Eircom price drop bait & switch

theking

Hello all,
So I recently did my sums as to which braodband package was best, being in the enviable position to choose from a number of different ones.

I needed a Ethernet modem, so I chose Eircom, on the stong assurances of the sales agent that the price would go down in March when Eircom lowered their broadband rates. With the one month free, I could afford the over the odds payment for one month only (Feb)

I've been contentedly connected for the last week or so, and a very nice time being had by all too.

Until the salesman rang me last night to tell me that the price drop would be a new service at a lower speed and wouldn't change the price of the RADSL that I'm on (eircom beginner or some such name)

He offered to cancel the contract with no quibbles as he'd promised that it would be lowered in price. But I have two or three difficulties.
1- Won't/Cant pay the Eircom Fool-Rate of €54 a month
2- need an ethernet modem again
3- want to keep the incentive priced playstation I got with it.

Any ideas on where I should go from here?

martyc45

you should try Irish broadband they only cost 30 euro a month with no cap or limit on downloads , they also cover most of Dublin .

You can check them out on there website , don't know their number .

www.irishbroadband.ie

dahamsta

Originally posted by theking
the price drop would be a new service at a lower speed

Well, we shoah didn't see that comin', no suh!

spongebob

Originally posted by theking
Until the salesman rang me last night to tell me that the price drop would be a new service at a lower speed and wouldn't change the price of the RADSL that I'm on (eircom beginner or some such name)

That salesman is either an Honest Eircom Salesman......who should be publicly named so we can all give him our business or....

He figured a way to get 2 commissions for one sale...in effect. Hard to say. This is the first I heard of a Lower speed.

The XBox may be part of the old package and not the new one so calculate the cost of a full priced one there too.

Eircom will publish details of the price changes Here around the end of next week. Hang on till then would be my advice. I suspect that if you hung in (or simply handed back the X-Box alone) you would get the price drop along with the other customers.

M

Mr_Man

What is the possibility that Eircom will also drop the pre-qual standard on the line test ? This would widen their potential customer base without adding any new hardware, and with a higher contention/lower speed get more out of the existing investment. Something which I'm sure Sir Tone and his pal George would appreciate heading into the big floatation.

M.

spongebob

Originally posted by Mr_Man
What is the possibility that Eircom will also drop the pre-qual standard on the line test ? This would widen their potential customer base without adding any new hardware, and with a higher contention/lower speed get more out of the existing investment. Something which I'm sure Sir Tone and his pal George would appreciate heading into the big floatation.

Thats a banker if you will kindly pardon the pun. The drop in the prequal test 'standards' will increase the RADSL range and therefore the number of potential customers ....for €0 Capex of course.

ADSL2 can supply 256k at about 7km ........ I can dream cant I

M

Ryaner

Can you really see eircom actually trying to give us all BB? It would be nice if they did. They could be holding the lowered speed/more customers option for after they float so as to have a kinda backup to make another bit of cash for themselves.

spongebob

Eircoms technical upgrade path from the first DSLAM systems deployed is the Alcatel 7300 which can support ADSL2 and SDSL already along with RADSL ... known as ANSI T1.413 in the trade.

Alcatel do not yet support RE-ADSL2 but that is but a flash upgrade later this year I hear. G.992.3 (G.dmt.bis) is the correct name for that standard. RE-ADSL2 will almost get 512k connections to 6.5Km while 256k will be available out to 7.5km or nearly 5 Miles.

The Alcatel can also slave multiplexers over fibre in subexchanges.

No excuses really are there, except greed .

M

Ripwave

Originally posted by theking
2- need an ethernet modem again

IOL have been supplying an ethernet modem for the last month or so.

Jorinn

Muck, that bit of hardware linking is great, technically eircom could give me adsl above the speedd of ahny current offering, symmetrically as well. Odds on them either doing it, or at a reasonable price? Zero.

Jorinn

Actually as i recall, can't regular adsl supply you with a 9mb line down?

-Wheeler-

Originally posted by theking
Until the salesman rang me last night to tell me that the price drop would be a new service at a lower speed and wouldn't change the price of the RADSL that I'm on (eircom beginner or some such name)

Having carefully re-read the press release on the eircom website, it sounds like the salesman wasn't telling fibs.

From eircom's site:

Latest News
eircom plans to introduce new low cost broadband


eircom has announced its intention to submit proposals to ComReg (the Commission for Communications Regulation) for the introduction of a lower cost broadband product. Pending ComReg approval, this product will have a monthly rental charge of €39.99 (including VAT.)

Please note that this product is not available to consumers until ComReg approval is obtained.

I don't like the way they never mentioned the words "price reduction" and how they referred to introducing "a lower cost broadband product". Lower than what, their present offering ? Has to be a new lower speed i-stream starter product. If this is the case I guess those not wishing to downgrade to lower speeds will still have to shell out €54/month. Ah...... eircom, they never let you down.

Ryaner

Thats very true Wheeler, I doubt many people actually noticed that one. All the other press is about eircom dropped the price but no where on their site does it say that. Eircom might just have a few smart people in there after all.
In regards eircom supporting all the new technology that they installing. Unlikely. Most of their agents just see fail and thats it. Quite a few I've talked to have no understanding at all about BB.
Muck, do you know if the upgrades to the BB exchanges that was done their yesterday morning was them upgrading to the new standards or just them fixing current problems?