Answer from Comreg about Broadband

If your broadband is messed up at the minute there's no real point getting onto Comreg about it.

Looks like Eircom can do what they want , was onto Comreg and what they have said is basically there is no regulations in place here in Ireland for Broadband nor do Eircom have to provide it. The only service Eircom have to provide and maintain is their phone service.

So if your Broadband is not working, Eircom are under no obligation to fix it, what is the point of having Comreg then

Firetrap

You ask a very pertinent question IMHO. What on earth is Comreg for? I made a complaint to them last year when I was a customer of 3's appalling "broadband" and got a letter back saying they didn't regulate broadband.

They seem to be about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

paulm17781

I think I've only contacted Comreg once. There was mention of a handset in the letter I wrote, I must stress, this was a mention not the point. Where I received a mail back saying that Comreg don't regulate handsets. Wonderful organisation. :rolleyes:

Damien360

Firetrap wrote: »

You ask a very pertinent question IMHO. What on earth is Comreg for? I made a complaint to them last year when I was a customer of 3's appalling "broadband" and got a letter back saying they didn't regulate broadband.

They seem to be about as useful as a chocolate fireguard.

Had something similar last year when eircom were charging for non-existent mobile calls. Comreg were absolutly useless. Must find email reply and post it here later.

vibe666

i've actually got a good one about comreg too.

i was complaining to them that my complaint against BT was being ignored by BT's phantom complaints department and was told that I couldn't lodge a complaint until after I had seen BT's complaints procedure through to completion and not got a satisfactoy conclusion.

when I said that my complaint to comreg was that BT were preventing me from completing their complaints procedure she didn't know what to do.

thank god for bill murphy, or I fear I'd still be trying to get it sorted several years later. such a shame he did a bunk.

Think of the money that could be saved getting rid of Comreg, what do they do

I'm told to make a complaint with my provider and then get back to Comreg after ten days, you do that and then they tell you there's nothing they can do.

Cabaal

Its not just Ireland, no law in Europe states a telco has to provide Broadband to a consumer if you cant get it then thats tough, the most they have to provide is a 28k dialup speed on your pstn line.

Sponge Bob

You will have your desire.

The EU is setting up a super regulator who can take over the functions of failing regulators such as Comreg, they are not the only failure in the 27 states. The super regulator will be in place in 2009 .

The super regulator will enforce

1. Proper consumer rights like customer care and accurate billing .
2. Access to a proper line that works , stably .
3. Proper Broadband Access
4. Stop Fraud like premium texts
5. Fraudulent Billing scams by telcos and grossly unfair 1 year lock in contracts .

All are areas where Comreg has completely failed. You should start mailing your complaints IN FUTURE to

info@comreg.ie

and MAKE SURE you cc the commissioners

mike.byrne@comreg.ie
john.odoherty@comreg.ie
alex.chisholm@comreg.ie

Subject . No Functional Internet Access . Material Breach of USO Directive 2002

or

Subject . Billing Fraud . Material Breach of USO Directive 2002

or

Subject . Eircom Refuse to Provide Line. Material Breach of USO Directive 2002


Once you cc the following you would be simply ASTONISHED at how fast Comreg ( an eircom) get their fingers out and the IMPORTANT people have email addresses in the format name.surname@ec.europa.eu

Viviane Reding
Bernd LANGEHEINE
Walter Schwartzenbrunner
Fabio Colasanti
Antti PELTOMAKI
Susan Binns

Remember that it is very important that they know how criminally dismal Comreg are and that they are reminded every day by the victims of the Irish Regulatory regime of what we have to put up with here

In the short term you will get your Broadband fixed or your DD cancelled or maybe an accurate bill will finally be sent out .

Enough :eek: !!!

MunsterCycling

Time ot start lobbying these guys:

http://ec.europa.eu/ireland/contact_us/index_en.htm

MC

Sponge Bob

Just take it straight to Europe and to the commissioners , info@comreg.ie is an automated denial of service bot nowadays

I have lots of other email addresses in Comreg but they are not in charge . Send everything to the top from now on.

MunsterCycling

Suppose that was an IN joke that only I got, I know the press officer in the Commission office in Dublin and he'd be just delighted with all the extra mail... LOL NOT!

MC

Sponge Bob

The names I listed are in charge of telecoms regulation in brussels where your mate probably has to deal with headage payments all day Munstercycling

It amazes me how much Eircom can get away with, there's no accountability anywhere.

At the end of the day they are advertising a service, "Broadband" to you the consumer. You sign up for it, pay for it every month but if it goes wrong well tough luck.
You make a complaint with your provider, nothing happens, so you then contact the NCA, they tell you there is nothing they can do and for you to contact Comreg. You contact Comreg and they tell you there's nothing they can do :rolleyes: :mad:

Sponge Bob

It is simple breach of contract .All home ADSL products are supposed to be min 256k and stable at that minimum speed . Thats whether they are 1meg or 7.6megs .

Its in the product description issued by eircom wholesale

For business products it is min 1mbit at all times, and stable .

Comreg are simply refusing to enforce this minimum that you have a contract with eircom for .

They do not 'guarantee ' broadband but they are supposed to regulate contracts between service providers and consumers .

Off to Brussels with ya Hellboy and cc the others too. It will be fixed by monday 8)

MunsterCycling

Nope he is the head of Comms for the Commish in Ireland... VERY IMPORTANT HAT!!!! lol

jor el

hellboy99 wrote: »

Think of the money that could be saved getting rid of Comreg, what do they do

What do they do? Absolutely nothing. But they actually don't cost anything. I recently heard that Comreg is funded by the telecoms industry, meaning all the operators pay for it. They even pay more than it costs to run, so Comreg is actually a revenue generator for the government. Which also answers the questions about what they do.

stylers

heh. I always thought they were a sort of quango, but if thats the case then thats even worse than them costing us money. to do anything would be biting the hand that fed them. Only in Ireland could that happen. Its very true about advertising though, how the operators incessantly piss people off with advertising telling them broadband for "only" blah blah a month, yet when it comes to the crunch they can't deliver it properly.

OFDM

Firetrap wrote: »

You ask a very pertinent question IMHO. What on earth is Comreg for?

Not regulating broadband! They regulate lots of other stuff, like the postal sector and everything wireless.

hellboy99 wrote: »

Think of the money that could be saved getting rid of Comreg

Comreg pump MILLIONS back into the exchequer every year, so getting rid of them would be quite stupid! Check their annual report on their website.

Sponge Bob, spamming commissioners with complaints is pointless, seeing as they have no power to enforce them. You might as well be going to your local Garda station and complaining about your broadband speeds.

Lobbying comreg is also equally pointless. Comreg don't decide WHAT they regulate, for that start annoying the minister for communications, Eamonn Ryan, and lobby him to give comreg the power to actually do something by having them regulate broadband. Here's the email address for the minister's office: colm.oconaill@dcenr.gov.ie

Sponge Bob

OFDM wrote: »

Not regulating broadband! They regulate lots of other stuff, like the postal sector and everything wireless.

They regulate spectrum not wireless . They do that very badly too

Sponge Bob, spamming commissioners with complaints is pointless, seeing as they have no power to enforce them. You might as well be going to your local Garda station and complaining about your broadband speeds.

They licence the operators and specify minimum standards of contract . When the operators breach those terms they are supposed to regulate them into compliance , OOPS they don't do they .

If you contract is for 1mbit BB then you should get 1mbit at least some of the time . If you do not then Comreg should get the finger out.

Lobbying comreg is also equally pointless. Comreg don't decide WHAT they regulate,

Of course they do . I have never heard such utter rubbish ( save once from Comreg themselves, surprise that )

They must also follow comms acts and ministerial directives under the comms acts , particularly the 2002 act .

What is a Market Review under the EU Framework except an analysis and decision process conducted by Comreg on what they regulate. They may come to the conclusion that a market is competitive and not regulate because of that . On the other hand they may choose to regulate because a market is demonstrably not competitive .

Regulation involves enforcement in most countries except Ireland .

Neverthless they are supposed to regulate contract compliance in all licencees outside that .

for that start annoying the minister for communications, Eamonn Ryan, and lobby him to give comreg the power to actually do something by having them regulate broadband. Here's the email address for the minister's office: colm.oconaill@dcenr.gov.ie

That is not the ministers email address and you know it . minister@dcenr.ie is . He never reads or answers any email the useless ****

Even if he did he would do nothing.

I have a phone line that only works at 16.8k. Comreg were useless, they didn't seem to know about their own directive when I was on the phone to them. Also Eircom just said the cabling here is too old to guarantee anything other than PSTN. I got so fed up I just cancelled the line, basically Eircom are allowed do whatever the hell they want.

So many things lately have made me consider emigrating, this being one of them.

Karsini

Karsini wrote: »

Also Eircom just said the cabling here is too old to guarantee anything other than PSTN. I got so fed up I just cancelled the line, basically Eircom are allowed do whatever the hell they want.

Why not upgrade the lines and equipment in the exchanges, it's not as if they don't have the money for it.
They get the go ahead for price hikes, they're a monoply when it comes to a provider as they resell their line to other providers, really, what are they doing with all the cash they get and how do they get away with it :mad:
If I were to go run a business like they do tomorrow I'd be shut down.