ISDN and Flat Rate packages

gorm

Just spent an interesting day with eircom. Having discovered boards.ie my internet useage caused disharmony at home when the phone bill arrived so looking at what I use I decided that eircom's flat rate 60 gives me best price/usage for what I do, so went on-line and filled in all the boxes and nothing. It won't let me log-in with my new account. After four calls to tech support at 33c/min it comes down to the fact, I'm told, that because I have an ISDN line my account has to be activated with both numbers. Except the on-line reg only allows you to enter 1 phone number. Tech support can't change my account details until its verified by others (account dept?) in eircom and that will take 7 days. So I'm back using 'free' login until then.
I was told that if i used the first port on the T/A it would allow me in, but hey guess what it doesn't.
Moral. If you got ISDN don't sign up on-line you probably won't get to use the account immediately despite what's said on the site.
The last tech support guy I talked to was helpful though, he went and tried to change my account details (the third to do so) and he rang me back to say what's wrong i.e. account not verified therefore they can't change until it is.

govinda

I'd advise you to cancel your eircom.net subscription immediately. I had ISDN installed last week which has caused me no end of separate (voice-call) related issues, you can read more here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?postid=1710474#post1710474

Separately though, I had been subscribed to eircom.net Flat Rate Anytime. I was assured by Tech Support that if I had ISDN installed, I could add the additional number - just call them and it would be done.

I made 5 calls to them between last Friday and Monday evening - all charged at 45c per minute as I called from a mobile (restricting the landline because of the other issue). Each time I called I had to repeat my request from the beginning and my call details were never logged. On Monday, sick of being given the run around, I asked to speak to a team leader. The customer service rep then told me that the problem was that Eircom Ireland had put my new phone number on a different account number. I explained that hi-speed doesn't work like that but they refused to help me.

I called Eircom Ireland on 1901 as Eircom.net and Eircom Ireland are separate companies when they want to be and refuse to deal with each other. They insisted the two numbers were on the one account and there should not be any problem registering them. Back on to Eircom.net, and a team leader this time - who gave me the excuse that it takes one week for them to receive details of new numbers, these are usually updated on a Thursday, but he could give me no guarantees that my number would be available to register by this Thursday (I received the number last Friday). I asked why I had not been told this on my first call, or any of the subsequent ones and why I had been given the different account number excuse and he couldn't give me a reason. Fine, I refuse to pay for such a crap and indifferent service. I cancelled my account the next morning.

If you really can't sign up with UTV or EsatBT for your Internet, then I'd recommend you no longer call Eircom.net Technical Support directly. Call Eircom.net Customer Services on 01 7010000 and insist they put you through to Technical Support - I did this as they wanted me to make a premium rate call to cancel my service. I didn't explain to Customer Services what I wanted to do, I just said that I had made 5 premium rate calls to that number already and my problem was still unsolved. They put me through there and then.

Best of luck!

gorm

Thanks for the reply. I'm getting that mushroom feeling again. I've had just an email from them welcoming me to the service so i'll see this evening when I get home what's the story is.

seamus

OK, here's the dealio.
The flat-rate dialup packages from all providers uses CLID to determine that you are calling from your line and no other - this prevents you signing up to flatrate, and then you and your mate next door both surf away to your hearts content on two different lines.
Whatever way eircom have decided to implement this, is messed up. Errors in the RADIUS database are extremely difficult and time-consuming to correct, apparently, when in reality they shouldn't be at all.

When you sign up, it asks for the number you will dial with. Once this goes in, there's no changing it, inexplicably. Eircom only allow PSTN users to dial in with one phone number, even if they have 20 lines on the account.
ISDN users, obviously have two lines, and two CLIDs. If you ring eircom sales, they can enter both numbers at signup, but online, obviously they didn't put this option in so as not to confuse users.
If you signup online, you can only put one number in. So when your computer dials, it chooses one of the lines, so the one it is using may not be the one in their DB. So you may be able to connect at 64k, if you are dialling the right line. Standard tech support monkeys haven't the authority to add (wildcard) the second line onto the account, and must put the request in to Team Leaders, but (obviously this has changed since I was there) must wait first for eircom to approve the provision of this service to your line. This approval, I'm assuming is something that all providers must do, which is why eircom.net must put the request in with eircom - legally they are two separate entities (although they do their damndest to abuse the relationship), and involves makign sure you are in good credit with eircom. If there are serious arrears, they may reject your request, and you have to fight it out with eircom. Eircom.net will tell you it's not their problem.
Normally this approval takes about 2 days, but it can take up to a week, which is probably what they told you gorm.
While this approval is taking place, the eircom.net system does not allow anyone to make any changes, including cancellation. This means that if you change your mind, or decide to go for a different package the next day, you must wait for this approval to go through first.
Once your approval comes in, they can make the changes to the DB to allow both your lines to dial in.

gorm

Thanks Seamus. Explaination makes sense. I had talked to Tech support before reading your post and got a similar explaination (someone who new what he talking about, is this a record?). He said he would submit a change request and I should try again in a couple of hours and Hey IT WORKS!! Harmony reigns in the household now. We shall see when the first bill arrives...