Eircoms new "switching rule"?

gary the great

lads,

Have to now go with a DSL BB as nothing else works in my area.

A phone line is installed but its not active, i know the number and all.
So after looking into it, i decided to go with Smarts 5mb package as most people here say they're the most competant and its the best price.

So called Eircom and told them i need the line turned back on, they told me its an LIU (which means previous tenants were Smart customers to?) but that for them to do that i'll have to sign up for 6months with them (its a new rule apparently).

I planned on getting the line activated (which i thought was free) then ringing Smart and getting my broadband through them and paying my line rental and broadand through them. I thought this is what everybody did?

CutzEr

Wouldn't bother with smart if I was you, they were bought for digiweb so it can only go to **** from here..

d22ontour

CutzEr wrote: »

Wouldn't bother with smart if I was you, they were bought for digiweb so it can only go to **** from here..

This isn't the 1st time you have dissed Smart strangely enough ... :rolleyes:

Nobody knows for sure what way Smart will go and if it stays at it's current level then nobody will complain , if it improves then all the sweeter.

pizzahead77

gary the great wrote: »

lads,
So called Eircom and told them i need the line turned back on, they told me its an LIU (which means previous tenants were Smart customers to?) but that for them to do that i'll have to sign up for 6months with them (its a new rule apparently).

I planned on getting the line activated (which i thought was free) then ringing Smart and getting my broadband through them and paying my line rental and broadand through them. I thought this is what everybody did?

Eircom cannot stop you from switching providers unless you are in a contract with them for a voice and/or broadband deal or owe them money.

As you have just got the line reconnected then they cannot stop you switching to another provider - they will still get their line rental from whichever provider you are with.

The promotional free reconnection is only available if you stay with eircom for the initial 6 months otherwise you will have to pay the reconnection charge

Check out their terms and conditions - http://www.eircom.ie/bveircom/images/pstnPromoTandC.pdf

Gavin

This is timely. I am in the same situation. I have a line in the apartment, with a phone number on it. I was in contact with eircom who said the phone number and UAN have been re-allocated. When I asked about getting connected in order to connect to Magnet, I was told that I'd have to sign on for a 6 month contract.

I just want the line re-connected, which it appears would only cost 26 euro.. Eircom say that they will only connect with the 6 month offer!

mcgooie

I am in the same boat as well, only the house i have moved into doesnt have any phone line at all so i assume i will have to pay €130 install fee + a 6 month contract.

snaps

No you dont, i didnt have an active line when i moved into my current house. I phoned eircom up, asked them to activate my line. Within about 5 working days i got my customer number through from them along with a contract to sign. As soon as i got my customer number i joined vodafone home. I never signed an eircom contract and then after 13 days of being an eircom customer my line was switched to vodafone and i got a final bill from eircom for about 7€ if i remember right, so i was actually an eircom customer for 13 days!

SeaSide

This change is about a day old so you'd have missed it

mcgooie

SeaSide wrote: »

This change is about a day old so you'd have missed it

what change is that?

lucernarian

I put in an order direct with BT for a new line and broadband on it. It was on an unbundled exchange so it was going to be set up as ADSL2+. I never had to deal with eircom.

Is it not possible to get a line reconnected with Smart for LLU like it is with BT?

Btw it's possible there's a distinction to be made with smart's phone service being provided by smart whereas the phone service with bt is always eircom wholesale.

JohnC.

mcgooie wrote: »

what change is that?

That they are enforcing a 6 month contract to connect the line.

I wouldn't have thought this would be allowed. Most people would have to go to eircom to get a phone line as they are the network for the most part. So they are forcibly cutting out competition for 6 months on the service provider side too.

thecornerboy

When I wanted to leave Eircom broadband (I'm not sure what triggered it, perhaps I requested a UAN in order to change to a new broadband provider) my line went overnight from being suitable for broadband to being unsuitable for broadband in their database. Therefore I wasn't able to sign up for anybody else. Ringing Eircom and asking them to change their database to show my line was eligible for broadband, explaining to them that my line was suitable for broadband because at that very moment I was using broadband on it was completely pointless. They didn't understand. They eventually told me to stop ringing them. It took a call to Comreg to get it sorted, which it was, in 48 hours.

Moral of the story: don't trust Eircom. Don't trust their staff. Check everything with Comreg.

I really cannot believe that they can enforce a 6 month contract.

Magnet: Rory

Gavin wrote: »

This is timely. I am in the same situation. I have a line in the apartment, with a phone number on it. I was in contact with eircom who said the phone number and UAN have been re-allocated. When I asked about getting connected in order to connect to Magnet, I was told that I'd have to sign on for a 6 month contract.

I just want the line re-connected, which it appears would only cost 26 euro.. Eircom say that they will only connect with the 6 month offer!

There is a way...we can reactivate in-situ lines now.

pizzahead77

thecornerboy wrote: »

I really cannot believe that they can enforce a 6 month contract.

As previously stated above this 6 month contract is only to avail of the free reconnection otherwise you have to pay the standard fee. Personally I don't see what is wrong with this.

Gavin

Magnet (Rory) wrote: »

There is a way...we can reactivate in-situ lines now.

Unfortunately when I emailed magnet tech support asking about the situation, I was told that I had to get connected with Eircom first before I could get connected to Magnet. I have ended up getting the line connected through eircom and taking their broadband. The plan is to use it for 3 month, then switch over to Magnet, it works out the best pricing.

funkyjebus

I switched a few months ago and this wasn't in place then. I cant see how they could hold you to this contact.

It all seems anti competitive and against competition laws.

I would contact consumer affairs and put it to them. Monopolies aren't really allowed anymore. They have the customer in a corner by the balls and that not right. If consumer affairs won't help, I'd bring this to my TD.

I still haven't paid my original eircom bill for teh 15 days I was withthem before smart, they can suck it if they think they'll get that. Without a shadow of a doubt the worst comany I've ever dealt with.

lawrenceSummer

funkyjebus wrote: »

I switched a few months ago and this wasn't in place then. I cant see how they could hold you to this contact.

It all seems anti competitive and against competition laws.

I would contact consumer affairs and put it to them. Monopolies aren't really allowed anymore. They have the customer in a corner by the balls and that not right. If consumer affairs won't help, I'd bring this to my TD.

I still haven't paid my original eircom bill for teh 15 days I was withthem before smart, they can suck it if they think they'll get that. Without a shadow of a doubt the worst comany I've ever dealt with.

from what i undertstand other companies are able to connect an in-situ line, vodafone, BT, smart etc just like eircom connect it, and they all have contracts in place, most for longer than 6 months, so i dont see how it is un-compeditive.

can they stop the service to a line through another provider if there remains a bill unpaid at the address? i assume they cant but i wouldnt be surprised

funkyjebus

lawrenceSummer wrote: »

from what i undertstand other companies are able to connect an in-situ line, vodafone, BT, smart etc just like eircom connect it, and they all have contracts in place, most for longer than 6 months, so i dont see how it is un-compeditive.

can they stop the service to a line through another provider if there remains a bill unpaid at the address? i assume they cant but i wouldnt be surprised

Afraid not, other companies require an Eircom A/c number to provide services. Also these people have insitu lines otherwise they wouldn't have a phone number (as stated).

So therefore if you have a line your house with a number but is not active and want to go with smart, you have to activate with eircom to get a a/c number the wait 6 months for your contract to be over then switch to smart.

That seems to be the issue and it is very much so anti competitive toward the other companies.

BTW - I assuem none of you can get UPC, cause that really the way to do, sadly I couldn't get it.:mad:

Magnet: Rory

funkyjebus wrote: »

Afraid not, other companies require an Eircom A/c number to provide services. Also these people have insitu lines otherwise they wouldn't have a phone number (as stated).

So therefore if you have a line your house with a number but is not active and want to go with smart, you have to activate with eircom to get a a/c number the wait 6 months for your contract to be over then switch to smart.

That seems to be the issue and it is very much so anti competitive toward the other companies.

BTW - I assuem none of you can get UPC, cause that really the way to do, sadly I couldn't get it.:mad:

We will be capable of re-activating in-situ lines commencing Tuesday.

funkyjebus

Magnet (Rory) wrote: »

We will be capable of re-activating in-situ lines commencing Tuesday.

Right then folks, I assume if Magnet can do it, so can the others.

Everyone (with an insitu line) wait till tuesday.

Simple.

Magnet: Rory

funkyjebus wrote: »

Right then folks, I assume if Magnet can do it, so can the others.

Everyone (with an insitu line) wait till tuesday.

Simple.

I cannot speak for other providers.

funkyjebus

Magnet (Rory) wrote: »

I cannot speak for other providers.

Never said you could Rory, I assumed on their behalf. Which I think is a fair assumption given Magnets market share.

Magnet: Rory

funkyjebus wrote: »

Never said you could Rory, I assumed on their behalf. Which I think is a fair assumption given Magnets market share.

ok

SeaSide

Just curious.

When I moved about a couple of years ago there was a line in the house with soft dial tone. Which only allowed you to dial 1901 in order to get the line activates could not dial 1904 for BT for instance.

Is this still the case??

lucernarian

As per my post above....

I got an in-situ line directly connected through BT back in august. No connection charge. Never had to deal with eircom. However as BT don't do home sales anymore, this information is not so relevant.

But I don't know why people would be waiting till Tuesday for this? How was I able to do this in August with no issues, and for an LLU broadband order too?

Magnet: Rory

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

As per my post above....

I got an in-situ line directly connected through BT back in august. No connection charge. Never had to deal with eircom. However as BT don't do home sales anymore, this information is not so relevant.

But I don't know why people would be waiting till Tuesday for this? How was I able to do this in August with no issues, and for an LLU broadband order too?

I can say that Magnet are now offering this service. We will commence submitting on Tuesday.

Perhaps thats where the confusion originates.

Spear

Magnet (Rory) wrote: »

I can say that Magnet are now offering this service. We will commence submitting on Tuesday.

Perhaps thats where the confusion originates.

Could this be used to finally get my line working after three months?

ninjasurfer1

funkyjebus wrote: »

I still haven't paid my original eircom bill for teh 15 days I was withthem before smart, they can suck it if they think they'll get that. Without a shadow of a doubt the worst comany I've ever dealt with.

Can they not cut your phone line off as u have not paid them for services rendered?(connection dee)

BurnsCarpenter

funkyjebus wrote: »

Afraid not, other companies require an Eircom A/c number to provide services. Also these people have insitu lines otherwise they wouldn't have a phone number (as stated).

So therefore if you have a line your house with a number but is not active and want to go with smart, you have to activate with eircom to get a a/c number the wait 6 months for your contract to be over then switch to smart.

Other companies are able to arrange installation/reconnection for customers. The process has been in place for some time:

http://www.eircomwholesale.ie/dynamic/pdf/interopprocessmanv3.0.pdf

Until now, the other companies haven't bothered with this. They just send prospective customers to eircom to get connected. Presumably this will now change.

lucernarian

Was BT the only company that offered this to people?

cormee

I've run into this problem too - it's a new rule they've just introduced in the last two weeks. Basically, in order to get your line reactivated you need to sign up with them for 6 months. The lady I was talking to felt they were totally vindicated by the fact that they need to do all that work to reactivate the line.

To make matters worse all of their broadband packages seem to have a minimum contract period of 12 months.

I've no desire to do business with a company that engages in this sort of predatory business behaviour but it seems I've no option as I need home broadband for work and I need to have a phone line for my HD TV.