Please be aware if signing up to Eircom broadband packages..

misty76

Just got my first bill from eircom after signing up for the 7mb family package in march with a charge of 59.40e extra that i wasn't expecting and no on told me about when i was signing up..

Basically i was charged for signing up for the broadband because i signed up after my last bill was issued, no one told me about this when i asked were there any hidden charges i should know about.. If i had signed up say 35 days into the billing period i would not have been charged as much but would still have been charged for the transfer period, which they dont mention on the information page about the paticular package.. I know it is probably mentioned in the t&c, but to me its false advertising in a way..

I am so annoyed, Eircom is such a sneaky company.. Please tell as many people as you can so no one else gets stung for these charges.. I rang to querie the bill and the staff are so rude and unprofessional in dealing with the queries.. They were so cute not to mention what the best time to sign up was when i initially looked for information and also had to pay 30e on my last bill to cancel my dial up.. Rip off..

also beware that you have less grounds to stand on if you sign up over the internet whereas if you sign up over the phone you may have some come back with a human error element..

Hope i explained this ok, if you have any queries just ask and i will try to explain best i can..

Has anyone else had an experience like this or any other with Eircom??:rolleyes:

dub45

I am a bit baffled by your post - could you itemise the charges for us?

Normally when you sign up for bb (irrespective of the isp) you would be expecting a charge on a pro rata basis between the start date of your bb and the end of the billing period and then (depending on the isp) one or two months advance.

misty76

I know its hard to understand, hence a sneaky charge in my opinion..
basically i signed up for bb on 25th march and am being charged broadband rental now from march 25th to 18th may.. It is a once off charge.. But say i hadnt signed up until say 5th of may i would have had to pay a fee alright but perhaps only a few euro.. But i had no clue of any charge, as i say it was never mentioned to me.. I know i should of looked into it more but i took the girls word that there were no other charges..

They charged me for it under the heading of your service and connection charges home advanced..

Just saying to anyone signing up make sure you are very careful of when you sign up

Dublin_Gunner

According to the bundles and pricing schedule on the site eircom.ie/pricing you should not have been charged for the connection, and your first month should have been free.

Thats what the site states. If you were to bring this to comreg, I'm certain they would back you up.

Their pricing model on the site is not even up to date with the new packages, and there is no mention of any charge on the pricing section, the bundle section, or even in the t&c's.

I'd ask them straight away to remove the charge, or you'll cancel it and move to a different provider.

The BB T&C's even refer to the eircom.ie/pricing page - which states there should be no charge.

Its false advertsising if they charged you for that, and the charge should be refunded.

I haven't paid an Eircom phone bill in about 6 months, because they keep messing it up since I moved a few months ago (and before hand) by charging for services that should have incurred no charge, and subsequently striking off the bills.

They are idiots. They really are.

misty76

Dublin-gunner, your message..

Eh, paid to cancel dial up????? You mean one of those mobile BB thingy's?

Back to the bill though.

I would expect from this

*<a href="Eircom Family Bundle">*http://www.eircom.ie/cgi-bin/bvsm/bveircom/bladerunner/showContent.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0462001560.1242919295@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfadehfifjgdkcefeceiedfgodfik.0&cid=7MbFamily&site=Res*</a>*That if you're an exisiting customer, and not upgrading broadband, your first month should have been free.

or this
<a href="pricing">http://www.eircom.ie/cgi-bin/bvsm/bveircom/bladerunner/showContent.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0426955858.1242919904@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccccadehfifjgdecefeceiedfgodfik.0&cid=PriceListOfProducts&site=Res</a>

would suggest that there should have been no connection fee.

---

It was 56 k dial up on an eircom net package, not one of those mobile broadband thingys. I rang them minute i got the bill and they are having none of it saying i could not have a refund.. As i keep saying it is sneaky fair play to anyone who know's about it and that is why i hope to tell people about it..

Dublin_Gunner

I editied my post because for some reason I had an epic fail with HTML tags lol

However, I have NEVER paid any charge in the past for 'cancelling' dial up. I wasn't even aware there were any specific packages - or that if there were, they'd still be offering them these days.

I'd be looking for that back too.

misty76

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

I editied my post because for some reason I had an epic fail with HTML tags lol

However, I have NEVER paid any charge in the past for 'cancelling' dial up. I wasn't even aware there were any specific packages - or that if there were, they'd still be offering them these days.

I'd be looking for that back too.

We had that package years.. There was a specific date i had to canel that on too apparently.. Oh they make me so mad..

jor el

I'm still confused as to what the charges are for. If your bill is issued on the 18th of May, and you signed up to broadband on March 25th, then you'll be billed for services from March 25th (or whenever it went active) till May 18th, and also for services going forward to the next billing period (July 18th I assume), as broadband and line rental are charged in advance. Could this be it?

As to the dial up canceling charge, I assume that was a flat-rate 20 hour dial up job. If so, you needed to cancel that on the last day of your billing period.

_Sidhe_

It's simply your pro-rate.

When you sign up for any service, not just Eircom, you're billed from the date you're installed.
Unless by sheer luck you happen to be installed on your billing date, you'll always have a pro-rate.

If you get billed on the 5th of every month, and you're installed on the 6th, then your next invoice (on the 5th of next month) will be for 1 day short of two months.
One month in advance, and the 29 days leading up to the bill being generated.

This is the way all services work.

misty76

Well i just want to make people aware of this charge as eircom dont give you any advice on this..

So anyone signing up do it nearer the time your next bill will be due and you wont be charged as much..

I was charged 59.40 and im just saying if i had of know i would of waited and signed up later in the month or early may and not been charged as much..

misty76

jor el wrote: »

I'm still confused as to what the charges are for. If your bill is issued on the 18th of May, and you signed up to broadband on March 25th, then you'll be billed for services from March 25th (or whenever it went active) till May 18th, and also for services going forward to the next billing period (July 18th I assume), as broadband and line rental are charged in advance. Could this be it?

As to the dial up canceling charge, I assume that was a flat-rate 20 hour dial up job. If so, you needed to cancel that on the last day of your billing period.

Yeah fair enough i know all this now but its too late for me to do anything about it, i didnt know or eircom did not make me aware of this when i rang to make enquires.. as i said when the girl explained it all to me i took it in good faith that there was no other charges..

Perhaps they dont have to tell us but i think it should be mentioned in the big print..

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

Well i just want to make people aware of this charge as eircom dont give you any advice on this..

So anyone signing up do it nearer the time your next bill will be due and you wont be charged as much..

I was charged 59.40 and im just saying if i had of know i would of waited and signed up later in the month or early may and not been charged as much..

But you're charged for the time you're connected, nothing extra. If you sign up in March, you pay for March, if you sign up in May, you pay for May. There's nothing to be aware of, except that your first bill will contain pro-rata charges as well as those going forward. There's nothing for eircom to point out, as you're simply paying for the time the service is available.

misty76

jor el wrote: »

But you're charged for the time you're connected, nothing extra. If you sign up in March, you pay for March, if you sign up in May, you pay for May. There's nothing to be aware of, except that your first bill will contain pro-rata charges as well as those going forward. There's nothing for eircom to point out, as you're simply paying for the time the service is available.

Yeah but i would rather pay 6 euro than 60.. I am paying for how much broadband i used from 25th march to 18th may.. Give a choice i think everyone would rather pay 6 than 60

Fuzzy Clam

misty76 wrote: »

I rang to querie the bill and the staff are so rude and unprofessional in dealing with the queries..

In defence of Eircom, I rang them with a query regarding my first bill after signing up for BB and I found the girl VERY helpful in explaining how I had misunderstood my bill.

I don't think you understand thre way Bb is charged. There is NO hidden charge. The "extra 59.40 euro" is for the month following the bill as you pay in advance for the connection.

dub45

misty76 wrote: »

Well i just want to make people aware of this charge as eircom dont give you any advice on this..

So anyone signing up do it nearer the time your next bill will be due and you wont be charged as much..

I was charged 59.40 and im just saying if i had of know i would of waited and signed up later in the month or early may and not been charged as much..

Yes but then you would not have had the use of broadband for the period in question.....

You have made an accusation against Eircom - lots of people have given explanations for the charges as best they can but it appears that you do not really want an explanation at all. No matter when you sign up for any isp (provided the bill is correct of course) you will pay for the bb that you use.

Whether you sign up early or late in a billing period should be not the concern of the provider in the sense of having to provide some sort of 'warning'. I presume a similar situation would prevail with any utility.

misty76

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

In defence of Eircom, I rang them with a query regarding my first bill after signing up for BB and I found the girl VERY helpful in explaining how I had misunderstood my bill.

I don't think you understand thre way Bb is charged. There is NO hidden charge. The "extra 59.40 euro" is for the month following the bill as you pay in advance for the connection.

The extra 59.40 is me paying for the period of the dates 25th of march to the 18th of may and is stated on my bill and the girl gave me these dates also yesterday.. Not for next month..

Also it said on the package there was no connection fee..

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

Yes but then you would not have had the use of broadband for the period in question.....

You have made an accusation against Eircom - lots of people have given explanations for the charges as best they can but it appears that you do not really want an explanation at all. No matter when you sign up for any isp (provided the bill is correct of course) you will pay for the bb that you use.

Whether you sign up early or late in a billing period should be not the concern of the provider in the sense of having to provide some sort of 'warning'. I presume a similar situation would prevail with any utility.

Yes but that would of been my choice not to have the broadband for the period in question, there are better things i could have done with that money.. Big shock getting 200 euro bill these days when you have only the exact money you were expecting set aside to pay.

I already got the explanation from eircom this morning. I am just trying to make people aware if they already are then fair play, wish someone had of told me..

The 59.40 is not a set charge it is an accumulative charge, this is all im trying to show..

Forgive my ignorance, if that is how i am coming across, if its common knowledge dont worry i will just chalk it down to experience

dub45

misty76 wrote: »

Yes but that would of been my choice not to have the broadband for the period in question, there are better things i could have done with that money.. Big shock getting 200 euro bill these days when you have only the exact money you were expecting set aside to pay.

I already got the explanation from eircom this morning. I am just trying to make people aware if they already are then fair play, wish someone had of told me..

The 59.40 is not a set charge it is an accumulative charge, this is all im trying to show..

Forgive my ignorance, if that is how i am coming across, if its common knowledge dont worry i will just chalk it down to experience

It would seem then that you are annoyed at the amount you were charged as it was more than you were expecting?.

If Eircom have charged for the services they have provided then it would seem that they have done nothing wrong? You were apparently charged 59.40 for broadband service that you actually received? So how is that a sneaky charge?

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

It would seem then that you are annoyed at the amount you were charged as it was more than you were expecting?.

If Eircom have charged for the services they have provided then it would seem that they have done nothing wrong? You were apparently charged 59.40 for broadband service that you actually received? So how is that a sneaky charge?

Guess i presumed it was included in the package, still trying to get my head around it but would of liked to have been aware..

I cant find any information for it on eircom website under the bundle i signed up to.. Can anyone else find me any written record or link to where it states all that ye and eircom have told me.. I would be greatful.. If i could simply find this info easily and read it i wouldnt feel it was hidden then..

As i said i obviously wouldnt feel this way if i had of known, not posting here just for the fun of it, i am being genuine..

dub45

misty76 wrote: »

Guess i presumed it was included in the package, still trying to get my head around it but would of liked to have been aware..

I cant find any information for it on eircom website under the bundle i signed up to.. Can anyone else find me any written record or link to where it states all that ye and eircom have told me.. I would be greatful.. If i could simply find this info easily and read it i wouldnt feel it was hidden then..

As i said i obviously wouldnt feel this way if i had of known, not posting here just for the fun of it, i am being genuine..

But what exactly did you expect Eircom (or indeed any isp who is signing up a new customer) to tell you? Unless there is an offer of a freem month or something then a customer must expect to pay for the period from which their broadband (or indeed any service) becomes operational.

If you did not budget for this then that is your fault (unfortunately) and it is wrong to blame the supplier of the service.

Dublin_Gunner

dub45 wrote: »

But what exactly did you expect Eircom (or indeed any isp who is signing up a new customer) to tell you? Unless there is an offer of a freem month or something then a customer must expect to pay for the period from which their broadband (or indeed any service) becomes operational.

If you did not budget for this then that is your fault (unfortunately) and it is wrong to blame the supplier of the service.

Eh, check my post on the previous page. The first month is supposed to be free on that 'Family' package.

jor el

I still don't understand why you're confused by this. You signed up for a service on a particular date, and now you've been charged for that service, from that date to the present. If you didn't pay for it in advance when you signed up, when did you expect to pay? Or did you think that it wouldn't become operational until the next billing period?

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

But what exactly did you expect Eircom (or indeed any isp who is signing up a new customer) to tell you? Unless there is an offer of a freem month or something then a customer must expect to pay for the period from which their broadband (or indeed any service) becomes operational.

If you did not budget for this then that is your fault (unfortunately) and it is wrong to blame the supplier of the service.

Yeah the offer does state there is a free month..

7Mb broadband for €24 included (first month FREE †) Copy and pasted this off the offer on eircom page.. So what does this mean?

Well i would like eircom to be clear and frank for new customers like me, i cant find any information on this and eircom would not tell me where i would read this either.. If anyone can pin point where i can read for myself what you are all telling me i would love to see it..

misty76

jor el wrote: »

I still don't understand why you're confused by this. You signed up for a service on a particular date, and now you've been charged for that service, from that date to the present. If you didn't pay for it in advance when you signed up, when did you expect to pay? Or did you think that it wouldn't become operational until the next billing period?

But this is not clearly expalained, when i read what i was signing up for why did i not read about this..

Why dont they explain this to first time customers or people like me who dont have previous knowledge, its not my fault i dont know all this information?

I

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

Yeah the offer does state there is a free month..

7Mb broadband for €24 included (first month FREE †) Copy and pasted this off the offer on eircom page.. So what does this mean?

Well i would like eircom to be clear and frank for new customers like me, i cant find any information on this and eircom would not tell me where i would read this either.. If anyone can pin point where i can read for myself what you are all telling me i would love to see it..

The cost of 7Mb broadband is €24 a month, and this is included in the price they give you, which is €41.16 for the first month and €65.16 a month thereafter. Your first bill contained a back-charge, from March to May, of €59.40, which would have been the €41.16 for the first 30 days, and then I'm guessing €18.24 that makes up the remaining days in that billing period (about a week or so).

That's about the gist of it I think.

I'm assuming this is the offer you signed up to?

Looks fairly straight forward to me.

dub45

Dublin_Gunner wrote: »

Eh, check my post on the previous page. The first month is supposed to be free on that 'Family' package.

In that package bb costs €24. The first month's bb is free. The full charge for the bundle for a month is €65.16. This covers bb, phone calls and line rental. If the bb is free then the charge for that first month is €41.16.

Special Offer:
€41.16†
for first month for new & upgrading customers
Price:
€65.16 per month

Price Includes

* 7Mb broadband for €24 (first month FREE †)
* FREE unlimited local & national calls anytime
* FREE calls to Meteor customers anytime**
* Line rental

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

In that package bb costs €24. The first month's bb is free. The full charge for the bundle for a month is €65.16. This covers bb, phone calls and line rental. If the bb is free then the charge for that first month is €41.16.

So can you work out for me what will my next bill be then in July? If i stay within the package and make no other calls than the free ones..

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

So can you work out for me what will my next bill be then in July? If i stay within the package and make no other calls than the free ones..

Once you get to a single month's bill, it should be €65.16.

misty76

jor el wrote: »

Once you get to a single month's bill, it should be €65.16.

So its 65.16 per month, so being a 2 monthly bill, my next bill in july will be 130.32?

misty76

jor el wrote: »

The cost of 7Mb broadband is €24 a month, and this is included in the price they give you, which is €41.16 for the first month and €65.16 a month thereafter. Your first bill contained a back-charge, from March to May, of €59.40, which would have been the €41.16 for the first 30 days, and then I'm guessing €18.24 that makes up the remaining days in that billing period (about a week or so).

That's about the gist of it I think.

I'm assuming this is the offer you signed up to?

Looks fairly straight forward to me.

Unfortunatley it doesnt seem so straight forward to me.
ok so from 25 march to 24th april (30 days) im charged 41.16
Then from 25th april to say 17th may (23 days) what am i charged?? and how is my bill nearly 200 euro..

jor el

misty76 wrote: »

Unfortunatley it doesnt seem so straight forward to me.
ok so from 25 march to 24th april (30 days) im charged 41.16
Then from 25th april to say 17th may (23 days) what am i charged?? and how is my bill nearly 200 euro..

You ordered on the 25th of March, but it won't have became active (and you won't have been billed) until 7-14 days later. Without seeing the bill, I don't know what you've been charged for, but as the cost is €65.16 a month, and you're billed bi-monthly, that's €130.32 on the first bill for the two months ahead, plus €59.40 for the previous month and a bit, which is €189.72, which is nearly €200.

Sofa_King Good

misty76 wrote: »

Just got my first bill from eircom after signing up for the 7mb family package in march with a charge of 59.40e extra that i wasn't expecting and no on told me about when i was signing up..

Basically i was charged for signing up for the broadband because i signed up after my last bill was issued, no one told me about this when i asked were there any hidden charges i should know about.. If i had signed up say 35 days into the billing period i would not have been charged as much but would still have been charged for the transfer period, which they dont mention on the information page about the paticular package.. I know it is probably mentioned in the t&c, but to me its false advertising in a way..

I am so annoyed, Eircom is such a sneaky company.. Please tell as many people as you can so no one else gets stung for these charges.. I rang to querie the bill and the staff are so rude and unprofessional in dealing with the queries.. They were so cute not to mention what the best time to sign up was when i initially looked for information and also had to pay 30e on my last bill to cancel my dial up.. Rip off..

also beware that you have less grounds to stand on if you sign up over the internet whereas if you sign up over the phone you may have some come back with a human error element..

Hope i explained this ok, if you have any queries just ask and i will try to explain best i can..

Has anyone else had an experience like this or any other with Eircom??:rolleyes:

I agree Eircom are a sneaky company in my experience.

First off, you are charged for your broadband by the day; so for example if your broadband is E30 a month you are charged €1 per day, if you recieve the service on the last 10 days of the month you are charged €10.

I'd be more concerned about getting charged for cancelling your dial-up package as this shouldn't be the case at any stage and it is Eircoms responsability to cancel when your broadband has been activated.

Also, after the third month look closely out for a "Norton" charge on your bill, even though this may be the first you have heard of it as something similar happened to myself.

Lastly, I'd have to question why you made the jump from dial-up to the top-end broadband package? Especially with cost as an issue was it really necessary? If you just use the internet for general surfing then the 1mb package would have done just fine, especially if you are not a heavy phone user. How much were you spending on calls pre broadband? Particuraly on calls to Meteor and other landlines?

dub45

Sofa_King Good wrote: »

I agree Eircom are a sneaky company in my experience.

First off, you are charged for your broadband by the day; so for example if your broadband is E30 a month you are charged €1 per day, if you recieve the service on the last 10 days of the month you are charged €10.

I'd be more concerned about getting charged for cancelling your dial-up package as this shouldn't be the case at any stage and it is Eircoms responsability to cancel when your broadband has been activated.

Also, after the third month look closely out for a "Norton" charge on your bill, even though this may be the first you have heard of it as something similar happened to myself.

Lastly, I'd have to question why you made the jump from dial-up to the top-end broadband package? Especially with cost as an issue was it really necessary? If you just use the internet for general surfing then the 1mb package would have done just fine, especially if you are not a heavy phone user. How much were you spending on calls pre broadband? Particuraly on calls to Meteor and other landlines?

If you are going to criticise a company please do it on substantive grounds. To call a company sneaky because they charge for a provided service is quite simply ludicrous.

Sofa_King Good

There are many reasons to say so in my experience, they thrive on poor communication and confused customers. This would be just one and on topic -- Misty, were you informed that some of your of your call charges would go up after you signed up for the bundle? Calls outside your package i.e Call to non Meteor Mobiles and some International calls?

dub45

Sofa_King Good wrote: »

There are many reasons to say so in my experience, they thrive on poor communication and confused customers. This would be just one and on topic -- Misty, were you informed that some of your of your call charges would go up after you signed up for the bundle? Calls outside your package i.e Call to non Meteor Mobiles and some International calls?

If there are reasons to criticise an isp (and God knows boards is full of them) at least substantiate them in the relevant post.

But any service provider charging for services provided is not shady and anyone who does not expect to be charged for services provided is simply not living in the real world.

sexmag

misty76 wrote: »

Yeah the offer does state there is a free month..

7Mb broadband for €24 included (first month FREE †) Copy and pasted this off the offer on eircom page.. So what does this mean?

Well i would like eircom to be clear and frank for new customers like me, i cant find any information on this and eircom would not tell me where i would read this either.. If anyone can pin point where i can read for myself what you are all telling me i would love to see it..

That promotion for the free month only came in two weeks ago,you said you signed up in march!!!

Sofa_King Good

dub45 wrote: »

If there are reasons to criticise an isp (and God knows boards is full of them) at least substantiate them in the relevant post.

But any service provider charging for services provided is not shady and anyone who does not expect to be charged for services provided is simply not living in the real world.

In a past life I was an employee at an ISP and I know exactly what the OP is talkíng about. I'm guessing here Misty that you took everything the "expert" told you at face value because you had no reason not too.

So who's fault is it? The customers for not asking, or the vendor's for net telling?

I could write a book about the questionable activities of certain telecom's but I have no wish to do so simply because I would be shocked if this forum was not monitored and contributed to by representatives of the various companies.

Her issue is not that she has to pay for services rendered rather the lack of transparency and honesty really that goes with dealing with these companies and to compund this it is the lack of accountabilty and customer care from the company too.

dub45

Sofa_King Good wrote: »

In a past life I was an employee at an ISP and I know exactly what the OP is talkíng about. I'm guessing here Misty that you took everything the "expert" told you at face value because you had no reason not too.

So who's fault is it? The customers for not asking, or the vendor's for net telling?

I could write a book about the questionable activities of certain telecom's but I have no wish to do so simply because I would be shocked if this forum was not monitored and contributed to by representatives of the various companies.

Her issue is not that she has to pay for services rendered rather the lack of transparency and honesty really that goes with dealing with these companies and to compund this it is the lack of accountabilty and customer care from the company too.

You may know exactly what the op is talking about but it has taken a painful extraction process to establish as far as possible that the only gripe that the op has is that eircom charged for the service provided and the op did not appear to expect this.

How is there a lack of transparency and customer service in a supplier charging for services provided?

I doubt if there is anyone consistently as critical as myself in this forum in relation to billing shortcomings and so on but I just cannot see how you can expect any company to have to warn a new customer that they will be charged for all services provided.

For example are you seriously suggesting that when someone gets on a bus the driver should tell them that they will be charged for each stage that they are on the bus and that it might be a bit cheaper to walk a bit to another stop? And that if they dont do this there is a lack of transparency and customer service?

Sofa_King Good

dub45 wrote: »

You many know exactly what the op is talking about but it has taken a painful extraction process to establish as far as possible that the only gripe that the op has is that eircom charged for the service provided and the op did not appear to expect this.

But as I see it that is not the only gripe.

A) The OP signs up for broadband over the phone, due to a breakdown in communication due either the OP, the eircom rep or a combination of both
the OP signs up to a service that they are not fully aware of. For me, ultimately it is the Company's perogative to ensure that the customer is clear on everything.

What I have witnessed in the past is the minimum of details (especially on charges) passed as long as no questions are asked.

The flat rate charge is apparently running simultaneously with the Broadband charge.

C) The bill when it arrives is illedgible. Which leads to a call to

D) Customer Care whom due to imcompetence/lack of basic training/motivation/time management pressures either cannot or will not clarify in simple terms the charges.

Which gives you one unhappy and confused customer. Understandable I'd say.

dub45 wrote: »

How is there a lack of transparency and customer service in a supplier charging for services provided?

But you see, she ultimately doesn't have a problem with this from what I can gather. I honestöy doubt that they had any assumptions before making or recieving that initial call. All of what she took to be the deal was from this information. Again, if there is any confusion for me the responsibility goes back to the company to clarify rather than promising the world to make the sale.

dub45 wrote: »

I doubt if there is anyone consistently as critical as myself in this forum in relation to billing shortcomings and so on but I just cannot see how you can expect any company to have to warn a new customer that they will be charged for all services provided.

Fair point, but I belive that the onus is on the company to clarify any charges to the point of no confusion

dub45 wrote: »

For example are you seriously suggesting that when someone gets on a bus the driver should tell them that they will be charged for each stage that they are on the bus and that it might be a bit cheaper to walk a bit to another stop? And that if they dont do this there is a lack of transparency and customer service?

No. Not at all. Although you get taken for a ride either way.

When you get on a bus and buy a ticket you can ask the price and you will recieve a straight answer - there is no small print.

A better comparison would be the unawares tourist getting a cab for the first time in a foriegn country.

They don't understand the language being used, the driver can communicate with them badly in simple, plain english, your slightly intimidated, but you take the driver at his apparent word. You think a price has been agreed from the start, you reach your destination and the bill is greater than what you thought was agreed. You ring the head office and it turns out the driver was within his rights to charge you that fare, its just that he didn't comprehensively explain this to you from the beginning. Could have been avoided from the start, you may have chosen to take another cab firm, or another mode of transport altogether. Bottom line, you got reeled in by the driver who told you what you want to know without lying.

sorry for changing it to the 1st person:)

misty76

Sofa_King Good wrote: »

I agree Eircom are a sneaky company in my experience.

First off, you are charged for your broadband by the day; so for example if your broadband is E30 a month you are charged €1 per day, if you recieve the service on the last 10 days of the month you are charged €10.

I'd be more concerned about getting charged for cancelling your dial-up package as this shouldn't be the case at any stage and it is Eircoms responsability to cancel when your broadband has been activated.

Also, after the third month look closely out for a "Norton" charge on your bill, even though this may be the first you have heard of it as something similar happened to myself.

Lastly, I'd have to question why you made the jump from dial-up to the top-end broadband package? Especially with cost as an issue was it really necessary? If you just use the internet for general surfing then the 1mb package would have done just fine, especially if you are not a heavy phone user. How much were you spending on calls pre broadband? Particuraly on calls to Meteor and other landlines?

Thanks sofa king, im glad someone understands where i am coming from.. I wasnt aware there was a paticular day that if i cancelled my dial up i wouldnt of been charged until after as the date can vary slightly from one bill to the other so it would be pot luck to cancel on the exact day..

Oh no what is the norton charge? wil look into it..

Im happy to pay the 65 a month, the dial up was slow and i was on limited hours and im happy with the free calls.. What i wasnt happy about as you know were the charges.

The cost is an issue when i think i am signing up to something and then there is a surprise 60 euro on the bill..

I agree too the bill is hard to understand, even if they claim they have made it easier and that day i rang the staff just kept saying the same thing over and over but could not clearly explain to me or break the bill down so i could understand.. To be honest i still dont really understand.. The staff i felt were quite smart and rude with my querie.. i then rang customer complaints and talk about fella being patronising, he kept repeating my name and butting in when i tried to ask a question.. he refused to tell me where i could read the information..

I agree totally that the onus is on the company to clarify any charges to the point of no confusion..

Feck that if i get on a bus i know exactly what i am paying and where im going, not the best analogy.. But agree with your taxi senario..

Also it was mentioned utility bills are the same, well i have never had any problem with my esb, gas or ntl..


I disagee it is a painful extraction period, there are a few issues here actually, it is never easy to talk something out like this in writing, its not the easiest form of communication but we dont have an option to debate in person and it would be nice on here not to be made feel inadequate..

Thank again sofa king i felt quite set upon before you posted...;)

misty76

Information for consumers

Every consumer is entitled to receive a minimum quality of service from their communications provider. Where there is competition for the supply of services, it is a matter for individual consumers to choose a provider based on a trade off between price and service quality.



In order to enable telephone users to make an informed choice, ComReg requires all companies who offer telephony services to comply with a Code of Practice when presenting information on prices. The Code requires that price information is accurate, comprehensive and is accessible.
In order to meet the other elements of information required to allow informed choices, ComReg has issued guidelines to telephony providers on what information they must specify in their contracts with customers. In particular, contracts should clearly state the services and the service level offered, i.e. what the company promises to provide to you.



While it is not mandatory for companies to offer compensation where promised service levels are not met, as a consumer you have rights under contract law and general consumer law.
Where your expectations (in light of the service chosen and the operator's commitments) are not met, you should contact your operator to have the problem remedied or, where this is not possible, an adequate explanation of the situation.

Quote from com reg complaints and queries..

misty76

Sofa_King Good wrote: »

There are many reasons to say so in my experience, they thrive on poor communication and confused customers. This would be just one and on topic -- Misty, were you informed that some of your of your call charges would go up after you signed up for the bundle? Calls outside your package i.e Call to non Meteor Mobiles and some International calls?

No i wasnt informed..

misty76

dub45 wrote: »

If there are reasons to criticise an isp (and God knows boards is full of them) at least substantiate them in the relevant post.

But any service provider charging for services provided is not shady and anyone who does not expect to be charged for services provided is simply not living in the real world.

Yes of course i am happy to pay the service but would like to have known about it.. Is it my fault i dont like you have the knowledge of all this, doubt the average person will.. and its not made clearly known either to begin with..

I feel you are going to have your opinion and i am going to have mine.. I still stand by what i first said that i just want people to be aware..

Is it fair we have to keep ringing and like a military operation organise exact dates to cancel and sign up without extra fees outside of diferent packages etc.. You would also think a month's notice is enough to give to cancel my dial up especially when i was signing up to their top package for a year without paying a fee..

I am living in the real world, i know all about it:D

foggy_lad

op you seem very informed and well able to communicate what eircom may be doing wrong yet i am still confused as to where or how exactly they have been sneaky as you dont seem able to post the charges levied in any way that can be understood, and i dont see that sofa-kin-goods hijack of your thread has done your cause any good at all.

when you signed up you pay from the next bill date but any overlap in service dates will be billed on this date also so you are paying your first bill with free broadband plus three weeks from the previous period. also remember that billing is monthly not bi-monthly

misty76

foggy_lad wrote: »

op you seem very informed and well able to communicate what eircom may be doing wrong yet i am still confused as to where or how exactly they have been sneaky as you dont seem able to post the charges levied in any way that can be understood, and i dont see that sofa-kin-goods hijack of your thread has done your cause any good at all.

when you signed up you pay from the next bill date but any overlap in service dates will be billed on this date also so you are paying your first bill with free broadband plus three weeks from the previous period. also remember that billing is monthly not bi-monthly

Sneaky in the fact, if i dont know the correct day to disconnect i am charged..

Sneaky in the fact that it is not clearly stated exactly what i am signing up to, noticed perlico have an excellent FAQ section under there billing that if eircom had i wouldnt of had this problem.. Why dont they have the same information?

Sneaky in the fact that i dont learn information till it is too late and am obliged to pay the bill and i am not given the chance to make an informed decision..

Sneaky in the fact they prommise speeds which they cant meet..

Sneaky that there bill is hard to understand..

I understand what i am paying for now as they say knowledge is power, which i did not have a few days ago.. Hence if even only one person is made aware from this thread i will be happy.. But i am doing the job that eircom should be doing in the first place..

Welll sofa king has as much right as anyone to post,who cares if it has done me good or not, im deliged he can relate to what im saying, its awful everyone is always trying to win on here.. Is he not entitled to an opinion, think most people can see the point im making but they want to put their side which they are entitled to..

Its gone beyond the point of me posting the sums in my bill now..

How do you mean billing is monthly?

misty76

http://www.perlico.com/support/billing/default.aspx#sixteenninetynine

as opposed to these..

"eircom broadband frequently asked questions

1. Is self-install available on all broadband products?

Yes. eircom broadband time, home starter, home plus and home professional are available as self-install when you order online. eircom broadband self-install is not available for eircom isdn migration orders.
2. What are the support numbers for the broadband products?

eircom broadband home starter / plus / professional and eircom broadband time- 1890 260 260.*
* lines open 8am - 10pm 7 days a week. Calls charged at a local rate.
3. When I connect to broadband, what do I need to do with my Internet dial-up account?

When you connect to broadband, you should contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to ensure that any previous dial-up settings to your Internet account are cancelled. eircom accept no responsibility for call charges incurred by customers who continue to dial-up to the Internet when they have eircom broadband installed.
4. Does eircom have broadband online support

The eircom broadband online support site is your first port of call for all broadband and Internet related issues, from lost passwords to information on the latest virus threats. Intuitive and interactive, it has step-by-step guides and illustrations to make online support easy for you.
5. Do I sign up to a contract?

When you order eircom broadband and talktime as a bundle, you are subject to a minimum 12 month contract period.
6. What happens if I cease before the end of the contract period?

If you cease your bundle service during the minimum contract period, eircom reserves the right to charge the monthly rental for the balance of the unexpired contract period.** In the event that the customer fails to return the modem within 14 days, eircom reserves the right to charge the customer the sum of €99.40 (inc. VAT) for the wireless modem.

**Please note: if you cease your broadband within the six months, you will be charged the remaining rental for the six month contract period.
7. What constitutes ceasing from bundles?

If a customer ceases their broadband or talktime packages (or both) then they are deemed to have ceased from bundles.
8. Are DSFA customers eligible for eircom bundles?

Yes.
9. Are there additional charges for a broadband connection if I have a monitored phone alarm?

Yes, a technician may need to call out to your premises. Please click here for further information

Last updated: Apr 03, 2009 "


Why cant eircom do this?? Also the more i look up about eircom i am shocked with how unhappy people are with them and their services..

misty76

jor el wrote: »

The cost of 7Mb broadband is €24 a month, and this is included in the price they give you, which is €41.16 for the first month and €65.16 a month thereafter. Your first bill contained a back-charge, from March to May, of €59.40, which would have been the €41.16 for the first 30 days, and then I'm guessing €18.24 that makes up the remaining days in that billing period (about a week or so).

That's about the gist of it I think.

I'm assuming this is the offer you signed up to?

Looks fairly straight forward to me.

I dont think it is a back charge, i was paying a euro a day for the broadband roughly.. I dont think the 41.16 has anything to do with it.. Also as pointed out the offer wasnt open to me then.. so the bb wasnt free for the first month.

PogMoThoin

misty76 wrote: »

http://www.perlico.com/support/billing/default.aspx#sixteenninetynine

Why cant eircom do this?? Also the more i look up about eircom i am shocked with how unhappy people are with them and their services..

Perlico are just as misleading as Eircom

misty76

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Perlico are just as misleading as Eircom

Very true was just saying it happened that i understood more about my issue from reading their FAQ's.. But true they are all guilty..