Eircom blasted over broadband

Michael Cryan michael@anglocelt.ie An irate broadband user from Cavan town has blasted Eircom for the lack of a quality service in the county and claims the provider has informed him that things will not improve until the exchange in county capital is upgraded. However, a spokeswoman for Eircom told the Anglo-Celt that the Cavan exchange had been upgraded on February 13 and that customers should have not problems getting what they signed up for. Paul Ryan from the Beeches, Swellan, said he signed up for a seven megabyte (MB) bundle with Eircom and was paying €40 per month plus VAT for the package. He was using it for his computer, PlayStation and two laptops. However, when it was installed he discovered it was slow. 'I was on to Eircom Broadband Support and they got me to do a speed test, which checks the speed the broadband is coming into your home. It transpires all I was getting was 1MB.' Paul wasn"t happy with this and contacted Eircom. He called them at least 30 times but as he says he was passed from 'pillar to post'. Eventually Eircom said it would send a technician to check if there was a fault in the house. Eircom was to get back to him but for 14 days nothing happened. Paul rang them again and was informed that the exchange in Cavan was too old, and due an upgrade, and until such time no one could get what they were paying for. He has been reduced to 3MB because he was not going to pay for seven if he was not getting it. However, no one in Eircom could tell him when the exchange in Cavan would be upgraded. 'I did get through to a manger in Eircom and he informed me that I would have to look to someone else to supply me with broadband. I rang a few other companies and they all use Eircom systems. There is no one else who can give me broadband without Eircom systems.' Eircom did a systems check on his line and he was told he could receive up to 9.5MB down the line but until the exchange was upgraded no one would receive what they were paying for. Paul is now operating on 1-2MB. 'Everyone is paying for something they"re not receiving. If everyone united against Eircom they might get something done about it,' he claimed. He would not have availed of the offer only for Eircom offered it. Now he has complained but has not received a satisfactory response from Eircom. 'I"m sure there are people and businesses paying for a system they are not receiving,' he concluded. Enhanced On the other side of the coin Ciaran Murray from Tractamotors on the Dublin Road told the Anglo-Celt they signed up with Eircom for a 3MB deal and were upgraded to 7MB FOC for the same price. 'We tested it during the week and it was showing 6.5MB, which we"re delighted with. He pointed out that they didn"t get that every day but as long as they obtain 3.5-4MB they are happy. The system could be erratic, he added, but overall they were satisfied. 'We have branches in Dublin and Antrim and we"re in the process of upgrading our current system. We will be looking for 7-10MB. We will hoping that Eircom will be able to supply us.' Mr. Murray pointed out that the fibre optic cable laid around the town a few years ran directly outside their premises and they have never had the option to connect to it. If they could, that would enhance system greatly, he added. A spokeswoman for Eircom said: 'Having consulted our network engineers, I can confirm that there is no reason for customers on lines connected to the Cavan, Belturbet and Bailieboro exchanges that pre-qualify for 7Mbps broadband speed not to be able to access that speed. However, we would like to test the lines of any customers who have experienced problems in the area to verify that there are no problems of which we are unaware.' She added that it was possible that during peak hours speed performance may be reduced. She confirmed that on February 13 the Cavan town exchange was upgraded to improve speed performance, especially during peak times, but pre-qualified customers would already have had access to 7MB speed prior to this upgrade. Arden Meanwhile, a Belturbet company claims to be leading the field in the provision of broadband to homes and businesses in the Cavan and Leitrim areas. Arden Broadband was established in 2007 to satisfy the demand for broadband from people in rural areas. The company uses wireless radio technology, providing reliable high speed internet access without the need for a telephone line. Barry Wilson, originally from Milltown, runs Arden Broadband as a subsidiary of his civil engineering and horticultural business Arden Contracts. 'I didn"t have an IT background but in my work I kept meeting people frustrated by the lack of broadband in their area and the slow speed of dial-up and mobile phone solutions. 'I heard about the new wireless technology and knew there was a market.' Arden places a special emphasis on customer service. 'The boys come around to your home or business and conduct a survey. If there"s a clear line of sight to one of our many radio transmitters in the area, a receiver is attached to your building and linked to your computer. 'They won"t leave you without getting you online and explaining the system. We like to keep things as simple as possible; no complicated jargon, no contracts and a full support service.' Contact Arden Broadband on 049-9529617 or info@ardenbrisknet.ie (ardenbrisknet.ie).