Unhappy with your BB service, your emails to the Minister & Comreg place in here

20-12-2007 12:22AM #1

If you have an issue with your BB service then send the following an email about it, Dr. Dermot Nolan of the Retail Division in Comreg seems to think everyone in Ireland is delighted with their broadband speeds.

Your mails to these addresses:

Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie

Mike Byrne, Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg): mike.byrne@comreg.ie

Dr. Dermot Nolan, Retail Division (ComReg) :dermot.nolan@comreg.ie

Also place a copy of your mail here in this thread

Thanks Zaphod

Dear Dr. Nolan,

After hearing your interview on the radio this morning I am writing this to inform you that I like many others have complained before to Comreg about Broadband issues, especially speed problems. I for one complained last year about my “so called 3MB” from BT Ireland. I never got the advertised 3MB speed since the speed became available, then a few months before last Christmas my speed dropped to well below 2MB. For a few months it was phone call after phone call to BT, Eircom and Comreg trying to get the issue resolved but that done nothing, it wasn’t until I contacted my local TD that something was done.
A week after contacting him I had engineers call out to my home and run numerous tests on the line, as a result they determined that the line in my area was only fit for a 2MB service and not 3MB. Yet to this day BT along with Eircom and other BB providers advertise that you can get a full 3MB service in my area which is certainly not the case. By right I should be getting the money back that I was paying when I had the so called 3MB service as it was falsely advertise.

I also think it’s about time the prices dropped and the monthly download caps were done away it. I have 2MB with BT and a monthly download cap of 20GB and pay €32.50 (not including line rental), a bit much when you compare it to other providers ie. Smart, were you can have 3MB with no limits for a €15 a month (not including line rental). Also why is it so dear of a service with BT when 3MB costs €42.50 and their 8MB service is also the same price, very unfair if you ask me, so if you’re not in a 8MB area BT will charge you the same price for 3MB ???
As regards to the monthly download caps it’s about time they were done away it and the speed of broadband increased, for myself 20GB a month can be gone in a week, what with a lot of video game demos for PC’s and consoles now over 1GB in size, music and video coming in HD format that use more MB, not to mention my kids use of the internet. I myself like many others have in my home a PC, PS3, Xbox360 and an iPOD, 20GB download is a joke.
For example Microsoft have recently released their new Video service via Xbox LIVE where you can now download movie rentals in HD format. A movie in HD format is well over 1GB and up, this added on top of game demo downloads, addons, music, videos on both Xbox LIVE, Playstation 3 online store service and Apple’s iTunes, then you have Apple TV and Playstation TV services coming out next year, it’s just unrealistic these days to have a monthly download cap not to mention the lack of speeds above 2MB in most of the country.
I pay enough as it is, if BT, Eircom and other providers won’t lower their prices the least they could do is to do away with the cap.

KStaford · 20-12-2007 12:39AM

Thanks for the heads up, I just sent in my complaint as follows

Subject: FAO: Dr. Dermot Nolan, this is a complaint !

Further to you runbelievable morning Ireland stint.

This is a complaint about my awful broadband speeds. I live in south county Sligo where I cannot get DSL so I have to pay o2 €40 per month for a very poor service. I get approx 500Kbps but during evening this worsens and on a bad night weather wise, it reduces even furhter.

I have been a DSL customer in the past with both UTV Internet and BT. In each case, I was always dissapointed at the astronomical price of DSL broadband and with the loss of speed due to contention.
When a company advertises 3MB broadband - what they should actually be advertising is boradband upto 3MB dependant on no one else sharing the line and perfect physical conditions at all times.

Broadband in Ireland is terrible. We never complain to comreg because they always pass the book and never represent our cases. I have had prior experience of this. Comreg are as bad as the broadband providers and are seen as totally useless and impotent by many of us broadband sufferers.

I hope more and more of use do likewise. We will never change anything unless you all complain. Its sheer numbers that matter. Come on folks, send in a complaint.
Broadand in Ireland is bloody terrible and so dam expensive. DO IT!

KStaford · 20-12-2007 12:48AM

thanks to Zaphod for this post

According to the nice man from Comreg on Morning Ireland, everyone in Ireland is delighted with their broadband speeds. Their evidence for this is that they have received very few complaints regarding poor broadband speeds.

Link:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1219/morningireland_av.html?2319602,null,209
(about 2 mins in)

If one were cynical, one might ascribe this to the fact the Comreg are about as much use as a one-legged man in an arse kicking contest and hence people can't be bothered complaining to them. But just so they can't come on another programme with the same lame excuse, send your tales of broadband woe to info@comreg.ie or consumerline@comreg.ie. Make sure to cc them to the nice man from Comreg: dermot.nolan@comreg.ie

Oddly enough, they don't seem to have a specific email address for complaints.

"For Consumer Queries and Complaints regarding communications service providers, you may contact ComReg's Consumer Line on LoCall 1890 22 9668."

More info on nice man from Comreg here:
http://www.comreg.ie/about_us/retail_division.472.479.html

KStaford · 20-12-2007 12:51AM

admins, cud we make this sticky ?

20-12-2007 12:54AM

Making this a sticky would be a great idea, just done an edit to the start of this thead, it now includes the Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan email address, so send your mails there also.

Sponge Bob · 20-12-2007 01:03AM

I would point out that dermot nolan is not a commissioner and not in charge .

mike byrne IS in charge, last time I bothered looking

, i would cc him too

20-12-2007 01:15AM

Sponge Bob wrote: »

I would point out that dermot nolan is not a commissioner and not in charge .

mike byrne IS in charge, last time I bothered looking , i would cc him too

mail address added, thanks SB

foggy_lad · 20-12-2007 12:14PM

Hi i just want to bring to your attention my miserable speeds for Broadband which regularly drop below dial-up speed!
the nice ComReg person on the radio said ye had not recieved many complaints so ye assumed everyone had good Broadband well that is not the case!
my broadband with the "3"network is pure rubbish but it is the best available without a phoneline in carlow town!
i would make a complaint but your office will just advise me to cancel the contract under sale of goods/supply of services act which leaves me without any service at all!
i have already tried 3 other providers and they are worse so i am stuck with 20-180kbps speeds on a service which advertises 3.6mbps!
to be honest as there is NO proper regulation of Broadband in Ireland there will never be real Broadband as they have in Europe!

kind regards

sent to comreg so they have at least one complaint!

govinda · 20-12-2007 12:51PM

TO: dermot.nolan@comreg.ie
CC: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie, mike.byrne@comreg.ie, morningireland@rte.ie

Dear Dr. Nolan

Further to your recent appearance on Morning Ireland, I am writing to suggest that the low volume of complaints to ComReg in regards broadband availability and speeds are not an indication of the Irish consumers satisfaction with either aspect of broadband provision in Ireland - and rather their eventual acceptance of ComRegs complete ineffectiveness in improving either of these.

Should you wish, I can furnish the extensive correspondence I had with John Doherty of ComReg and the DCMNR when I made a complaint to both in 2006 that I was paying €70 per month for 180 hours of ISDN dial-up only because broadband in any form was completely unavailable to me and that I could expect to pay half of the current charge for always-on access if it were. Please note that I do not live "in the sticks", but 30 minutes from Dublin city centre.

1 year on from that complaint and and I am now a user of 3's HSDPA "broadband". This delivers speeds of 70-200kbps, not the advertised 3.6Mbps, and well below what would be accepted as broadband in the real world. However, unlike an Eircom dialup product or the Reseller versions of its dialup products, I do not have to pay excessively for this service. I'd love to get broadband but I recognise and accept that this is unlikely to occur in Ireland anytime soon unless I take up residence in an Eircom exchange.

I applaud the GM of eBay Ireland and other CEOs of SMEs who have gone public with their dissatisfaction with Irelands broadband infrastructure recently - perhaps ComReg and the Government will listen to industry and take action; its clear to me, and obviously many others, that there is no point in the average consumer complaining to either.

Sincerely

XXXXXXXXXXX

20-12-2007 09:08PM

Got the following reply today:

On behalf of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr Eamon Ryan TD, I wish to acknowledge receipt of your email of 19th December 2007.

The contents will be brought to the Minister's attention.

Yours sincerely

Colm Ó Conaill
Private Secretary to the Minister

bealtine · 21-12-2007 12:17PM

hellboy99 wrote: »

Got the following reply today:

He's too busy plundering the budget for communications for his latest toilet paper reusing scheme to take any notice.

21-12-2007 11:44PM

I got a reply from Comreg :eek:

Dear ***,

Many thanks for your email.

Can you please forward your contact details relating to your BT account and I am more than happy to pursue the issue relating to the 3mb downgrade and refund if applicable?

With regard to the BT 8mb product, I understand that it is currently only available in 13 areas (LLU exchanges) and is offered to the market currently as an “introductory offer” and hence why it is the same price as their 3mb product.

With regard to the monthly cap, it is true that there are varying levels of offers in the market and some operators view it as a service differential to offer more download capacity. Each operator is free to choose the offers they present to the market by way of price, availability, download limits etc and essentially the market will dictate the pace of change in this area.

I’ve opened a complaint ticket (reference ***) with regard to the 3mb/2mb issue, please send me your details and I will happily pursue.

Kind regards - Tony O'Brien (Comreg)

Unhappy with your BB service, your emails to the Minister & Comreg place in here

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