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New Eir ripoff - charging €12 for a paper bill.

The Continental Op

Just got a contract change letter with the bill from Eir

New charge for Paper bill of €12 - €5.99 per month.

Now I know plenty will jump in and say who needs bills sent out by post in this day and age.

My argument is that Eir refuse to supply me with any form of Broadband connection (Fiber stops 400m up the road) and our house is in a mobile phone black spot so they should send out a bill for free.

If we had decent mobile coverage in the house I wouldn't darken Eir's door.

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lawrencesummers

Thats the consequence of living in rural Ireland, something that has many advantages which you benefit from.

You can get your landline from many other companies, shop around.

Irish_wolf

Eir being notoriously shite with their services is nothing new. My aunt lives in a very rural part of Mayo and was told for years by Eir that the lines in her area were not capable of supplying broadband. She eventually got in contact with a different company that hooked her up no bother for like €20 extra on top of the install fees for a super fast broadband package, wasn't gigabit or fibre but was enough to stream HD Netflix or whatever you want. Check around to see if there are other companies in your area who might be able to hook you up.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119584778#Comment_119584778

Thanks I used to work in IT some of it hooking people up. No chance we'll have broadband from anyone here for a few years. Starlink is one option a neighbor has but I pay another neighbors broadband bill (they aren't there most of the year) and have a 400m wireless link to it.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058262357/new-eir-ripoff-charging-12-for-a-paper-bill

In order to go to paperless bills with Eir you have to sign up to direct debit as well.

whomitconcerns

What do you feel you are missing out for on not having a paper bill?

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588951#Comment_119588951

Service from a service industry

mondeoman72

Its not a ripoff its a polite feck off for anyone wanting a bill posted. They are forcing people off paper bills. I was in the Uk recently and a woman fell. Nothing wrong with her. She called an ambulance and was quoted 7 hours.

Its a polite way of telling you NO.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119589973#Comment_119589973

Your knowledge of the current situation with ambulances in the UK is shockling bad.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588905#Comment_119588905

Fortunately not, from the notice I received.

Online billing via email and my eir - Remains free of charge
Payment via direct debit, credit or debit card or instore - Remains free of charge

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119590048#Comment_119590048

I get the following message if i login to my online Eir account and try to change to paperless billing.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119591836#Comment_119591836

I'll call them and if necessary put in a Formal Complaint tomorrow and see what happens.

L1011

The cost to send a bill out is going to be in the 2 quid range (postage - there is very little discount for mass mailing, printing, logistics) so a charge isn't that odd. 12 quid for a single bill is, however, nuts.

The Continental Op

https://www.comreg.ie/advice-information/billing-and-disputed-charges/#Accessible-Billing

If a customer cannot access the alternative billing medium, (for example because the customer does not have broadband access or cannot use an on-line service), the service provider must issue the customer with paper bills free-of-charge.

Also didn't notice that they are changing to monthly billing for landline customers.

From the link above there is also this..

What are the rules?

The main rules introduced include:

The provision of bills to post-paid consumers free-of-charge.
If the customer is on electronic billing and subsequently notifies their provider that they cannot access their bill, bills must be provided in paper medium free-of-charge. Once a consumer notifies their provider they cannot reasonably access their bill, bills must be provided in paper medium free-of-charge.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119592202#Comment_119592202

The cost of running an email service is next to nothing but look what Eir are charging for that.

The Continental Op

If asked Comreg a question on this by email and been on to Eir.

The Eir rep seems to think the above info I quoted from the comreg site has changed so they can charge for a paper bill however they will let me off the charge because I don't have internet at home.

But in typical Eir fashion they can't put a note on the system to that effect at the moment because it seems their systems are messed up while they change over to a new system. I need to call back at the end of December to sort it.

Waiting to see what comreg say.

whippet

but you have broadband access ... albeit via a wireless bridge from another site - you have access.

As per the conditions you posted - it only mentions access or inability to use an on-line service. Quite clearly you have access to broadband and you can us an on-line service.

I might sound pedantic - but you want a paper bill and don't want to pay for it when an electronic option is available to you.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119595900#Comment_119595900

Going paperless would have been OK but Eir also want me to have a direct debit to do that. I have a connection because someone else isn't using theirs, there is no guarantee that I can continue to use it. Previously I used a 4G connection that was in a neighbors garden with a wireless link to it - someone put a bouncy castle anchor through the buried power cable and as it wasn't replaced I lost that connection. If Eir want to provide me with broadband then it would be different.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058262357/new-eir-ripoff-charging-12-for-a-paper-bill

Is your paper bill for broadband or landline phone?

The Continental Op

Just phone line.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588951#Comment_119588951

Easy access to your bills when you change broadband providers in a years time

Sure you can print off every bill before you move. But that's gonna take you a full day of your life if you aren't met with constant login issues and crashes and broken links

Everything is locked behind a portal now. If they just emailed you the PDF that would be fine. But making users login to see and download a bill is just more sharp practice

whomitconcerns

True..I love looking at my old bills???? Why would you want that?

I know how much I pay. I haven't even owned a printer in years as they are so shoddy these days.

Not trying to be a pain here... But there is generally no need for regular people to have a paper bill anymore at all other than wanting to be awkward to prove a point.

Of course there are exceptions due to physical/mental considerations... And they should be free of course.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119669419#Comment_119669419

Do you also love paying by direct debit? You can't go paperless without signing up for paying by direct debit. More sharp practice by Eir!

AnRothar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119669090#Comment_119669090

Curious,

What's to stop you logging in each month and downloading the bill in pdf yourself?

That way you will have your own copy?

Cabaal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119669090#Comment_119669090

Not sharp practice,

Its a level of security given the information bills contain and what they can be used for,

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670158#Comment_119670158

Rubbish! If you forget to pay Eir are quick enough to phone with an automated message telling you that you haven't paid and who knows who will pick the phone up. No security questions just a pay up message.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119670225#Comment_119670225

It's a bit harder to do identity theft when you've only got the ghost of an automated phone message ringing your ear!

bureau2009

A relative of mine is in their nineties, zero e-mail skills and only very very basic banking skills.

This is causing huge problems for them. And their landline is very important to them.

whomitconcerns

Yes I do. I pay everything on direct debit for more than 20 years!

Thinkingaboutit

Others might have said it, tho I cannot see, but my reverting to paper for Vodafone post pay would also incur a 12 Euro charge, nearly doubling my monthly bill.

whomitconcerns

Of course there are exceptions cases like this where it should be free if they need it. Which I am sure they do

WildCardDoW

Change to another provider who'd offer a contract for less than what you'd pay eir for landline and a bill.

If you can't find that then eir aren't being a rip off - they're the only player in the very small market of land-line only packages (most of them legacy packages) or they are offering a logical price / package in line with competitors.

Anyway, you clearly have Internet access (posting on an Internet board) which means you can definitely download your bill. Ring up and ask them to turn on paperless billing without direct debit if you haven't tried that yet - seems like it would socle you complaint.

You'd have to hope your package isn't on TIS I'd think.

The problem is there is maintenance and upkeep in maintaining these services, as less and less people use the service they have to up the costs for the remaining users.

Sometimes other services are priced to force users off them.