Smart going belly up?

Hamilcar

I know it's hard for Smart customers, but spare a thought for the poor Smart staff. They must really be worried about their futures. OK you might not be able to make a phone call, but they mightn't be able to put bread on the table or keep the roof over their heads.

Just keep it in perspective

Fallschirmjager

Full Moon Angel wrote:

Hmmm. I think it means that eircom is providing that service for free.
Will smart charge us for it??

well the word free and eircom should never be used in the same sentence....

also i dont think international calls are available...just local and national...

personally, i think this is a disaster for all the other companies out there. most of the stock that eircom depends on are the more mature people, and the message loud and clear to them is...eircom is expensive but reliable rather then these fly by night companies...best stay with us...

the rte announcement is a bloody disgrace they mention eircom and BT..no one else...

it is so sad that smart wont make an announcement....anything..people will tank starting today unless they do something, anything...i for one have to consider it as most of my calls are international....unless they do something..

for the record, i will never, ever go back to eircom.

Nolberto

Blackdragon wrote:

"Meanwhile as those talks were going on yesterday, Eircom was continuing to disconnect Smart's 17,000 broadband customers and separate talks are due to take place today to try and resolve that problem."

Got home from work yesterday and was told by my housemate that a guy from Eircom called to the house to try & change our line back over to Eircom. No explanation, just "let me in". Apparently he was pretty pushy...

Do Eircom have the right to do this? I realise Smart are using their lines but as a Smart customer surely an Eircom technician doesn't have the right to change over our line without us being informed by Smart... Thoughts??

Either way my housemate played dumb and told them they'd need to contact the person who deals with broadband (me). So we still have our BB for the time being. Can this be switched off at exchange level or is this equipment still in Smart's hands?

Full Moon Angel

Nolberto wrote:

Got home from work yesterday and was told by my housemate that a guy from Eircom called to the house to try & change our line back over to Eircom. No explanation, just "let me in". Apparently he was pretty pushy...

Do Eircom have the right to do this? I realise Smart are using their lines but as a Smart customer surely an Eircom technician doesn't have the right to change over our line without us being informed by Smart... Thoughts??

Either way my housemate played dumb and told them they'd need to contact the person who deals with broadband (me). So we still have our BB for the time being. Can this be switched off at exchange level or is this equipment still in Smart's hands?

I believe that's what happened to me, my line was switched off altogether at exchange level. If Eircom controls the exchanges then they can go there and switch off all Smart equipment. I believe that's their plan for today, disconnecting all broadband users.

As for a technician trying to come in to switch, I am not sure that would be legal.

tba

Does this whole thing remind anybody of a Coup?

Eircom drive in with yellows vans to the exchange and take over the service in a bloodless revolt...

Blackdragon

Nolberto wrote:

Got home from work yesterday and was told by my housemate that a guy from Eircom called to the house to try & change our line back over to Eircom. No explanation, just "let me in". Apparently he was pretty pushy...

Do Eircom have the right to do this? I realise Smart are using their lines but as a Smart customer surely an Eircom technician doesn't have the right to change over our line without us being informed by Smart... Thoughts??

Either way my housemate played dumb and told them they'd need to contact the person who deals with broadband (me). So we still have our BB for the time being. Can this be switched off at exchange level or is this equipment still in Smart's hands?

Jesus there some chancers - what part of the country are you living in?

If they call back what you planning on doing?

Nolberto

Blackdragon wrote:

Jesus there some chancers - what part of the country are you living in?

If they call back what you planning on doing?

I'm in East Wall, Dublin.

As far as I'm concerned no-one from eircom is going near the line in our house until there has been some kind of a statement from Smart/ComReg as to how this thing is going to be worked out.

Funny how it takes months (plus endless phonecalls) to change from an eircom line over to smart, yet it's possible for them to change your line back to eircom without so much as a warning...

jor el

Nolberto wrote:

Got home from work yesterday and was told by my housemate that a guy from Eircom called to the house to try & change our line back over to Eircom. No explanation, just "let me in". Apparently he was pretty pushy...

Do Eircom have the right to do this? I realise Smart are using their lines but as a Smart customer surely an Eircom technician doesn't have the right to change over our line without us being informed by Smart... Thoughts??

Either way my housemate played dumb and told them they'd need to contact the person who deals with broadband (me). So we still have our BB for the time being. Can this be switched off at exchange level or is this equipment still in Smart's hands?

Something very dodgy about that. Eircom don't need access to your house to change over as it's all done at the exchange. Did your housemate get the guy's name or notice if he was even in an Eircom van? I'd report this to Eircom first and then the Gardai, it may not have been an Eircom guy at all but perhaps an opportunist thief.

Sponge Bob

eircom disconnect smart customers in the exchange and need no access to the customers premises.

But somebody IN eircom must have told this thief that the poster was a smart customer and here is his home address . Isn't it great that eircom are giving out lists of smart customers to the skangerati in Dublin 1 so that the skangerati can intimidate people in their own houses on top of them being disconnected .

I have heard of companies selling customer lists but this is ridiculous.

MOH

Here's a thought - if enough people cancel their contracts while still within their minimum period, Smart (if still alive) can penalise them for the balance of the minimum period.

So if 20000 people do this and get penalised an average of 150 euro each, that'll provide 3 million to pay off Eircom.

Sorted!

iregk

Just posted this in the comms forum.

Well what I find strange and remarkably coincidental is that last year I was talking to my next door neighbour and we were talking about switching to Smart. He told me not to as he has just gotten off a plane where he was sitting beside a top exec from Smart. This guy was telling him the company will be gone in little over a year as it was all part of the initial plan.

The business plan was to get 100k customers, hence the free broadband for the first 100k offer and then sell the company on with a user base of 100k!!!
If they didn't get the 100k they were going to fold the company. Now from what I know Smart only have 50k or so broadband customers so they didn't hit their initial target and decided to fold the company instead. This was alway pre planned and wasn't a spur of the moment thing.

matt-dublin

billy the squid wrote:

you have to go to the high court to have a liquidator appointed first I would imagine

from oasis.ie

Voluntary liquidation means that a majority of the business directors have made a statutory declaration. This declaration means that they have enquired into the affairs of the company and believe that it would be unable it pay its debts within a certain period. Read about the circumstances in which a company can be wound up voluntarily. What provisions are available to creditors? Read through the measures to be taken by a company involved in a voluntary winding up.

further information on voluntry liquodation due to creditor debts:
http://www.basis.ie/home/home.jsp?pcategory=15435&ecategory=15438&sectionpage=10339&language=EN&page=&link=link001&doc=12269&doclistid=15441&logname=Provisions%20applicable%20to%20Creditors%20on%20a%20voluntary%20winding%20up&urlcode=

paulm17781

iregk wrote:

Well what I find strange and remarkably coincidental is that last year I was talking to my next door neighbour and we were talking about switching to Smart. He told me not to as he has just gotten off a plane where he was sitting beside a top exec from Smart. This guy was telling him the company will be gone in little over a year as it was all part of the initial plan.

Care to name that source? Sounds like utter BS to me as I doubt a "top exec" would be that stupid.

Blackdragon

paulm17781 wrote:

Care to name that source? Sounds like utter BS to me as I doubt a "top exec" would be that stupid.

I have to agree - complete BS.

matt-dublin

lol...
they were that stupid not to pay their bills weren't they

bk

I'll repeat this again DON'T PANIC.

Smart Broadband customers should wait and see what happens, this is supposedly a very profitable part of the business and is likely to continue or be sold as a going concern to another company. *

If BB customers do decide to move it will likely take at least 4 weeks with no net, so you would be better off waiting and see what happens.

If your BB has stopped working, then go to the Smart Forums and let them know and they can probably fix it:
http://support.smarttelecom.ie/forums/index.php

It seems that most peoples Smart BB is still working fine.

If on the other hand, you are a Smart voice only customer (CPS, WLR) then you should move as Smart will likely be dropping this business (not profitable), it should be very quick and easy to move and only take a few days. UTV and BT are good alternatives, just give them a call.

From http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9825470.html

It has been confirmed to ENN that Murtagh, and other family members recently appointed to Smart's board, have agreed a last minute refinancing package which may prevent Smart from facing liquidation.

Although Smart has already suspended trading on London's AIM market, the Murtagh rescue plan will reportedly include a complete delisting from the exchange and a EUR10 million cash injection.

Smart lost EUR36 million in the first half of 2006, and may have lost considerable goodwill and brand image over the most recent debacle. However industry commentators have suggested the company has an "attractive and viable business plan" in relation to its broadband business.

Blackdragon

matt-dublin wrote:

lol...
they were that stupid not to pay their bills weren't they

thats true to but they were unable to pay there bills due to the fact that they dont have any money where as telling everyone you meet on a plane that hey were scamming everyone isnt a very strong business plan.

The fact is if they were truely in it to sign up 100,000 people and then sell for a massave profit then it would not have served there business plan very well to brag about what they are doing before they done it and the guy that said it would have been talking himself out of money.

Further more if he told one person on a plane then surely he would not have stopped at just that stranger would he. So im sure we would have heard something of this long before eircom's Action.


If im wrong please feel free to correct me but i just dont see how any of that could make any bit of since. I fi was scamming the public or pulling a scam to sign up 100,000 people just to sell then the last thing i would do is let thwe public know about it. I would only stand to forfeit a lot of cash.

Hamilcar

Well what I find strange and remarkably coincidental is that last year I was talking to my next door neighbour and we were talking about switching to Smart. He told me not to as he has just gotten off a plane where he was sitting beside a top exec from Smart. This guy was telling him the company will be gone in little over a year as it was all part of the initial plan.
QUOTE]


Sounds a bit like the Arab telling the woman not to go to work on Sept 11 in the WTC after she helped him up..

Anyway how many people introduce themselves as 'Hi I'm Joe. I'm a top executive in [Enter name of troubled company]'

matt-dublin

v true dragon..
i vote everyone who's a smart customer give them a donation of €90 to pay the eircom bill...
45000 * €90 = €4, 005, 000
Bring back smart bring back smart!!!

Blackdragon

The following is a post from the Smart Telecom Board by member Wildrover06.
http://support.smarttelecom.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=867

I really feel that recent events that have affected us all are not only totally unacceptable but also something that we must all do something or get something done about, before it's too late

Not only have comreg failed miserably in their supposed duties in the past, they are now in my opinion not performing in a manner for which they were set up to begin with. What good are they if they simply sit on their backsides & observe this disgustingly amazing sequence of events get to this stage, without stepping in at the first sign of trouble?

Their main pupose for existing is to protect the consumer? Bullsh*t! If that were the case €ircom would not have been permitted to act in this grossly unacceptable manner. This whole situation is just so bizarre that its almost laughable.

We have Minister Noel Dempsey prattling on & on about the roll out of broadband, determined to get Ireland in line with other EU countries, meanwhile €ircom are ensuring that hundreds of Smart Telecom employees join the ranks of the unemployed, tens of thousands of people that voted him into office without phone & internet access, facing jaysus knows what sort of hassle ahead, because of what comreg could have avoided to begin with (e.g. new phone numbers which aren't recognised etc.)

OK I wont get on a soap box, but I seriously believe that our problem is not of our making, or of Smart Telecom's making. It's easy to bitch away on an internet forum, but I think it's time for people to pro-act, theres time if we all move swiftly. General Elections are looming, so it's the ideal time for those affected by this latest ridiculous farce to let those who allegedly are looking out for our best interests, know that we are simply not prepared to accept the situation, end of.

The 'Government de jour' have bailed out companies experiencing difficulties in the past for the good of the public, so it's time they did it right here right now IMO.

I would urge everyone ( & their friends,neighbours,relatives etc) to email Minister Noel Dempsey ( info@noeldempsey.ie ), Bertie Ahern, your local TD, anyone who claims to have the good of the people/consumer at heart ( all in the form provided at http://www.fiannafail.ie/contact.php4)

These people need to be aware that we are not prepared to accept this, & that if they dont rectify the situation that they cannot rely on our votes. It's the only language they understand.

Just do it!!
__________________



I believe he may be on to something and as he was kind enough to encluse Minister Noel Dempsey's Email i think we should all drop him a line. I for one will be doing so.


I HATE EIRSCUM:mad:

JJDoherty

Blackdragon wrote:

...I would urge everyone ( & their friends,neighbours,relatives etc) to email Minister Noel Dempsey ( info@noeldempsey.ie ), Bertie Ahern, your local TD, anyone who claims to have the good of the people/consumer at heart ( all in the form provided at http://www.fiannafail.ie/contact.php4)

These people need to be aware that we are not prepared to accept this, & that if they dont rectify the situation that they cannot rely on our votes. It's the only language they understand...

If anyone has written an email that explains to minister Noel Dempsey exactly how we all feel, how it is vital for ComReg to be given real power and for Eircom to be split up, wrestling the national telecommunications infrastructure away from them and finally create a fair and level playing field for all companies in the marketplace, then please paste it here to enable us all to copy it and sent it on to him.

He's the minister for communications and if he had any political will at all then he could make most, if not all, of this happen within a relatively short period of time (although qualified by the fact that he is an Irish politician!).

matt-dublin

or smart could have just paid their eircom bill instead of spending millions on advertising and sponsorship????
noone else agree with me?

you don't pay ur gas u get cut off.
you don't pay your mobile... you get cut off...
you don't pay your road tax... u get a fine...
you don't pay your car insurance u get 2 points...

you don't pay your phone bill you get cut off...
and pure and simple, smart basically didn't pay their phone bill and they got cut off... with two warnings and comreg were advised that smart were being cut off and were also told to put an emergency plan for the event.

So now smart have to pull 4 million basically out of thin air or else something like sell the 100 nissan almeras sitting out in their car park for the last month from when they let go of the residential team!

flamegrill

Magnet will port your number over no problem. As I understand it something like the following happens.

Order goes in to magnet -> magnet send order to eircom -> forwarding is setup for the old eircom number to the new number during the LLU process -> line is unbundled by eircom and put onto magnets equipment -> a few days elapse and the eircom number is then setup on smart.

The whole process time is around 2 weeks, but between paper work and everything I think the average is around 3-4 weeks. This has come down from 3 months or so near the beginning.

But magnet currently are the only company offering a comparable DSL service to smart telelcom and they are financially sound at that. If you have smart, call Magnet immediately and move the whole shop over to them. Do not hang around with smart, things are only going to get worse by the looks of things.

Paul

Diver79

Little bit off topic here..

Comreg has a link for Smart customers to view other ISP's etc. When you click this link you are presented with a list of providers and Eircom's entry is in italics.

Arent Comreg meant to be impartial, why would they highlight Eircom in this list?

Here is the link http://www.askcomreg.ie/home_phone/List_of_Home_Phone_Service_Providers.70.LE.asp

jimmycrackcorm

matt-dublin wrote:

or smart could have just paid their eircom bill instead of spending millions on advertising and sponsorship????
noone else agree with me?

you don't pay ur gas u get cut off.
you don't pay your mobile... you get cut off...
you don't pay your road tax... u get a fine...
you don't pay your car insurance u get 2 points...

you don't pay your phone bill you get cut off...
and pure and simple, smart basically didn't pay their phone bill and they got cut off... with two warnings and comreg were advised that smart were being cut off and were also told to put an emergency plan for the event.

So now smart have to pull 4 million basically out of thin air or else something like sell the 100 nissan almeras sitting out in their car park for the last month from when they let go of the residential team!

That's still a very simplistic view of the situation. Of course they should have paid their bill and mush of the trouble stems from that. But how many people do you think would have considered moving to their package until they were told that they couldn't keep their phone number?

Had this facility been in place then it was likely that their business plan would have succeeded. For eircom to turn around and say that they couldn't manage their software because they needed the numbers for identification is laughable to any knowledgable person in IT.

I'm not a smart customer but I am sufficiently concerned by the lack of regulatory control of Eircom.

Nolberto

matt-dublin wrote:

you don't pay your phone bill you get cut off...
and pure and simple, smart basically didn't pay their phone bill and they got cut off...

Yes, Smart didn't pay their bill and eircom were correct to take action against them. But I think the point is that we, the bill-paying public, should not be effected by this. The Minister for Communications should intervene and ensure that the public are not effected any further by this.

I also think that running off & changing ISP straight away is not the best way to change things. Of course I accept that some people need to get back online asap for business reasons, but you see the point I'm making...

Smart customers should not have to take the hit on this one!! :mad:

matt-dublin

I completly agree, and there is no doubt that eircom blocked smart the whole way along... (as they do with everything else!)

I know a lot of people who would have gone to smart but they couldn't roll out far enough...
take a look at all of the new housing estates around dublin..
stepaside, charlesland, ballybrakc etc etc....
if smart had been able to rolll out to them they would have made a killing...
but eircom didn't open up the exchange, basically because they know that smart would have take majority of the market share.

I know its a simplistic view but at the end of the day they didn't pay for a service/contract that they agreed upon so eircom were well within their right to terminate the contract....

Blackdragon

matt-dublin wrote:

or smart could have just paid their eircom bill instead of spending millions on advertising and sponsorship????
noone else agree with me?

you don't pay ur gas u get cut off.
you don't pay your mobile... you get cut off...
you don't pay your road tax... u get a fine...
you don't pay your car insurance u get 2 points...

you don't pay your phone bill you get cut off...
and pure and simple, smart basically didn't pay their phone bill and they got cut off... with two warnings and comreg were advised that smart were being cut off and were also told to put an emergency plan for the event.

So now smart have to pull 4 million basically out of thin air or else something like sell the 100 nissan almeras sitting out in their car park for the last month from when they let go of the residential team!

Hey matt i totally agree with you in regard to they should have paid the bill and worried about advertising at a later stage.

Ehat is really annoying me though is that EIRSCUM are loving this and are fully taking advantage of this with smiles on there faces.

Someone posted earlier that if tesco was the only shop in ireland we would all have a problem with that and by god we would all unite and fight.

Why should this be any different.

I urge everyone in here to Email the minister and post your emails on this board as an example of what others should email him.

Im not the most constructive man there is when it comes to emails. I gonna give it my best but id like some ideas to include so people please feel free to post what you think should be included in the email.:)


I HATE EIRSCUM.:mad:

matt-dublin

i like tesco!

MOH

Diver79 wrote:

Little bit off topic here..

Comreg has a link for Smart customers to view other ISP's etc. When you click this link you are presented with a list of providers and Eircom's entry is in italics.

Arent Comreg meant to be impartial, why would they highlight Eircom in this list?

Here is the link http://www.askcomreg.ie/home_phone/List_of_Home_Phone_Service_Providers.70.LE.asp

Was it in this thread that someone said earlier they rang Comreg and the girl said she didn't know what was happening, but they should switch back to Eircom?

Also, given that part of ComReggiePerrin's remit is to provide accurate information to consumers, it's a bit bizarre that Smart is still listed in there too.