it has the words formal complaint in the e-mail"

Apparently, according to various eircom bods

1/ this always happens and not to worry about it
2/ this never happens and we are deeply sorry but you will have to get BT to apply to switch you back as a new sign-up.
3/ You haven't been slammed, what on earth makes you think that? (the CPS codes!) can you check with BT yourself and get back to us.

The whole thing smells of a standard practice that they get away with most of the time. Comreg will not entertain Complaints until
1/ the customer has Exhausted the Telco's own complaints procedure, here the telco have 10 working days just to respond to the recipt of the complaint. no time frame on resolution
2/ Comreg will not entertain general complains along the lines of why does this almost always happen?

Comreg are about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to consumer affairs

.brendan

Sponge Bob

From www.askcomreg.ie/aboutus

Comreg is the statutory body responsible for the regulation of the electronic communications and postal sectors. The Commission was set up in 2002 and is based at the Irish Life Centre in Lower Abbey Street, Dublin.

ComReg’s remit covers the following areas:

• Fixed Phone Line operators providing voice and data services

What we are doing from the Consumer perspective
We aim to maximise consumer welfare through facilitating effective competition, protecting consumers by building query and complaints mechanisms with the operators and offering advice and guidance to individual and business users.

ComReg also strives to continually empower the consumer to make their own decisions and choices through high-quality outreach programmes such as consumer advice guides, websites and interactive tariff guides.

Contacting ComReg
The first thing you should do is to try to resolve the issue with the Communications company you are experiencing the problem with.
If you do not get a response within a reasonable timeframe or the response is unsatisfactory then you should contact the Consumer Team at ComReg.

How to contact the Consumer Team:
Telephone: Lo-call 1890-229 668 or 01-804 9668
Fax: 01-804 9671
Email : consumerline@comreg.ie
Website
www.askcomreg.ie - ComReg's Consumer Website
www.callcosts.ie - ComReg's Mobile Phone Cost Comparison Website
www.comreg.ie

no mention of any procedural exhaustion there and the definition of REASONABLE is left up to you. Tell Comreg that you do not owe the money, you will not pay the money and as long as you are not cut off because of their incompetency you do not care .

bealtine

bminish wrote:

I

Comreg are about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to consumer affairs

You don't seriously expect Comreg to have any interest whatever in you as the consumer?

Always consider who actually pays Comreg's wages....and more cash for those who pay the wages means more cash for Comreg. Simple equation.

Comreg is a department of "those who pay the wages"

watty

bminish wrote:

Comreg are about as useful as a chocolate teapot when it comes to consumer affairs

.brendan

I like eating chocolate. It is good for my sinus. I don't care if it looks like a teapot.

Now a Mouldy Carob teapot ... That really is useless.

bminish

watty wrote:

I like eating chocolate. It is good for my sinus. I don't care if it looks like a teapot.

It might taste good but unfit for the purpose of making tea
.brendan

Prisoner6409

Having had cause to contact Comreg myself I would agree they are next to useless, a waste of money. Who is ultimately responsible for Comreg, is it the minister for Comms, if so cc all your correspondence to his/her office.

bminish

Prisoner6409 wrote:

. Who is ultimately responsible for Comreg, is it the minister for Comms, if so cc all your correspondence to his/her office.

Comreg are an 'independent' regulator so there's no point in involving the minister for fones and fish
.brendan

aoifejane

bminish wrote:

Comreg are an 'independent' regulator so there's no point in involving the minister for fones and fish
.brendan

What happened in the end??
aj

bminish

aoifejane wrote:

What happened in the end??
aj

Nothing yet, Still having my calls handled by Eircom who are still denying that this is the case. They have acknowledged my official complaint and assigned me a case #

No further contact has been made with me by Eircom.

.brendan