Where do I go from here? Nightmare LONG Vodafone Problem!

Biggins

I have been with BT for over 5 years when they managed to do broadband services in Ireland - then the switch-over took place and within 24 hours the problems started.

I was paying for a 8 meg service . What I got from BT was around 6 actually which I could have (and did) live with.
As soon as the switch-over took place BB (BroadBand) was being cut off, speeds dropped to 2 meg or 2.5 meg on a good day and I was still being charged for 8 meg.

I have now rang Vodafone over 20 times now since the beginning of June.
I have been ringing them for over a month now - in some cases multiple times daily and at least every few days while "we have to check out something - but we will ring you back" (See Note 1).

Just some of the excuses I have had are:

* Its your modem - was working fine under BT!
* Its the LLU line - again all was working fine for years till 24 hours after switch-over!
* O' they are upgrading the exchange possibly - great I thought, I should be getting a better service soon (See note 2 below)
* "We see you are only on our system for 3 meg and I can't change it!"
* Eircom is telling us your line can't handle anything over 3 meg.
* You have faulty connections - they were tested MANY, many times - NOPE! ...and working fine for 5 years with BT but not even 24 hours with Vodafone!
* It could possibly be your filter! - Changed it - NOPE!

Note 1.
Although I have been now told at least 16 times "we will call you right back" - only ONE call did I get and that was in the last 24 hours.
That call told me "your line was not good enough for over 3 meg - there is nothing we can do"
- BUt it was fine with BT for years and years but not good enough for 24 hours with Vodafone!

Note 2.
They told me the exchange was being upgraded and would be done by the 15th of June.
Rang on the 16th when no change (line dropped/cut off repeatedly) and was told "O' it will be done by the 20th"
...Guess what? NOPE!
Rang back. "O' it will be done by the 30th"
...Guess what? NOPE!
* its now the 9th of July and still NOTHING - no change.

* So so far I have spent literally about a week in actual phone time through to their 1907 customer service.
* I have listened for hours to the same repeated female solo singer singing the same repeated song while "on hold" for hours.
* Even when I get though their phone system ("Press 2, then press 6, then press 2... etc...") while talking to the many reps - I GET CUT OFF REPEATEDLY!!!
...So I have to ring them back again ...go through the phone system again, wait/hold/cue same female singer, same song music... for 20 to 35 minutes to actually speak to someone and then be told (many, many times) "can you please wait while I go and check something, I'm going to put you on hold" - SURPRISE!!! :rolleyes: O' good, that female singer again!

I should also tell you that I have many qualifications in the area of I.T. so I have the advantage of being able to smell the bull-crap a bit quicker than maybe some others.

So the question is - where do I go from here?

* Wimax as far as I can see according to reports is a complete con! I have yet to hear from one satisfied user! I've looked.
* UPC is telling me (I called) they are not available in the area till god knows whan!
* Eircom - but their prices are a rip-off and what if the lines AREN'T good enough as Vodafone are now also claiming (amid everything else they are claiming)

...So I am lost. Where do I go from here?

Final note: Taking Vodafone to court is now becoming a future prospect.
As I run a number of personally owned sites including www.unitedpeople.ie (on which I intend to publicise this farce - are you listening Vodafone!) I shall be contacting if necessary (and I WILL do it) every dail member and media outlet to expose this STILL ongoing land of limbo I am in.

Can anyone offer any alternative help or suggestions?

P.S. I'm still being charged for a 8 meg service!

drunkmonkey

I put up with the excuses for about 3mts, absolute crap service from Vodafone, they were constantly blaming eircom and claiming my line had a fault. Eventually had enough of the lies and moved back to eircom not one problem since. ex BT as well!!

Leave Biggins that's the only thing that seems to work.

Myrddin

Post in the Vodafone forum, and link to this thread (or have a mod move it). One of the VF reps there is quite helpful & should be able to advise you and where you stand.

MagicMarker

If you got 6mb with BT then your line IS capable of that speed.

I'd be moving to Eircom personally.

drunkmonkey

EnterNow wrote: »

Post in the Vodafone forum, and link to this thread (or have a mod move it). One of the VF reps there is quite helpful .

This is the Vodafone problem thread http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055738410 , the Vodafone reps have been utterly useless and just giving people the run around. They are offering a terrible service and with over 2000 posts in that thread you'd think they'd eventually put their hands up and admit there's a problem.
That thread's been ongoing since November, Dropping one of the reps a pm is pointless. Calling Vodafone is useless. There just useless. Moving provider is the only way to fix the problem.

Biggins

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I put up with the excuses for about 3mts, absolute crap service from Vodafone, they were constantly blaming eircom and claiming my line had a fault. Eventually had enough of the lies and moved back to eircom not one problem since. ex BT as well!!

Leave Biggins that's the only thing that seems to work.

Well it looks like I will be leaving - even if it means I am without broadband for months.
The secondary problem is who do I move to?

What if the line for some bizzare reason is not good enough now!
(I don't believe it myself but there is also always doubt too creeping in thinking "what if there is some thruth in what they are saying!")

drunkmonkey

I wanted to stay with Vodafone because they were cheap, Paying eircom more now but it works without fault and has done since I switched.

It was painful to go back to them but if you need a reliable service it may be the only choice. If you lucky enough to have cable bb in your area i'd try one of those. I've only got the option of eircom or somebody reselling eircom like vodafone.

Baneblade

if your line is not capable of it now but was for a long time previously then it is most likely caused by a fault on the line and should be repairable.

also a new provider will supply their own equipment which would rule that out if not already done,things do break even if the timing is suspicious.

watty

If you switch to eircom and there is a line fault they will eventually fix it.

ingen

Biggins wrote: »

I have been with BT for over 5 years when they managed to do broadband services in Ireland - then the switch-over took place and within 24 hours the problems started.

I was paying for a 8 meg service . What I got from BT was around 6 actually which I could have (and did) live with.
As soon as the switch-over took place BB (BroadBand) was being cut off, speeds dropped to 2 meg or 2.5 meg on a good day and I was still being charged for 8 meg.

I have now rang Vodafone over 20 times now since the beginning of June.
I have been ringing them for over a month now - in some cases multiple times daily and at least every few days while "we have to check out something - but we will ring you back" (See Note 1).

Just some of the excuses I have had are:

* Its your modem - was working fine under BT!
* Its the LLU line - again all was working fine for years till 24 hours after switch-over!
* O' they are upgrading the exchange possibly - great I thought, I should be getting a better service soon (See note 2 below)
* "We see you are only on our system for 3 meg and I can't change it!"
* Eircom is telling us your line can't handle anything over 3 meg.
* You have faulty connections - they were tested MANY, many times - NOPE! ...and working fine for 5 years with BT but not even 24 hours with Vodafone!
* It could possibly be your filter! - Changed it - NOPE!

Note 1.
Although I have been now told at least 16 times "we will call you right back" - only ONE call did I get and that was in the last 24 hours.
That call told me "your line was not good enough for over 3 meg - there is nothing we can do"
- BUt it was fine with BT for years and years but not good enough for 24 hours with Vodafone!

Note 2.
They told me the exchange was being upgraded and would be done by the 15th of June.
Rang on the 16th when no change (line dropped/cut off repeatedly) and was told "O' it will be done by the 20th"
...Guess what? NOPE!
Rang back. "O' it will be done by the 30th"
...Guess what? NOPE!
* its now the 9th of July and still NOTHING - no change.

* So so far I have spent literally about a week in actual phone time through to their 1907 customer service.
* I have listened for hours to the same repeated female solo singer singing the same repeated song while "on hold" for hours.
* Even when I get though their phone system ("Press 2, then press 6, then press 2... etc...") while talking to the many reps - I GET CUT OFF REPEATEDLY!!!
...So I have to ring them back again ...go through the phone system again, wait/hold/cue same female singer, same song music... for 20 to 35 minutes to actually speak to someone and then be told (many, many times) "can you please wait while I go and check something, I'm going to put you on hold" - SURPRISE!!! :rolleyes: O' good, that female singer again!

I should also tell you that I have many qualifications in the area of I.T. so I have the advantage of being able to smell the bull-crap a bit quicker than maybe some others.

So the question is - where do I go from here?

* Wimax as far as I can see according to reports is a complete con! I have yet to hear from one satisfied user! I've looked.
* UPC is telling me (I called) they are not available in the area till god knows whan!
* Eircom - but their prices are a rip-off and what if the lines AREN'T good enough as Vodafone are now also claiming (amid everything else they are claiming)

...So I am lost. Where do I go from here?

Final note: Taking Vodafone to court is now becoming a future prospect.
As I run a number of personally owned sites including www.unitedpeople.ie (on which I intend to publicise this farce - are you listening Vodafone!) I shall be contacting if necessary (and I WILL do it) every dail member and media outlet to expose this STILL ongoing land of limbo I am in.

Can anyone offer any alternative help or suggestions?

P.S. I'm still being charged for a 8 meg service!

i agree move is the only way. are you in drogheda? i have a thread running under the louth section...for broadband ... post there too..

ejmaztec

I've been fighting with Vodafone for over 6 months over not getting the same service that I had with BT, but they just will not even attempt to give any reasons for the mediocre offering. It really is like to talking to a wall, and being treated like a moron doesn't help either.

The Vodafone forum is a also a waste of time. They look into your problem initially, but then the issue fades into oblivion and definitive answers never seem to materialize.

Someone is handling my problem at the moment, and I'm waiting to see if at long last, I get what I should have been getting all along.

Biggins

Let me know how you got on in the meantime I described the problem with an update on my site as mentioned above.

ejmaztec

Surprise surprise, my problem isn't resolved, nor will it be unless I can force Vodafone to actually come up with an answer.

My problem is that, before Vodafone took over my line from BT, I was getting a trouble-free 3mb download speed and a good contention ratio, but ever since that fateful day back in January, I've only been getting 2mb and the lousy contention ratio to go with it.

They've told many times over the past 6 months that my line can't handle 3mb, and I've asked them a hell of a lot more times, to give me a reason.

I find it absolutely mind-numbingly infuriating, that they will not even attempt to answer it. It's like they're pretending that it's never been asked.

Vodafone really does need a rocket somewhere.:mad:

They have the worst customer care of any organisation that I have ever had to deal with, and I've dealt with some odd companies over the years.

djwinger

Biggins wrote: »

I have been with BT for over 5 years when they managed to do broadband services in Ireland - then the switch-over took place and within 24 hours the problems started.

I was paying for a 8 meg service . What I got from BT was around 6 actually which I could have (and did) live with.
As soon as the switch-over took place BB (BroadBand) was being cut off, speeds dropped to 2 meg or 2.5 meg on a good day and I was still being charged for 8 meg.

I have now rang Vodafone over 20 times now since the beginning of June.
I have been ringing them for over a month now - in some cases multiple times daily and at least every few days while "we have to check out something - but we will ring you back" (See Note 1).

Just some of the excuses I have had are:

* Its your modem - was working fine under BT!
* Its the LLU line - again all was working fine for years till 24 hours after switch-over!
* O' they are upgrading the exchange possibly - great I thought, I should be getting a better service soon (See note 2 below)
* "We see you are only on our system for 3 meg and I can't change it!"
* Eircom is telling us your line can't handle anything over 3 meg.
* You have faulty connections - they were tested MANY, many times - NOPE! ...and working fine for 5 years with BT but not even 24 hours with Vodafone!
* It could possibly be your filter! - Changed it - NOPE!

Note 1.
Although I have been now told at least 16 times "we will call you right back" - only ONE call did I get and that was in the last 24 hours.
That call told me "your line was not good enough for over 3 meg - there is nothing we can do"
- BUt it was fine with BT for years and years but not good enough for 24 hours with Vodafone!

Note 2.
They told me the exchange was being upgraded and would be done by the 15th of June.
Rang on the 16th when no change (line dropped/cut off repeatedly) and was told "O' it will be done by the 20th"
...Guess what? NOPE!
Rang back. "O' it will be done by the 30th"
...Guess what? NOPE!
* its now the 9th of July and still NOTHING - no change.

* So so far I have spent literally about a week in actual phone time through to their 1907 customer service.
* I have listened for hours to the same repeated female solo singer singing the same repeated song while "on hold" for hours.
* Even when I get though their phone system ("Press 2, then press 6, then press 2... etc...") while talking to the many reps - I GET CUT OFF REPEATEDLY!!!
...So I have to ring them back again ...go through the phone system again, wait/hold/cue same female singer, same song music... for 20 to 35 minutes to actually speak to someone and then be told (many, many times) "can you please wait while I go and check something, I'm going to put you on hold" - SURPRISE!!! :rolleyes: O' good, that female singer again!

I should also tell you that I have many qualifications in the area of I.T. so I have the advantage of being able to smell the bull-crap a bit quicker than maybe some others.

So the question is - where do I go from here?

* Wimax as far as I can see according to reports is a complete con! I have yet to hear from one satisfied user! I've looked.
* UPC is telling me (I called) they are not available in the area till god knows whan!
* Eircom - but their prices are a rip-off and what if the lines AREN'T good enough as Vodafone are now also claiming (amid everything else they are claiming)

...So I am lost. Where do I go from here?

Final note: Taking Vodafone to court is now becoming a future prospect.
As I run a number of personally owned sites including www.unitedpeople.ie (on which I intend to publicise this farce - are you listening Vodafone!) I shall be contacting if necessary (and I WILL do it) every dail member and media outlet to expose this STILL ongoing land of limbo I am in.

Can anyone offer any alternative help or suggestions?

P.S. I'm still being charged for a 8 meg service!

Biggins I'm having pretty much the same problem as you. My line had been fine until a few weeks ago when I got dropped to a 4 Meg connection.

I've just had a call back from Vodafone (surprising!) and according to them, when the engineers were upgrading the exchange, my connection was lowered to handle more lines in the exchange servers. Apparently the engineers have said they are unable to adjust my line for me so I pretty much have to put up with what I've got (even uncongested broadband won't make a difference).

Vodafone said they are willing to lower the cost of my package from €62 to €45 but I'll have to take out a new 12 month contract.

If it helps; this is the first time I've got any decent response from their tech support...only because as soon as I got through I asked to speak to a manager. Maybe you should try the same.

Ultimately I'm now going to have to find another provider who will give me a free trial of their service before I can commit to anything. 4 megs just isn't enough in this day and age!

Biggins

Tried many, many times to speak to management, the excuse given was that they were unable to do that but only "esculate" my problem yet again!

I'm dumping the company.

djwinger

Yeah their customer support is awful...I wish BT would come back

I'm dumping them too. I don't see why I should keep supporting a company that doesn't care about their customers. Eircom have said they'll be able to help me out but I'm not sure if I want to go back with them after I had a bad experience with them a few years back.

It's so hard choosing a new ISP because most of them are crap and make promises they can't keep. This country's broadband is a joke!

Nick_oliveri

Biggins I would refer you to this thread here. Have you got the email addresses for TD's? What other way do you intend going about this? I'd like to share my vodafone and eircom experience with a few of them.

Biggins

Nick_oliveri wrote: »

Biggins I would refer you to this thread here. Have you got the email addresses for TD's? What other way do you intend going about this? I'd like to share my vodafone and eircom experience with a few of them.

Well to be honest, I went (believe it or not) the Wimax route and for me anyway at present, it seems to be working out.

I contacted Wimax on Friday, explained my situation, who I am and they came on Monday and installed my setup.

As I mentioned in a region section else where, I read a fair bit on the boards broadband section about them and the comments weren't good but a friend of mine got them in a week beforehand and he said he was getting the same speeds that he actually paid for (the 3 meg service).
So I decide to take a chance.

I have paid for the 7 meg service and it actually fluctuates between 5 and 7 most of the time.
Occasionally it goes up even higher.





Being 100% honest, Vodafone ROYALLY screwed-up.
They messed around the wrong person. I associate in certain business and influential social groups and well as media circles.
In all I will be informing them besides others including TD's to the disgusting actions - or in this case non-actions of Vodafone and their little care for their customers.
Long story short, this one fault that they messed me around with, will reverberate back upon them in lost revenue and influence.

I'm not one to "go quietly into the night" into obscurity.
It's their loss - and their fault!

pitkan

Biggins, sorry about your dilemma with,yet another,sham provider. I`ve just finished a battle with one in which I threatened to bring them to Strasburg to the Court of Human Rights.
Have you considered Comreg and you can write or contact the Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan, but I hope you get better attention from the latter than I did. Theres also local TD`s and anyone else you can think of relevant to your situation.
Best of luck.

Biggins

You can be assured the matter will be highlighted and pointed out to certain people and groups.
It will be done with full account of the facts and record of poor behaviour.