Cancelling Direct Debit/Withholding payment from BT

consultech

I'm well within my rights to do this, right? Ive been told it cant be done though, that it needs to be sorted with BT:

Got BT about 4 weeks ago, and it started dropping out 2 weeks back, going offline for hours on end, up, down, offline for entire nights etc etc. Was also only ever getting 1.3mb on speedtest for the 3mb we are paying for (I dont even know if the line can take 3mb = fraud).

Called them to get the line issue (seems to be a line issue, you can make the BB reconnect by calling it a couple of times, but it hasn't once been used as a phoneline, there's no handset) and was told they were passing it to Eircom works maintenance department (after about 10 fob offs of my GF who isn't techie at all). Was told it'd be sorted in 2-5 days, with regular updates. None of this has happened. They keep fobbing us off and will take money at the end of the month.

How do we go about cancelling DD with them? They haven't provided the service contracted for.

thefinalstage

consultech wrote: »

I'm well within my rights to do this, right? Ive been told it cant be done though, that it needs to be sorted with BT:

Got BT about 4 weeks ago, and it started dropping out 2 weeks back, going offline for hours on end, up, down, offline for entire nights etc etc. Was also only ever getting 1.3mb on speedtest for the 3mb we are paying for (I dont even know if the line can take 3mb = fraud).

Called them to get the line issue (seems to be a line issue, you can make the BB reconnect by calling it a couple of times, but it hasn't once been used as a phoneline, there's no handset) and was told they were passing it to Eircom works maintenance department (after about 10 fob offs of my GF who isn't techie at all). Was told it'd be sorted in 2-5 days, with regular updates. None of this has happened. They keep fobbing us off and will take money at the end of the month.

How do we go about cancelling DD with them? They haven't provided the service contracted for.

Its amazing how people do not read the contract for the service they are signing up for.....

Move to the 1mb package and all should be well.

Mena

thelastangryman wrote: »

Its amazing how people do not read the contract for the service they are signing up for.....

Move to the 1mb package and all should be well.

consultech wrote: »

and it started dropping out 2 weeks back, going offline for hours on end, up, down, offline for entire nights etc etc.

How does reading a contract and downgrading sort out the above?

To the OP, you'd need to send them a letter stating your intention to cancel in this manner unless they sort out the problem within X number of days/weeks I think, before going ahead and doing it.

Cabaal

Mena wrote: »

How does reading a contract and downgrading sort out the above?

Because the line likely can't take a stable rate higher then say 1MB-1.5MB, so downgrading the line will most likely make it more stable. If the OP posted more info such as line stats people here may be able to assist further.

To the OP, you'd need to send them a letter stating your intention to cancel in this manner unless they sort out the problem within X number of days/weeks I think, before going ahead and doing it.

If the OP does not first allow BT to resolve the issuing by first calling and then making a formal complaint he is not going to be seen as allowing BT to address the issues and resolve his connectivity issue.

The OP should not just cancel his payment method and hope for the best, this is extremely foolish

consultech

Cabaal wrote: »

Because the line likely can't take a stable rate higher then say 1MB-1.5MB, so downgrading the line will most likely make it more stable. If the OP posted more info such as line stats people here may be able to assist further.

If the OP does not first allow BT to resolve the issuing by first calling and then making a formal complaint he is not going to be seen as allowing BT to address the issues and resolve his connectivity issue.

The OP should not just cancel his payment method and hope for the best, this is extremely foolish

Can you tell me how to check line stats, and I will do so later? Presumably by going in to router setup, and looking somewhere?

Have made 7 calls and keep getting fobbed off, I dont think that witholding payment from them until they sort out the problem is overly foolish, moreover I think it is the only thing that will speak to them.

Also: With regard to Latangryman's "not reading contract" comment etc.; Im not sure what was meant to get accross. It's not my responsibility to know what the phone line is capable of, that's BT's, and they should not be contracting for 3mb if the line can't support it. No??

Also: The problem is we are right up on direct debit date, and I know how much success we will have tryin to get that money back if it turns out they cant rectify the problem and we seek a refund.

jor el

To cancel a direct debit, you can contact your bank and tell them to stop it. Don't do that lightly though, as it could get you in more trouble. You need to give BT the time to sort this out, and keep records of how long it's been out for. They should refund you for outage, though it may take some convincing.

Have you paid anything yet, for the time you've already been with them? Normally the service is billed in advance, but if this is the first bill, it will bill for the time since you've signed up, and for the 2 months going forward too.

To check line stats will depend on your modem/router. Log on to the router, normally http://192.168.1.1 and use the username and password, these will NOT be your BT login details. Then there should be a diagnostics link somewhere, and you can check line stats, SNR etc.

It does sound like your line can't handle the speed though, and downgrading to 1M would fix it. It does mean you can never get anything faster that that through RADSL though.

consultech

jor el wrote: »

To cancel a direct debit, you can contact your bank and tell them to stop it. Don't do that lightly though, as it could get you in more trouble. You need to give BT the time to sort this out, and keep records of how long it's been out for. They should refund you for outage, though it may take some convincing.

Have you paid anything yet, for the time you've already been with them? Normally the service is billed in advance, but if this is the first bill, it will bill for the time since you've signed up, and for the 2 months going forward too.

To check line stats will depend on your modem/router. Log on to the router, normally http://192.168.1.1 and use the username and password, these will NOT be your BT login details. Then there should be a diagnostics link somewhere, and you can check line stats, SNR etc.

It does sound like your line can't handle the speed though, and downgrading to 1M would fix it. It does mean you can never get anything faster that that through RADSL though.

Like I said, I'm not overly concerned about leaving myself vulnerable for cancelling the direct debit given they have reneged on the contract (in a number of ways; Reliability and actual speed of internet being the main ones), I feel Im well-within my rights to do it, especially considering their credit control department's history. No? The only issue could be not allowing them time to sort it, but we have in fairness, and they've dfaulted on providing updates/a resolution, as promised.

Will post line stats later, cheers for the help lads.

paulm17781

consultech wrote: »

in a number of ways; Reliability and actual speed of internet being the main ones

As said, read the contract. I'm pretty certain they haven't broken it, ridiculous though it sounds.

consultech

paulm17781 wrote: »

As said, read the contract. I'm pretty certain they haven't broken it, ridiculous though it sounds.

I dont have it to hand - Can you tell me the general sentiment/term you're indirectly referring to in their contracts? I imagine something like "We will occasionally provide no service at all, or a dramatically reduced speed to that that you are paying for, for which we make no apologies or bear no legal culpability" etc? Terms like this generally hold no weight in contract law if escalated fyi.

Cabaal

Thing is if your line is crap quality moving ISP's still won't give you 3MB if its down to line quality so why not just get BT to sort it and save all the hassel of them chasing you,

Elessar

BT are a shower of b*stards.

Ring them tell them you want to cancel the account as you are not getting the service you are paying for. Email them say you want to cancel the account as you are not getting the service you are paying for. Write a registered letter saying the same. Keep the receipt.

Then get onto your bank and cancel the DD. Let them threaten you with courts/debt collectors etc. - nothing will really happen. Keep a log of everything. Lodge a complaint with Comreg. After that, go with someone else.

I've heard companies can re-instate the DD from their end? Dont know if this is true though. Watch out.

oppiuy

Funny how every isp on phone company seem to be Bas#####.You can cancel the direct debit by email, post or fax, ask bt for the address

Mena

Cabaal wrote: »

Because the line likely can't take a stable rate higher then say 1MB-1.5MB, so downgrading the line will most likely make it more stable. If the OP posted more info such as line stats people here may be able to assist further.

Point taken on that one.

Cabaal wrote: »

If the OP does not first allow BT to resolve the issuing by first calling and then making a formal complaint he is not going to be seen as allowing BT to address the issues and resolve his connectivity issue.

The OP should not just cancel his payment method and hope for the best, this is extremely foolish

This is pretty much what I said he should do. Simply cancelling the DD would only serve to make the situation worse.

Cabaal

Elessar wrote: »

Lodge a complaint with Comreg. After that, go with someone else.

t.

If you lodge a complaint with Comreg they will say that you first need to lodge a complaint with BT, as such its a much better idea for the OP to do this first

Three Likely outcomes from this
- They resolve issue
- They can't resolve issue on 3MB so downgrade you to speed line can support
- They can't resolve issue at all and leave you out of contract

Atleast those are the outcomes I'd be giving you if I was BT and I;d be looking for if I was a customer of BT. (this is speaking from experience in the industry)

How to make a complaint to BT
Please call our Customer Care department on Freephone 1904 or email our Complaints department at complaints@btireland.ie

See also: What is BT Ireland's Code of Practice?

Please note that under the Data Protection Acts of 1988 and 2003, BT can only discuss account details with the account holder, or a nominated third party.

To authorise a third party to discuss your account, please call 1904.

To change the account name, please call 1904 to request a 'change of name' form.

BT's Code Of Practice is available here also.

I'd suggest the OP follows this first as it could be alot less work in the long run, when complaining outline things logically and your attempts to resolve the issue and as much info as you can about the issue, keep it relevant though

vibe666

unfortunately cancelling your DD won't stop them taking your money.

i know this sounds totally insane, but they can (and will) reinstate your DD with them if you cancel the existing one, without your permission or even informing you.

unless something has changed since they did it to me, they are part of something called the paperless DD system which allows them to automate the set up of DD's with heir customers.

it all came about because they kept billing me a few days before I was paid and my BT bill kept putting me overdrawn so I decided to pay the bill manually and told them to cancel the DD payment. to be on the safe side i cancelled the DD at my bank also and to my surprise the DD was re-created and the money taken anyway (again putting me overdrawn).

i spoke to my bank repeatedly but they kept telling me that they were powerless to stop it happening even though BT were effectively stealing from me and the only way to stop them permanently would be to close down the account.

this happened every other month for 6 months even though i went through their compaints procedure etc. and didn't end until i got hold of the email address of the director of BT at the time (bill murphy, who's now long gone, such a shame) and he got his head of CS to sort it out for me.

i ended up getting a formal apology and a letter sent directly to my bank to apologise to them and inform them thatth OD amounts were their fault not mine.

that was 3-4 years ago now, but there's a thread on here about it somewhere from the time if you want to look it up. maybe it's different now, i hope for your sake it is or you may be in for a rough ride.

paulm17781

consultech wrote: »

I dont have it to hand - Can you tell me the general sentiment/term you're indirectly referring to in their contracts? I imagine something like "We will occasionally provide no service at all, or a dramatically reduced speed to that that you are paying for, for which we make no apologies or bear no legal culpability" etc? Terms like this generally hold no weight in contract law if escalated fyi.

I haven't read a BT one but I would be certain there is no guarantee of uptime and no guarantee of speed (3Mbps). If there is a speed guarantee it is most likely 256Kbps.

dub45

oppiuy wrote: »

Funny how every isp on phone company seem to be Bas#####.You can cancel the direct debit by email, post or fax, ask bt for the address

Nonsense. Under the terms of the direct debit scheme you cancel a direct debit by instructing your bank to do so. That's it.

It is also recommended that you inform the supplier but it is not obligatory surprisingly.

In this case I would strongly recommend that if you cancel the direct debit that you send a registered letter to BT giving them the reasons why you are cancelling the direct debit and informing them that you will be happy to pay for the service when it is provided.

Remember that a direct debit is nothing more than a particular way to pay a bill.

Cancelling and amending a direct debit instruction.
o The payer can cancel or amend the Direct Debit instruction at any time by informing their Bank in writing. They should also inform the Originator. All correspondence should be retained.
o The payer’s Bank will then inform the Originator of the cancellation or amendment.
o If the instruction is cancelled no further collections are permitted.
o If it is established that an unauthorised Direct Debit was charged to a Payer’s account the Payer is guaranteed a prompt refund by their Bank.

From the guide to the direct debit systime at www.ipso.ie

dub45

vibe666 wrote: »

unfortunately cancelling your DD won't stop them taking your money.

i know this sounds totally insane, but they can (and will) reinstate your DD with them if you cancel the existing one, without your permission or even informing you.

Unfortunately it is the case that companies do reinstate dds. In my view this should be considered as an attempted fraud but no action is taken against them. The CEO of IPSo in the recent prime time on customer service admitted that this happens but was let away by the interviewer without any follow up.

vibe666 wrote: »

unless something has changed since they did it to me, they are part of something called the paperless DD system which allows them to automate the set up of DD's with heir customers.

it all came about because they kept billing me a few days before I was paid and my BT bill kept putting me overdrawn so I decided to pay the bill manually and told them to cancel the DD payment. to be on the safe side i cancelled the DD at my bank also and to my surprise the DD was re-created and the money taken anyway (again putting me overdrawn)..

You can now sign up for a direct debit over the phone or over the interent. This is called ''direct debit extra''! Even though it has lots of minuses!!

It seems to cause lots of confusion at the banks to judge by reports on here because it means where previously banks had the paper mandate on file they now have nothing. However afaik the cancellation procedure is still the same.

One of the big downsides of this system is that the biller is only required to give you seven days notice - something which people are not told when signing up over the phone or over the net

vibe666 wrote: »

i spoke to my bank repeatedly but they kept telling me that they were powerless to stop it happening even though BT were effectively stealing from me and the only way to stop them permanently would be to close down the account.

this happened every other month for 6 months even though i went through their compaints procedure etc. and didn't end until i got hold of the email address of the director of BT at the time (bill murphy, who's now long gone, such a shame) and he got his head of CS to sort it out for me.

i ended up getting a formal apology and a letter sent directly to my bank to apologise to them and inform them thatth OD amounts were their fault not mine.

that was 3-4 years ago now, but there's a thread on here about it somewhere from the time if you want to look it up. maybe it's different now, i hope for your sake it is or you may be in for a rough ride.

This was nonsense on the bank's part and they were not powerless to stop it. You as the customer of the bank should be their prime concern. If you cancel a dd it should stay cancelled. It is simply a lack of training in the banks and such nonsense happens regularly.

The direct debit system is a joke and favours the billers big time!!!!

If you have complaints contact IPSO - they are forever claiming that the system is perfect - at the same time no biller has ever been excluded from the system (IPSO have recently confirmed this for me!!) and yet if you miss a dd it can cost you upwards of €25. So basically the companies can do what they like without any fear of sanction and thats why you get the crap detailed here.

kaiser sauze

dub45 wrote: »

Nonsense. Under the terms of the direct debit scheme you cancel a direct debit by instructing your bank to do so. That's it.

It is also recommended that you inform the supplier but it is not obligatory surprisingly.

In this case I would strongly recommend that if you cancel the direct debit that you send a registered letter to BT giving them the reasons why you are cancelling the direct debit and informing them that you will be happy to pay for the service when it is provided.

Remember that a direct debit is nothing more than a particular way to pay a bill.




From the guide to the direct debit systime at www.ipso.ie

dub45 wrote: »

Unfortunately it is the case that companies do reinstate dds. In my view this should be considered as an attempted fraud but no action is taken against them. The CEO of IPSo in the recent prime time on customer service admitted that this happens but was let away by the interviewer without any follow up.




You can now sign up for a direct debit over the phone or over the interent. This is called ''direct debit extra''! Even though it has lots of minuses!!

It seems to cause lots of confusion at the banks to judge by reports on here because it means where previously banks had the paper mandate on file they now have nothing. However afaik the cancellation procedure is still the same.

One of the big downsides of this system is that the biller is only required to give you seven days notice - something which people are not told when signing up over the phone or over the net



This was nonsense on the bank's part and they were not powerless to stop it. You as the customer of the bank should be their prime concern. If you cancel a dd it should stay cancelled. It is simply a lack of training in the banks and such nonsense happens regularly.

The direct debit system is a joke and favours the billers big time!!!!

If you have complaints contact IPSO - they are forever claiming that the system is perfect - at the same time no biller has ever been excluded from the system (IPSO have recently confirmed this for me!!) and yet if you miss a dd it can cost you upwards of €25. So basically the companies can do what they like without any fear of sanction and thats why you get the crap detailed here.

+ 1

Yet more direct debit nonsense been espoused and, thankfully, someone comes it with the facts.

You cancel any direct debit with your bank, full stop. After that, whether you inform them is at your discretion, but I woud advise it, so that they can't cry that they knew nothing and feign ignorance.

consultech

Line info as promised:

Line Mode G.DMT
Line State Show Time
Latency Type Interleave
Line CodingTrellis On
Line Up Count 5

Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 992 Kbps 384 Kbps
Noise Margin 6.8 dB 7.0 dB
Line Attenuation 56.0 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power 11.7 dBm 16.2 dBm

Dunno if this will suffice, let me know...

dub45

consultech wrote: »

Line info as promised:

Line Mode G.DMT
Line State Show Time
Latency Type Interleave
Line CodingTrellis On
Line Up Count 5

Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 992 Kbps 384 Kbps
Noise Margin 6.8 dB 7.0 dB
Line Attenuation 56.0 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power 11.7 dBm 16.2 dBm

Dunno if this will suffice, let me know...

Unfortunately your line is dire based on those figures. Anything below 10ish for Noise Margin will give you regular disconnections and your line attenuation is very high as well - low for attenuation is better.

Have you checked your internal wiring to see if anythingn is amiss? Do you have filters on anything that you may have plugged in to any of your phone sockets?

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/lowSNR.htm

http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/linestats.htm

If there is nothing wrong internally your best bet would be to drop down to the 1Mb product that would take some of the pressure off your line and should give you stability.

Cabaal

consultech wrote: »

Line info as promised:

Line Mode G.DMT
Line State Show Time
Latency Type Interleave
Line CodingTrellis On
Line Up Count 5

Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 992 Kbps 384 Kbps
Noise Margin 6.8 dB 7.0 dB
Line Attenuation 56.0 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power 11.7 dBm 16.2 dBm

Dunno if this will suffice, let me know...

As per what dub said, you want to check internal wiring to make sure thats not the problem and if no change then change to a 1MB package...your line can't support anything higher that will remain stable.

Use the links dub posted and maybe also try http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=54381143&postcount=6 You want to aim to get that noise margin levels up

vibe666

kaiser sauze wrote: »

+ 1

Yet more direct debit nonsense been espoused and, thankfully, someone comes it with the facts.

You cancel any direct debit with your bank, full stop. After that, whether you inform them is at your discretion, but I woud advise it, so that they can't cry that they knew nothing and feign ignorance.

what i said wasn't nonsense, it was fact from personal experience.

what dub45 has said is what SHOULD happen, what I said was my truthful personal experience of what actually happens when you are dealing with a company like BT and with banks who don't give a sh*t about their customers.

I called permanent tsb at least 6 times over the course of this in the hope of getting somewhere but each time they knocked me back saying that their hands were tied and that BT could effectively take my money right out of my bank account by re-starting a cancelled direct debit and they were powerless to stop it.

there's a very big difference between how the whole thing is supposed to work and how it works in reality.

dub45

vibe666 wrote: »

what i said wasn't nonsense, it was fact from personal experience.

what dub45 has said is what SHOULD happen, what I said was my truthful personal experience of what actually happens when you are dealing with a company like BT and with banks who don't give a sh*t about their customers.

I called permanent tsb at least 6 times over the course of this in the hope of getting somewhere but each time they knocked me back saying that their hands were tied and that BT could effectively take my money right out of my bank account by re-starting a cancelled direct debit and they were powerless to stop it.

there's a very big difference between how the whole thing is supposed to work and how it works in reality.

Vibe neither kaiser sauze nor myself would in any way consider what you posted as being nonsense. Anyone who has read this forum for any length of time would be aware that what you posted was definitely a fairly common occurrence.

One of the many weaknesses of the dd system is that there is no proper complaints procedure at all. For the record the complaints procedure when a company messes you about is that you are supposed to complain to your bank who should then get on to the sponsoring bank of the company concerned! There appears to be no formal way to complain when your own bank messes you around nor is there apparently anyone to complain to about IPSO's lamentable failure to ensure that companies comply with the direct debit scheme.

For example last year I wrote to the Chief Executive of IPSO with a list of questions about the DD system. The letter was completely ignored. It took a registered letter and a threat to get on to the media to get a reply.

UPC and O2 are in breach of the dd system in terms of the notice they give customers. The scheme clearly states that 14 days notice is required yet O2 date their bills 14 days in advance irrespective of the date they may be posted while UPC in their long spiel on the billing line state that they create their bills 14 days in advance. I received my most recent bill from UPC 7 days before it was due. While UPC see no problem obviously with themselves not complying they force people on to dds and impose late payment fees without warning people of this when they are signing up for dds.

Smart have only recently attempted to comply with the 14 days notice requirement and quite often debited customers accounts parallel with the bills being received.

On the other hand it can cost the customer up to 25 euros when a dd payment is missed - its a great system ok!!!!

jor el

vibe666 wrote: »

there's a very big difference between how the whole thing is supposed to work and how it works in reality.

Indeed, the rules are simply ignored, or not even known, by some of the bank staff. You get all sorts of rubbish from them, from "We have no way to cancel a DD", to "It's impossible to stop a DD", to my favorite "You have no right to cancel a DD on your account". It seems to vary from bank to bank, and even from branch to branch, as to what answer you will get. It's not as if there are even that many rules, they can all be printed on a single page!

It's just another in the long list of complete and utter failings of the financial regulator, and something that I'd doubt will ever change. The biggest problem with it though, is this Direct Debit Plus system, which allows "trusted" businesses to set up direct debits, without any authorisation or verification from the customer. All they need is your account number. Of course, the trusted companies are all the ones that have proven themselves untrustworthy with such privileges.

I would suggest that anyone who has money taken from their account without permission, and gets nowhere with the bank, should report the incident to the Garda Fraud Squad. You may get laughed at, but then again, it might actually work. You have nothing to loose anyway.

dub45

jor el wrote: »

.....................

It's just another in the long list of complete and utter failings of the financial regulator, and something that I'd doubt will ever change. The biggest problem with it though, is this Direct Debit Plus system, which allows "trusted" businesses to set up direct debits, without any authorisation or verification from the customer. All they need is your account number. Of course, the trusted companies are all the ones that have proven themselves untrustworthy with such privileges.

.....................

I am not sure if the regulator has a role to play in the dd system. I had been thinking of writing to IPSO and asking them who regulates them. In these changing times it might be a good opportunity to get them taken to task a bit more. They definitely think that the bill payers can be treated with contempt.

I spoke to the manager in charge of the dd system on the phone some time ago when I attempted to complain about o2's failure to comply with the 14 day notice requirement and he treated me with absolute contempt. Constantly repeating that he would inform o2 that he had had ONE complaint about them. Now it would surely be reasonable to expect the manager in charge of the dd system to be concerned that one of the biggest billers would comply with the system wouldn't you?

Under the direct debit plus system the biller is required to confirm to you in writing that the dd express has been set up. It is ridiculous though that the notice period for dd express in only 7 days - it is far too short a period to be effective particularly when you take into account that the notice period is supposed to allow the customer to query any problems with the bill before it is submitted. The dd scheme also states that disputed amounts should not be billed! How often is that term complied with I wonder!:rolleyes:

kaiser sauze

dub45 wrote: »

Under the direct debit plus system the biller is required to confirm to you in writing that the dd express has been set up. It is ridiculous though that the notice period for dd express in only 7 days - it is far too short a period to be effective particularly when you take into account that the notice period is supposed to allow the customer to query any problems with the bill before it is submitted. The dd scheme also states that disputed amounts should not be billed! How often is that term complied with I wonder!:rolleyes:

Not only do they not comply with the seven day notice period, but they will have already submitted the claim on your account 3 working days before it is drawn from your account, giving you an even smaller window than you are supposed to have to check things are kosher.

I'm not sure if this applies to all banks, but I'd be surprised if it doesn't, you can recall dds on the same day they are requested from your account by contacting your branch.

I had to do this only yesterday for a disputed transaction.

jor el

dub45 wrote: »

I am not sure if the regulator has a role to play in the dd system.

They're actually regulated by the CBFSAI.

dub45

jor el wrote: »

They're actually regulated by the CBFSAI.

Is this actually written anywhere? It would be nice to know so as to be able to quote it!

jayflame

Guys & Girls,

Cancelling a Direct Debit or withholding payment for a service that you may, or may not be receiving, will not resolve the fact that, You are not receiving the service.
As per your terms and conditions, if you are not receiving a service and it is found to be the fault of the provider, then you are not liable for the charges.

Consultech;

Little concerned with your username as you appear not to be able to technically resolve the issue with your connection.

Looking at your line stats, line attenuation should ideally be below 45dB, line rate should be 3072Kb/s. Something is dramatically slowing down your line. I suspect you are experiencing slow speeds and intermittent connection issues.
Statistics Downstream Upstream
Line Rate 992 Kbps 384 Kbps
Noise Margin 6.8 dB 7.0 dB
Line Attenuation 56.0 dB 31.5 dB
Output Power 11.7 dBm 16.2 dBm

It looks like one of six things;

1. Telephone extension cable between modem and phone socket.
Telephone cables supplied with modems are longest that a DSL service can be guarenteed with.
2. Telephone adapters in phone sockets.
These are not DSL filters but allow multiple products to use the same socket.
3. SKY TV is not filtered or even "Hardwired" into phone socket.
SKY installation "engineers" have of late, been unscrewing phone sockets and connecting in a cable to run to the back of your SKY top box. This should not be done and should be filtered.
4. You have a monitored house alarm that is not filtered.
Basically, anything that uses the telephone line needs to be filtered, this includes panic and house alarms.
5. You have an internal wiring issue.
This will need to be checked by a qualified person, electrician or telecoms engineer. Unfortunately, Eircom are not obliged to check your internal wiring and may refer you to an electrician.
6. You are not on or are too far from the MDP (Main Distribution Point).
This is the Point of Entry to the house and is where the Broadband is supplied to.


If all of these can be eliminated from the issue, then you SHOULD be speaking to your ISP before withholding payment

kaiser sauze

vibe666 wrote: »

what i said wasn't nonsense, it was fact from personal experience.

what dub45 has said is what SHOULD happen, what I said was my truthful personal experience of what actually happens when you are dealing with a company like BT and with banks who don't give a sh*t about their customers.

I called permanent tsb at least 6 times over the course of this in the hope of getting somewhere but each time they knocked me back saying that their hands were tied and that BT could effectively take my money right out of my bank account by re-starting a cancelled direct debit and they were powerless to stop it.

there's a very big difference between how the whole thing is supposed to work and how it works in reality.

When I said that "nonsense" was "being espoused", I did not mean you.

I am quite horrified to hear that PTSB told you that they could do nothing about BT raiding your account. This is a clear breach of the direct debit scheme.

And I totally agree with your last statement, I myself had an issue only recently.

A few months ago, I had yet another issue with an unauthorised payment. I did not even contact the payee, I contacted my branch and they refunded me.

People need to be made aware that many providers will take other methods of payment and they should opt for those; if they have no choice, as I do with two payees, they need to know their rights.

dub45

kaiser sauze wrote: »

When I said that "nonsense" was "being espoused", I did not mean you.

I am quite horrified to hear that PTSB told you that they could do nothing about BT raiding your account. This is a clear breach of the direct debit scheme.

And I totally agree with your last statement, I myself had an issue only recently.

A few months ago, I had yet another issue with an unauthorised payment. I did not even contact the payee, I contacted my branch and they refunded me.

People need to be made aware that many providers will take other methods of payment and they should opt for those; if they have no choice, as I do with two payees, they need to know their rights.

People are being bullied into the dd system and unfortunately the companies doing the bullying do not comply with the system themselves for example UPC! Its an appalling sytem!!!

dub45

jor el wrote: »

They're actually regulated by the CBFSAI.

Contacted them but a very helpful girl claimed that they weren't!.

vibe666

thanks guys, sorry, i'll put my toys back in the pram now.

it seems like any thoughts of providing decent customer service has been completely eradicated from the whole country.

BUT, we've kind of hijacked the thread from the OP a bit so I'll just tell him to watch his back and make a note of the dtaes that the DD is supposed to come out and make sure he checks with his bank (I'd recommend going to your branch if you can get there to speak face to face, they will find it harder to spout BS if they have to look you in the eye) to make sure that the DD has not been re-presented again to be paid. i think it's presented 10 days before the due date and you may be able to block it once it's been presented but before the money is taken. you'll want to check that though, i'm only going from memory and i could be wrong about it.

dub45

vibe666 wrote: »

thanks guys, sorry, i'll put my toys back in the pram now.

it seems like any thoughts of providing decent customer service has been completely eradicated from the whole country.

BUT, we've kind of hijacked the thread from the OP a bit so I'll just tell him to watch his back and make a note of the dtaes that the DD is supposed to come out and make sure he checks with his bank (I'd recommend going to your branch if you can get there to speak face to face, they will find it harder to spout BS if they have to look you in the eye) to make sure that the DD has not been re-presented again to be paid. i think it's presented 10 days before the due date and you may be able to block it once it's been presented but before the money is taken. you'll want to check that though, i'm only going from memory and i could be wrong about it.

Every one of them I hope!:)

When you think of it IPSO are there to represent the industry so it completely wrong that they should be in charge of the dd system at all. Their concern is certainly not for the bill payer but for the banks and billers so the fundamental set up is wrong.