How long for phone installation?

elsoldemayo

Can anyone let me know if there are any rules or regulations regarding the amount of time eircom have to install a new phoneline. I searched the web, boards and comreg.ie but other than eircom's spiel on their website I found no concrete times.

If your new home doesn't have a working telephone line, we expect to have it installed within 15 working days of placing your order.'

I ordered a new phoneline on the 27th of November. The line is for an apartment in a new development and Eircom are telling me there are 'planning' issues and my 4 enquires so far haven't resulted in even an estimated installation date.
I'd like to know how long is reasonable to have to wait? Is this a common problem with new phone lines or am I being given the run around?
Any suggestions for a next step?

BTW - Sorry if this isn't the correct forum but it seems the most likely.

AndrewMc

elsoldemayo wrote:

Can anyone let me know if there are any rules or regulations regarding the amount of time eircom have to install a new phoneline. I searched the web, boards and comreg.ie but other than eircom's spiel on their website I found no concrete times.

I ordered a new phoneline on the 27th of November. The line is for an apartment in a new development and Eircom are telling me there are 'planning' issues and my 4 enquires so far haven't resulted in even an estimated installation date.
I'd like to know how long is reasonable to have to wait? Is this a common problem with new phone lines or am I being given the run around?
Any suggestions for a next step?

BTW - Sorry if this isn't the correct forum but it seems the most likely.

Ah! A topic close to my own heart, and I don't think it's too off-topic. You can't get more offline than no phone line. Your description sounds very familiar - do they need to install a new exchange? Considering Christmas/New Year, you haven't been waiting too long yet, but if it's like my experience it's not looking good.

!!! RANT ALERT !!!

My experience:

I applied in March 04 (some of my neighbours in Sept 03), and we all eventually got connected in December 04. We had no concrete date (although 7 random estimates ranging from April 04 to "sometime early 2005") until two weeks before. Eircom will say "non-standard installation - no guarantees". They'll lie repeatedly, fobbing you off each time with "two more months, three more months", they won't return your phone calls when they say they will (not even the ones where you escalated your complaint). The regulator will eventually "ask Eircom the reasons for the delay", but still won't help. I don't even know if Eircom even answered the regulator.

Eircom told me they don't start new line installations until construction begins (which is fair enough since some developments don't go anywhere). Ask your builder and find out when this was - this is how long Eircom have had to get it together.

In terms of planning problems, push them for details (although you probably won't get them). They gave me the same crap about planning difficulties, and possibly needing to apply for permissions to dig the road, which could cause months more delays (they said "possibly" since they hadn't actually checked if the existing ducting was adequate). I was able to corner them by pursuing it with the town council who said all planning issues were dealt with ages before, there were no further outstanding applications related to it (I read through the planning applications book back three years) and no applications for road-opening.

I advise you to hunt down everyone involved in Eircom and Comreg. Get them to the point where they recognise your voice, and they accept that you're just not going away. It won't help too much, but it'll give you a paper/email trail that shows you've been trying to get answers and see no evidence of any progress from anyone.

In the end I had them down to the pathetic excuse that "we can't get contractors". The day after IrelandOffline had me on Morning Ireland on a broadband piece my neighbours say something like 8 or 9 Eircom vans arrived to start laying cables. "Can't get contractors" my ass.

In summary: pursue every detail, particularly dates. Ask your neighbours, and try to find the longest-waiting person - if you're the first into the development, that's not so bad. You may be able to find huge gaps of time where Eircom did nothing (and I do mean nothing). After that, well, publicise it. Since the regulator can't help, you just have embarrass them into doing it - try local radio/papers/anything. I was on the edge of getting an 80-household-signature petition signed (had it written up and everything) for telephones and handing it to the government (which might have been funny in a tragic "this-isn't-2004-is-it?" kinda way), but Morning Ireland was just as good

Maybe you'll be lucky, it actually is a planning problem and there's a quickish fix by poking a few councillors - you won't know until you ask around for yourself.

damien

Log everything, get as much as possible on paper. Ask for everything they say to be in writing. Email will do you.

As far as I know there is no time frame for installation of a line. Might be good to contact ComReg and ask though. Again, ask for everything they say to be put in an email to you. Let us know how you get on by posting here.

dahamsta

damien.m wrote:

As far as I know there is no time frame for installation of a line.

I think there is - I remember arguing with them about it when I moved in here - but I can't remember what it is. (An absolutely useless contribution I know, but there ya go. )

adam

viking

Direct from the horse's mouth:

Please be advised that there is no specific
timeframe for the installation of a PSTN line as individual cases may
differ and there may be differing factors causing delays e.g. third
party issues. Customers should be able to get from eircom a valid
reason for the delay and a forecast date.

Please be advised that the consumer management division here at the
Commission can only deal with a complaint after a consumer has exhausted
the relevant Operator's own complaint handling process. I would
therefore advise these customers to log formal complaints with eircom
directly. They would need to contact eircom complaints or customer care
to do this. They can be contacted on 1800 200 481. If, after these
customers have logged formal complaints and exhausted eircom's complaint
handling process as outlined in eircom's code of practice, they do not
receive a response, then please advise them that they can contact the
consumer division here and we can then approach eircom on their behalf.

elsoldemayo

AndrewMc wrote:

Eircom told me they don't start new line installations until construction begins (which is fair enough since some developments don't go anywhere). Ask your builder and find out when this was - this is how long Eircom have had to get it together.

The development is still ongoing but some of the first houses & apartments completed have had people living there for 7 or 8 months. I might knock on some of those doors and see if they've had any luck with eircom.

Thanks for all the replies.

dahamsta

viking wrote:

Please be advised that the consumer management division here at the
Commission can only deal with a complaint after a consumer has exhausted
the relevant Operator's own complaint handling process. I would
therefore advise these customers to log formal complaints with eircom
directly. They would need to contact eircom complaints or customer care
to do this. They can be contacted on 1800 200 481. If, after these
customers have logged formal complaints and exhausted eircom's complaint
handling process as outlined in eircom's code of practice, they do not
receive a response, then please advise them that they can contact the
consumer division here and we can then approach eircom on their behalf.

Still using the boilerplate I see. They could save a lot of bandwidth by replacing it with:

We're f*cking useless, don't ask us.