Broadband with ESAT BT

esperanza

My phone line is with Eircom. I would like the 20 euro broadband package with esat BT. Has anyone experience with this provider? I need a connection from the beginning of September. If I order it online now, should I have it by then? Does the 1MB offer unlimited access (ie. unlike the eircom 20 euro package which only offers 20 hours).

Thank you.

Foxwood

esperanza wrote:

My phone line is with Eircom. I would like the 20 euro broadband package with esat BT. Has anyone experience with this provider? I need a connection from the beginning of September. If I order it online now, should I have it by then? Does the 1MB offer unlimited access (ie. unlike the eircom 20 euro package which only offers 20 hours).

BTs €20 is "always on" - it's not limited to 20 hours like the eircom option.

(It does have a "download allowance", but you'll be fine for normal usage).

esperanza

Foxwood wrote:

BTs €20 is "always on" - it's not limited to 20 hours like the eircom option.

(It does have a "download allowance", but you'll be fine for normal usage).

Thank you for your answer. Seems like a much better deal than the eircom one.

Do you have any idea what the download allowance is? I'll be dowloading quite a few documents per day. Nothing too large, just simple word docs.

Dirk Gently

I'm the same as you. Phone with eircom and broadband with BT.

When I upgraded from no-limits to esat broadband I had to make countless phone calls to them, each time they told me it was sorted and it would be ready next week. In the end it took BT 11 weeks to finally set me up.

After they set me up they switched my phone from eircom to BT even though I told them countless times not to. They sent me out my first bill and overcharged me by 300 euro. After many phone calls, and two trips into BT HQ and a threat from me to get a solicitors letter declaring them in breach of contract they finally fixed my bill and switched my phone back to eircom. I have an agreement with their manager that he cleared all my bank account details from his records and I now pay them through the post office because their billing department is always wrong. Latest bill I viewed online is wrong again, they are double charging me for the broadband package and my old no limits dial up package. I've cancelled the no limits package at least 4 times now and it wasn't on my last two bills but is back on the latest one.

I haven't got the words to describe how messed up their billing and customer service is. Each time you ring up the person on the end of the line comes up with a different amount to the last person you talked to. I've actually got other peoples itemised bills sent out to me in the same envelope as my own bills. My own bills are NEVER right. I haven't actually gotten a correct bill off them to date. I don’t really care though because they have no access to my bank account and I just ring them and tell them how much I'm willing to pay them each month and then post it away.

In short, the actual broadband service itself is good(once they send you out the modem and set the a/c up) but their billing department and customer service are seriously messed up.

esperanza

clown bag wrote:

I'm the same as you. Phone with eircom and broadband with BT.

When I upgraded from no-limits to esat broadband I had to make countless phone calls to them, each time they told me it was sorted and it would be ready next week. In the end it took BT 11 weeks to finally set me up.

After they set me up they switched my phone from eircom to BT even though I told them countless times not to. They sent me out my first bill and overcharged me by 300 euro. After many phone calls, and two trips into BT HQ and a threat from me to get a solicitors letter declaring them in breach of contract they finally fixed my bill and switched my phone back to eircom. I have an agreement with their manager that he cleared all my bank account details from his records and I now pay them through the post office because their billing department is always wrong. Latest bill I viewed online is wrong again, they are double charging me for the broadband package and my old no limits dial up package. I've cancelled the no limits package at least 4 times now and it wasn't on my last two bills but is back on the latest one.

I haven't got the words to describe how messed up their billing and customer service is. Each time you ring up the person on the end of the line comes up with a different amount to the last person you talked to. I've actually got other peoples itemised bills sent out to me in the same envelope as my own bills. My own bills are NEVER right. I haven't actually gotten a correct bill off them to date. I don’t really care though because they have no access to my bank account and I just ring them and tell them how much I'm willing to pay them each month and then post it away.

In short, the actual broadband service itself is good(once they send you out the modem and set the a/c up) but their billing department and customer service are seriously messed up.

Oh dear, that sounds bad. I hope your case is an isolated one, as I have no other broadband option in my area. Have you made formal complaints to esat bt?

Foxwood

esperanza wrote:

Thank you for your answer. Seems like a much better deal than the eircom one.

Do you have any idea what the download allowance is? I'll be dowloading quite a few documents per day. Nothing too large, just simple word docs.

The FAQ link on the BT site includes this information:

Is there a data-transfer limit?

1Mb limit: 10GB
2Mb limit: 20GB
3Mb limit: 30GB

You will be entitled to use these limits in either direction without penalty.
If you go over these limits we reserve the right to charge you for any additional data (at 3 cents including VAT per MB).

This data allowance is calculated on a daily basis and if you are above this amount we reserve the right to suspend or permanently disconnect your account in the first month that you are over.

The only way you'll go over 10G a month is if you download TV episodes or movies off the net - a bit of a grey area, legally speaking.

Foxwood

esperanza wrote:

Oh dear, that sounds bad. I hope your case is an isolated one, as I have no other broadband option in my area.

Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated case. Of course, there are lots of people who've never had any problems, but there are more than a few who've had pretty bad experiences with BTs billing.

But BT aren't your only option - if your line passes the test, then any one of half a dozen resellers can provide you with DSL service - BT, UTV, Imagine, Digiweb, perlico and of course, eircom themselves. (All of these providers rely on eircom to get the signal from your house to their network, so if the line is good enough, it'll work for any of these resellers).

Dirk Gently

esperanza wrote:

Oh dear, that sounds bad. I hope your case is an isolated one, as I have no other broadband option in my area. Have you made formal complaints to esat bt?

It's definitely not an isolated case. I'm sure other boards members will share their esat horror stories with you, there are plenty of past threads on the subject of esat and billing disasters. I don't know if we are in the minority or if the billing problems are more wide spread but there are a lot of boards members who have on going problems with Esat BT.

I didn't make a formal complaint through a third party but I did go into their HQ and speak to one of the billing managers. He didn't seem too bothered and was trying to fog me off until I mentioned the words "solicitor" and "breach of contract". The mood changed and my bill was corrected and a new bill sent out to me within days, with a nice little discount from BT for "good faith". I believe this approach was better for me rather than one more complaint in the huge list of complaints they receive. As a result I now control the money I pay out and only post them the money after I review the Bill and not a situation where I have to ask for a refund after ESAT have taken the money out of my bank account.( its very hard to get money back off esat once they have over charged you)

It is entirely possible that you will have a quick and hassle free transition to Esat and never have a problem with them but I’m just sharing my own experiences and those similar to a large number of other boards users.

esperanza

clown bag wrote:

It's definitely not an isolated case. I'm sure other boards members will share their esat horror stories with you, there are plenty of past threads on the subject of esat and billing disasters. I don't know if we are in the minority or if the billing problems are more wide spread but there are a lot of boards members who have on going problems with Esat BT.

Thanks, I found the other threads.

clown bag wrote:

As a result I now control the money I pay out and only post them the money after I review the Bill and not a situation where I have to ask for a refund after ESAT have taken the money out of my bank account.( its very hard to get money back off esat once they have over charged you)

Personally, I would never ever arrange direct debits from my account for any bills. I always check the bill first and then go to the bank or post office to transfer the money. Don't trust anyone, that's my motto.

Sponge Bob

BT have a 10 day cooling off period for their customers after you order. At the end of that 10 days they may ask you for deposit of €125 (if you tell them you rent or are a student) . This will take another 5 days to process. Thats 15 days and nothing done.

Then the order will activate and will take up to 15 days to process.

To speed them up tell them you are a homeowner when you sign up.

Also make sure you choose electronic billing when you answer the signup questions .

Then ring them up on day 2 of the order to hassle them and confirm these details .

Then they should have it working by end august and it will cost €20 a month.

esperanza

Sponge Bob wrote:

BT have a 10 day cooling off period for their customers after you order. At the end of that 10 days they may ask you for deposit of €125 (if you tell them you rent or are a student) . This will take another 5 days to process. Thats 15 days and nothing done.

Then the order will activate and will take up to 15 days to process.

To speed them up tell them you are a homeowner when you sign up.

Also make sure you choose electronic billing when you answer the signup questions .

Then ring them up on day 2 of the order to hassle them and confirm these details .

Then they should have it working by end august and it will cost €20 a month.

Does everyone have to pay this deposit? I am a student, but my parents are homeowners.

Is it necessary to choose electronic billing? That means you receive the bill online, but can pay it as you choose?

Dirk Gently

esperanza wrote:

Personally, I would never ever arrange direct debits from my account for any bills. I always check the bill first and then go to the bank or post office to transfer the money. Don't trust anyone, that's my motto.

As far as I know Esat don’t give you a choice. They didn't give me a choice anyway when I signed up. I asked to stay in the post office as that was how I paid for my IOL nolimits but they insisted on getting my Bank details. It was only after I went into the manager in their HQ that he agreed to wipe my bank details from his database and allow me to pay through the PO.

another thing that pissed me off was that AIB couldn't block ESAT taking money from my bank a/c. Aparently esat dont need a DD to get your money. Once you give them your bank details you automaticaly give them permission to take money from your a/c even if you didn't set up a DD. (I was told this by a member of AIB when I tried to get them to block ESAT before I got esat to change my bill from the bank to the post office.)

esperanza

clown bag wrote:

As far as I know Esat don’t give you a choice. They didn't give me a choice anyway when I signed up. I asked to stay in the post office as that was how I paid for my IOL nolimits but they insisted on getting my Bank details. It was only after I went into the manager in their HQ that he agreed to wipe my bank details from his database and allow me to pay through the PO.

It is illegal to oblige you to ask for your bank details.

Sponge Bob

dunno about "illegal" but thats not for this thread

Dirk Gently

esperanza wrote:

It is illegal to oblige you to ask for your bank details.

I'm not sure about the legality of the situation but I had to give my details in order to get the broadband package. Maybe it’s not illegal if you agree to give the details in exchange for a product. It’s not like they put a gun to my head, I could have not given them the details but I wouldn't have got the product then (at least that’s what they lead me to believe). I'm not sure if it was a bluff on their part to get everyone to pay through the bank but as I found out later it is possible to pay through the PO but I only got this option after a threat on my part to declare them in breach of contract.