Madam, - I signed up to Eircom Broadband in January 2004. At this time there was only one home broadband service available. During spring/summer of 2004 they launched a second broadband service (broadband home plus). "Home Plus" essentially offered increased bandwidth and download allowance over the original service, which was renamed "broadband home starter". All existing broadband customers were, without any notification, automatically put on the higher-spec "plus" service. Essentially, they lowered the price of the service but continued to charge existing customers the original price.
When I noticed this in September I called Eircom expressing my dissatisfaction. They referred me to the Eircom shop where I originally signed the contract. I was told there that I had missed the window for a free downgrade, a window I was neither informed nor advised about. If I wanted to be downgraded now I would now have to pay a €70 fee.
I am not a particularly heavy user of my broadband service and was satisfied with the then limits. I explained that I was never consulted on the upgrade and after much discussion they agreed to return me, for free, to the service I originally signed up for.
Unfortunately, two days later I was contacted by Eircom informing me that they changed their mind and would not, after all, be returning me to my original service without the fee.
It is patently clear that Eircom are partaking in a massive consumer deception. They have reduced the price of their service without passing it on to existing customers. They are, quite simply, charging customers in order to be charged less. The fact that there was an unannounced window of opportunity not to be upgraded speaks volumes as to their attitude to their existing customer base. - Yours, etc.,
DIARMAID MARRINAN,
Balbriggan,
Co Dublin.