Changing provider - old supplier won't release service

zagmund

So much for porting services being straight forward.

I'm in the process of moving from UTV to Vodafone for home landline, calls & broadband. The landline & calls went through (more or less) straight away, but 10 days later still no sign of the broadband moving.

I rang Vodafone on Friday evening and they said "oh, yeah, UTV do that alright, if *you* don't tell them you're moving then we can't provide you with a service. *You* will need to contact UTV."

I thought this whole porting thing was supposed to be done on the supplier side and not on the customer side. I'm out of contract (12 months period up) with UTV and as it happens I got clarification from them by email a few weeks ago that I could just up and leave at any stage.

I'm going to ring them on Monday and make sure the way is cleared to port the service, but it looks like if I hadn't called Vodafone on Friday I would still be waiting for the service for weeks and nothing would have changed.

My fear now is that I ring UTV, they kill the service and Vodafone say "Oh, it's going to take us 21 days to get you online, sorry about that." I need my broadband as I work from home several days a week and I can't really operate without it. I was hoping that the porting process (like with the calls) would just happen in the background and I wouldn't notice anything.

Can anyone explain how/why a provider can just decide not to release the service on their side and hold up proceedings ? I didn't think they had a choice in the matter unless I was in a fixed term contract or I was behind in my payments, etc . . .

z

Bohrio

zagmund wrote: »

So much for porting services being straight forward.

I'm in the process of moving from UTV to Vodafone for home landline, calls & broadband. The landline & calls went through (more or less) straight away, but 10 days later still no sign of the broadband moving.

I rang Vodafone on Friday evening and they said "oh, yeah, UTV do that alright, if *you* don't tell them you're moving then we can't provide you with a service. *You* will need to contact UTV."

I thought this whole porting thing was supposed to be done on the supplier side and not on the customer side. I'm out of contract (12 months period up) with UTV and as it happens I got clarification from them by email a few weeks ago that I could just up and leave at any stage.

I'm going to ring them on Monday and make sure the way is cleared to port the service, but it looks like if I hadn't called Vodafone on Friday I would still be waiting for the service for weeks and nothing would have changed.

My fear now is that I ring UTV, they kill the service and Vodafone say "Oh, it's going to take us 21 days to get you online, sorry about that." I need my broadband as I work from home several days a week and I can't really operate without it. I was hoping that the porting process (like with the calls) would just happen in the background and I wouldn't notice anything.

Can anyone explain how/why a provider can just decide not to release the service on their side and hold up proceedings ? I didn't think they had a choice in the matter unless I was in a fixed term contract or I was behind in my payments, etc . . .

z

Ok first they are wrong. You should not need to contact UTV for a bitstream/Line Sharing transfer. The only reason why this would be necessary is if UTV has put a block order on your pre transfer, this could be because of an outstanding on your account or because UTV feels you are still within contract.

Give UTV a call and ask them if they have placed a block on your pre transfer or not, if they have ask what's the reason and if they havent then get back to Vodafone.

ShiverinEskimo

What Bohrio said - As long as UTV haven't put a block on your line for non-payment or contractual reason they cannot prevent Vodafone from transferring the DSL.

Check with UTV and then get back onto Vodafone and tell them to sort it.

Or use it as a blessing and avoid going to Vodafone at all as I hear their customer service/tech support are abysmal.

Cabaal

OP, just to make you aware UTV charge a 30e fee for getting rid of them, perhaps this might be causing you the problems? Non-payment of it?

shinzon

if you get nowhere you can always talk to Vodaphone directly here

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1270

Shin

exterminator447

zagmund wrote: »

So much for porting services being straight forward.

I'm in the process of moving from UTV to Vodafone for home landline, calls & broadband. The landline & calls went through (more or less) straight away, but 10 days later still no sign of the broadband moving.

I rang Vodafone on Friday evening and they said "oh, yeah, UTV do that alright, if *you* don't tell them you're moving then we can't provide you with a service. *You* will need to contact UTV."

I thought this whole porting thing was supposed to be done on the supplier side and not on the customer side. I'm out of contract (12 months period up) with UTV and as it happens I got clarification from them by email a few weeks ago that I could just up and leave at any stage.

I'm going to ring them on Monday and make sure the way is cleared to port the service, but it looks like if I hadn't called Vodafone on Friday I would still be waiting for the service for weeks and nothing would have changed.

My fear now is that I ring UTV, they kill the service and Vodafone say "Oh, it's going to take us 21 days to get you online, sorry about that." I need my broadband as I work from home several days a week and I can't really operate without it. I was hoping that the porting process (like with the calls) would just happen in the background and I wouldn't notice anything.

Can anyone explain how/why a provider can just decide not to release the service on their side and hold up proceedings ? I didn't think they had a choice in the matter unless I was in a fixed term contract or I was behind in my payments, etc . . .

z

I had the same problem when leaving UTV i had to give them 30days notice as per terms and conditions after that they will release the broadband, in the mean time you wont be cut off from UTV until a certain date and before then your vodafone broadband should be up and running then

zagmund

Thanks for the replies all.

As if by magic, at 0850 this morning my broadband was provisioned by Vodafone. I got the email, bashed in the username & password and now I'm on Vodafone broadband. I guess UTV didn't refuse to give up the line after all. The line is synching at 8mb/827k compared to the 4mb/312k I was getting for the last year. Wooh.

So, I rang UTV to confirm that the service was now ported and to quit billing me, only to be greeted with the "we'll drop the service in 30 days" line.

I had to point out to him that I had an email from them saying "you are out of the minimum term so can leave with out the 30 days notice" and also that their terms & conditions said " "If you have completed your minimum term . . . you may leave, without penalty if you are porting and not ceasing your service. You are not required to notify UTV Internet of your intention to leave . . ."

He changed his line to "We'll stop billing you now."

Result.

z

exterminator447

thats good to know that your getting a better speed with vodafone, let me know how you are getting with them

Patrick2010

zagmund wrote: »

Thanks for the replies all.

As if by magic, at 0850 this morning my broadband was provisioned by Vodafone. I got the email, bashed in the username & password and now I'm on Vodafone broadband. I guess UTV didn't refuse to give up the line after all. The line is synching at 8mb/827k compared to the 4mb/312k I was getting for the last year. Wooh.

So, I rang UTV to confirm that the service was now ported and to quit billing me, only to be greeted with the "we'll drop the service in 30 days" line.

I had to point out to him that I had an email from them saying "you are out of the minimum term so can leave with out the 30 days notice" and also that their terms & conditions said " "If you have completed your minimum term . . . you may leave, without penalty if you are porting and not ceasing your service. You are not required to notify UTV Internet of your intention to leave . . ."

He changed his line to "We'll stop billing you now."

Result.

z

Where did you find this?. On the utvinternet website it seems to be just geared for Northern Ireland but they do mention 30 days notice as well as a cancellation fee.

zagmund

Patrick - anseo - http://www.utvinternet.com/pdfs/ROI_TCs_Dec_2011.pdf - section 27.

In full -
27. Outside your minimum term. If you have completed your minimum term, as outlined earlier in this document, you may leave, without penalty if you are porting and not ceasing your service. You are not required to notify UTV Internet of your intention to leave, although we respectfully request that you do contact us. We will act upon the standard industry process of pending loss and completed loss notifications from our wholesale Supplier to close your account and cease billing. Please note you are liable for any call charges up to the point when your calls transfer to another supplier, or your line is cancelled

There's no mention of the €30 cancellation fee referenced by Cabaal, but that's not to say it's not buried in some other document elsewhere. I'll let you know if it shows up on my final bill. Note that this relates to porting specifically. If you are ceasing they say (somewhere) that they will charge you.

z

makeorbrake

I'm about to initiate this process. Been with UTV for 2 years. Relatively happy for most of that time. However, on two occasions (right now experiencing the 2nd..), they have 'cut me off' for exceeding their pawltry 20Gb download cap. I don't actually download anything - just stream some movies on occasion. What hacks me off - is that they won't even except payment of the additional charge - they will only allow that AFTER the month is up. I'm sorry - but that's bad business practice and I've told them as much.

I'm off back to Vodafone. I was with them following switch from BT (damn...why did they ever leave the market....with the exception of their crap billing system, they were otherwise, the best gig in town as far as bitstream providers was concerned). Was none too impressed with Vodafone at the time - but I'm under the impression that they don't have the same contention issue as previously?

Would be happy to get the views of others. Which bitstream provider is best for you?

jay93

makeorbrake wrote: »

they have 'cut me off' for exceeding their pawltry 20Gb download cap. I don't actually download anything - just stream some movies on occasion.

Streaming movies is downloading even tough it's not being saved on your computer it's still loading the video in a web browser sending and receiving data to the internet,

To be honest with a cap of 20GB watching movies will eat into your allowance
Other ISP's offer much better allowances than UTV for around the same price.

makeorbrake

jay93 wrote: »

To be honest with a cap of 20GB watching movies will eat into your allowance
Other ISP's offer much better allowances than UTV for around the same price.

Yes, they were in contact this morning via phone/email - missed the call. However, I had already made up my mind. I am moving to vodafone.


I understand their need to have caps - but that cap is just too extreme. I could have paid the additional - but that wouldn't have helped for this month - they would have still cut me off for the rest of the month. It's that policy that I have a problem with. I can only imagine the bad will their creating with that policy - but thats their business - and their business model. I won't support it.

makeorbrake

Have just got vodafone to initiate the swithover process. Hopefully all will go smoothly.

There's a monthly differential of €15 (i had been charged by utv for a static ip...which I later had no use for..although their rates are still a tad higher in any event) to take advantage of also.

Will post back my feedback.


Byebye UTV