UPC price increase

MacGyver

Im just wondering why there isn't more uproar over the new increases in prices especially in the broadband end of things http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056114927

Are people happy enough with the service to pay the extra or did UPC actually not contact anybody about this in writing. Is there no laws to say they have to notify customers about it?

dub45

MacGyver wrote: »

Im just wondering why there isn't more uproar over the new increases in prices especially in the broadband end of things http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056114927

Are people happy enough with the service to pay the extra or did UPC actually not contact anybody about this in writing. Is there no laws to say they have to notify customers about it?

UPC's Small Print as the call it states the following:

16. Changing the Terms and Conditions We retain the right to amend, modify or substitute these Terms and Conditions at any time and we will notify you in writing 30 days in advance of doing so.

My emphasis. Now the average person reading that would probably think that a letter or email is required from UPC to change Terms and Conditions but this has not happened in recent times. They have fairly well tucked away the notice on the website and published the notice in a newspaper.

Comreg apparently consider this sufficient. I think it is quite outrageous that isps (and not only UPC) can get away with behaving in this way. Particularly at a time when newspaper circulations is falling dramatically.

Is a customer of an isp supposed to check a website and a newspaper (which newspaper?) on a daily basis from cover to cover just in case a business with which they have a contract decides to change their terms and conditions?

In recent times O2, Vodafone and UPC have all changed their terms and conditons without notifying their customers in writing.

It is very simple all companies proposing to change Terms and Conditions should have to notify their customers directly at least 30 days in advance with clear details of what is being changed.

This type of thing is a really good example of the crap customers have to put up with: from http://www.utvinternet.com/ebill/roitc.pdf

In accordance with our Terms and Conditions, we can notify our customers by a method of our choosing and as a matter of courtesy we are giving 15 days notice.

A "method of our choosing" so someone could stand outside UTV hq with a megaphone and that would be ok:rolleyes: "as a matter of courtesy"?????

Nollog

MacGyver wrote: »

Im just wondering why there isn't more uproar over the new increases in prices especially in the broadband end of things http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056114927

Are people happy enough with the service to pay the extra or did UPC actually not contact anybody about this in writing. Is there no laws to say they have to notify customers about it?

Most users are probably on 30mbit here, so they're unaffected.

Personally, I'm happy with my service.
15mb is going up 2 euro so I might upgrade to 30mb.

What's really stupid is when I log in to upc.ie they have message facilities they could use to notify everyone with an account.
They could give a splash screen when you start your browser on any given day, they could call you, they could email you...

dub45

/\/ollog wrote: »

Most users are probably on 30mbit here, so they're unaffected.

Personally, I'm happy with my service.
15mb is going up 2 euro so I might upgrade to 30mb.

What's really stupid is when I log in to upc.ie they have message facilities they could use to notify everyone with an account.
They could give a splash screen when you start your browser on any given day, they could call you, they could email you...

Indeed, but that would be the right thing to do!

vibe666

the one thing you do have now however is the ability to leave your UPC contract without penalty as they have not notified you directly in writing. i imagine this is likely a calculated choice that they expect a certain outcome of.

most people are aware that the broadband service from UPC is better than any of the DSL providers and as a general rule of thumb, if you're in a UPC broadband area you'd have to be batty to change to another ISP.

maybe there's some people who would over something like this, but most people will take the extra speed for a couple of euro more as they know that even with the increased cost UPC is still cheaper than any of the alternatives.

MacGyver

well im on the 8mb package and thats going up by around 7 euro. plus the 2 tv is going up by. Ive been with upc for about 8 weeks and nearly two weeks of that has been down time with no broadband or phone at all. that's not including dropped calls. At this stage we can tell when the call is going to be dropped because the sound quality drops for a minute before hand.

I can see a reason for increasing the tv prices as sky are increasing theirs a bit but the increase on broadband is ridiculous. They know some people dont have any other option and are taking advantage of them.

donal2000

This price change is a disgrace. Whether it is €1 or €2 per month I don't care to be honest it's just the simple fact that they are increasing the prices.

How can they justify these changes or what explanation are they offering for the reason for the price increase?

Nice of them also to inform us.

jor el

vibe666 wrote: »

the one thing you do have now however is the ability to leave your UPC contract without penalty as they have not notified you directly in writing.

Even if they did notify you in writing, you would still be able to get out of the contract, as all you need to do is disagree with the changes. The fact that they haven't notified people directly means that a lot of people will miss this completely, and will be deemed to have accepted the new price come January, at which time they will not be able to exit the contract.

Vodafone, O2 and Three have done the exact same thing in the last few months, and gotten away with it. Comreg seems to be in cahoots with them, in that they agree that a notice in a newspaper is sufficient to satisfy the written notification requirement of the contract. I'd like to see what the EU commission think of this.

donal2000 wrote: »

How can they justify these changes or what explanation are they offering for the reason for the price increase?

They don't have to justify or explain it, because they can charge whatever they want for the service they supply. The only issue is the lack of personal notification to each and every customer.

How hard is it to send an email? Surely not a big deal for an ISP?

dub45

jor el wrote: »

Even if they did notify you in writing, you would still ................

How hard is it to send an email? Surely not a big deal for an ISP?

It appears to be a big deal in this case. Surely it is an indication of a company's bona fides in how they behave towards their customers in these situations?

Firstly their own Terms and Conditions require them to notify customers 30 days in advance and any company of integrity would automaticially notify customers directly of such a basic change anyway.

Johnmb

dub45 wrote: »

It appears to be a big deal in this case. Surely it is an indication of a company's bona fides in how they behave towards their customers in these situations?

Firstly their own Terms and Conditions require them to notify customers 30 days in advance and any company of integrity would automaticially notify customers directly of such a basic change anyway.

Or, at the very least, put up the notice on their home page. I learned about the price rise from here and figured I'd double check with the UPC site to make sure it wouldn't apply to me (30mb plan). It took a while, there is a link in the menu at the bottom of the page, under the Customer Support heading with the name "Price Notice", not highlighted in any way, and looking like it is just more of the same old T&C's stuff, not notification of any changes. Technically, they can claim they have provided a link from their home page, but it is an incredibly sly way to do it. They should be using one of the 4 larger sections near the top of the home page right in the middle where everyone who goes there can see it, that currently contain a flash video advertising themselves for Christmas, another self promotion ad for their broadband and phone, a competition for the launch of Setanta HD, and yet another self promotion piece boasting about their new online customer support!

giddings

I spoke to a customer support rep yesterday who said that customers can't get out of contracts during the 30-day period (or at least not without paying a termination charge) -- that the contract allows UPC to change prices when it wants, and that price changes aren't a breach of T&Cs. Anyone know if this is true?

giddings

I found it. Looks like she's right about changing prices not being a breach of T&Cs:

http://www.upc.ie/pdf/UPCTermsAndConditions.pdf


6. Charges and Payment
6.1 You must pay all the Charges for which we bill you. [...] We may vary our Charges from time to time. [...]

16. Changing the Terms and Conditions
We retain the right to amend, modify or substitute these Terms and Conditions at any time and we will notify you in writing 30 days in advance of doing so. Any such modification, amendment or substitution shall also be posted on our website at www.upc.ie. You have the right to withdraw from this Agreement without penalty if you do not accept the modification,
amendment or substitution. If you do not object to the modification, amendment or substitution by giving notice to us within 30 days, the new Terms and Conditions shall then become applicable to you.

EoghanConway

giddings wrote: »

I found it. Looks like she's right about changing prices not being a breach of T&Cs:

http://www.upc.ie/pdf/UPCTermsAndConditions.pdf


6. Charges and Payment
6.1 You must pay all the Charges for which we bill you. [...] We may vary our Charges from time to time. [...]

16. Changing the Terms and Conditions
We retain the right to amend, modify or substitute these Terms and Conditions at any time and we will notify you in writing 30 days in advance of doing so. Any such modification, amendment or substitution shall also be posted on our website at www.upc.ie. You have the right to withdraw from this Agreement without penalty if you do not accept the modification,
amendment or substitution. If you do not object to the modification, amendment or substitution by giving notice to us within 30 days, the new Terms and Conditions shall then become applicable to you.

That means you do not have to pay the termination charge.

dub45

giddings wrote: »

I spoke to a customer support rep yesterday who said that customers can't get out of contracts during the 30-day period (or at least not without paying a termination charge) -- that the contract allows UPC to change prices when it wants, and that price changes aren't a breach of T&Cs. Anyone know if this is true?

Wouldn't you think UPC would have their staff fully briefed in anticipation of queries from customers?:rolleyes:

From the UPC website and the well tucked away price increase notice:

however under the terms of your contract you have the right to cancel or downgrade your service within 30 days of 3 December 2010 without penalty if you do not agree with these price changes. Continued use of the services after this date is deemed to be acceptance of the changes.

By the way for those who say its only a small increase remember that UPC have approx. 500,000 customers so suppose the price increase works out at an average of €1 per month per customer that would be €500,000 extra monthly or 6,000,000 per year!

vibe666

dub45 wrote: »

Wouldn't you think UPC would have their staff fully briefed in anticipation of queries from customers?:rolleyes:

From the UPC website and the well tucked away price increase notice:



By the way for those who say its only a small increase remember that UPC have approx. 500,000 customers so suppose the price increase works out at an average of €1 per month per customer that would be €500,000 extra monthly or 6,000,000 per year!

well, they have got 100mbps upgrades to pay for, so i'm not at all surprised they've done it.

dub45

vibe666 wrote: »

well, they have got 100mbps upgrades to pay for, so i'm not at all surprised they've done it.

Yes I am full of sympathy as you can imagine:rolleyes:

I have been thinking a little about their non dd charge too. Does anyone have any idea how many people do not pay by direct debit?

If say 20% didn't use dd that would be €300,000 per billing period! That would surely pay for a lot of "billing staff".

And then don't forget the handy money they get from charging people whose dds bounce €11.50. A charge which do they not advice people about when they set up a dd. My information is that up to 10% of dds fail so that's a lot of money.

Kensington

Looks like they are increasing speeds to coincide with increased price.

8Mb to 10Mb [€25.00 > €32.00]
15Mb to 20Mb [€32.00 > €34.00]
30Mb stays as is both speed and price wise

From their facebook page:

UPC Introduces New Product Bundles for the New Year

Introducing a few tweaks to our products which we think you’ll like…
For the past 12 months, we’ve been keeping busy behind the scenes improving our product portfolio just for you. To share some of our successes – let us begin with TV.

Over the past year we increased your digital packs to include: Setanta HD, Sky Christmas, Sky Three, Sky Arts, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, Sky Crime & Thriller, ESPN, FX & 4FM. Improving features such as introducing the new Electronic Programme Guide, General Messaging, Digital + enabling users to record, rewind and pause LIVE TV & ….Series Link all your favourite shows at the touch of a button…. How easy is that….

Fast forward to January 4th, when our new product bundles debut….. increasing our broadband speeds to make them superfast – ahmmm.. this is where you now should pay attention !!

8Mb increases to 10Mb
15Mb will swell to 20Mb
& let’s not forget our superfast 100Mb rolling out across Ireland.

So what else? Well – you can always select our phone service which allows you to keep in touch with friends, family at home and abroad. Our world packs included free calls to 21 international destinations and we’ll even throw in a free phone!

3 reasons to select UPC

One provider delivering home entertainment and communication services..
Three services in one bundle TV – Broadband – Phone
Bundles of choice, content which leaves more change in your pocket !

slave1

15Mb to 20Mb [€32.00 > €35.00]

Should that not be €32 > €34?

Nice to hear of speed increase to soften the price increase but I'd much rather an AUP increase over a speed increase, does not sound like UPC have talked to their customer...

slave1

Okay, websearch and it looks like €34 alright...

Cable player UPC has revealed it will launch a new 20Mbps broadband product that will cost €34 per month and which will be available to four out of every 10 homes in Ireland.

The new broadband products, which are being made available on UPC’s Fibre Power network, include a 100Mbps service for €80 a month, a 30Mbps service for €42 a month and a 10Mbps service for €25 per month.

“The web experience is developing rapidly, encompassing richer and more engaging content, such as video. It’s essential for the Irish consumer that we keep pace with this evolution and the opportunities it will bring,” said UPC’s sales and marketing director Mark Coan.

“We’re thrilled therefore to be able to re-define the broadband experience in Ireland with the launch of our new mass market 20Mbps Fibrepower broadband product.

“As a result of our continued investment in our fibre-powered network, our customers will be able to experience the full richness of both today and tomorrow’s web,” Coan said.

UPC broadband growth in Ireland
UPC said it had 762,700 total subscribers by end of Q3, this represents a 9.3pc increase year on year.

This included 184,700 broadband customers, up 37pc year on year.

The company said more than 55pc of UPC’s broadband customers are currently on services 10Mb or above.

The company has 87,200 phone customers, up 64pc year on year and 375,500 digital TV subscribers, up 11pc year on year.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Disappointing that there is no service available between 30mb and 100mb. Any logical reason for that?

colinod0806

i had made my peace with having to fork out an extra 2euro p/m for nothing so its a welcome surprise to read that i will be getting extra speed for my money:)
5mb for 2euro aint so bad

Kensington

slave1 wrote: »

Should that not be €32 > €34?

It should

bk

BearNecessities wrote: »

Disappointing that there is no service available between 30mb and 100mb. Any logical reason for that?

Well there could be a couple of reasons. 30mb and under use DOCSIS 1/2, while anything greater then 30mb will use DOCSIS 3.

DOCSIS 3 is new to UPC, so I think they want to roll it out slowly and gradually, so they can work out any technical and process glitches, before opening it up to the mass market. Only a very small number of people are going to go for 100mb at €80 and these people will usually be techies, so they will normally understand any issues with a new service.

I hope that once UPC are happy with the stability of the DOCSIS 3 gear, they will roll out DOCSIS 3 products with more mass market appeal, like they have in the Netherlands and other markets:

60mb @ €40.50
90mb @ €50.50
120mb @ €70.50

Of course I wouldn't expect those prices in Ireland. What I think we might eventually see are:

10mb @ €25
20mb @ €34
30mb @ €42
60mb or 50mb @ €60
90mb or 75mb @ €70
120mb or 100mb @ €80

Now I would wish 50/60mb would start at €50, with only a €10 gap to 30mb, but I get the feeling UPC at least initially might want to charge more for the DOCSIS 3 packages as DOCSIS 3 gear costs a lot more then DOCSIS 1/2 gear.

angel6

Okay atm, 8 Mb bb is €25 + €7.75 standalone charge http://www.upc.ie/broadband/

According to the notice, http://www.upc.ie/about_us/pricenotice/
8 Mb bb would cost €32. Is that without the standalone charge?

And then 10 Mb bb would cost €25 from Jan? http://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/item/19660-upc-to-launch-20mbps/

What am I missing here? Are they increasing their prices for Broad band Fibre Packs or not? Not interested in TV or phone.

watty

When they switch of Analogue, as they will eventually, then there should be no "€7.75 standalone charge".

Logically anyway.

dub45

Anybody any idea when they are likely to switch off analogue. I am sure there must be a devoted small group out there who will miss the fm radio signal:(

Kensington

Probably not for a while. Quite a few people I know have sky digital in the front room but still pay upc for the "17 channels" on the other TVs. Turning off analogue may defect those people completely over to sky.

Nollog

dub45 wrote: »

Anybody any idea when they are likely to switch off analogue. I am sure there must be a devoted small group out there who will miss the fm radio signal:(

rte are doing it in 2012 i think, so probably around then.

vibe666

bk wrote: »

Well there could be a couple of reasons. 30mb and under use DOCSIS 1/2, while anything greater then 30mb will use DOCSIS 3.

according to wikipedia (and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong), EuroDOCSIS v1 and v2 are good up to 55mbps down and 10mbps and 30mbps up respectively, so they should be able to upgrade existing epc2203 & epc2425 users to a 50mbps down & 5mbps up package (which would sit nicely in the middle of the other packages) without changing their equipment since both devices are v1 & v2 certified?

maybe i'm wrong on what speeds they are both able to manage, but it seems like they could do it to me and given how excited everyone has been about getting upgraded, there seems to definitely be a market for it here.

Kensington

vibe666 wrote: »

according to wikipedia (and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong), EuroDOCSIS v1 and v2 are good up to 55mbps down and 10mbps and 30mbps up respectively, so they should be able to upgrade existing epc2203 & epc2425 users to a 50mbps down & 5mbps up package (which would sit nicely in the middle of the other packages) without changing their equipment since both devices are v1 & v2 certified?

maybe i'm wrong on what speeds they are both able to manage, but it seems like they could do it to me and given how excited everyone has been about getting upgraded, there seems to definitely be a market for it here.

Remember that's shared though so contention is highly likely.
Two 50Mbps subscribers connected to the same channel and straightaway you'll see serious contention if both are hammering their connections - and that's with just two subscribers!

Tusky

Can anyone who has received their December bill check if there is a notice about increased prices please ? Mine doesnt arrive until the 28th.