Smart going belly up?

shayser

Phone's are affected now.

Was chatting to an Eircom employee who says business broadband will be cut off this week.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1002/smart.html


Edit: more here http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1002/smart.html
more on enn.ie - http://www.electricnews.net/news.html?code=9824948

GerardKeating

shayser wrote:

Phone's are affected now.

Was chatting to an Eircom employee who says business broadband will be cut off this week.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/1002/smart.html

According to RTÉ, eircom have cut off CPS customers from outgoing calls.

inode

i hope broadband doesnt go. its all i can get!

spurious

My outgoing calls have not been affected at all.
I am not a customer of Eircom for line rental.
Not all Smart customers are affected by this - at least not so far.

art

What's a "CPS" customer? I seem to be able to still make calls no problem.

(Eircom are such a shower of *****, they've had it in for Smart right from the beginning)

GerardKeating

GerardKeating wrote:

According to RTÉ, eircom have cut off CPS customers from outgoing calls.

It's a tad misleading for RTE to say they can only make 999 callls though as I'm sure if they have a landline,they can still make calls by putting 13666 before the number.
That routes the calls so that you get a bill from Eircom

art

art wrote:

What's a "CPS" customer?

(Eircom are such a shower of *****, they've had it in for Smart right from the beginning)

Thats where your calls are automatically routed by Eircom through another provider.

Prisoner6409

While there is no doubt that Eircom are culpable in Smarts demise I think Comreg also share some of the responsibility for not doing the job they were set up to do and indeed for being a useless shower of wa!kers.

GerardKeating

Prisoner6409 wrote:

While there is no doubt that Eircom are culpable in Smarts demise I think Comreg also share some of the responsibility for not doing the job they were set up to do and indeed for being a useless shower of wa!kers.

Eircom coulds not cut them off, if they were paying their bills..

art

Prisoner6409 wrote:

While there is no doubt that Eircom are culpable in Smarts demise I think Comreg also share some of the responsibility for not doing the job they were set up to do and indeed for being a useless shower of wa!kers.

That's a fair point really, the whole thing about Eircom not allowing the transfer of phone numbers to Smart was ridiculous. ComReg should have been throwing some weight around right from the beginning. If Smart do go down out of this, it is the consumers that lose ultimately.

Ironic that Smart topped the table for best Broadband service provider and then, shortly after, Eircom send the boys around to cut them off?

spurious

And maybe if Eircom hadn't stymied customers who wanted to move to Smart at every possible hurdle, they would have been in a position to pay the bills.

Whatever the reasons, the possible loss of a competitor to the expensive monolith is to be regretted.

JNive

whatever about phone/pstn services, as long as smart can still provide broadband via LLU to me, im happy, cause i'm more than delighted to continue using VoIP via blueface lol.

It would appear that the problem tonight affects those using only Smarts Voice service using Single Billing System.
If They use standard CPS and pay eircom the line rental, they are fine, and if they are getting broadband from Smart they should also be fine.

Nevyn

I think smart need a certain number of people signed up to make thier business plans vaible but with the lack of local loop unbundling and eircom dragging thier heels at various exchanges it fell apart.

Gary ITR

About two months ago i was looking for a new job in sales. I was lucky enough to have a number of companies asking me to work for them, out of all of them Smart offered me a huge salary plus fantastic commission and bonus, car, phone free broadband and begged me to come work for them.... am i glad i didn't now I'd be out of a job and have turned down othe good opportunities. It really seems to be a shock for the company itself

art

Just checked and I can defintiely make out going calls on my Smart line but just discovered that I can't get incoming calls at all - the message on my mobile says "Network Busy" when I try ringing home?

art

Onkle51 wrote:

About two months ago i was looking for a new job in sales. I was lucky enough to have a number of companies asking me to work for them, out of all of them Smart offered me a huge salary plus fantastic commission and bonus, car, phone free broadband and begged me to come work for them.... am i glad i didn't now I'd be out of a job and have turned down othe good opportunities. It really seems to be a shock for the company itself

To be fair, nothing has actually happened yet, has it? I think this is playing right into the hands of Eircom, people simply writing Smart off like this.

Gary ITR

art wrote:

To be fair, nothing has actually happened yet, has it? I think this is playing right into the hands of Eircom, people simply writing Smart off like this.

The entire sales team was made redundant about two weeks ago afaik

watty

AFAIK: No incomming calls on some LLU customers and all non-LLU customers cut off.

I expect Eircom will disable something else if the rental on the LLUed lines is unpaid. All those LLUed lines of Smart BB belong to Eircom.

byte

art wrote:

Just checked and I can defintiely make out going calls on my Smart line but just discovered that I can't get incoming calls at all - the message on my mobile says "Network Busy" when I try ringing home?

Yeah, just noticed that a short time ago also. :mad:

Legion

art wrote:

Just checked and I can defintiely make out going calls on my Smart line but just discovered that I can't get incoming calls at all - the message on my mobile says "Network Busy" when I try ringing home?

Aye,same here..BB stilll on.

JNive

this is where having chorus broadband ( first 3 months free, fingers crossed that it improves soon lol ) is handy, just in case smart broadband is under threat.

However should the Chorus service remain woeful, we can attempt to declare the contract null due to the false claim of it being suitable for online gaming ( this would suggest a stable and reliable ping, which hasnt been the case since we got the line ).

dingding

art wrote:

Just checked and I can defintiely make out going calls on my Smart line but just discovered that I can't get incoming calls at all - the message on my mobile says "Network Busy" when I try ringing home?

I am the same on the €35 package. The broadband is still working.

byte

I wonder how long before the DSL dies too?

I don't fancy the hassle of trying to find another provider (and also I'd need to go back to Eircom presumably for 6 months again, before switching again to BT or Digiweb).

If only Digiweb Metro was in Letterkenny... Not sure how reliable IBB is here.

Sponge Bob

eircom are attampting to "Winback" 47000 Smart customer overnight (the CPS or CPS + WLR ones) because Smart had done a deal with BT to migrate them all as a package .

Its not personal against smart who were selling these customers off anyway and keeping the LLU customers.

It is personal against BT , eircom don't want them mto get these customer overnight and your service will be restored tomorrow .

Vadrefjorde

I spoke to sales last week who were happy to take my order. Some serious questions should be asked about Comregs role all along in this fiasco...:mad:

Foxwood

byte wrote:

I don't fancy the hassle of trying to find another provider (and also I'd need to go back to Eircom presumably for 6 months again, before switching again to BT or Digiweb).

You don't need to go back to eircom for 6 months.

In the event that your LLU was cancelled (and right now I don't have any reason to believe that that's going to happen), you could have an eircom line for phoen services the following morning, and sign up for DSL service with whoever you wanted as soon as you get your eircom account number. Eircom says they'll e-mail you your pone number and account number within 24 hours of connecting your phone line.

thirdmantackle

I hate to say it, but I posted a message here about Smart going belly up this time last year

Solair

Really it should be an indication that the Government needs to look at serious reform of Comreg as effectively it's utterly failed and seen an alternative telco crash and burn, and possibly splitting eircom in half.

eircom may have just catapolted this issue into the middle of a very rapidly pending general election. 47,000 angry ex Smart customers won't be ignored by any party.

Drapper

Rumour has it it will be bnought by enet ! (or the consortium behind it)

Blaster99

Foxwood wrote:

You don't need to go back to eircom for 6 months.

In the event that your LLU was cancelled (and right now I don't have any reason to believe that that's going to happen), you could have an eircom line for phoen services the following morning, and sign up for DSL service with whoever you wanted as soon as you get your eircom account number. Eircom says they'll e-mail you your pone number and account number within 24 hours of connecting your phone line.

No way, it takes eircom one day take remove the LLU service but 6 weeks to do the opposite? Who would have thought.

paulm17781

It looks to me that Eircom have used Smart's current situation to their own needs. NTL has been so bad lately I was strongly considering moving to Smart. Now I'm not so sure. Congratulation Eircon.... :mad:

dub45

Sponge Bob wrote:

eircom are attampting to "Winback" 47000 Smart customer overnight (the CPS or CPS + WLR ones) because Smart had done a deal with BT to migrate them all as a package .

Its not personal against smart who were selling these customers off anyway and keeping the LLU customers.

It is personal against BT , eircom don't want them mto get these customer overnight and your service will be restored tomorrow .

The mind doth truly boggle at the thoughts of BT's accounts department taking on 47,000 more customers:eek: :eek: :eek:

Where is Surveys now?

kaizersoze

More. Shares suspended & Dempsey calls on Eircom to reconnect customers.

in addition to the 45,000 land line customers who lost their service, Eircom has also begun the task of disconnecting Smart Telecom's 17,000 broadband customers.

http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1003/smart.html

dub45

paulm17781 wrote:

It looks to me that Eircom have used Smart's current situation to their own needs. NTL has been so bad lately I was strongly considering moving to Smart. Now I'm not so sure. Congratulation Eircon.... :mad:

If there is a huge amount of money outstanding to Eircom then presumably they have to take action. However Comreg should have anticipated this type of situation arising at some stage (not necessarily with Smart) and put an appropriate procedure in place which allow such a matter to be resolved without holding the blameless customers of the company involved as hostages.

It is outrageous when people are so dependent on the phone that the service can be withdrawn without any notice whatsoever when the customer involved is not to blame except for having moved to a competitor of Eircom.

The fault in this case I believe lies totally with Comreg

I heard on morning Ireland that Eircom is switching off Smarts Broadband this morning...

JJDoherty

Damn! Have SmartTelecom broadband myself & I love it, never had a problem with it. I also think, as most do here, that Eircom have gone outta their road to make life as difficult as possible for SmartTelecom with the LLU issue and ComReg are so toothless that Eircom could do, pretty much, as they please.

Eircom needs to be split, calls and network, to get this behemoth of a company under control and give us the customer some real choice and help introduce some real competition into the marketplace.

Gonna fire off a few emails to ComReg and maybe Newstalk radio etc. to let them know that I think the Eircom/ComReg issue is what has caused these problems.

So angry that I could spit...

designdude

this is really bad I depend up this bb services to earn a living, what should i do, just cancel and get a new provider asap!! or hang on and see who buys them out, im starting to panic

jimmycrackcorm

Solair wrote:

Really it should be an indication that the Government needs to look at serious reform of Comreg as effectively it's utterly failed and seen an alternative telco crash and burn, and possibly splitting eircom in half.

eircom may have just catapolted this issue into the middle of a very rapidly pending general election. 47,000 angry ex Smart customers won't be ignored by any party.

Trouble is that they will blame Smart without realising how badly the inablity to port existing numbers would hit smart. I'm at a loss to understand how Comreg did not or could not force number portability on eircom. After all it is successful in mobiles.

JJDoherty

designdude wrote:

...what should i do, just cancel and get a new provider asap!! or hang on and see who buys them out...

Think it is a case of waiting and seeing for today anyway. SmartTelecom and Eircom are meeting this morning with ComReg to try and come to a resolution. There probably will be more concrete news from ComReg by lunchtime.

Something is going on here that we are not party to, this is a strategic move by Eircom to destabalise SmartTelecom further after recent re-structuring. They are hoping that no matter how this all works out they will get a sizeable chunk of SmartTelecoms customers back! Conspiracy theory anyone?

Gadgetman496

designdude wrote:

this is really bad I depend up this bb services to earn a living, what should i do, just cancel and get a new provider asap!! or hang on and see who buys them out, im starting to panic

Eircom, ComReg & the Government are all caught up in the "Brown envelope" syndrome. Somebody has got to cover the cheques that Bertie had to write yesterday for 90k :mad:

Sponge Bob

designdude wrote:

this is really bad I depend up this bb services to earn a living, what should i do, just cancel and get a new provider asap!! or hang on and see who buys them out, im starting to panic

get a vodafone HSDPA 3g card now .....in case.

contact Comreg on 1890-229 668 or 01-804 9668 to get an explanation of how to port to another LLU carrier if you must, such as Magnet

JJDoherty

The latest news regarding this all can be found on ComRegs website here: http://www.askcomreg.ie/home/update.206.LE.asp

dub45

JJDoherty wrote:

Think it is a case of waiting and seeing for today anyway. SmartTelecom and Eircom are meeting this morning with ComReg to try and come to a resolution. There probably will be more concrete news from ComReg by lunchtime.

Something is going on here that we are not party to, this is a strategic move by Eircom to destabalise SmartTelecom further after recent re-structuring. They are hoping that no matter how this all works out they will get a sizeable chunk of SmartTelecoms customers back! Conspiracy theory anyone?

I wouldn't imagine so. If Smart owe Eircom a lot of money (which has not been denied in any public statement) then Eircom would be obliged to pursue it by all the means at their disposal. Such a pursual is of course potentially in Eircom's interest and this is what should have been recognised by Comreg in advance and a procedure put in place to protect the customers of Smart or any company who found themselves in this sort of situation.

The sad thing for Smart and us customers is that this is probably the tip of the iceberg and chances are there are more creditors out there waiting to take action to get their money.........

mrquiteaguy

I thought that Smart provided their own Broadband exchanges,that they werent a re-seller.
That they therefore have control over providing or disconnecting Broadband customers.

I am wrong?

v10

Just rang Eircon about switching from Smart and was told I'd need to complete an application and may have to wait up to 14 Days

WTF ?

Blub2k4

Does anyone know what the possibility of starting a class action suit against Eircom would be?
I mean if Comreg don't have the Cojones to do it possibly we as customers can punish them for their uncompetitive behaviour, which I might add has been quite obvious since day one.

v10

Blub2k4 wrote:

Does anyone know what the possibility of starting a class action suit against Eircom would be?
I mean if Comreg don't have the Cojones to do it possibly we as customers can punish them for their uncompetitive behaviour, which I might add has been quite obvious since day one.

On what grounds ? I'm no Eircon fan but surely its Smart that are to blame ? Are these companies not bonded with comreg ?

Sponge Bob

go hound your friendly local FF TD blub24

Fallschirmjager

i cannot phone out but can phone in...im on their phone package only...

i will never go back to eircom...i would try anyone else other then eircom, even letter writing

i just read this on comreg

3- If you have broadband provided by Smart Telecom

If you have broadband provided by Smart Telecom this means that:-

* Services including calls to emergency services (999/112) cannot be guaranteed



surely that is way way dodgey...no 999 calls?

JJDoherty

NeiloMac wrote:

If you did'nt pay your bill, Smart would cut you off...I dont think eircom are at fault, they leased lines, the bill was not payed, so the stopped the service,

The difference is that SmartTelecom would not have tried to hinder my ability to generate an income!

There is so much history here regarding Eircom as the dominant operator in the sector and their refusal to move on issues such as phone number portability, universal account numbering, LLU etc. Just look at all the litegation involving Eircom (and ComReg) over the past couple of years, especially Eircom going to court to prevent SmartTelecom gaining access to local exchanges even after ComReg had given permission for SmartTelecom to do so!

Blub2k4

v10 wrote:

On what grounds ? I'm no Eircon fan but surely its Smart that are to blame ? Are these companies not bonded with comreg ?

On the grounds that Eircom have obviously had it in for Smart since day one, I'd consider myself a savvy customer who decided to tough it out and stick with Smart during the "long" transition process when Eircom bounced my application back to Smart twice for no explicable reason. I had to escalate right up to Garfield Connolly to get satisfaction.

Comreg surely appears to be a toothless wonder.