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My struggle with broadband (VERY LONG)
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07-07-2009 4:35pm#1On the 22nd of June this year we ordered broadband off Eircom, this in itself was a struggle as we live about 5-6 km from our exchange and most people are on carrier lines.
We were with BT Ireland for some time and we were told several times we couldn't get broadband i rang Eircom and asked them is there any way we can get broadband and we were told yes but we would have to move to Eircom and then they would try their best to see if we can get it. i rang BT and told them about this and they said its just Eircom trying to get sales and that if BT cant offer us broadband Eircom wouldn't be able to either.
Sometime in the beginning of June we had an Eircom sales Representative call to our house asking did we know where such and such a person lived and we knew but while he was there we thought we'd take advantage of the fact it said Eircom broadband on his mini van so we told him how we'd like to get broadband and invited him in, he was pretty reluctant but he must have seen the desperation on our faces and decided to come in. the switch was done then and there and he said once it was completed to ring Eircom and ask for a non standard delivery.
The move happened some time after he came and our first thought to Eircom wasn't a nice one, a line got damaged somewhere up the road from where we lived the day that the changeover was complete and we immediately thought this had something to do with our changeover and so did Eircom, we were without a phone-line for a few hours but our constant pestering to Eircom got this matter put down as urgent. Finally that was all fixed and we had a working phone-line.
The day after we rang Eircom asking about getting this non standard delivery the rep told us about but not one person knew what i was on about. as o2 customer care may know when i want something done i am persistent and rarely give up. i rang several times more and finally got through to a person that sounded like he might know something, he said he never heard of such a thing and i deciding not to let go of the only intelligent person i managed to speak to at Eircom decided to explain the whole story to him, 10 minutes later he finally clicked to what was the best thing to do and said he would order us a new line and put a note on the order saying it was needed for broadband. He told me there was no guarantee that that line could support broadband but they would try their best.
A short while passed since we submitted the order and our new line was put in. the installer assigned to it was a good friend of my mother and said so we wouldn't be charged an installation fee or anything he'd stop our old line at the pole and connect the new line to our current wiring. He told us the line he installed was not a carrier line and in fact it was a very good quality line for where we live. He said he would pop down to the exchange to activate it and about 30 minutes later he rang and told us all we had to do is ask Eircom to preform a number swap and then cancel our old line and to order broadband and he would look out for our order and connect it as soon as it gets put through (the benefits of being well connected).
We rang Eircom that day and asked could they do that and they said they can only put in one order at a time so we got them to move the number first (which involved them cancelling the old line and waiting 24 hours for the number to be released. that was done and once that was completed we decided to order broadband so on the 23rd of June we ordered and on the 25th of June we got connected and at 9 am we got a phone call from our friend at Eircom telling us he had connected us.
Finally we have broadband a measly 1 mbit connection but its better than nothing. now for the real headache: the 10 GB allowance. i didn't quite like this so as i was ordering it off Eircom i asked what will happen if i go over it. The person that took my order said the charge was only 3c per GB i was shocked by such a low figure that i asked the woman again, she said she was sure and even checked with another rep and assured me it was like this.
I, not entirely convinced by this rang again later that day asking what the excess usage charge was like and was told it was in fact not 3c per GB but actually 1c per MB but they first would monitor your usage and if you persistently went over, after 6 Months they would start charging. i thought to myself that's a great pricing structure so decided to ring again to confirm this, so i rang again this time hoping for the exact same answer as before thereby confirming it. However i did not receive it.
This time when i rang i was told that it was 2c a MB and they charge the first time you go over. by this time i was fuming to the fact that i cant get the same reply twice. i decided my best bet is to try a higher speed which comes with a higher allowance, however i was told my line could support the 1mbit speed at most and they aren't able to put me on a higher speed.
I saw that the business customers get unlimited usage on certain packages so i rang them up asking is there any way to get the 7.6mbit package which comes with unlimited usage but still receive the speeds of the 1mbit package and was told there isn't, i rang again same answer i rang a third time same answer the forth time i rang, they told me the same answer but i said can you check with a supervisor and the nice lady did and was told there is no possible way to order that package on my account as the "system" wont let them, she did however say that she can try me on the 3mbit package which comes with a 30GB limit.
I said I'd consider it and call her back, i was given the standard business sales number again and she gave me her name so i could get in touch with her if need be. that day just out of curiosity I rang Comreg and explained my situation and asked was there any regulation in place that perhaps might be stopping Eircom from overselling their broadband package to me and i was told there wasn't and there is also no way Comreg can pressure Eircom into offering me the higher package. I decided to try one more number I had, the Eircom complaints phone number, I got through and explained what my situation is and also explained what I'd like to happen, she told me that she hasn't come across anybody being charged for going over their limit and in fact Eircom do not currently charge for going over, i asked were these details written down anywhere and she told me it wasn't.
At the moment I'm completely confused as to who in Eircom is giving me the right info.
Today i gave BT Ireland a ring and they said they would be happy to do what i was asking Eircom to do, be put on the 7.6mbit business package even though the will only give me 1 mbit however i would rather not have to move back to them.
to those that may think 10 GB is enough this is my current usage:
JUNE:
JULY:
By the amount im using daily which i have actually been pretty carefull what i use i will total apprx 80GB this month a massive 70GB over my limit which would equal a bill in excess of €1400.
Now for my questions:- Anybody know if eircom actual do charge for going over or is it just a scare tactic
- Is there any company you know of that have unlimited usage on any package below 7Mbit ie the 3, 2 or 1 Mbit packages
- If i do end up with a €1400 bill do i have any legal rights to not paying it with all the different answers im getting from eircom. the latest one being that they dont charge for excess usage
If you managed to get through reading this, i admire your attention span and hopefully i didnt bore you,
Thanks for reading and im anticipating your replys0
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Eircom don't charge for going over the limit
I think its foolish to ask for a package Your line can't support. Are there any wireless providers in Your area, most of these have little or no cap and can probably offer You better speeds. At 5-6km (phone lines don't travel in straight lines either) Your house is at the limits of delivering broadband over copper, they'll not be able to offer a speed increase, ever0 -
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