Eircom -> Smart : Downtime Duration?

simp

Hi All:-

Smart are ready to connect me in the Crown Alley Exchange, but I can't figure out how long the downtime is going to be based on what they're telling me...

Eircom say that it will take 2 days to process a request to turn bb off on the line, and that there will then be a 10 day 'cooling off period'. Smart say that once the line is clear, that there may be a 10 day delay before their bb is up on the line. Neither side can tell me if this 10 day period is concurrent or not...

So I'm looking at a potential 22 working days off-line - which is over a month! I can't really believe that it will take that long - and what's more, I can't do without the bb for that long! I could manage on dial-up for a few days, but I assume that my landline will be down for some of this? Again, I can't get a straight answer out of either side.

Can someone who has made the switch please let me know how long I can expect all this to actually take? Thanks in advance for your help!

GarfieldConnoll

simp wrote:

Hi All:-

Smart are ready to connect me in the Crown Alley Exchange, but I can't figure out how long the downtime is going to be based on what they're telling me...

Eircom say that it will take 2 days to process a request to turn bb off on the line, and that there will then be a 10 day 'cooling off period'. Smart say that once the line is clear, that there may be a 10 day delay before their bb is up on the line. Neither side can tell me if this 10 day period is concurrent or not...

Simp,

Orders are processed consecutively, not concurrently. I am not aware of any 10 day 'cooling off' period.

simp wrote:

So I'm looking at a potential 22 working days off-line - which is over a month! I can't really believe that it will take that long - and what's more, I can't do without the bb for that long! I could manage on dial-up for a few days, but I assume that my landline will be down for some of this? Again, I can't get a straight answer out of either side.

Can someone who has made the switch please let me know how long I can expect all this to actually take? Thanks in advance for your help!

Your dialup connection will work during the 10 working day process, rightup until you are jumpered across (down-time of circa 30 minutes).

Again these time lines are based on all going well. In some cases orders have been processed much quicker than 10 days and in some (regrettable) cases, orders have taken much longer (though this is certainly not the norm).

Garfield.

zuma

Well "simp" now you know why Smart are in court with eircom and their anti-competitive tactics!!!!

Many here have made the switch.....wait and they will come!

Sponge Bob

Simp

Email your question to phil.nolan@eircom.ie who can give you a definitive answer to the question .

1. Tell him you will submit a cancel order for Eircom BB tomorrow morning effective immediately as in do it now .
2. Therefore when will Eircom "jumper you over" to Smart BB

Post the answer in here , we would all love to know it.

simp

Thanks for your prompt replies...

The reason I need to know what downtime to anticipate is that my girlfriend is finishing up a thesis and is intravenously connected to the internet at the moment...

I'm anxious to move to Smart, but don't want to consign her to dialup while she's still researching. But she's away for a week at the end of the month and I was *hoping* to do the switch then - if I could *rely* on the switch happening within a ten day period. But I think I'll play it safe and wait until she's finished with her thesis - i.e. end of August.

I will, however mail Phil Nolan and see what he says...

Can't wait to get away from eircom to a faster cheaper connection. I must confess that I'm curious to see how the court case goes as well - especially now that there are reports that eircom have outbid smart for meteor. Might losing meteor *and* the court case put paid to smart altogether? I hope not, but it's difficult to see them becoming profitable if they lose these two...

WezzyB

Why don't you order a 2nd phone line then from eircom, as soon as its installed order Smart for that.
Then when the Smart Modem arrives plug it in (& test it) Then Cancel your original phone line/eircom BB.
This probably will cost a little bit more but at least you won't have to worry about downtime/dialup.
One problem with this is that you loose your original number but to sign up to Smart Broadband you currently have to loose you phone number anyhow.

simp

So I sent a mail to Philip Nolan, as SpongeBob suggested...

Hi Phil:-

I understand that you might be able to help me.

I am about to move my broadband account from Eircom to Smart, and would
like to know how much of a delay I can anticipate between the cancel
order being submitted to Eircom, and my BB account being jumpered over
to Smart? I'm on the Crown Alley Exchange.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Simon.

And I received the following reply:-

Dear Simon,

Thank you for your e-mail addressed to Dr. Philip Nolan today the 19th of July. Provided you have not submitted a cease order to eircom on your existing Dsl and you have filled in your transfer form to Smart Telecom the process should take up to ten working days to complete.


Kind regards,
Personal Assistant to Dr. Philip Nolan

I, of course, hadn't realised that he was the CEO of Eircom... But at least someone replied.

Sponge Bob

edit that womans name out there Simp ....

ask Dr Phil why you MUST refrain from ceasing the EXISTING DSL. If you have an Existing DSL they will not even start the 10 day switchover I woulda thought.

If Dr Phil can arrange for the existing DSL to be available right up to the cutover point to Smart you will only be without DSL for 30 mins max (as they jumper in the exchange) is what she is saying .

Confirm that in writing though...

Mountjoy Mugger

I had to cancel my existing DSL before I moved to Smart. I think Dr. Nolan's P.A. is making a mistake.

lardboy

Good luck. I've been blacked out for over three weeks now on Crown Alley exchange.

Where's my Broadband, Smart?

Sponge Bob

if Dr Phil sez that what you must do then thats what you must do. Mail again to confirm the procedure.

simp

Okay - my girlfriend has now finished her thesis - so we can afford the downtime, and hence a change from eircom to smart... So I phone eircom - who confirm that the line will be down within 24 hours of a request. I then phone Smart - who anticipate that it will take 20 WORKING DAYS to change me over..? Last month this was 10? The 20 days are taken up with the 10 day 'cooling off' period, and then 10 days of tech stuff.

Is this for real? Has anyone had experience of this recently?

Robin1982

Changed to smart about 2 weeks ago - however my broadband service had already been shut down (didn't pay bill in time), took 7 working days. Much happier with service vs Eircoms. Dolphins Barn Exchange.

machalla

From what I remember the 10 working days on smarts part may not actually be 10 working days at all. Its just whenever Eircon switch you over at the exchange level and that could be at any time in the 10 working days. My line was active within about a day or two of receiving the dsl router. As for Eircons 10 days waiting period well I have no idea about that. I suspect its their usual make life miserable policy.

simp

Thanks for your replies - I suspected that I had the enthusiastic young intern on the line when she cheerfully explained the 20 days changeover - and I just called Smart back and someone told me that she was mistaken - and that it would be 10 days. And I take it from your replies that that's a worst case.

The 10 days 'cooling off periof' is written into the LLU agreement, AFAIK - interestingly, the (very helpful) eircom lady told me that the 10 days has already elapsed, since I signed up with smart in April - although Smart told me that it would start from when I turned off the line...

Anyhow - I'll take my chances and go back to dial-up for a few days - it'll certainly mean I'll get more work done! That goddamn broadband... So distracting...

Mussels

Can any smart customers tell me how smart contacted them to say that their service was available (email / letter / phone)?
It has been suggested that the Wellington Road exchange was to go live last Friday, but I'm wondering how/if smart are planning to let people know - I don't really want to have to call them repeatedly to find out, but that seems to be the pattern with the way they communicate things (or not).

dub45

Mussels wrote:

Can any smart customers tell me how smart contacted them to say that their service was available (email / letter / phone)?
It has been suggested that the Wellington Road exchange was to go live last Friday, but I'm wondering how/if smart are planning to let people know - I don't really want to have to call them repeatedly to find out, but that seems to be the pattern with the way they communicate things (or not).

They contacted me in writing when Crown Alley went live to tell me that it was now available to me.