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FREE Broadband from Imagine

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,606 ✭✭✭djmarkus


    imagine that.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    BendiBus wrote:

    Thats compete ****e. Look at their line rental.

    Its the Highest Line rental in The Whole World , even higher than Eircoms .

    Its the same price and cinergi and perlico for rental and bb €35 a month .

    BT charge €35 a month for always on dsl and line rental

    Digiweb charge €20 a month with metro lite for always on and line rental


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    Sponge, I seem to have lost my site. What / Where is the line rental written?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭BendiBus


    Sponge Bob wrote:
    Its the Highest Line rental in The Whole World , even higher than Eircoms .

    Isn't line rental @ €24.18 the same as Eircom? Except they throw in 20 hours of bb? Although you do need to sign up for a €9.99 call package too which gives unlimited landline calls within Ireland.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    BendiBus wrote:
    Isn't line rental @ €24.18 the same as Eircom? Except they throw in 20 hours of bb? Although you do need to sign up for a €9.99 call package too which gives unlimited landline calls within Ireland.

    and router rental another €3 a month

    therefore you pay them €24+10+3 or €37 a month and they throw in timed 1Mbit

    its as clear as mud on the home page


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭BendiBus


    Sponge Bob wrote:
    and router rental another €3 a month

    therefore you pay them €24+10+3 or €37 a month and they throw in timed 1Mbit

    its as clear as mud on the home page

    I know a number of people who have analysed the options and find this product suits them best. More power to any company that offers products that are attractive to a wider market than boards.ie posters. Don't forget that many people actually use their phone lines to make a lot of phonecalls! So with this package they pretty much do get free bb thrown in.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 227 ✭✭/V\etalfish


    BendiBus wrote:
    Don't forget that many people actually use their phone lines to make a lot of phonecallsin.

    in that case they should get themselves a proper BB connection and go VoIP :p


  • Subscribers Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭CuLT


    Anyone who finds timed broadband an attractive option needs their head examined.

    A pointlessly crippled somewhat faster version of dialup.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    Sponge Bob wrote:
    and router rental another €3 a month

    therefore you pay them €24+10+3 or €37 a month and they throw in timed 1Mbit

    its as clear as mud on the home page

    and Family Protection for €3 a month after the first month

    therefore you pay them €24+€10+€3+€3 or €40 a month and they throw in timed 1Mbit.

    I can almost see past the mud...

    *Edit* After the first month, if you don't want family protection, YOU have to specifically cancel it or you will pay it forever more.
    Family Protection is optional. First month is for free, if after that you don't want it, just log on to www.imagine.ie and remove it from your account.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,042 ✭✭✭kaizersoze


    Crap product and crap offer but hey, it might spur the others into action.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,630 ✭✭✭Oracle


    It's early days but I'm not sure I'd agree with all the criticisms. I think this package could be handy for some people. Although 30 hours a month would be better, at least that would be about an hour per day. That would suit a lot of people who just check their email, and do a little on-line shopping. I noticed on the web site the following cost reducing options: 1) You can use your own modem (saving €2.99 per month.)
    2) The family protection is optional, you can opt out using the web site after the first free month (saving another €2.99.)
    That only leaves that old BB provider money-spinner the "connection charge". Well, applying that depends on how much they want your business; in this highly competitive market I'd say negotiate.

    I also noticed they will give you a fixed IP address, I think most of the other BB providers charge extra for this.

    Is it necessary to take out the calls package? I can't find that on the site.

    Links:
    Family protection opt out details: http://www.imagine.ie/imagine_home_broadband.htm
    Use Your Own Router: http://my.imagine.ie/support/index.php?x=&mod_id=2&root=1&id=4
    FAQ's (fixed IP): http://my.imagine.ie/support/index.php?x=&mod_id=2&root=34&id=100


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭BendiBus


    CuLT wrote:
    Anyone who finds timed broadband an attractive option needs their head examined.

    A pointlessly crippled somewhat faster version of dialup.

    That's a silly point of view. There are very many people who only want the internet for a few hours per month. Why not a timed product if it's cheaper than an always-on one?

    The big downside of this new offering is that existing users have to pay €50 if they want it - even if they want to upgrade! That's a bit poor. I know a fee to downgrade is not uncommon, but charging for an upgrade is not on.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    BendiBus wrote:
    That's a silly point of view. There are very many people who only want the internet for a few hours per month. Why not a timed product if it's cheaper than an always-on one?

    Because this farce of a product only exists in this farce of a place and should be replaced by cheap always on.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭BendiBus


    paulm17781 wrote:
    ...and should be replaced by cheap always on.

    ...and why not have an even cheaper timed service too? Why do people think a timed product is so fundamentally wrong?


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    BendiBus wrote:
    ...and why not have an even cheaper timed service too? Why do people think a timed product is so fundamentally wrong?

    Its a crap product that can cost €50 a month including excess charges and aimed at the unwary.

    Your thread title is misleading, its not free broadband never mind FREE broadband . Can you edit the first post and call it New Imagine BB Bundle or something along those lines . €40 a month = Line Rental+Router+Parental Thing+Calls and up to €30 in surcharges is not free.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,630 ✭✭✭Oracle


    kaizersoze wrote:
    Crap product and crap offer but hey, it might spur the others into action.

    I think it already has....

    http://www.smarttelecom.ie/broadbandplus.htm


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    BendiBus wrote:
    ...and why not have an even cheaper timed service too? Why do people think a timed product is so fundamentally wrong?

    I download very little, I could probably get and use only 20hrs. Once in a while I decide I want to download something. Could be a Linux ISO on DVD, 3GB. Timed products will prevent people downloading big files, information is not distributed to it's full potential. Being timed gets rid of one of the perks of broadband. While these people may not use the internet for much, while they have a bad timed excuse for broadband, they will never see all the internet has to offer.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 28 Leatherbelly


    I like imagine and think there might be a market for time based bband. My problem with all of them is the fricking terms and conditions. have you seen the faqs for this imagine service - some real gems.

    Look at this one, how is this going to help encourage 'joe soap' to buy broadband...

    Q. Do I have to order on line?

    A. No you can order over the phone by phoning our sales team 1890 92 93 94. However you will appreciate that taking your order that way costs us more money and therefore this way of ordering carries a once off additional charge of €25.
    We want you to get the best deal and as you are considering ordering broadband we would encourage you to try out the online way. Thousands of people have ordered on line and have enjoyed a seamless connection.

    https://www.imagine.ie/signups/faqs.html

    €25 for ordering by phone...that's hardly fair, or am I being rough on them?


  • Subscribers Posts: 9,716 ✭✭✭CuLT


    There is a market for time-based broadband alright; the problem is that the only reason such a market exists is consumer ignorance. It's not the direction to drive broadband technologies in.

    Broadband was supposed to be "always on Internet", but this has been shifted, rather surreptitiously, to "always on broadband", highlighting the possiblity for broadband that wasn't "always on".

    Timed broadband only makes sense from a financial standpoint, and while I'm not naive to this being a perfectly valid route to take from that perspective, I feel it's a terribly underhanded way of exploiting public ignorance of a "new" technology.

    I would imagine (har har) that the best route to take from both a consumer perspective and telecomms perspective would be to have a product with a very low cap. Say, 1.5 - 2GB per month, and actually be able to enforce this cap, and a basic data rate of 1 or 2MBit.
    This way, the issue of bandwidth is resolved, it allows light users a perfectly usable product (from their position it's now the Internet without the slow speeds or having to watch the clock) and users with higher requirements (which I include myself in) can pay for more bandwidth, faster speeds etc.

    Everyone wins. Even the telecomms.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,864 ✭✭✭MunsterCycling


    Excellent point CuLT about having a low cap always on product. The Government of this Banana's own definition of Broadband is 'Always on connection to the internet' (check out Oasis.ie) so maybe consumer affairs should be doing them for false and misleading advertising???


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    paulm17781 wrote:
    While these people may not use the internet for much, while they have a bad timed excuse for broadband, they will never see all the internet has to offer.
    Whereas on the dialup service that they're currently using they will?

    For someone who has dialup now, and only uses it occassionally, they can test the broadband waters for a once off "installation charge", and no monthly bill. If they find that they like the "newer, faster" internet so much that they are using it a lot more, then they can get always on for a tenner a month.

    As long as the log-on/log-off process is pretty transparent, and the users can know how much of their 20 hours they have left each month, I think this is a very imaginative offer (no pun intended). I know that if my parents didn't already have broadband, I'd consider getting this for them. They only use the internet to exchange photos of the grandkids, and book the occassional flight. And they already have a full broadband package (averaging less than a gig a month).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,889 ✭✭✭cgarvey


    Surely the log-on/off process shouldn't be transparent .. so that users will know explicitally to log on/off so as to avoid using their hours up?

    This is a good offer for some people, but the PR is making it out to be the best thing since the introduction of BB. It's not that good.

    .cg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    cgarvey wrote:
    Surely the log-on/off process shouldn't be transparent .. so that users will know explicitally to log on/off so as to avoid using their hours up?
    Ideally, there wouldn't be any "log on/log off" process - it should connect automatically when a browser or e-mail client is open, and time out after 2 or 3 minutes of idle time (which will be defeated by some "busy" web pages, unfortunately), otherwise people will forget to disconnect, and find themselves caught (it happens today with dialup). Perhaps a popup "balloon" with a countdown clock whenever the machine is connected would do the job.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,889 ✭✭✭cgarvey


    So a combination of explicit and automatic then! Just not transparent, because if that was the case leaving your IM client open would use up your 20 hours.. but with your balloon/some explicit action, you'd know you need to log off. Sure, some will get caught, but that's what they're hoping for. If it was transparent, then you'd not learn to connect/disconnect (and thus stay connected, despite automatic disconnect's best efforts).

    .cg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,858 ✭✭✭paulm17781


    Foxwood wrote:
    Whereas on the dialup service that they're currently using they will?

    I used to try to download the odd 10 meg file when I had dial up, I realised it was taking time / costing money. I then realised I needed broadband. All people with this timed farce will do is try to stick to 20hrs like they did with dial up.

    I said in one post that this particular offer could be good to persuade people to move to real broadband but IMO timed products should only be used as free 'testers' to sell them to the public is insulting.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    cgarvey wrote:
    So a combination of explicit and automatic then! Just not transparent, because if that was the case leaving your IM client open would use up your 20 hours.. but with your balloon/some explicit action, you'd know you need to log off. Sure, some will get caught, but that's what they're hoping for. If it was transparent, then you'd not learn to connect/disconnect (and thus stay connected, despite automatic disconnect's best efforts).
    It should be "transparent" in that there shouldn't be a cumbersome login process. This is easy for e-mail and browsing (at least with IE and OE, where the connection can disconnect when the application closes). It gets more complicated with other applications, especially "background" apps. I think the important thing would be a clear visual indication that the clock is counting down (a tiny little icon in the system tray wouldn't be enough, in my opinion).

    The people who are looking to "upgrade" from dialup to a timed BB product probably aren't using IM (if they are, they'd be aware that it doesn't work when you're not online, and that 20 hours probably wouldn't be enough time). And I don't think Imagine are hoping that some people wll be caught - they have to pay eircom for those extra minutes, and end up with a pissed off customer. They'd much prefer to have the customer "upgrade" to the untimed product.

    RTÉ carried an interesting interview with Sean Bolger from Imagine the other day about what they want to achieve with this offer.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    paulm17781 wrote:
    I used to try to download the odd 10 meg file when I had dial up, I realised it was taking time / costing money. I then realised I needed broadband. All people with this timed farce will do is try to stick to 20hrs like they did with dial up.
    If that's all they want, what's the problem? Would you prefer that they stick with dialup?
    I said in one post that this particular offer could be good to persuade people to move to real broadband but IMO timed products should only be used as free 'testers' to sell them to the public is insulting.
    Someone has to pay for "free testers" - the infrastructure has to be put in place, and eircom aren't giving it away for free. A once off install charge might well be enough to encourage some people to "test the water" especially if the call package is going to save them money.

    As long as "upgrading" to the always on product is a straightforward process, I don't see any downside to this.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Foxwood wrote:
    If that's all they want, what's the problem? Would you prefer that they stick with dialup?
    The problem exists with the psychological aspect of it. Broadband is one of those things that people gloss over and kind of ignore until they give it a go. Ask anyone what they thought was the best thing about broadband when they first got it, and they say;
    1. The speed
    2. The always-on nature
    By encouraging people to use the timed product, all you're doing is giving them fast dial-up. They'll use their 20 hours and assume that's enough. Until you give them a chance to experience it always-on, then they'll assume they don't want it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    seamus wrote:
    Until you give them a chance to experience it always-on, then they'll assume they don't want it.
    Whereas you know that they really do want it? If they don't want to spend a tenner on always on broadband, then who the hell are you to tell them that they're wrong? It's their money, and it's their decision to make.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,889 ✭✭✭cgarvey


    Foxwood wrote:
    It should be "transparent" in that there shouldn't be a cumbersome login process. .. It gets more complicated with other applications, especially "background" apps.

    OK, I'm back to disagreeing with you now. It shouldn't be cumbersome, but it should be explicit, so that they get the idea they need to log on and log off. If you leave it up to automatic disconnect then background apps will keep it open. Windows Update and virus update are just 2 common ones. Leaking SMB traffic (although I think that's more or less a thing of the pass), and other apps that are installed will all do the odd phone home routine.

    If all the timed "broadband" providers were interested in was getting customers to upgrade to always on, they would send a letter asking, or requesting, not charge per minute there after.. IMO anyway.

    .cg


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,889 ✭✭✭cgarvey


    Foxwood wrote:
    It should be "transparent" in that there shouldn't be a cumbersome login process. .. It gets more complicated with other applications, especially "background" apps.

    OK, I'm back to disagreeing with you now! If it's transparent I don't think less savvy users (who this is aimed at) will get the concept easily. I also think if telcos offering timed were only interested in upgrading customers to always on, there'd be no per-minute overage charge (but, rather, a letter advising or requesting they upgrade).

    .cg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    cgarvey wrote:
    I also think if telcos offering timed were only interested in upgrading customers to always on, there'd be no per-minute overage charge (but, rather, a letter advising or requesting they upgrade).
    I'm not sure how "You used 5 extra hours of broadband this month. We're not going to charge you for it, but we suggest you give us an extra €10 a month and get always on Broadband instead" would work.

    There is only one "timed" product. Eircom Wholesale sell it to the BB retailers, and Eircom Wholesale are the ones who charge for the extra minutes. Imagine have decided to bundle this in with their call package - it's hard to see how they can possibly be making any money on it, and extra per minute charges are going to cost them far more in lost customers than they'll make up in charges. You can be sure that Imagine aer hoping that users upgrade to always on, but I doubt that "eating" the cost of the additional minutes that eircom has already billed would be financially possible.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 243 ✭✭Lorri_L


    Ok to go back to Imagine on the topic...they offer 20 hour broadband for free, and always on for 9.99....its a good offer...simple as that.

    The details are simply that you do need to sign up for the phone line and pay the connection charge, and you get 20 hours free broadband or always on for 9.99. Someone earlier mentioned the fact that if you are an existing customer you need to pay a connection charge to upgrade...this is because the previous 9.99 pack for 20 hours had no connection charge.

    The line rental is €24.18, the exact same price as eircom and every other company with line rental on their bill. The call package is 9.99 a month for unlimited landline calls in ireland (incl. NI once you dial 048 instead of 004428) and you do have family protection stamdard, but its free for the first month and can be removed on an imagine bb portal at any time...and not be charged anything. You can rent the router for 2.99 a month, buy it from imagine at 45e (i think) , buy it yourself or use one you already have.

    And the reason they are encouraging people to sign up online, i would think its because of two things...this is free broadband...imagine how many calls will go to the sales lines! Unless you have a HUGE sales team they wont be able to cope with it. And you also need to look at it from the companys point of view..sales reps should probably get commision...how expensive would that be for them!

    Im not trying to sell the product, simply defend that it is a decent one and I would at least recommend having a look.

    Any questions feel free to PM me, otherwise ill keep an eye on this thread.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 815 ✭✭✭Moojuice


    Imagine charge 4c per minute for every minute used over the 20 Hrs. Thats is how they will make their money. Its a crap product. It is dragging us back to the dark old days when eircom tried to flog ****ty ISDN lines to people and then took years to roll out broadband. **** eircom and **** imagine :{


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    Moojuice wrote:
    Imagine charge 4c per minute for every minute used over the 20 Hrs. Thats is how they will make their money. Its a crap product.

    Absolutely, its aimed at the gullible and technically illiterate. For their own sakes I simply tell them to avoid Imagine

    Imagine WERE originally going to charge these people €3.50 a Megabyte after their 20 hours were up . Remember their terms and conditions when they first launched last year ??? Attached below.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,074 ✭✭✭BendiBus


    Sponge Bob wrote:
    Absolutely, its aimed at the gullible and technically illiterate. For their own sakes I simply tell them to avoid Imagine

    My God, you're a patronising individual.

    The only people I know with the 20 hour product are highly IT literate and have made an informed choice on the broadband product they wanted. That means you're wrong!

    It's a different product. It adds choice to the market and people are free to choose something else if they wish.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    BendiBus wrote:
    That means you're wrong!

    It doesn't mean anyone is wrong, although the people you know who have bought it are wrong....

    I'm with Sponge and the others on this one. Imagine are hoping that people will go over the 20 hours. They are hoping that the non tech will rent a modem from them. They are hoping that people are going to forget to turn off the family protection....

    I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but they are intentionally lining up the public to be stung. It's a bad product. And a bad way of selling it to the non aware public.
    BendiBus wrote:
    The only people I know with the 20 hour product are highly IT literate
    I don't know ANY tech person that would go for this product. In fact any tech person I know tends to go for reliability and speed, than price and marketing speak.


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