EIRCOM increased prices after contract signed

[celt2005]

The CPI price increase is common practice for Eir anyway since it's part of their terms and conditions.
As mentioned above the second price increase may be due to the end of an introductory discounted period.
I'm pretty certain that your friend was never informed in writing that the €70 p.m. price was guaranteed for 24 months.

Thanks again Clubman

Apologies to all on thread for not replying, I can only send a reply every two hours, assume as my account is new, it is to stop spamming.

I will have to ask him about the mail Coist Beag spoke about, and get back to you with confirmation

 

[ClubMan]

Apologies to all on thread for not replying, I can only send a reply every two hours, assume as my account is new, it is to stop spamming.

can't post a reply to my thread (or with long delay)

Hello, I'm new here, I created a thread yesterday. This morning I received some replies but when I want to reply myself I get a message "you must wait at least 7234 seconds before performing this action". That's like 2 hours. The first time I waited, but it happened again, why? It's holding up...

www.askaboutmoney.com

 

[Jumpstartdublin]

Did they complain to Eir and Comreg ?

Maybe it's an admin error ?

 

[faketales]

I think price increases within a 24 month contract are unfair. Eir should have a good enough handle on their costs to be able to plan that far ahead on at a fixed rate. They also have people rolling off contracts all the time so can adjust.

However the more unjust point is that they are based of vastly inflated prices that I image very few will pay.

I think my package is worth something like €110 but I pay €40.

So instead of an increase being 5% of €40 it 5% of €110 (about 14% actual increase each year).

It’s possible to have a 28% increase in 13 months of a fixed contract. Madness!

I could understand it if the reduced price was just for 3 months of a 12 month contract but it’s for 24 months.

I suspect the regular prices are increased to take advantage of increases.

 

[ClubMan]

I think price increases within a 24 month contract are unfair. Eir should have a good enough handle on their costs to be able to plan that far ahead on at a fixed rate. They also have people rolling off contracts all the time so can adjust.

They make the CPI charge very clear up front so anybody who doesn't like it can try another service provider instead.

I think my package is worth something like €110 but I pay €40.

How do you mean "it's worth ... €110"? You mean that this is what an existing rather than a new customer pays?
I hate that too but it just means that I do the annual thing with Virgin Media (still the only fast internet provider in my area of Dublin 7) and leave them only to immediately rejoin in order to get the new customer deal.

I suspect the regular prices are increased to take advantage of increases.

What does this mean?

 

[faketales]

They make the CPI charge very clear up front so anybody who doesn't like it can try another service provider instead.

How do you mean "it's worth ... €110"? You mean that this is what an existing rather than a new customer pays?
I hate that too but it just means that I do the annual thing with Virgin Media (still the only fast internet provider in my area of Dublin 7) and leave them only to immediately rejoin in order to get the new customer deal.

What does this mean?

I was an existing customer paying about €60 for tv and internet. With a few weeks remaining on my contract I rang up and was offered a two year deal for €40 a month. No threatening to leave or haggling.

However the full price on my bill and I’m sure in the contract they sent me is €110.

My suspicion is very few ever pay €110 and it’s there to maximise the yearly increases.

€110 would be a lot for 500gb and a combo of RTE/BBC etc.

 

[candyman]

These annual price increases that the monopoly broadband players (Sky, Virgin, Eir, Vodafone AFAIK) have adopted in recent years should be outlawed imo, they are a disgraceful tactic to drive up subscription prices and show no respect for the deal (e.g. €40 for 12 months) that customers are signing up to. Yes, I know they state it in the T&Cs but that doesn't make it an okay practice.

There is nuance here that some folks may not appreciate. They often state this increase as CPI + x% (often 3% here as an example) and the support folks, when you ring them, simply say it's related to inflation and all the providers are doing it, so that must make it okay right?

They are hitching their wagon to the CPI, which is built on top of the Household Budget Survey (HBS) which includes an analysis of the costs of services like broadband, which they are systematically increasing the price of every April 1st, which allows them increase it by even more each year. So they are driving up the price of broadband in the country, which is feeding into the CPI, which they then use to justify a higher % increase each year.

It is pure madness that they are allowed do this. I ended up going with Pure Telecom as they do not apply this April 1st annual price increase, they honour the deal you sign up to for the duration of the contract and while the broadband speeds may not be as fast as Virgin, they are sufficient for me and I respect them for not jumping on the bandwagon of the big boys and hiking prices annually.

Just my 2 cents on this interesting topic.

 

[celt2005]

FWIW I recently renewed our contract with Eir and we have the broadband & landline contract for 24 months. It is confirmed in the email they sent out that this price is for the 24 months (interestingly they broke it out by 1-6 months, 7-12 months, 13 to 24 months all at the agreed price and then showed the price it will revert to after the 24 months is up). The annual price increase (CPI rate plus 3%) is mentioned so that is expected after April next year. We also have mobile contracts bundled in with this but the emails for them only mentions 12 month contracts.
But long story short, it is all clearly stated in the emails they sent out.

Thank you for your input Ceist,

I assume the price remained the same for the 24 month period apart from the CPI / Inflation increases ?

My next door neighbour recently signed a contract with VIRGIN for 24 months ( Standard TV / Internet ) for 65 EUR , and swears it was locked in

I have asked my friend to show me the paper contract he signed, and send me on the mailed terms and conditions attached , I will update when I have these , hopefully Friday

 

[Des Pondent]

I was out of contract recently and paying Virgin €63 monthly for 250Mb broadband, landline and world talk.

I phoned up to play the game and cancel, they offered and I accepted 500Mb broadband, landline and world talk for €48 monthly for 24 months.

There was no mention when talking to the agent of any increase during the 24 month contract term and no mention of any annual price increase in the new contract that they sent me.

 

[ClubMan]

the monopoly broadband players (Sky, Virgin, Eir, Vodafone AFAIK)

A monopoly of four?

 

[Ceist Beag]

I assume the price remained the same for the 24 month period apart from the CPI / Inflation increases ?

Correct.

 

[ClubMan]

I was out of contract recently and paying Virgin €63 monthly for 250Mb broadband, landline and world talk.

I phoned up to play the game and cancel, they offered and I accepted 500Mb broadband, landline and world talk for €48 monthly for 24 months.

There was no mention when talking to the agent of any increase during the 24 month contract term and no mention of any annual price increase in the new contract that they sent me.

Unlike Eir, VM don't have a guaranteed annual CPI or other related price increase as part of their contract. But that doesn't mean that they don't do price increases from time to time. They have done many times over the years. Since this is a change of contract the customer is able to terminate the contract without any minimum contract period breakage fee if they choose before the price increase takes effect. VM inform customers to this effect when they announce price increases.

 

[celt2005]

Have you confirmed what they actually signed? Without that you're likely fighting a losing battle.

Thanks for all your help on this Leo, It is appreciated

I will be seeing the signed document, and hopefully the mailed contract on / by Friday, so will update then

 

[peemac]

I signed up to eir a few months ago.

But sent a query on the increases to the rep and got no reply. So I looked at the terms and conditions they linked to.

If I remember, it was about 40 pages long.

I've done many commercial leases, distribution agreements, bought and sold houses and never saw anything like this in my life. It was unbelievable in how it was written and totally confusing.

I promptly cancelled.