Does Eircom ever do line rental refunds/compensation?

Fogmatic

I have an idea what the answer will be, but...

I had a formal complaint going on for some time, about the quality of my phone line. I recently discovered that the complaint had been closed, due to my lack of response to an email that didn't reach me. The email said Eircom wasn't in a position to provide a copper solution to the problem with the rurtel (radio link) arrangement. It's not even fit for voice calls most of the time, and my ISP (UTV) has offered to reopen the complaint.

The only point of doing that now would be a possibility of some recompense for the years of paying full line rental for a service I can hardly use. Has anyone heard of anyone who's got this from Eircom? And does anyone know if it could be pursued after cancelling the line? (I wouldn't relish the prospect of gambling €25 a month on the outcome).

Assuming that Blueface works for me (for phone calls over my Wimax broadband), I'll definitely let it go ahead and port my landline number & cancel the line (the fullish story is at http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055307170&page=6 )

Sponge Bob

which wimax broadband , eircoms ??

Fogmatic

No, the Wimax is from a small local firm called Antenna Electronics. I suppose that makes them my ISP, replacing UTV (which now just provides my voice calls, as I dropped the dialup element).

Connrang

Fogmatic,
I know what you went through. For years back in the old days of dial up it was terrible, everything that could be done to prove a bad/crap/terrible line was done but getting money back without thousands in tests, legal and other fee's could be impossible. If they owe you money, a small amount, let them keep sending your your invoice. I did it for 5 years after I dumped them and every month they had to bear the cost. Even when the refunded the money I returned it until eventualy I took pity and banked it. It was worth being a pain in their side. Recently when BT left the broadband market they hounded me to return to them, on UPC now and happy.
Bottom line, they have deep pockets, plenty of legal people and it would be tied up in court actions for a very long time. Do you need the hassle ?

Sponge Bob

OK , I know nothing about the ISP but Fixed Wimax works perfectly well in principle.

Comreg allows eircom to provide rurtel , a second rate technology even in the 1990s and a sub 4th rate technology now, in counties along the west coast.

As it is acccepted by Comreg as a substitute there is no comeback on line rental. Even if you had a real line ...not rurtel...it could be split to bejaysus anyway using a pairgain or carrier.

For all these crap subtitutes for a real line...eircom are allowed to charge full line rental and no refund is possible. Dialup on rurtel is max 19k

Sorry.

Fogmatic

I did have a strong feeling that it would be flogging a dead horse, but thanks Connrang and Sponge Bob, for confirming it. I'm well used to conducting legal battles (we had some rogue customers in the building game), but it would obviously be a waste of time & money in this case.

I also asked UTV (if they had any thoughts on the chances of a refund), but they might not have had much experience in this country of customers tenacious/bloody-minded enough to get that far.

I hadn't realised Comreg thinks lines such as mine are all right. (So what's Comreg for, exactly?)

The wimax has been working well for me, and VOIP certainly shouldn't be any problem (I just want to set up a router before ordering Blueface; hope to have time tomorrow).

Hopefully, cancelling the landline will stop Eircom's time-wasting sales calls. But I'm not counting on it (they did insist for months that I could get ADSL....)

Sponge Bob

You should ask comreg why they tolerate rurtel, it is a piece of crap that will not deliver minimum "functional internet access" per the 2002 EU Directives.

But the same directive allows you to port your so called 'landline' number to Blueface and ditch the rurtel.