It is off-topic but......

geordief

I've just received a bill for 200eu from Eircom for their dialup internet .I never normally use them but I have them set up in the Dialup Network folder.So God knows what happened .Obviously my computer was using their number but I thought I was using Esat Anytime which is prepaid.Has anyone got any advice (or just plain sympathy would do!) I know most of you here feel no sympathy for Eircom ........

Urban Weigl

Sounds to me like Eircom.net's dialup CD infected your PC.

geordief

youre thinking inside the cd box I see.

watty

I have used those CDs from all supplliers as coasters ever since the 1st one came out. Some of those install scripts are terrible. Of course you are in a Catch 22, you can't google to see how to do it yourself till you have done it, and then you don't need to look it up.

thebman

Well its important to delete the dial up connections in network connections in control panel your not using.

Its not really hidden. When you click start Connect To, it shows the connections and if you click show connections it allows you to maintain them.

However if they do provide an installer, then it should also copy an uninstaller to the drive and put it in the Start menu. Otherwise a user that didn't know anything about network connections or where they are located would not know how to get it back out.

I have some sympathy but personally I could never see anyone that knows a little about computer making the mistake.

eircom was probably the default connection type so when you open a web browser windows loads that dial up window instead of Esat's. Basically you are unfortunate. Time for house keeping and you could try ringing eircom but it would not make much difference given that it is your mistake. Either that or it would have to be a good lie.

geordief

thanks for your answer.
I agree it was my mistake but they aren't usually so costly!
I think it happened when I changed harddrives and had to transfer all the old files.I had kept the eircom settings in situ because of the occasional times when esat would break down (now I have deleted them).It was a false friend and in the confusion I must have sent it to the toolbar as a shortcut where it should still have been apparent that it was the wrong connection but somehow was used for a whole month at the very time that I was learning how to download music files for hours at a time......
I did ring eircom and asked them to check that I was no longer connecting to their dialup number but they said I would have to wait until next month's bill.
I sure hope I won't get a repeat for next month's bill!

Tom Young

geordief wrote:

I did ring eircom and asked them to check that I was no longer connecting to their dialup number but they said I would have to wait until next month's bill.
I sure hope I won't get a repeat for next month's bill!

I'd argue the toss with them if you can prove you were hijacked. There was a statement in mid 2005 made by ComReg that modem's could be hijacked by various parties. Whilst this is a differing matter to the ComReg publication, which required blocking of 13 international destinations, and was later recinded. eircom and other telco's were obliged to credit bills on proof of fraud.

Just an idea. Or do you have an overactive child with a neat trigger finger for installing apps on your PC?

Tom

geordief

well thanks for your suggestions.Actually I was very open with Eircom and suggested they could maybe do something for me as it was unintentional but I got nothing back from them-just matter of fact,not quite curt.So, although I will have to pay this bill,I reckon I don't owe them any favours.....