If you go back through my posts then you’ll have read about the fun and games I had when Eircom, without my knowledge or consent, hijacked by broadband subscription from BT Ireland back in January. They tried to send me a WIFI router too which I never touched. It was sent straight back to sender at the post office 🙂
Anyway, I got back to BT after a lot of hassle. Eircom have billed me repeatedly for their "services". I’m refusing to pay them. I’ve called several times to their Billing and Customer Care departments and neither wanted to deal with me, just passing the buck to the other. So, the bills went unpaid.
Eventually, a letter was sent to me by a solicitor (lawyer) on behalf of Eircom, threatening me with legal actions, property reclamation and damaging my credit rating, i.e. my reputation. Now I was angry.
I got in contact with Comreg, the telecomunications regulator who govern Eircom, etc. I explained the situation to them. They told me exactly what I wanted to hear:
- Eircom had acted illegally.
- I could sue Eircom.
I got in contact with Eircom’s solicitor. Honeslty, he was another "pass the buck" person. But I spelled things out to him. His client was acting illegally. If he did anything to aide or abet his client in damaging my name or reputation then I would clean his bank account out and I would smile while doing it. He promised me that I would never hear from him again.
Comreg told me that I should write a formal letter of complaint and send it into Eircom by registered post. They are legally obliged to acknowledge and act on this within 10 working days. If nothing has happened by day 11 then I am in a position to act. I am to call Comreg on day 11 so they can initiate proceedings against the company.
I sent in my letter by registered post spelling out their illagal actions, tha fact that there is no contract between us and demanding:
- They cease all actions.
- They explain their actions.
- They formally apologise to me.
We are on day number 5. I hope they don’t respond 🙂
By the way, the only way to get any complaint dealt with by Eircom is to launch a formal complaint. They will point blank refuse to do this over the phone so you need to do this by registered post:
Include all details, e.g. phone number, address, account numbers, etc. DO NOT GIVE THEM AN EXCUSE TO BE SLOW.
EDIT: If you are dealing with broadband then you will need your Univeral Account Number (UAN). I had to get mine from BT Ireland.
Keep your track and trace number. Give them 10 working days to respond. If they don’t then call Comreg on day #11: 1890 229668. Don’t email them … it takes then at least a week for them to get back to you.
Hi Aidan, it’s great that you took the time to post this online and it appears so high up in the search results. I am considering doing the same thing now and complain with the support of our local community, otherwise nothing gets done. Keep up the good work!
Hi Aidan, I was so happy when I came accross your page. I’m up in a heap over Eircom. I now have debt collecters contacting me and asking me to pay and outragous amount of money because I apparently left Eircom mid contract! (I had to move out from a private rented house and home to my mothers) because of financial resons.
I had all my bill paid up by direct debit and thought I had everything done right.
Now i’m recieving threatning letters from a debt collection agency.
Its really getting me down and when I try to deal with Eircom i’m being pushed from piller to post and they dont reply to my emails.
So i will do as you suggest and send them a registered letter.
Phone ComReg for advice.
I sent a registered lettet to Eircom Customer Services
at the end of December. No response yet ( feb 4th).
A follow up mail to their press section got an acknowledgement
of receipt, but no action.
They are very poor in their ability to communicate to customers,
whether it is a lack of training, motivation, or simply incompetence.
Aiden,
I just wrote to Eircom last week & haven’t got a reply yet. Thanks for advice. Going to write again tonight and register post. Thanks again
Joan
Thank you for the info and I will be ring Comreg about Eircoms sharp practices, preying on the elderly. My Dad 83, hard of hearing, lives in rural Ireland, been an eircom customer all his life, only ever had a landline, doesn’t know how to use a computer was sent a modem. He returned the modem but didn’t send it recorded delivery of course no records show it was returned with Eircom. He has now showed us a bill for broadband services that he is now being billed for. When I rang Eircom , they say he is now duty bound to pay for this broadband service as there was a verbal agreement over the phone, my Dad probably said yes to get them off the phone as it was their Sales dept ringing him as he never makes call only to family . Others should be aware and have a look at their elderly relatives bills from Eircom as if this happened to us it must be happening to others!
Had interesting debacle with eircom after tenant left and I asked to keep his old number. They said yes pre and post contract, but then refused and issued me with 2 numbers instead! Eventually when case went to Comreg, their agents said the tenant’s number was owned by a customef at a different address. They make up so many stories they even confuse their own staff!
at the start of Feb 2015 I ordered a broadband package from Eircom when the engineer called to do the instillation he was unable to find the main telephone cable coming into the apartment so subsequently the order was cancelled, however, Eircom took from my bank account a total of 63.31euros, several telephone call to their customer services department and their promises of a refund have resulted in nothing, my email of complaint to them has had no response perhaps they think if they ignore people long enough they will simply go away.
Call ComReg, get the address for posting a complaint, and send them an invoice for the money. Give them 2 weeks to refund you. A condition of not refunding you will be 100% compound interest per day. Yes, this is legal for you to do. I’ve done it several times when companies incorrectly took money from me, and those companies rushed to pay me by methods and deadlines that I wanted.
Eircom are still P & T ( old public “service”) in their
mindset. I’m still awaiting a response to correspondence
since late 2014 when their help line operator hung up on me, as per procedure, because I indicated I , like Eircom, was recording the conversation .
They can do it , but the customer can’t.,
Don’t buy shares in this outfit !
Liam Pluck