Eircom changeover process warning

[fionam]

Hello
I am not sure if I have this in the correct forum so mods feel free to move.

We have been phone and broadband customers of Vodafone for the past 3 years but received a sales call from Eircom one evening in December 2010. The package they were offering seemed excellent and we agreed to move to their all in phone and broadband package. Went through to the usual permission over the phone department and completed the sign-up procedure. However, after talking to some existing Eircom customers we decided not to go ahead with the move and cancelled within the cooling off time. Took a note of date and time and person we spoke to. But then we received a bill in early January so got on to Eircom who told us our service was with them and they had no record of us having cancelled the changeover.

To cut a long story short, I spent the best part of 2 days on the phone intermittently, trying to sort the issue out. Total bunch of rude, ignorant incompetents who cut me off several times while speaking to them because they did not agree with what I was saying. Eventually got to speak to a manager who was brilliant and could see an error had been made by Eircom and my changeover cancellation had not gone ahead because of a mistake made by the rep who handled my cancellation request. Told me all was ok, changeover cancelled. Encouraged me to make a formal complaint within Eircom and even helped me do it. Had to phone Vodafone and go back on contract to get our service back with them. But after dealing with Eircom for 2 days, Vodafone looked like angels beside them. This all happened on the 6th January this year. Names and details taken down of everyone I spoke to in Eircom.

Sorry for the length of this but it is a long story. Continued paying our direct debits to Vodafone and no changes there. Then last week on Wednesday 30th April, I received a bill from Eircom stating we owed them €262.60 for our phone service. Knew our service was with Vodafone so tried to phone Eircom to see what was going on. They were insisting we were customers with them and I could not get it through to them that we were not and to look at our notes to see the whole episode and the name of their manager who looked after it. No luck, the person I spoke to even accused me of making this up.

Thursday morning, realised the phone was no longer working even though our broadband was. Phoned Vodafone who informed me that Eircom had put a TOS on our line and told me why this usually happened. So back on to the dreaded Eircom again. This time I was put through to the most incompetent, arrogant person I have ever come across. Called himself Chris in customer services. He actually succeeded in causing me to cry because of the way he was insisting the name of the manager I had given him within Eircom did not insist and I was making it up and the only was I was getting this TOS off my line was to pay my bill. Trying desperately to explain to him that this manager within Eircom had dealt with us before and I didn't have a direct line number to him just knew he was called Joe ***** from the customer services department within Eircom.

Trying to reduce this story now. I eventually got the original manager, Joe ***** (by phoning a different department) in Eircom, who phoned me back on Saturday morning, and knew straightaway what I was talking about. Lifted the TOS immediately and told me to call him back when I received the final bill from Eircom and he would sort it out. The only decent competent person I have met in Eircom throughout this entire saga. He was very apologetic about what happened.

I now feel like I have lost an entire weekend, was late for a meeting because of Chris in Eircom and the way he seemed to delight in upsetting me and overall feel like I have never dealt with such an incompetent bunch of idiots in all of my life. After speaking to some people over the weekend and telling them what happened I now know this is common place with Eircom. Warning to anyone thinking about switching over to Eircom that this is what happened to us and to be wary of taking it for granted that Eircom actually know what they are doing!!!!!!

Thanks for reading. Sorry for the length!!!!

 

[Knuttell]

Know exactly where you are coming from,had pretty much the same experience of dealing with BT,finally had enough of being messed about by rude incompetent customer care reps and wrote to the Chief Executive of BT Ireland,within 2 days problems were resolved and until BT changed over to Vodafone once a month one of his assistants would call me to ensure I was having no further problems...

I had a list of names of everyone of those reps who messed me around which I included in the letter,I was assured all had been "talked"to following my letter.

Shoddy service and ignorant reps are just something I will not put up with,I suggest you find out who the Chief Executive of Eircom is and write him/her a letter.

 

[fionam]

[/QUOTE]Shoddy service and ignorant reps are just something I will not put up with,I suggest you find out who the Chief Executive of Eircom is and write him/her a letter.[/QUOTE]

Yes, thank you for your reply and I am going to do this. I am so upset over how we were treated by Eircom and concerned for anybody else that might encounter the same treatment that I am going to do my best to get this dealt with. I cannot stomach phoning Eircom again as I am sure I would just be shoved from pillar to post trying to get the right person to deal with. Eircom and their so called customer service staff are giving the company a very bad reputation. The only person I spoke to there who seemed to care was the manager, Joe, as mentioned above. Chris, the unhelpful one who I spoke to in customer services told me he could not do anything to help me unless I could provide him with the name of the manager who had dealt with the issue originally. When I eventually found this managers name, this guy actually then told me he did not know of any manager by that name in Eircom and I must be making it up. Just as well I don't suffer from high blood pressure, or it would have gone through the ceiling. On a more serious note though, I would be concerned for any person who encountered this problem with Eircom and being left with no phone service for 4 days through no fault of their own!!!!

Fiona

 

[Ceist Beag]

Did you get the full names of those you spoke to (especially Joe and Chris)? If so I suggest you do as Knuttell said, write a letter of complaint and name those you have a grievance with. Also did you ask Joe to write to you confirming what you discussed on Saturday morning? Just to avoid the same thing happening again it sounds like you need proof in writing.

 

[fionam]

Did you get the full names of those you spoke to (especially Joe and Chris)? If so I suggest you do as Knuttell said, write a letter of complaint and name those you have a grievance with. Also did you ask Joe to write to you confirming what you discussed on Saturday morning? Just to avoid the same thing happening again it sounds like you need proof in writing.

I have just spoken to the complaints department as given in the link above, and think I am now developing a phobia of Eircom!!!! I did get Joe's full name as he gave it to me, but Chris did not give me his full name. And after speaking to the complaints department just now, I have been told they have no record of me speaking to a Chris on Friday afternoon, just three other people. But this is the name he gave me because I wrote it down. So have lodged an official complaint and was given the story of how they try to resolve all official complaints within 5 working days. But they still have me down on their system as having an unpaid bill of €262.60.

Told me in complaints I had a TOS put on my line because I have not paid my bill. I don't have the energy to explain to them anymore how that is n not true. You are right. I am going to get back on to Joe ***** and get him to provide me with written proof that this is not the case anymore and the error was Eircom's fault. The person I spoke to in complaints, actually just told me it is not their fault as he said I never requested the calls to be moved back to Vodafone. This is what is still showing up on their system!!!!