Ice Broadband steadily becoming even more terrible

tor1 · 21-07-2008 5:05pm

I also complained by e-mail and letter without reply.My contract with them runs until early 2009.Am i entitled to cancel if they dont answer my complaint? And do i have to go through Comreg?

bartificer · 21-07-2008 5:24pm

tor1 wrote: »

I also complained by e-mail and letter without reply.My contract with them runs until early 2009.Am i entitled to cancel if they dont answer my complaint? And do i have to go through Comreg?

It's wisest to go through Com Reg. You have to contact them and say that you are in touch with comreg. You have to say that you're making an official complaint, and that you want a reference for it. Then they have 10 days to get back to you. Then you can go back to Com Reg and they should be able to get you out of your contract.

Bart.

daveharnett · 22-07-2008 12:49pm

tor1 wrote: »

Am i entitled to cancel if they dont answer my complaint?

Ho hum. Not really.

My advice would be to send the an email notifying them that you will be cancelling the service (ie stopping the direct debit) unless they permenantly sort out your speeds. Stress that since they don't respond to you, you have no alternative, you have exhausted all options. CC comreg on that email.

Then, cancel the direct debit. I'm not sure about the legality - basically once you have any connection at all, they are fulfilling their side of the contract - there is NO minimum level of service specified. However, given the level of customer satisfaction, and the number of people leaving, they are in no position to hassle you about it.

Sellphone · 22-07-2008 4:44pm

alansweeney100 wrote: »

I have finally cancelled my ice broadband package. My 'gaming line' has been sub-dial up speeds for the last month.
Had a 'engineer' out last week and by the time he had finished my speeds were even worse!
I don't know how long they will take to respond and get my mast off my roof, I'll keep u's posted. I rang my bank and told them to give them c*nts Sentinial nothing, they're looking for €7.50 extra off me cause the funds weren't in the account when they tried to withdraw them.
What a nightmare, does anyone know a good ISP in Balbriggan? I'll never get a ISP without properly researching ever again.

Their debt collectors mailed me about the cancellation and the €7.50, and I replied, CCing ICe and ComReg, along the lines that when I got service I would pay. Got an E mail saying they would not be looking for the monthly fee or the €7.50, this month. ICe tell me that Lispopple site is being "worked" on until about Thursday next, and "Normal" service will resume, what ever that is. We shall see.:cool:

Headshot · 22-07-2008 6:28pm

any body having good experience with ice broadband

iv just ordered it there today

BigglesMcGee · 22-07-2008 9:01pm

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

any body having good experience with ice broadband

iv just ordered it there today

Did you not read this thread at all?

Dont expect to ever be able to play games online or to have any luck contacting Ice when things inevitably turn to sh!te

BigglesMcGee · 22-07-2008 9:03pm

Sellphone wrote: »

Their debt collectors mailed me about the cancellation and the €7.50, and I replied, CCing ICe and ComReg, along the lines that when I got service I would pay. Got an E mail saying they would not be looking for the monthly fee or the €7.50, this month.

I did the very same. Also told them not to expect payment til its fully working again. Comreg backed me up on this too - for a change.

bartificer · 22-07-2008 10:03pm

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

any body having good experience with ice broadband

iv just ordered it there today

The path of least resistance would be to cancel your order now before you waste your money and ICE's time. Their support is crap. They over-load their systems and keep selling regarless. They don't keep their promises. Unless you get off on being stressed and spending hours and hours on hold, my advice would be to run away as fast as you can before it's too late.

Bart.

Hank Scorpio · 23-07-2008 11:37am

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

any body having good experience with ice broadband

iv just ordered it there today

lol

mrplop · 23-07-2008 3:22pm

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

any body having good experience with ice broadband

iv just ordered it there today

Good luck - you're gonna need it.

Have a read through this thread again and be prepared for the 'self flagellation' that is Ice Broadband - I hope you like pain and suffering...

Headshot · 23-07-2008 5:17pm

mrplop wrote: »

Good luck - you're gonna need it.

Have a read through this thread again and be prepared for the 'self flagellation' that is Ice Broadband - I hope you like pain and suffering...

iv changed my mind about ice

so i canceled the installation

Gonzo · 23-07-2008 6:04pm

good thing you cancelled, your better off on 56k than with ice broadband.

mrplop · 24-07-2008 12:43am

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

iv changed my mind about ice

so i canceled the installation

Good for you.

duignad · 24-07-2008 9:40am

Wish I was getting similar results... I made the mistake of connecting to Ice Broadband too and I'm lucky to get anything above 200kbs download and 100 kbs up as opposed to 4000 down and 1000 up. After 10 weeks of trying customer support and their complaints section, I've got absolutely nowhere. They never return calls or answer emails. I'm going to register my complaint to ComReg and their MD - [EDIT - Do not name individuals without their express permission - Thanks] but I dont reckon that will change anything.
Anybody reading this - dont touch them..!

Vexorg · 24-07-2008 11:31am

A reminder to all.

Please do not name any individual working for any company without their express permission.

Thanks

alansweeney100 · 24-07-2008 8:16pm

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote: »

iv changed my mind about ice

so i canceled the installation

Just to echo the other lads comments, You have saved yourself so much stress.
I've decided to go with 'imagine' as my new isp.
Ice still haven't arrived to take my mast down nor have they contacted me about it. I'll give them a reminder and another week, then I'll let them know that I work in Rosemount industrial estate and will leave it in their reception if they don't get the finger out

niemad · 24-07-2008 10:11pm

I have ice boardband in around 3 months, the only problem is that it cuts off regularly, from 5 minutes a day to 5 hours. I have noticed that if i upload for too long the next day i get cut off more than normal. But I do have to say that when it does work it works very fast, sometimes over what i'm paying for espaically the upload.

HaloJazz · 25-07-2008 12:35am

Hi All,

I am living in Ashbourne and was thinking about getting ICE BB. Would you recommend it?? I would prefer to only here from Ashbourne customers if you could let me know or email me directly at funkyduck123@gmail.com

I am hoping to order this in the next two or three days so let me know.:o

HaloJazz · 25-07-2008 12:55am

Oh and my parents live near Rolestown in Swords is there coverage there do we know?

If your feedback is good they could get it too

BigglesMcGee · 25-07-2008 8:14am

Any potentiasl Ice customers, try ringing their support number in the evening (as thats when you get home from work and need them when you find your BB is not working).

Ring them on random evenings and time how long you are on hold. This will show you what you're in for when you do become a customer.

I cant stress nearly enough that ANY BB alternative to Ice should be checked out before even thinking abut Ice.

Also Halo, if you want to play games on Ice BB - FORGET IT.

Sellphone · 26-07-2008 10:52am

HaloJazz wrote: »

Hi All,

I am living in Ashbourne and was thinking about getting ICE BB. Would you recommend it?? I would prefer to only here from Ashbourne customers if you could let me know or email me directly at funkyduck123@gmail.com

I am hoping to order this in the next two or three days so let me know.:o

I live near Oldtown, and if you go back over my posts you will understand my opinion of ICE is not good. I have gone to the Regulator at this stage, pulled the DD etc. Last week ICE text me to say there was work to improve the Lispopple site and this would make things wonderful again. As of today I am still not getting past 400k, sometimes it goes down to 60k, even 8000 bps at one stage.
Their customer service/support is woeful.Frustrated at this stage

ComplyOrDie · 26-07-2008 2:43pm

Sellphone wrote: »

I live near Oldtown, and if you go back over my posts you will understand my opinion of ICE is not good. I have gone to the Regulator at this stage, pulled the DD etc. Last week ICE text me to say there was work to improve the Lispopple site and this would make things wonderful again. As of today I am still not getting past 400k, sometimes it goes down to 60k, even 8000 bps at one stage.
Their customer service/support is woeful.Frustrated at this stage

To be honest with yous my service used to be like that but then they updated there site/equipment etc and the service is ALWAYS 2 meg or more mostly 3500, 3600. so if they said they are updateing there equipment give them a chance. at one stage my speeds was just like dial up and their customer relations are really bad. But currently i wouldnt change unless i was looking for higher speeds like 10 meg .
Keep the faith

BigglesMcGee · 26-07-2008 3:14pm

ComplyOrDie wrote: »

To be honest with yous my service used to be like that but then they updated there site/equipment etc and the service is ALWAYS 2 meg or more mostly 3500, 3600. so if they said they are updateing there equipment give them a chance. at one stage my speeds was just like dial up and their customer relations are really bad. But currently i wouldnt change unless i was looking for higher speeds like 10 meg .
Keep the faith

2 years and about 10 upgrades later for us and its still shi!te.

Mikebyrne · 26-07-2008 6:56pm

My broadband speeds have fallen by two thirds over the past two weeks, Ive been onto Ice about 4 times and nothing has happened.

Ive been a loyal customer for over a year and a half but Ive really had enough

mrplop · 26-07-2008 10:22pm

BigglesMcGee wrote: »

2 years and about 10 upgrades later for us and its still shi!te.

Generally the 'upgrade' line is a total lie.

They tried that one on me a least 4 times.

Mikebyrne · 26-07-2008 10:52pm

In general, what do people think is an aceptable speed for a 3MB line allowing for ICE's contention ratio?

mrplop · 27-07-2008 1:06pm

Mikebyrne wrote: »

In general, what do people think is an aceptable speed for a 3MB line allowing for ICE's contention ratio?

According to Ice, 10 times faster than dial-up is acceptable.

Gonzo · 27-07-2008 1:31pm

HaloJazz wrote: »

Hi All,

I am living in Ashbourne and was thinking about getting ICE BB. Would you recommend it?? I would prefer to only here from Ashbourne customers if you could let me know or email me directly at funkyduck123@gmail.com

I am hoping to order this in the next two or three days so let me know.:o

you live in Ashbourne, thats only 10 miles away from me, there are plenty of decent providers in Ashbourne that are way better than Ice. Eircom and all their Adsl resellers operate in Ashbourne. Dont go near Ice wireless unless their is nothing else available at your house. Even if there is nothing else availabe i'd nearly wait it out till the exchange your on gets updated, but I presume you are connected to the Ashbourne exchange which has at least 4 dsl providers.

bartificer · 27-07-2008 1:40pm

Mikebyrne wrote: »

In general, what do people think is an aceptable speed for a 3MB line allowing for ICE's contention ratio?

Fluctuating between 2 and 3Mb/s is the worst I'll tolerate from a line sold as three Mb/s. Contention does not mean that you never get your full speed, it means that you won't get it at peak times. At night you should be up to your full speeds or there is something very wrong with your provider.

I was with ICE for 11 months and I NEVER, NOT ONCE, EVER, saw the full 4Mb/s I was paying for. If I saw 2Mb/s I counted myself very very lucky.

It's interesting that ICE were never prepared to tell me what they consider to be an acceptable speed for their packages.

Bart.

BigglesMcGee · 27-07-2008 1:42pm

Mikebyrne wrote: »

In general, what do people think is an aceptable speed for a 3MB line allowing for ICE's contention ratio?

How about at least as much as everyone else i know gets from their different BB providers., who all get near their quoted speeds no matter what the contention is.

How about constant relatively low pings so you can support remote, VOIP or games.

How about a service that you can depend on from one day to the next.

How about a tech support dept that can answer the phone when you call them after you come home from work at 6 to find you have to go to dial up.

How about a tech support dept who actually return calls and dont lie to you every 5 minutes.

How about getting what you pay for?

How about a real company that knows how to run a BB service without ripping off, lying to and ignoring their customers.

With Ice Broadband give you none of this.

Ice Broadband steadily becoming even more terrible

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