Please be aware if signing up to Eircom broadband packages..

misty76

Just got my first bill from eircom after signing up for the 7mb family package in march with a charge of 59.40e extra that i wasn't expecting and no on told me about when i was signing up..

Basically i was charged for signing up for the broadband because i signed up after my last bill was issued, no one told me about this when i asked were there any hidden charges i should know about.. If i had signed up say 35 days into the billing period i would not have been charged as much but would still have been charged for the transfer period, which they dont mention on the information page about the paticular package.. I know it is probably mentioned in the t&c, but to me its false advertising in a way..

I am so annoyed, Eircom is such a sneaky company.. Please tell as many people as you can so no one else gets stung for these charges.. I rang to querie the bill and the staff are so rude and unprofessional in dealing with the queries.. They were so cute not to mention what the best time to sign up was when i initially looked for information and also had to pay 30e on my last bill to cancel my dial up.. Rip off..

also beware that you have less grounds to stand on if you sign up over the internet whereas if you sign up over the phone you may have some come back with a human error element..

Hope i explained this ok, if you have any queries just ask and i will try to explain best i can..

Has anyone else had an experience like this or any other with Eircom??:rolleyes:

dub45

I am a bit baffled by your post - could you itemise the charges for us?

Normally when you sign up for bb (irrespective of the isp) you would be expecting a charge on a pro rata basis between the start date of your bb and the end of the billing period and then (depending on the isp) one or two months advance.

misty76

I know its hard to understand, hence a sneaky charge in my opinion..
basically i signed up for bb on 25th march and am being charged broadband rental now from march 25th to 18th may.. It is a once off charge.. But say i hadnt signed up until say 5th of may i would have had to pay a fee alright but perhaps only a few euro.. But i had no clue of any charge, as i say it was never mentioned to me.. I know i should of looked into it more but i took the girls word that there were no other charges..

They charged me for it under the heading of your service and connection charges home advanced..

Just saying to anyone signing up make sure you are very careful of when you sign up

Dublin_Gunner

According to the bundles and pricing schedule on the site eircom.ie/pricing you should not have been charged for the connection, and your first month should have been free.

Thats what the site states. If you were to bring this to comreg, I'm certain they would back you up.

Their pricing model on the site is not even up to date with the new packages, and there is no mention of any charge on the pricing section, the bundle section, or even in the t&c's.

I'd ask them straight away to remove the charge, or you'll cancel it and move to a different provider.

The BB T&C's even refer to the eircom.ie/pricing page - which states there should be no charge.

Its false advertsising if they charged you for that, and the charge should be refunded.

I haven't paid an Eircom phone bill in about 6 months, because they keep messing it up since I moved a few months ago (and before hand) by charging for services that should have incurred no charge, and subsequently striking off the bills.

They are idiots. They really are.

misty76

Dublin-gunner, your message..

Eh, paid to cancel dial up????? You mean one of those mobile BB thingy's?

Back to the bill though.

I would expect from this

*<a href="Eircom Family Bundle">*http://www.eircom.ie/cgi-bin/bvsm/bveircom/bladerunner/showContent.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0462001560.1242919295@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfadehfifjgdkcefeceiedfgodfik.0&cid=7MbFamily&site=Res*</a>*That if you're an exisiting customer, and not upgrading broadband, your first month should have been free.

or this
<a href="pricing">http://www.eircom.ie/cgi-bin/bvsm/bveircom/bladerunner/showContent.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0426955858.1242919904@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccadehfifjgdecefeceiedfgodfik.0&cid=PriceListOfProducts&site=Res</a>

would suggest that there should have been no connection fee.

---

It was 56 k dial up on an eircom net package, not one of those mobile broadband thingys. I rang them minute i got the bill and they are having none of it saying i could not have a refund.. As i keep saying it is sneaky fair play to anyone who know's about it and that is why i hope to tell people about it..

Dublin_Gunner

I editied my post because for some reason I had an epic fail with HTML tags lol

However, I have NEVER paid any charge in the past for 'cancelling' dial up. I wasn't even aware there were any specific packages - or that if there were, they'd still be offering them these days.

I'd be looking for that back too.

misty76

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

I editied my post because for some reason I had an epic fail with HTML tags lol

However, I have NEVER paid any charge in the past for 'cancelling' dial up. I wasn't even aware there were any specific packages - or that if there were, they'd still be offering them these days.

I'd be looking for that back too.

We had that package years.. There was a specific date i had to canel that on too apparently.. Oh they make me so mad..

jor el

I'm still confused as to what the charges are for. If your bill is issued on the 18th of May, and you signed up to broadband on March 25th, then you'll be billed for services from March 25th (or whenever it went active) till May 18th, and also for services going forward to the next billing period (July 18th I assume), as broadband and line rental are charged in advance. Could this be it?

As to the dial up canceling charge, I assume that was a flat-rate 20 hour dial up job. If so, you needed to cancel that on the last day of your billing period.

_Sidhe_

It's simply your pro-rate.

When you sign up for any service, not just Eircom, you're billed from the date you're installed.
Unless by sheer luck you happen to be installed on your billing date, you'll always have a pro-rate.

If you get billed on the 5th of every month, and you're installed on the 6th, then your next invoice (on the 5th of next month) will be for 1 day short of two months.
One month in advance, and the 29 days leading up to the bill being generated.

This is the way all services work.

misty76

Well i just want to make people aware of this charge as eircom dont give you any advice on this..

So anyone signing up do it nearer the time your next bill will be due and you wont be charged as much..

I was charged 59.40 and im just saying if i had of know i would of waited and signed up later in the month or early may and not been charged as much..

misty76

jor el wrote: »

I'm still confused as to what the charges are for. If your bill is issued on the 18th of May, and you signed up to broadband on March 25th, then you'll be billed for services from March 25th (or whenever it went active) till May 18th, and also for services going forward to the next billing period (July 18th I assume), as broadband and line rental are charged in advance. Could this be it?

As to the dial up canceling charge, I assume that was a flat-rate 20 hour dial up job. If so, you needed to cancel that on the last day of your billing period.

Yeah fair enough i know all this now but its too late for me to do anything about it, i didnt know or eircom did not make me aware of this when i rang to make enquires.. as i said when the girl explained it all to me i took it in good faith that there was no other charges..

Perhaps they dont have to tell us but i think it should be mentioned in the big print..

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

Well i just want to make people aware of this charge as eircom dont give you any advice on this..

So anyone signing up do it nearer the time your next bill will be due and you wont be charged as much..

I was charged 59.40 and im just saying if i had of know i would of waited and signed up later in the month or early may and not been charged as much..

But you're charged for the time you're connected, nothing extra. If you sign up in March, you pay for March, if you sign up in May, you pay for May. There's nothing to be aware of, except that your first bill will contain pro-rata charges as well as those going forward. There's nothing for eircom to point out, as you're simply paying for the time the service is available.

misty76

jor el wrote: »

But you're charged for the time you're connected, nothing extra. If you sign up in March, you pay for March, if you sign up in May, you pay for May. There's nothing to be aware of, except that your first bill will contain pro-rata charges as well as those going forward. There's nothing for eircom to point out, as you're simply paying for the time the service is available.

Yeah but i would rather pay 6 euro than 60.. I am paying for how much broadband i used from 25th march to 18th may.. Give a choice i think everyone would rather pay 6 than 60

Fuzzy Clam

misty76 wrote: »

I rang to querie the bill and the staff are so rude and unprofessional in dealing with the queries..

In defence of Eircom, I rang them with a query regarding my first bill after signing up for BB and I found the girl VERY helpful in explaining how I had misunderstood my bill.

I don't think you understand thre way Bb is charged. There is NO hidden charge. The "extra 59.40 euro" is for the month following the bill as you pay in advance for the connection.

dub45

misty76 wrote: »

Well i just want to make people aware of this charge as eircom dont give you any advice on this..

So anyone signing up do it nearer the time your next bill will be due and you wont be charged as much..

I was charged 59.40 and im just saying if i had of know i would of waited and signed up later in the month or early may and not been charged as much..

Yes but then you would not have had the use of broadband for the period in question.....

You have made an accusation against Eircom - lots of people have given explanations for the charges as best they can but it appears that you do not really want an explanation at all. No matter when you sign up for any isp (provided the bill is correct of course) you will pay for the bb that you use.

Whether you sign up early or late in a billing period should be not the concern of the provider in the sense of having to provide some sort of 'warning'. I presume a similar situation would prevail with any utility.

misty76

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

In defence of Eircom, I rang them with a query regarding my first bill after signing up for BB and I found the girl VERY helpful in explaining how I had misunderstood my bill.

I don't think you understand thre way Bb is charged. There is NO hidden charge. The "extra 59.40 euro" is for the month following the bill as you pay in advance for the connection.

The extra 59.40 is me paying for the period of the dates 25th of march to the 18th of may and is stated on my bill and the girl gave me these dates also yesterday.. Not for next month..

Also it said on the package there was no connection fee..

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

Yes but then you would not have had the use of broadband for the period in question.....

You have made an accusation against Eircom - lots of people have given explanations for the charges as best they can but it appears that you do not really want an explanation at all. No matter when you sign up for any isp (provided the bill is correct of course) you will pay for the bb that you use.

Whether you sign up early or late in a billing period should be not the concern of the provider in the sense of having to provide some sort of 'warning'. I presume a similar situation would prevail with any utility.

Yes but that would of been my choice not to have the broadband for the period in question, there are better things i could have done with that money.. Big shock getting 200 euro bill these days when you have only the exact money you were expecting set aside to pay.

I already got the explanation from eircom this morning. I am just trying to make people aware if they already are then fair play, wish someone had of told me..

The 59.40 is not a set charge it is an accumulative charge, this is all im trying to show..

Forgive my ignorance, if that is how i am coming across, if its common knowledge dont worry i will just chalk it down to experience

dub45

misty76 wrote: »

Yes but that would of been my choice not to have the broadband for the period in question, there are better things i could have done with that money.. Big shock getting 200 euro bill these days when you have only the exact money you were expecting set aside to pay.

I already got the explanation from eircom this morning. I am just trying to make people aware if they already are then fair play, wish someone had of told me..

The 59.40 is not a set charge it is an accumulative charge, this is all im trying to show..

Forgive my ignorance, if that is how i am coming across, if its common knowledge dont worry i will just chalk it down to experience

It would seem then that you are annoyed at the amount you were charged as it was more than you were expecting?.

If Eircom have charged for the services they have provided then it would seem that they have done nothing wrong? You were apparently charged 59.40 for broadband service that you actually received? So how is that a sneaky charge?

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

It would seem then that you are annoyed at the amount you were charged as it was more than you were expecting?.

If Eircom have charged for the services they have provided then it would seem that they have done nothing wrong? You were apparently charged 59.40 for broadband service that you actually received? So how is that a sneaky charge?

Guess i presumed it was included in the package, still trying to get my head around it but would of liked to have been aware..

I cant find any information for it on eircom website under the bundle i signed up to.. Can anyone else find me any written record or link to where it states all that ye and eircom have told me.. I would be greatful.. If i could simply find this info easily and read it i wouldnt feel it was hidden then..

As i said i obviously wouldnt feel this way if i had of known, not posting here just for the fun of it, i am being genuine..

dub45

misty76 wrote: »

Guess i presumed it was included in the package, still trying to get my head around it but would of liked to have been aware..

I cant find any information for it on eircom website under the bundle i signed up to.. Can anyone else find me any written record or link to where it states all that ye and eircom have told me.. I would be greatful.. If i could simply find this info easily and read it i wouldnt feel it was hidden then..

As i said i obviously wouldnt feel this way if i had of known, not posting here just for the fun of it, i am being genuine..

But what exactly did you expect Eircom (or indeed any isp who is signing up a new customer) to tell you? Unless there is an offer of a freem month or something then a customer must expect to pay for the period from which their broadband (or indeed any service) becomes operational.

If you did not budget for this then that is your fault (unfortunately) and it is wrong to blame the supplier of the service.

Dublin_Gunner

dub45 wrote: »

But what exactly did you expect Eircom (or indeed any isp who is signing up a new customer) to tell you? Unless there is an offer of a freem month or something then a customer must expect to pay for the period from which their broadband (or indeed any service) becomes operational.

If you did not budget for this then that is your fault (unfortunately) and it is wrong to blame the supplier of the service.

Eh, check my post on the previous page. The first month is supposed to be free on that 'Family' package.

jor el

I still don't understand why you're confused by this. You signed up for a service on a particular date, and now you've been charged for that service, from that date to the present. If you didn't pay for it in advance when you signed up, when did you expect to pay? Or did you think that it wouldn't become operational until the next billing period?

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

But what exactly did you expect Eircom (or indeed any isp who is signing up a new customer) to tell you? Unless there is an offer of a freem month or something then a customer must expect to pay for the period from which their broadband (or indeed any service) becomes operational.

If you did not budget for this then that is your fault (unfortunately) and it is wrong to blame the supplier of the service.

Yeah the offer does state there is a free month..

7Mb broadband for €24 included (first month FREE †) Copy and pasted this off the offer on eircom page.. So what does this mean?

Well i would like eircom to be clear and frank for new customers like me, i cant find any information on this and eircom would not tell me where i would read this either.. If anyone can pin point where i can read for myself what you are all telling me i would love to see it..

misty76

jor el wrote: »

I still don't understand why you're confused by this. You signed up for a service on a particular date, and now you've been charged for that service, from that date to the present. If you didn't pay for it in advance when you signed up, when did you expect to pay? Or did you think that it wouldn't become operational until the next billing period?

But this is not clearly expalained, when i read what i was signing up for why did i not read about this..

Why dont they explain this to first time customers or people like me who dont have previous knowledge, its not my fault i dont know all this information?

I

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

Yeah the offer does state there is a free month..

7Mb broadband for €24 included (first month FREE †) Copy and pasted this off the offer on eircom page.. So what does this mean?

Well i would like eircom to be clear and frank for new customers like me, i cant find any information on this and eircom would not tell me where i would read this either.. If anyone can pin point where i can read for myself what you are all telling me i would love to see it..

The cost of 7Mb broadband is €24 a month, and this is included in the price they give you, which is €41.16 for the first month and €65.16 a month thereafter. Your first bill contained a back-charge, from March to May, of €59.40, which would have been the €41.16 for the first 30 days, and then I'm guessing €18.24 that makes up the remaining days in that billing period (about a week or so).

That's about the gist of it I think.

I'm assuming this is the offer you signed up to?

Looks fairly straight forward to me.

dub45

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Eh, check my post on the previous page. The first month is supposed to be free on that 'Family' package.

In that package bb costs €24. The first month's bb is free. The full charge for the bundle for a month is €65.16. This covers bb, phone calls and line rental. If the bb is free then the charge for that first month is €41.16.

Special Offer:
€41.16†
for first month for new & upgrading customers
Price:
€65.16 per month

Price Includes

* 7Mb broadband for €24 (first month FREE †)
* FREE unlimited local & national calls anytime
* FREE calls to Meteor customers anytime**
* Line rental

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

In that package bb costs €24. The first month's bb is free. The full charge for the bundle for a month is €65.16. This covers bb, phone calls and line rental. If the bb is free then the charge for that first month is €41.16.

So can you work out for me what will my next bill be then in July? If i stay within the package and make no other calls than the free ones..

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

So can you work out for me what will my next bill be then in July? If i stay within the package and make no other calls than the free ones..

Once you get to a single month's bill, it should be €65.16.

misty76

jor el wrote: »

Once you get to a single month's bill, it should be €65.16.

So its 65.16 per month, so being a 2 monthly bill, my next bill in july will be 130.32?

misty76

jor el wrote: »

The cost of 7Mb broadband is €24 a month, and this is included in the price they give you, which is €41.16 for the first month and €65.16 a month thereafter. Your first bill contained a back-charge, from March to May, of €59.40, which would have been the €41.16 for the first 30 days, and then I'm guessing €18.24 that makes up the remaining days in that billing period (about a week or so).

That's about the gist of it I think.

I'm assuming this is the offer you signed up to?

Looks fairly straight forward to me.

Unfortunatley it doesnt seem so straight forward to me.
ok so from 25 march to 24th april (30 days) im charged 41.16
Then from 25th april to say 17th may (23 days) what am i charged?? and how is my bill nearly 200 euro..

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

Unfortunatley it doesnt seem so straight forward to me.
ok so from 25 march to 24th april (30 days) im charged 41.16
Then from 25th april to say 17th may (23 days) what am i charged?? and how is my bill nearly 200 euro..

You ordered on the 25th of March, but it won't have became active (and you won't have been billed) until 7-14 days later. Without seeing the bill, I don't know what you've been charged for, but as the cost is €65.16 a month, and you're billed bi-monthly, that's €130.32 on the first bill for the two months ahead, plus €59.40 for the previous month and a bit, which is €189.72, which is nearly €200.