Once Upon a Time there was a great Broadband Provider

Mebuntu

...called Eircom but not anymore.

The last couple of months I've lost all faith in this company. I've been with them for 36 years and am on 8mb NGB BB.

First up I ordered Fibre, based on what Tech Support told me which turned out to be wrong info so it was abandoned.

Couple of weeks later my NGB was switched off in error by Eircom. There followed several days of sheer unadulterated Hell trying to get re-connected. In the end they sent me, like a bold boy, to the end of the queue and was treated like a new customer. It took 11 days to get sorted.

When the broadband finally came back the download speed had been reduced by nearly 1mb. I didn't bother contacting them. I may be many things but a masochist is not one of them.

Yesterday, just after 5pm, whilst I was receiving emails no problem, I could no longer send emails. I kept getting a message that said:
Sending of message failed.
The message could not be sent because the connection to SMTP server mail1.eircom.net timed out. Try again or contact your network administrator.

With trembling hands I dialled Support.
They first suggested that I turn my router off and then back on again.
Then, something was mumbled about my mailbox being an "old" one and "too small". If it was too small surely it would refuse new emails and not stop the sending of them.
Then I was asked if I had a second PC (which I had) and to try sending emails on that one. But before I had it booted up I was then told that there was actually a problem with the server which was being worked on. The following is what was said:
"Will it be long before it is back"
"Try in an hour".
"Is there no standby server?"
"No"
Why not"
"Because email is free"

I kid you not.

It is still not working as of this morning.

In the year 2012 Eircom just doesn't get it - BB and email is not a luxury - it must be always on. They are as bad as everyone else. The only hope is SKY.

jamescc

from past experiences with sky.
i don't think that they would be any better

Mebuntu

jamescc wrote: »

from past experiences with sky.
I don't think that they would be any better

Well, obviously I have no experience of Sky Broadband yet but I can say that, insofar as Sky TV is concerned, they have been "always on".

BTW, I still can't send emails through my Eircom account. The latest "excuse" from an unconcerned Tech Support was that the server is "mostly" fixed but parts of it haven't but soon it will be "fully" fixed. Not that I believe a word I'm being told.

RoyalMarine

forget Eircom mail.

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/open.html

get a Google Mail account. They have a LOT more money invested in their mail server's including multiple backup server's for any issue's that arise.

Mebuntu

get a Google Mail account

I am using one as a standby. However, having been been with Eircom for so long I have lots of contacts (commercial and personal) that I would have to notify of a new email address. It looks like I will have to start that process soon because it is perfectly obvious that Eircom doesn't give a monkeys.

jamescc

Mebuntu wrote: »

get a Google Mail account

I am using one as a standby. However, having been been with Eircom for so long I have lots of contacts (commercial and personal) that I would have to notify of a new email address. It looks like I will have to start that process soon because it is perfectly obvious that Eircom doesn't give a monkeys.

I do not think that sky do broadband over here.

Mebuntu

They are about to:
http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/ROI-Broadband-Talk/Welcome-to-the-Sky-Broadband-and-Talk-board-for-Republic-of/td-p/524438