DSL check

Ruu_Old

i always get the wrong person when asking to have my line checked for DSL, i called 1901, Friday afternoon and they gave me the 1800 503 303 number and told me to call back on Monday. is that the right number? Also is it me, or do only a John and a Mary work in them call centres, they are the ppl i get everytime hehe

zz03

Originally posted by Ruu
i always get the wrong person when asking to have my line checked for DSL, i called 1901, Friday afternoon and they gave me the 1800 503 303 number and told me to call back on Monday. is that the right number? Also is it me, or do only a John and a Mary work in them call centres, they are the ppl i get everytime hehe

Have you tried checking your line and ordering the service online?

www.adsl.ie

The 1 800 number you cite above is the one to call if you don't do it online.

zz..

Ruu_Old

aye, gave that website a try but ive heard its not that reliable either, so wanted to get a second opinion. And if it did fail, whats the options, etc

spongebob

Originally posted by zz03
I ended up calling the 1800 number mentioned above about 30 times and now have DSL.

How many Times do I have to tell yiz that the 1800 number class of Biddy is 2 generations higher that the 1901 class of Biddy on the customer service evolutionary scale.

Business users should call 1800501502 to get a good class of CS rep.

Home user 1800503303 or 1800512128

Masochists should call 1901 for the thrill of being humiliated.

M

zz03

It (online signup) didn't work for me - even though the loop in question passed the line test phase at the start of the ordering procedure. When I got into ordering the service it told me that DSL wasn't available on my exchange. Which is total rubbish as it was one of the first exchanges to get a DSLAM.

I ended up calling the 1800 number mentioned above about 30 times and now have DSL.

Expensive and timewasting for me and eircom (the 300 Marys and 50 Johns that answer all these calls at their call centres must cost a packet – not to mention the one guy they have at eircom logistics in James St, D8 who has to post out about 10,000 packs of modems, and replacements, and CDs he forgot to send (or more probably someone else forgot to pack), filters, etc. No wonder he doesn’t get to work until 10.30 in the morning – he must be working until all hours every night.

It would be cheaper for all if eircom could get it right first time (like sending out the correct DSL modem per customer order, putting the CD and filters in the box etc.) and doing the cross connecting to the DSLAM at the exchange (or "jumpering" as they call it in quaint Olde English Eircom speak) in a timely fashion.

I was wondering if it (online ordering) would work for anyone else - and perhaps provide a solution for the root poster in terms of not having to wait until Monday to conduct his business.

Quite frankly, the country remains a broadband shambles.

Getting DSL should be at least as easy as getting a mobile phone. Pick up a DSL modem box and go to the sales desk. The sales person asks you for your phone number. He calls the automated test number and taps in your number to determine if your line currently qualifies.

Many PC shops don’t have DSL modems. Those that do are usually British chain stores who have kit customized for the British market which uses non-standard connectors / filters – which forces one to change all phone sockets in the house to British phone sockets (because they all have to be filtered even if you only use one socket location for DSL). Or use an adapter at each point which will probably introduce line degradation problems and will probably slow down the RADSL speed. Avoid any addition to home wiring at all cost if you want to maximize DSL connection speed or your chances of passing a DSL test. Be aware that the eircom website does not provide their DSL settings if you buy a DSL modem from a shop. While it involves only one or two simple settings you will have to hunt around here or call their outrageously expensive 1550 support number to get them.

One wonders if it is too much to ask for a bit of rationalization all round? In the interest of the customer and the user-friendly proliferation of broadband?

For anyone starting out to order now I would suggest that they go for the Ethernet rather than USB modem (I have had both). Ethernet is faster, shorter pings, better and more flexible (and you can use a firewall in a box to keep hackers at arms length from your PC or business network). With Ethernet you can ignore the eircom CD and download a simple, tiny bit of software from http://www.raspppoe.com/ (No version of Microsoft Windows to date properly supports DSL hence the requirement for this) and follow the instructions provided which are typically Swiss in their precision and “idiot proofness”.

Eircom and Microsoft. While they have a lot in common, the main factor is that they don't have to get out of bed in the morning to earn a living. Because they are both de facto monopolies.

zz..

zz03

Originally posted by Muck
How many Times do I have to tell yiz that the 1800 number class of Biddy is 2 generations higher that the 1901 class of Biddy on the customer service evolutionary scale.

Business users should call 1800501502 to get a good class of CS rep.

Home user 1800503303 or 1800512128

Masochists should call 1901 for the thrill of being humiliated.

M

Why don't they have a single 1800 number for DSL and invite callers to press 1 for bus and 2 for res.

And those that call 1901 should be invited to press x for DSL to get to the 1800 DSL answering point.

zz..

furlong

ahhhh come on zz03 that would be too easy

It is right up there with having a simple list of enabled exchanges and exchanges to be enabled.

This is Eircom not an efficient modern organisation like....ummm like...umm like

Ruu_Old

Why don't they have a single 1800 number for DSL and invite callers to press 1 for bus and 2 for res.

good idea so i wouldnt get given out to by a biddy hehe, quite amusing. "Will ya hold on, i have to get my writing glasses, i only have me reading glasses on!"

zz03

Originally posted by furlong
ahhhh come on zz03 that would be too easy

It is right up there with having a simple list of enabled exchanges and exchanges to be enabled.

An even higher priority in the scheme of things!

zz..