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Eircom Monopolising Again

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  • 03-04-2012 12:20am
    #1
    spinzes
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭


    so l've been with eircom for about 9 months and inbetween then l changed my broadband package so my 12 month contract was renewed now l wanna switch the package again as there is actually a cheaper package l can get that is still good but l'll have to start another new 12 month contract , all seems fair enough but there is another provider in cavan in the process of rolling out fiber , this is very exciting as fiber is usually cheaper and much faster and l can get my tv bundled with it , after talking to eircom today and mentioning l'm thinking of changing in the next few months l was informed if you cancel your 12 month contract you still have to pay the outstanding months so if l cancel after 2 months l'll have to pay up to €500 euro !!!! WTF imagine only charge €100 for early cancellation , this has to be in breach of anti-competitive regulations and a blatant attempt by eircom to maintain there strangle hold on there already monopolised telecoms in ireland ,

    sorry for the rant but WTF are eircom up to !!


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    #2
    babo9
    Registered Users Posts: 605 ✭✭✭babo9


    spinzes wrote: »
    so l've been with eircom for about 9 months and inbetween then l changed my broadband package so my 12 month contract was renewed now l wanna switch the package again as there is actually a cheaper package l can get that is still good but l'll have to start another new 12 month contract , all seems fair enough but there is another provider in cavan in the process of rolling out fiber , this is very exciting as fiber is usually cheaper and much faster and l can get my tv bundled with it , after talking to eircom today and mentioning l'm thinking of changing in the next few months l was informed if you cancel your 12 month contract you still have to pay the outstanding months so if l cancel after 2 months l'll have to pay up to €500 euro !!!! WTF imagine only charge €100 for early cancellation , this has to be in breach of anti-competitive regulations and a blatant attempt by eircom to maintain there strangle hold on there already monopolised telecoms in ireland ,

    sorry for the rant but WTF are eircom up to !!

    I'm in the same boat :( I've no choice but to cancel Eircom and move out of my current house soon and it's going to cost nearly 400 euro, which is the full charge for the 9 months left on my contract...
    And it's the same for me with SKY, another 200 euro...

    I remember early termination charges of 100 euro in the past, but seems those days are gone, when the business tightens up compassion goes out the window!


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    #3
    eircom: Ant
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,138 ✭✭✭eircom: Ant


    spinzes wrote: »
    so l've been with eircom for about 9 months and inbetween then l changed my broadband package so my 12 month contract was renewed now l wanna switch the package again as there is actually a cheaper package l can get that is still good but l'll have to start another new 12 month contract , all seems fair enough but there is another provider in cavan in the process of rolling out fiber , this is very exciting as fiber is usually cheaper and much faster and l can get my tv bundled with it , after talking to eircom today and mentioning l'm thinking of changing in the next few months l was informed if you cancel your 12 month contract you still have to pay the outstanding months so if l cancel after 2 months l'll have to pay up to €500 euro !!!! WTF imagine only charge €100 for early cancellation , this has to be in breach of anti-competitive regulations and a blatant attempt by eircom to maintain there strangle hold on there already monopolised telecoms in ireland ,

    sorry for the rant but WTF are eircom up to !!


    Hi spinzes,

    I do appreciate how you feel, though our terms and conditions are stated: T & C's. If you need assistance or further advice on this, please call freefone 1800 242 633

    eircom now require a 30 day notification to cancel the broadband service and phone service. If you contact our service team on 1800 242 633 they will take a record of the call and then transfer you to the cancellation department. Eircom cancellations will take a record of your intention to cease and give the e-mail address or postal address to send the written request. They will follow up 30 days later to insure the cancellation order has been processed assuming eircom have received a letter or e-mail 30 days prior.

    Kind regards,
    Ant


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    #4
    eircom: Ant
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,138 ✭✭✭eircom: Ant


    babo9 wrote: »
    I'm in the same boat :( I've no choice but to cancel Eircom and move out of my current house soon and it's going to cost nearly 400 euro, which is the full charge for the 9 months left on my contract...
    And it's the same for me with SKY, another 200 euro...

    I remember early termination charges of 100 euro in the past, but seems those days are gone, when the business tightens up compassion goes out the window!


    Hi babo9,

    Thanks for commenting on our Forum on Boards. Please refer to previous post regarding cancellation process.

    Regards,
    Ant


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    #5
    listermint
    Registered Users Posts: 33,952 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    spinzes wrote: »
    so l've been with eircom for about 9 months and inbetween then l changed my broadband package so my 12 month contract was renewed now l wanna switch the package again as there is actually a cheaper package l can get that is still good but l'll have to start another new 12 month contract , all seems fair enough but there is another provider in cavan in the process of rolling out fiber , this is very exciting as fiber is usually cheaper and much faster and l can get my tv bundled with it , after talking to eircom today and mentioning l'm thinking of changing in the next few months l was informed if you cancel your 12 month contract you still have to pay the outstanding months so if l cancel after 2 months l'll have to pay up to €500 euro !!!! WTF imagine only charge €100 for early cancellation , this has to be in breach of anti-competitive regulations and a blatant attempt by eircom to maintain there strangle hold on there already monopolised telecoms in ireland ,

    sorry for the rant but WTF are eircom up to !!

    You signed up for a 12 month contact?

    Who monopolised you? Your rant is pretty ill founded. Would you expect to get out of an O2 / Vodafone / Meteor contract if you signed up for 12 months and fancied some other handset from another provider?


    Ridiculous....


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    #6
    spinzes
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭spinzes


    listermint wrote: »
    You signed up for a 12 month contact?
    Who monopolised you?
    l mean the market is being monopolised,weres the competition if nobody can get out of a contract easily.
    listermint wrote: »
    You signed up for a 12 month contact?
    Your rant is pretty ill founded. Would you expect to get out of an O2 / Vodafone / Meteor contract if you signed up for 12 months and fancied some other handset from another provider?Ridiculous....
    yes by incurring a modest cancellation fee not the full cost of the duration of the contract


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    #7
    axle108
    Closed Accounts Posts: 145 ✭✭axle108


    Its the whole idea of a contract. You sign up, you agree to abide by that contract. Try signing up to this new fibre provider and telling them that if another provider comes along you'll be gone.


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    #8
    spinzes
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭spinzes


    axle108 wrote: »
    Its the whole idea of a contract. You sign up, you agree to abide by that contract. Try signing up to this new fibre provider and telling them that if another provider comes along you'll be gone.

    you've completely missed the point l'm trying to make , if you sign a contract yes you must stick to it but this is no ordinary service provider contract,l've been with other isp's and when cancelled early the was a small cancellation fee , having to pay the full remaining months left on the contract is new all be it since the last year or so , the next point l'm making is customers should be able to get the best service available if they want , so if fiber becomes available because an isp has made it available and tried to give the consumer the best possible service the consumer should be able to switch with out something like a €700 euro fee , (which would be my bill €70 a month and cancelling 10 months early) this is a reaction by eircom and other standard isp's to custom lost when upc rolled out fiber in dublin , l have no doubt they lost a lot of custom as customers moved to get the best service available , another point becomes apparent in the sense that what isp is gonna try and bring a new service to market if nobody can sign up because there locked into a contract , services become stagnant and nobody is bothered to improve services its borderline communist , moving to one supplier for fiber to another supplier for fiber is not the issue


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    #9
    axle108
    Closed Accounts Posts: 145 ✭✭axle108


    No point missed at all at least on my behalf. But the point im making to you, i think was missed. If people were able to opt out of contracts for a modest fee as you point out, what would be the point of a contract in the first place. So lets say you sign a contract with a particular provider and after 2 months they decide your not generating enough revenue for them, so they cancel the contract and pay a modest fee. Now theres no other provider with a package that matches the one you had, would you be happy. And then your next provider decides to do the same and the next one and all you get is a hundred euro.

    As for having to pay the remaining months left in a contract for opting out early, afraid its been around for a long long time and many service providers have been using this.

    And in answer to: "another point becomes apparent in the sense that what isp is gonna try and bring a new service to market if nobody can sign up because there locked into a contract , services become stagnant and nobody is bothered to improve services its borderline communist , moving to one supplier for fiber to another supplier for fiber is not the issue" .

    Also who were the other isp's you were with that allowed you to cancel early with a small cancellation fee.

    Where have you been the last decade or so where we have moved form dial up to broadband to iptv,fibre and all the other developments all with contracts in place.

    Nobody forced you to sign up to the contract, the terms are always provided for you to read and if then you thought you might not want to commit, you had the opportunity to opt out.


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    #10
    spinzes
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭spinzes


    axle108 wrote: »
    So lets say you sign a contract with a particular provider and after 2 months they decide your not generating enough revenue for them, so they cancel the contract and pay a modest fee. Now theres no other provider with a package that matches the one you had, would you be happy. And then your next provider decides to do the same and the next one and all you get is a hundred euro.
    well axle l have to say that companies selling contracts must love you as you feel you are there for them and not the other way round , your the consumer ya know !!
    axle108 wrote: »
    As for having to pay the remaining months left in a contract for opting out early, afraid its been around for a long long time and many service providers have been using this.
    l cancelled wiimax as recently as late august , thats only 7 months ago give or take a week or so and all they did was charge €100 early cancellation

    And in answer to: "another point becomes apparent in the sense that what isp is gonna try and bring a new service to market if nobody can sign up because there locked into a contract , services become stagnant and nobody is bothered to improve services its borderline communist , moving to one supplier for fiber to another supplier for fiber is not the issue" .
    you haven't answered it ?
    axle108 wrote: »
    Also who were the other isp's you were with that allowed you to cancel early with a small cancellation fee.
    same as above
    axle108 wrote: »
    Where have you been the last decade or so where we have moved form dial up to broadband to iptv,fibre and all the other developments all with contracts in place.
    l lived in dublin for several years from 2000 on , and moved around quite a bit and never got hit by a contract like that
    axle108 wrote: »
    Nobody forced you to sign up to the contract, the terms are always provided for you to read and if then you thought you might not want to commit, you had the opportunity to opt out.
    again axle companies must love you with that attitude , you sign a bit of paper and thats it , lol


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    #11
    axle108
    Closed Accounts Posts: 145 ✭✭axle108


    Is this Wimax which states:

    11.6 The Minimum Subscription Period for this Service is twelve (12) months. The Subscriber shall have the right to terminate this Agreement after the Minimum Subscription Period by giving imagine thirty days notice in writing. The Subscriber must pay the Subscription up to the end of the minimum subscription period. 11.7 If the Subscriber terminates this Agreement during the Minimum Subscription Period (except as set out in Clause 11.1 or Clause 11.5), the Subscriber shall be liable for the balance of the Subscription for the remainder of the Minimum Subscription Period.

    Youve gone off on one here:eek:

    And in answer to: "another point becomes apparent in the sense that what isp is gonna try and bring a new service to market if nobody can sign up because there locked into a contract , services become stagnant and nobody is bothered to improve services its borderline communist , moving to one supplier for fiber to another supplier for fiber is not the issue" .
    you haven't answered it ?

    I did answer it.

    And just to answer this rant " again axle companies must love you with that attitude , you sign a bit of paper and thats it , lol "

    No i research the contract from the provider i'm interested in getting the service from. Never signed a bit of paper and thats it, i look into what are my requirements, is the provider offering what i need at the price i am willing to pay. I dont just jump to the next fly by night provider thats offering a service and fall for the catchy tune.

    And just to answer this

    " well axle l have to say that companies selling contracts must love you as you feel you are there for them and not the other way round , your the consumer ya know !!"

    Have to say i dont know. Companies selling contracts must absolutely hate me as i've never been there for them. Im not that indecisive type, sign up, oh oh theres a better one, sign up, oh ah a better one again an lol.


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    #12
    spinzes
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭spinzes


    axle108 wrote: »
    Is this Wimax which states:
    11.6 The Minimum Subscription Period for this Service is twelve (12) months. The Subscriber shall have the right to terminate this Agreement after the Minimum Subscription Period by giving imagine thirty days notice in writing. The Subscriber must pay the Subscription up to the end of the minimum subscription period. 11.7 If the Subscriber terminates this Agreement during the Minimum Subscription Period (except as set out in Clause 11.1 or Clause 11.5), the Subscriber shall be liable for the balance of the Subscription for the remainder of the Minimum Subscription Period.
    Youve gone off on one here:eek:
    l left them the end of august and payed a fee of €100 , its amazing what companies will do if you take your finger out and ask them
    axle108 wrote: »
    And in answer to: "another point becomes apparent in the sense that what isp is gonna try and bring a new service to market if nobody can sign up because there locked into a contract , services become stagnant and nobody is bothered to improve services its borderline communist , moving to one supplier for fiber to another supplier for fiber is not the issue" .
    you haven't answered it ?
    I did answer it.
    whats your answer , l'm saying why should a company try and be innovative and bring exciting new products to market if nobody can get them because everyone is locked in a contract l'd love to hear your response , l don't see one
    axle108 wrote: »
    And just to answer this rant " again axle companies must love you with that attitude , you sign a bit of paper and thats it , lol "
    No i research the contract from the provider i'm interested in getting the service from. Never signed a bit of paper and thats it, i look into what are my requirements, is the provider offering what i need at the price i am willing to pay. I dont just jump to the next fly by night provider thats offering a service and fall for the catchy tune.
    don't paint me as some idiot consumer that gets wet every time l see a new whiter than white deal , l'm not trying to change provider every 6 months but when something is available thats significantly better as is fiber compared to broadband l will look for it
    axle108 wrote: »
    And just to answer this
    " well axle l have to say that companies selling contracts must love you as you feel you are there for them and not the other way round , your the consumer ya know !!"
    Have to say i dont know. Companies selling contracts must absolutely hate me as i've never been there for them.
    well your here for them now with bells on saying if you sign it your stuck with it , till death do us part , carved in stone...etc
    axle108 wrote: »
    Im not that indecisive type, sign up, oh oh theres a better one, sign up, oh ah a better one again an lol.
    again your painting me incorrectly


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    #13
    Solair
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,230 ✭✭✭Solair


    Personally, I don't understand it at all.

    If you are signing up for a mobile phone contract, you are typically also getting a handset for a massively reduced price which could be worth anything up to 700 Euro in the case of some of the highest end smartphones. So, the termination fees / buying the handset outright would be justified.

    There should be an option of subscribing to any ISP, certainly on DSL lines anyway, and bringing your own modem and equipment and paying any line installation charges up front i.e. not having any subsidy from the ISP/eircom.

    Unless you are getting a brand new line installed, there shouldn't be any significant cost to eircom and I cannot see how they can justify requring a 12 month contract.

    In a lot of cases, the line's got a soft dial tone (i.e. it's fully active, but the account is just closed) so the installation simply requires setting up an account and a few mouse clicks!

    If the line has to be installed from scratch there should be an option of either opting into a 12 month contract OR paying the line installation charges up front.

    Also, if you're moving house, most companies will let you move and just re-start your contract without penalties. I have done that with Vodafone @ Home.


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