New contract with eircom or switch to Vodafone?

our contract is finally up with eircom:D:D:D
unfortuntely though upc is not available in our county yet so theres not much choice.
we've been getting fantastic speeds with eircom, always above 3.5meg. However we only have a download cap of 30gb a month.
at the moment we're getting 4.25mbps. of course though, eircom are a complete rip off so vodafone's packages are looking very appealing, especially after the discount for a member of the family being a Vodafone bill pay customer.

This would be the package in Vodafone we'd be getting
I contacted Vodafone and they said the maximum speed my line could handle would be 4.1Mbps. Even if we got over 3mbps, we'd be farely happy.
i know somebody living about a 3-4 minute drive away from me, furthur away from the town, and they very rarely get over 2mbps with Vodafone.

the alternative is to stick with eircom on the same package or sign a new contract on a new a package, partiurlarly this one

Vodafone would cost €588 for the year but i'd be getting bonuses like a free router, 200 minutes to vodafone mobiles and free uk calls. we can also get €40 cashback through fatcheese

Eircom on the other hand would cost €650+ for the first year
Eircom don't give new routers to current customers and we would only get 30minutes to mobiles

My questions,
Should we sign a new contract with eircom or switch to vodafone?
Anyone on vodafone, living in a town and not out in the country, what speeds are you getting?
Are vodafones customer service good?
Is eircom worth the extra €100 a year compared to vodafone?

jor el

You don't need a new router, nor do you need to sign any new contract with eircom. I would only recommend a change if something is very wrong with your current connection, or if there were significant savings to be made. €60 a year is nothing.

jor el

jor el wrote: »

You don't need a new router, nor do you need to sign any new contract with eircom. I would only recommend a change if something is very wrong with your current connection, or if there were significant savings to be made. €60 a year is nothing.

I know I don't need to sign a new contract with eircom, but if I do my download allowance would be 8 times bigger which is very good as we do a large bit of downloading, streaming and online gaming
Vodafone have much more included in their packages and I'd like to know what Vodafones service is like. Most of the bad reports I've read here are quite old and I am wondering have they improved recently

jor el

Unless you're currently on an NGB package then eircom don't enforce the usage limit. If you are on NGB, then they do.

jor el

jor el wrote: »

Unless you're currently on an NGB package then eircom don't enforce the usage limit. If you are on NGB, then they do.

Ya we are on ngb.
When we signed up a year ago we were on 3mbps broadband and told we would be upgraded to ngb when it's available, and we were. We were given 30gb download a month when we signed up.
Should we have unlimited download allowance now since we're upgraded to ngb ? I must check with eircom to see what it is

bodonnell

Since changing from eircom to vodafone I can't really fault their service, I am on up to 3mb package & consistently get 2.63mb, with similar eircom pack only getting 1mb if lucky. I don't download music etc. so download limit not really an issue for me. I think most packages now start at up to 8mb but distance from exchange etc. (over 4kms) means the speed we have is the best that can be got via landline or so they tell us

ninjasurfer1

Deleted User wrote: »

Should we have unlimited download allowance now since we're upgraded to ngb ? I must check with eircom to see what it is

Last time I checked, if you're on ngb, you should be on the unlimited download limits (which is actually capped at 250gbs).

audia6guy1

Vodafone broadband at home..... be very wary of what speed boardband your line can achieve, and what vodafone bundle because its a Scam, lets just say the package that im on says up to 8mb broadband and talk anytime for just 45 euro a month, sounds good but do you think im getting anywhere near 8mb more like 2.5mb called vodafone and they said im on the value boardband so i'll only get up to 3mb (didnt see that anywhere on the Bundle advertisement) Scammers not happy gona give eircom a call i recon's.....Scammers

its not a scam. eircom and vodafone both advertise their broadband packages with UP TO 8mb broadband depending on your distance from the exchange, quality of your line etc.
Maybe your line is only cabable of 2.5mbps and 'Enhanced Broadband/Next Generation Broadband' is not available in your area yet

projectgtr

audia6guy1 wrote: »

Vodafone broadband at home..... be very wary of what speed boardband your line can achieve, and what vodafone bundle because its a Scam, lets just say the package that im on says up to 8mb broadband and talk anytime for just 45 euro a month, sounds good but do you think im getting anywhere near 8mb more like 2.5mb called vodafone and they said im on the value boardband so i'll only get up to 3mb (didnt see that anywhere on the Bundle advertisement) Scammers not happy gona give eircom a call i recon's.....Scammers

Its not a scam im running consistant 7.4 everyday, it depends on a lot of factors thats why its marketed at "up to" 8Mb

sitja

i disagree,, they are total SCAMMERS!!! im on ultimate eircom which says its up 24mb but i barely get 5!!!!! Now thats bull crap!!!! oh and my area is capable of atleast 15mb.

Found out we are on unlimited download allowance with eircom, but we are only using half the internet i thought we were.
Last December, 38gb was downloaded. The previous months are all under 30gb. I can't see much months in the next year reaching last months figure.
In that case so, we would probably be better off on Vodafones 40gb package for €44 a month. after having a look at previous eircom bills, the savings would be over €150 a year.

PogMoThoin

sitja wrote: »

i disagree,, they are total SCAMMERS!!! im on ultimate eircom which says its up 24mb but i barely get 5!!!!! Now thats bull crap!!!! oh and my area is capable of atleast 15mb.

There's no such thing as being in a 15mbit capable area, what you're capable of depends on the quality of your individual line. You can check your line own stats on your router, post them here and we can tell you what your line is capable of. If your stats are bad and you're only getting 5mbit, ring Eircom and ask to be put on a lower package.

generallyjack

Hello all,

I just signed up to Vodafone phone and broadband the other day because a salesperson called around. It sounded like a good deal when compared to what I was getting from Eircom. I am currently on 1mb/s basic broadband because I'm in the "amber zone", Vodafone promise speeds of up to 8mb/s. While our Eircom broadband would be considered slow, it is reliable. I am sure the phone service will be fine.

I have researched the feedback online; it's a mixed bag. The responses to the service seem to vary from adequate (posts on boards.ie) to dreadful (http://www.aidanfinn.com/?p=10262). I don't know whether or not to cancel the order.

What would you suggest I do?

Cantona's Collars

They both use the same line but ask for a new router from vodafone.If anything it'll be cheaper which these days is a bonus.
I got vodafone at home a while back and get excellent speeds,cheaper than Eircom too;) €38 a month including line rental.

Got my line tested and Vodafone rang me back the next day with the results,I told them that was what I expected and any less would lead to cancellation-so far so good.

Maybe you should ring them too and tell them your fears about speed.

generallyjack

That's a good idea, zerks. I'll call them tomorrow and ask to have my line tested. Thanks for taking the time to reply.