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Smart going belly up?

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12357…23

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    #122
    JJDoherty
    Registered Users Posts: 114 ✭✭JJDoherty


    matt-dublin wrote:
    well its completly official....
    smart have gone into liquidation...
    eircom are not goinf to transfers smarts lines as a good will gesture

    Haven't heard or read anything like that anywhere!


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    #123
    matt-dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,468 ✭✭✭matt-dublin


    no i don't, i have a contact who works there.
    they just got the news


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    #124
    Foxwood
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,491 ✭✭✭Foxwood


    matt-dublin wrote:
    no i don't, i have a contact who works there.
    they just got the news
    So it's not its "completly official", then?


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    #125
    JJDoherty
    Registered Users Posts: 114 ✭✭JJDoherty


    matt-dublin wrote:
    no i don't, i have a contact who works there.
    they just got the news

    Ah, so it's not actually official then! Wait and see, would say SmartTelecom will fight to hold on to the LLU/broadband business. Statements from both SmartTelecom and Eircom to come later this afternoon. All should become a little clearer then hopefully.


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    #126
    matt-dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,468 ✭✭✭matt-dublin


    i would say they're gone...

    All the lads in smart have been told to pack their desks and leave...
    For some reason i don't think they would be telling them to do that if there was an alternative...
    They're losing €3million a month, that was just for paying their staff wages...
    26million in debt last i heard...
    i would say eircom will buy them at liquidation value.


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    #127
    tba
    Registered Users Posts: 5,111 ✭✭✭tba


    matt-dublin wrote:
    All the lads in smart have been told to pack their desks and leave...
    in all departments?


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    #128
    inode
    Closed Accounts Posts: 578 ✭✭✭inode


    Noooooooooooooooooooo


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    #129
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,990 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    Really wondering what the hell will happen to the SmartVision customers who can't switch providers! Anyone know enough to offer potential resolutions or would it most likely be a case of the accounts being bought out?


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    #130
    matt-dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,468 ✭✭✭matt-dublin


    tba wrote:
    in all departments?
    dunno


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    #131
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,631 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    ixoy wrote:
    Really wondering what the hell will happen to the SmartVision customers who can't switch providers! Anyone know enough to offer potential resolutions or would it most likely be a case of the accounts being bought out?

    Well a fibre network, equipment and guaranteed customers is a very valuable thing (along with the LLU equipment). In a liquidation all of this would be going at a fraction of the original setup cost, so I'd imagine that there would be a lot of interest from many companies to buy all this up.

    I'd expect Magnet would be very interested (having their own uncompleted fibre and LLU network and offering similar services). Others that might be interested would be BT and Imagine, maybe even Digiweb or NTL. Even Eircom might buy them just to eliminate a competitor.


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    #132
    Diver79
    Closed Accounts Posts: 105 ✭✭Diver79


    Any outcome on what will happen to existing Smart customers (I'm assuming Smart has gone into Liquidation)?


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    #133
    mwrf
    Registered Users Posts: 522 ✭✭✭mwrf


    I hope the staff get paid what they are owed before eircom


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    #134
    matt-dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 4,468 ✭✭✭matt-dublin


    matt-dublin wrote:
    dunno
    they tried to sell me a Leased line 2 years ago...
    i told my bosses i didn't want it cos i thought they would go bust...
    i just told my boss there in the us and he's still laughing!


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    #135
    machalla
    Registered Users Posts: 1,523 ✭✭✭machalla


    It will be interesting to see if Eirscum are a secured creditor in the event of liquidation. If they aren't then they get nowhere near the €4m owed to them.

    If they are then I can some sense financially in them calling time on smart. Otherwise it just speaks more and more to them doing their usual thing of destroying competitive moves.

    I wonder how soon before BB costs go back up after this? 3 months? I know they will be getting their line rental increase soon as comreg will no doubt rubber stamp that as usual..


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    #136
    RangeR
    Registered Users Posts: 7,265 ✭✭✭RangeR


    matt-dublin wrote:
    well its completly official....
    smart have gone into liquidation...
    eircom are not goinf to transfers smarts lines as a good will gesture


    *Removed*. Sorry


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    #137
    Sponge Bob
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 25,234 ✭✭✭✭Sponge Bob


    Smart are not in liquidation despite eircoms obvious intention to crash them before the judgement is delivered on the 3G licence.


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    #138
    peepingtom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 405 ✭✭peepingtom


    is anyone really that suprised? ... werent they offering that unbelievable deal for the 1st 100,000 customers which always seemed to be advertised? It seems to me that they didnt even make half of their quota to be a profitable Supplier! Not suprising really as their service isnt or wasnt available when i tried to sign up last year and this. Once living in Dun laoghaire (No service in most of that area), and i have since moved to swords, and they couldnt provide service there either!

    Is this because of the regulator? or was it part of their business plan?

    Seems to me that this government has got it totally wrong regarding competition ..... i work in the gas industry which is currently going through the same thing.

    Its a complete waste of time unless it is done properly.

    ultimately its our money that is being spent to allow competition to flourish in the first place as someone needs to fund it. but the government is telling us that we need competition to get better value for money.

    riddle me this .... if smart telecom can afford to give you that package for such a small ammount of money compared to eircom prices, and they are renting the lines etc from eircom, and they are to be profitable?... then why cant eircom sell the same package to us for the same amount if not less?

    Surely it would have been better for everyone for the government to pay an independent to assess how much prices should so the one provider could be profitable to the point that it can pay a small dividend to share holders, maintain its equipment, invest in Irish coms, and pay its staff. Obviously that is if the government want us to get value for money!

    But they dont do they???

    or am i talking shoite?


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    #139
    shayser
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,650 ✭✭✭shayser


    ...now you see them, now you don't. :D

    Sorry.


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    #140
    Alnilam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 261 ✭✭Alnilam


    Tis a sad day for Irish consumers, I, as a Smart customer don't want to be forced back to being an Eircom customer, there was a reason I moved away and the difference in service was instant and stunningly in favour of Smart. :(

    I will NEVER be an Eircom customer again, so long as there is string and bean cans in the world :)


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    #141
    watty
    Registered Users Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    bk wrote:
    As I suspected. Smart tried to sell it's WLR and CPS customers to Eircom, but Eircom said no thanks, knowing that if they just cut off the customers, most would end up back at Eircom by default for little or no cost.

    While this might seem like a good idea on Eircoms part, IMO it is short sighted and might end up hurting them much more in the long run.

    It is possible that after this disaster there will finally be public outrage and a lot of questions asked of Comreg and Noel Dempesy and finally something might be done to sort out the whole mess.

    I think this was a bad miss-step by Eircom, it would have been much better for them to quietly buy out the CPS and WLR customers. However I suppose Eircom is trying to break Smart before the court decision on the 3G license that Smart has and Eircom wants so badly is made.

    But Eircom didn't want BT to buy them. BT is real or nearly real competition to Eircom.


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    #142
    MOH
    Registered Users Posts: 6,464 ✭✭✭MOH


    Alnilam wrote:
    Tis a sad day for Irish consumers, I, as a Smart customer don't want to be forced back to being an Eircom customer, there was a reason I moved away and the difference in service was instant and stunningly in favour of Smart. :(

    I will NEVER be an Eircom customer again, so long as there is string and bean cans in the world :)

    Amen to that.


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    #143
    Alnilam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 261 ✭✭Alnilam


    peepingtom wrote:
    riddle me this .... if smart telecom can afford to give you that package for such a small ammount of money compared to eircom prices, and they are renting the lines etc from eircom, and they are to be profitable?... then why cant eircom sell the same package to us for the same amount if not less?

    Short answer, because Eircom don't want to.
    peepingtom wrote:
    Surely it would have been better for everyone for the government to pay an independent to assess how much prices should so the one provider could be profitable to the point that it can pay a small dividend to share holders, maintain its equipment, invest in Irish coms, and pay its staff. Obviously that is if the government want us to get value for money!

    But they dont do they???

    or am i talking shoite?

    That would not induce competition that would induce lobbying by vested interests to get the government to sanction price raises like is already happening on the line rental costs.

    I would rather see the cable network re-nationalised than that happening :rolleyes:


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    #144
    Dellas
    Registered Users Posts: 796 ✭✭✭Dellas


    Alnilam wrote:
    Tis a sad day for Irish consumers, I, as a Smart customer don't want to be forced back to being an Eircom customer, there was a reason I moved away and the difference in service was instant and stunningly in favour of Smart. :(

    I will NEVER be an Eircom customer again, so long as there is string and bean cans in the world :)


    BT have a new product for calls to UK and Ireland and broadband incl. Line rental for only €45 a month . Im still waiting for my new line and to see if its BB able but if it is I will jump at this offer.

    Have to say I was with Smart Telecom a few years back and had nothing but trouble, it nearly went to court so Im glad they went bust but I feel sorry for the loss of jobs and the customers affected. I would suggest Smart customers would switch to BT as they are alot more stable and they would still get a good deal compared to Eircom. I wonder how many more compnaies will go the same way like Perlico/Imagine etc.... will be interesting to see. The bad thing about this is that people will panic and be affraid to switch from Eircom in future and this will be good for Eircom.


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    #145
    jimmycrackcorm
    Registered Users Posts: 14,336 ✭✭✭✭jimmycrackcorm


    peepingtom wrote:
    riddle me this .... if smart telecom can afford to give you that package for such a small ammount of money compared to eircom prices, and they are renting the lines etc from eircom, and they are to be profitable?... then why cant eircom sell the same package to us for the same amount if not less?
    ...
    or am i talking shoite?


    Makes me wonder how Ryanair can charge only €10 for a flight and still be profitable?


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    #146
    Ardent
    Registered Users Posts: 5,287 ✭✭✭Ardent


    peepingtom wrote:
    riddle me this .... if smart telecom can afford to give you that package for such a small ammount of money compared to eircom prices, and they are renting the lines etc from eircom, and they are to be profitable?... then why cant eircom sell the same package to us for the same amount if not less?

    For the same reason that the wholesale cost of a call to a number on Eircom's network is many times that of the wholesale cost of a call to, say, a Belgian number. Eircom are cowboys.


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    #147
    peepingtom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 405 ✭✭peepingtom


    I moved to BT when that offer came in ... its fantastic value for money (compared with other irish suppliers) but still over the odds compared to the UK market. BT will probably be the only one to survive and be a serious competitor to Eircom. However at the moment BT havent really got their act together regarding telephone support for broadband etc.


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    #148
    MOH
    Registered Users Posts: 6,464 ✭✭✭MOH


    Dellas wrote:
    BT have a new product for calls to UK and Ireland and broadband incl. Line rental for only €45 a month . Im still waiting for my new line and to see if its BB able but if it is I will jump at this offer.

    Have to say I was with Smart Telecom a few years back and had nothing but trouble, it nearly went to court so Im glad they went bust but I feel sorry for the loss of jobs and the customers affected. I would suggest Smart customers would switch to BT as they are alot more stable and they would still get a good deal compared to Eircom. I wonder how many more compnaies will go the same way like Perlico/Imagine etc.... will be interesting to see. The bad thing about this is that people will panic and be affraid to switch from Eircom in future and this will be good for Eircom.

    I've been with Smart broadband for two years, at two addresses. No problems with the quality of the service. I had major problems with Eircom before that.

    The BT offer is probably the cheapest I'll get if Smart go. 10 eur more/month, for 1Mb less, and contention issues.


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    #149
    tba
    Registered Users Posts: 5,111 ✭✭✭tba


    what type of contention issues?


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    #150
    Blub2k4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,733 ✭✭✭Blub2k4


    tba wrote:
    what type of contention issues?

    The type that ADSL2+ doesn't have maybe?


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    #151
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    MOH wrote:
    The BT offer is probably the cheapest I'll get if Smart go. 10 eur more/month, for 1Mb less, and contention issues.
    Been with BT for broadband for three years now at two addresses and never had a problem with contention. I've had speeds from 512k/128k up to the current 3M/128k and have always had pretty much max speeds up and down.

    Contention may pay a big part in cable and wireless broadband products, but I've never known it to be a real problem on DSL.

    I'd think the unlimited on Smart Vs 30G cap on BT would be a bigger issue. Even if BT don't currently enforce that cap, it's still hanging over everyone who breech the cap. UTV's unlimited option for €6 extra a month is also a good offer, though their total price including line rental is a good bit higher than BT, and a lot more than you paid for Smart.


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