BT (IOL) Announce Flat Rate

De Rebel

Going fearlessly where no man has tread before ("Esat BT has consistently led the campaign for the introduction of a fixed rate internet access package"), and in the great tradition of ESAT, announcement of a not yet available service......

Registration of interest form for Ireland On-Line (IOL) Anytime

The Banner headline:

MEDIUM to HEAVY USER

IOL Anytime - Internet access anytime of the day or night weekdays or weekends Approx. €1 a day

And the smaller print

With Ireland On-Line (IOL) Anytime you can go online anytime of the day or night for a fixed monthly charge. Esat BT has consistently led the campaign for the introduction of a fixed rate internet access package. That's why we're delighted to introduce IOL Anytime on 27 June.

With IOL Anytime you'll benefit from an unrivalled range of services and features: No more big bills - go online anytime of the day or night, any day of the week for a fixed monthly rate. No hidden charges and no installation charges, so there won't be any nasty surprises when it comes to payment.

and finally.....

Thank you for your interest in IOL Anytime please fill out the form below and we will be in contact shortly

Dustaz

No mention of how many hours are included there.

I wonder how long it will take them to actually get this going. They dont have a brilliant track record on rolling out services in the last couple of years.

Creamy Goodness

yeh esat are great releasing show your interest forms up on their site but when it comes to rolling out a product they're rubbish

shinzon

i rang them about this and this is what the bunny had to say

1) All details and forms will be available friday

2) asked about hours (not known yet)

3) they wont be migrating netsmart users, youll have to get a new DD form and fill it out, will take approx 2 days to activate your iol anytime account after receipt of the completed forms

take this for what it is a very big pinch of salt

regards

Shin

De Rebel

From the graphic:

- Light User = IOL Free
- Light to Medium User = IOL NetSmart
- Medium to Heavy User = IOL Anytime
- Heavy User = IOL Broadband

While there are no definitions of Light, Medium and Heavy users, I would have expected Netsmart=Light, Anytime=Medium, Broadband=Heavy. Obviously BT/ESAT/IOL have better things in store for us.

From the above one has to deduce that they are viewing/positioning this as somewhere just short of Broadband. By any reasonable standards "Medium to Heavy" use would surely significantly exceed 6 hours per day (180 hours per month) and would of course include 128K access. Will be interesting to see how their "Conditions of Use" stack up.

And the delightfully vague and grammatically unsound "Approx. €1 a day" doesn't give too much away either. That’s somewhere in the €30-€40 per month band. Presumably VAT inclusive.

Where the hell is Una when we need answers?

Ronan|Raven

Originally posted by shinzon
3) they wont be migrating netsmart users, youll have to get a new DD form and fill it out, will take approx 2 days to activate your iol anytime account after receipt of the completed forms



Shin

Oh goody Slightly offtopic but If I never have to send esat another DD form it will be far to soon, I've spent the last 5 months trying to get my CPS changed back to them after I had ISDN installed No doubht their "flatrate" offering will be a block of hours per month which isnt much use to some people tbh but im sure an offering of say 200+ hours per month would be more than adequate for most people

Thankfully I wont be dependant on them for much longer.

Mr_Man

Having talked to ESAT when they first announced the service I was told that the number of hours would be 180, may have changed over the past two weeks - but there you go....

M

LFCFan

why is it that UTVip who operate in the North/Sterling can set up a system in the South whereby current customers will be able to migrate to the new FRIACO product yet a company like ESAT who have been in Ireland for years have to get people to re-apply for the new product? It's obviously got to do with their already unbelievably bad billing system. You'd think they'd have sorted that out by now. Muppets. Will most definatly be staying with UTVip.

Winters

Whats the deal though with NoLimits customers? Were we ever moved or has anything changed?

They better give the medium/heavy users unlimited, 180 hours really isint much for a "medium/heavy" user.

homerzero

yes there are them famous words again "No Limits" now that was some Fiasco

BoneCollector

Whats the deal though with NoLimits customers? Were we ever moved or has anything changed?

No your still using it as you always have been..
at least i am

just check you bill.. its the same as its always been

skrobe

NO LIMITS
I was told this service will cease and you will have to chose a differnet one ..................makes sense really!
j

bk

Originally posted by skrobe
NO LIMITS
I was told this service will cease and you will have to chose a differnet one ..................makes sense really!
j

No it doesn't, NoLimits is much better then the Netsmart products. For Eur22 a month you get unlimited off peak hours.

I think it is time for battle stations lads, lets not let Esat try and dump on the NoLimits customers again.

skrobe

For Eur22 a month you get unlimited off peak hours.

It's 22e for 75hrs offpeak( or its meant to be , I'm sure ive gone over and have never heard of anyone being kicked off ), still they run this at a loss for over a year.
j

irishgeo

i am still on NO Limits and its much Better than that new service what ever its called as you get it free all weekend and in the evenings.

I hope we dont have to choose but if i did i would take the unlimitied service.

bk

Originally posted by skrobe
It's 22e for 75hrs offpeak( or its meant to be , I'm sure ive gone over and have never heard of anyone being kicked off ), still they run this at a loss for over a year.
j

The 75 hours thing has never been enforced, it looks like I will jump to UTVs 180 hour - Eur 25 service, it most closely matches my NoLimits usage.

LFCFan

Originally posted by irishgeo
i am still on NO Limits and its much Better than that new service what ever its called as you get it free all weekend and in the evenings.

I hope we dont have to choose but if i did i would take the unlimitied service.

All off peak though. If it's a case you never or very rarely use the internet at peak times then No Limits is of course the better option but if you need the internet at peak times then the new service is the one to go with.

Digi_Tilmitt

Isn't Anytime unlimited peak and off peak access? If so its better than nolimits

bizmark

It's obviously got to do with their already unbelievably bad billing system. You'd think they'd have sorted that out by now. Muppets

true so so so true ................. their billing system/department is so bad it make,s george bush,s speechs look good :rolleyes:

im guessing my broadband (if i EVER get it from them) will have the same billing problum

vibe666

not sure about ESat, but this is UTVip's offering:

UTV Internet is the first telecoms firm in Ireland to officially launch its flat-rate Internet product, as the race to scoop up customers gets underway.

The company is to launch on Friday two new flat-rate Internet products: UTVip Lite, which will cost €9.99 per month and will allow users to dial-up to the Net at anytime for up to 30 hours per month; and UTVip XL, which costs a flat rate of EUR24.95 per month and gives users 180 hours of unlimited Net usage. Users will be required to sign up for UTV's telephony service in order to become flat-rate customers.

ando

*edit* sorry

dod

IOL 180hr/mth €30, payable bi-monthly in advance, no requirement to subscribe to their telephony services (at least thats my reading of it)

Details here:
http://anytime.iol.ie

LFCFan

it says on the site.....wake up to Ireland on Line. Ireland first Flat rate internet package. Is it not the case that UTVip were first out with their service? Maybe only a couple of hours or a day but they were still the first.

MadsL

Advertising Standards are going to have a field day with this ad ad

1. No hidden charges. Flat-rate. ...but this is in the T&C...

3.9 In the event that a Customer of the NetSmart or IOL Anytime Service exceeds their Allotted Minutes and/or Anytime Hours, any additional internet access minutes will be charged to that Customer at the prevailing Residential Internet Service tariffs.
Err that'll be a 'hidden' charge then

Also...

2. First in Ireland....err just wrong.

3. No more counting minutes...I just count hours instead then do I? I refer the honourable gentleman to the minutes mentioned above.

also this in the T&C...The number of hours is subject to change from time to time and advice of same will be posted on the website at www.iol.ie.

LFCFan

Originally posted by MadsL
also this in the T&C...The number of hours is subject to change from time to time and advice of same will be posted on the website at www.iol.ie.

I would hope that if the amount of hours is gonna change for any of the ISP's it will be additional hours once they realise that there is more capacity for more hours.

vibe666

Originally posted by MadsL
1. No hidden charges. Flat-rate....but this is in the T&C...

hate to point it out and all, but as it's in the T&C its not technically a hidden charge is it?

They tell you it's 180 hours for xxx amount up front, and then just to make things clear, they tell you what they will charge you if you go over that.

OK, so it's not 24/7 access, but it's a good 6 hours a day, and if anyone is using the net more than that they really ought to be going out and gettig a job or taking up a hobby or something.

If it's a business then Monday - Friday it's going to give them 9 hours a day to play with, so either way it's not a bad deal, excluding the fact that we're about 10 years behind the USA/Oz and maybe 2 or 3 years behind the UK actually getting FRAICO.

wormhole

so 180 hrs for 30 euro so whats this?
http://www.esatbt.com/ie/products/esatbt_anytime/

260 for 45hrs which came first i wonder?



womhole

scary

€30 for 180hrs is the residential package, €45 for 260hrs is the business one

Zombrex

6. Term and Termination
6.1 This Agreement shall be for initial term of 1 year and shall continue for further periods of 1 year unless terminated in accordance with the terms and conditions herein.
6.2 The Customer may terminate the Agreement after the initial term upon reasonable written notice to Esat BT and any such termination shall be effective on the expiry of such notice period.

Esat seem to have set the min period for Anytime and Netsmart to 1 year (Netsmart was 2 months). You now have to sign up for at least a year. Don't know how strict they are about that ("I am moving to distant universe to fight space aliens" - "Well I'm sorry sir you still have to pay for another 6 months")

Also went to the online form to sign up and Mozilla (1.4) threw up a Uncertified Certificate warning when the page tried to encrypt. Didn't fill me with a lot of confidence Esat know what they are doing. Anyone else get this problem, or has anyone been able to sign up fine???

sceptre

Originally posted by scary
€30 for 180hrs is the residential package, €45 for 260hrs is the business one

€45 plus VAT. The cost is €54.45.

myhandle

...3.9 In the event that a Customer of the NetSmart or IOL Anytime Service exceeds their Allotted Minutes and/or Anytime Hours, any additional internet access minutes will be charged to that Customer at the prevailing Residential Internet Service tariffs...QUOTE]

When I exceed the 180h is the charge then 4c peak / 1c offpeak?
(just like netsmart)

Will such charge appear on anytime bill?
(just like netsmart)
I don't want it on my eircom bill

They charge the EUR30 in advance, but above quota charges would have to be charged in arears.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm............

MadsL

When I exceed the 180h is the charge then 4c peak / 1c offpeak?

I was told that persistant offenders would be cut-off, permanently from the service. Bye-bye, we don't want you as a customer kinda thing.

myhandle

Originally posted by MadsL
I was told that persistant offenders would be cut-off, permanently from the service. Bye-bye, we don't want you as a customer kinda thing.

Offenders! I wasn't suggesting breaking any agreement, yes they give you 180h but surely they would be delighted if you went over that, and would charge 4c / 1c per min, just like any other ISP?

What happens at 180h, are you disconnected, do further calls get an engaged tone, or what?

BArra

yeah, wouldnt they only be glad to charge u 4c peak and 1 c off peak after ur 189 or 240 hours?

myhandle

Originally posted by BArra
yeah, wouldnt they only be glad to charge u 4c peak and 1 c off peak after ur 189 or 240 hours?

sure, but seriously, is that not the case?

Dotsie~tmp

quote:

---

Originally posted by scary
€30 for 180hrs is the residential package, €45 for 260hrs is the business one

---

€45 plus VAT. The cost is €54.45.

Can someone tell me how a 56k connection restricted to 260 hours can cost about the same as 24/7 broadband thats about 10 times faster?

myhandle

Originally posted by Dotsie~tmp
Can someone tell me how a 56k connection restricted to 260 hours can cost about the same as 24/7 broadband thats about 10 times faster?

Excellent point :cool: