Apr 192009
Do not use Smart Telecom for your broadband.
If you really need broadband, I recommend using two bean-cans 
connected by a piece of string. It'll be better than than Smart Telecom.
Smart Telecom's service is shit, and they will not respond to technical complaints.
Never, ever use this shit company for your broadband. They are the worst broadband service I've ever used.
I've been trying for four months without success to get a proper service from this awful company. They're a disgrace.
Never, ever sign up to Smart Telecom.
If you do, you'll be sorry. They'll give you a crap service. Use a piece of string instead.
It will be better.
Anyway, why did I think they'd be any good? My first contact with them was complete rubbish:
World's Worst Customer Support Person Works For Smart telecom
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They are the only people who service my new building other than Eircom, and i don't want to use eircom.
:(
That means you're fucked.
I may be wrong, but i get a feeling you might not be liking the Smart Telecom company. Just a feeling mind ya! Eh? Eh?
Ireland anywhere outside of fucking dublin
+
Broadband
=
Oxymoronic shit
Sorry Bock, that has not been my experience, Smart Telecom are the best telco in Ireland, by a mile, if you are having issues, (and you obviously are) send me a contact number by email and I will see what I can do to help resolve them
jbkenn — Thanks but it's too late. I'm moving to a new provider on Tuesday. I've been trying to get this problem sorted out for months with no success.
i have heard of 8 people so far who have had terrible hassle with smart and got no satisfaction whatsoever,they had been tied into a contract and were paying a monthly subscription for nothing,once they had problems it was nothing to do with smart,with service like that no wonder they are being held on a par with chorus.fair play bock for getting rid of them
Love the post and well craic'd. My only worry is that, while your older readers are likely to have had very positive experiences with the two cans and rgw piece of string, your younger readers might panic at the thought of having to rely on this method of communication. It may be limited, but it does actually work. Good luck with your new provider.
I'd take Smart over Ice "Broadband" any day of the week.
3G is shite as well. managed to cancel the contract without a fine or whatever because they were n the wrong. Just cancelled it 2 months early didn't make a difference money-wise Lost more money than gained
See.. there you go showing off again about your posh two bean-cans connected by a piece of string. Now if you really wanted grey hair, you would have a piece of shite T Mobile dongle like moi.
My stats tells me I am strangely situated in Barnsley, England, yet my signal strength seems to think I am 40,000 fathoms under the sea.
I know some nights, after 2 hours of lost connections, I feel as though I am in hell!
This seems to be a trend. Marcus Brigstocke has quite a bit to say about BT, see here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg1CLskFIKQ&feature=PlayList&p=5E5383D4F9135C2C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=14
Bock, if your broadband goes fully kaputt, I presume you'll be going door-to-door with verbal blogs until you get back on your feet? Should we all submit our addresses, and time slots we're likely to be home?
Not quite. I'll be wrapping it around a brick.
imbatman, I think there was a dig in there at Chorus and maybe I've been lucky but I've been on UPC/Chorus/NTL for the last year and a bit and have found them excellent. Am on the top package (20Mb) and it is pretty close to that speed.
I suppose one caveat is that I moved towns about 7 years ago and with regard to cable TV I found a HUGE difference in service from Chorus/NTL in those two places (shit one was serviced by Chorus, the good one by NTL, I don't know was this a factor). And I don't know has the merger solved the problems in the Chorus area .. my comments above re:broadband apply to NTL, never had broadband with Chorus.
unstranger, see above (I'm well outside the pale).
For the record, my previous providers were
(a) Eircom – surprise, surprise a pile of shit (only "chose" them because there was no alternative at the time
(b) BT – OK, better than Eircom anyway, which is being damned by faint praise I suppose.
don't get the three mobile dongle.
year long contract of shite.
I have smart telecom and haven't had any problems with them at all. In fact i've found their service to be quite good. I phoned them recently to enquire about a wireless modem, and it arrived the following day. Hooked it up myself no bother and working fine.
I choose them after dealing with shite from numerous other "providers".
@Bock
Getting closer to the brick approach myself these days. Dealing with any sort of bureaucracy sends my adrenalin rocketing and my blood pressure soaring. I suppose it is the lack of a discretionary option built into most systems nowadays. If this element is absent, the company can afford (so to speak) to employ a lower (cheaper) level of staff & stuff the consumer. There will always be more idiots out there to become first time buyers.
The challenge is not to let them get away with it. Warn the first time buyers etc. Your performance at this level is first class. Hope the right people are reading.
already on the front page of the google search for Smart telecom chief!!!
Smart Telecom aren't the only ones with shocking customer service, Bock. Pick anywhere really, for example -
I ordered an album of photos on the net in Feb. as a birthday gift.
An Post managed to deliver it to Wexford instead of Cork. Customer service asked me if Wexford was next door neighbours with Cork, because that could explain it!!!!!
The company sent out a second album. An Post customer service told me that it was lost in PortLaoise…. Then, they wrote to say they had found it, and sent it back to France!!!!
The company sent out a 3rd album. No trace of it yet!
So, I was on to An Post customer service again yesterday, and the lady supervisor grew MOST impatient with me, and SHE gave out to ME!!
Sorry about that, An Post, you're right it's all my fault that I didn't deliver my own mail……..
@Mairéad
You should have figured out by now that they have your interest at heart. The walk would do you good. :)
Don't mention An Post.
Máiréad — Why don't you publish all the details on your site, including this lady's name? Then email an Post directly and tell them you've published the entire story. Send a copy to the Department of Communications and another copy to Comreg.
Tell me all, Benny!!
Truth, Bock?
I'd be scared that they would never again deliver a thing to my house!!
That's why! Sick, but true.
(I love the idea though, thanks for the smile!)
Mairéad — Take the advice. Make them scared of you instead.
This kind of post is nonsense… I've been using smart telecom for 6 months and I haven't got any problem.
The service of every telecom company can vary a lot depending on a lot of factors.
Spreading this kind of opinion is pointless.
Are you telling me I'm not having problems with their service?
SMART ARE THE BEST CONTENTION RATIO 1:1 AND THE SPEED THEY ADVERTISE! You probably have
a virus of some spyware on your computer.
Switch off your caps lock and show some respect.
I have despaired of the broadband providers in Ireland,never seen such shit service,and their so called customer service seems to exist only to tell you its all your fault!!.(cos presumably they consider themselves to be perfect and above reproach,so every complaint is regarded as a personal insult)Anybody know what the satelite providers are like or are they crap as well?.
Smar's Customer Service has gone to the dogs in the last 12 months. I have been with Smart for 5 years (in 2 different houses), so I applied for the new house. I was told it would take 2 weeks to get connected, so I rang after 2 weeks and was told it would take another 2 weeks! The guy spouted the lamest excuse i have ever heard about the delay (because it took 2 phonecalls to verify my sign-up when I initially ordered) and became a total dick with a real like it or lump it attitude.
Two friends had similar problems with them recently.
BT is the best by far-although I think they have sold their irish customers to some other outfit-still perfect though and good technical support , nice polite folks (somewhere In Bombay)
Yeah BT seem to be decent (or at least vodafone since that is their guise now). Tried a vodafone 1mb modem package (had to fix it for a relative) on my own line that I am currently using with smart telecom. Results: The 1mb was 4 times faster literally than my 7mb smart connection. I must emphasise these were tested going over the same line. So vodafone in my case and I'm sure a lot of other people's cases will be waaaay quicker. BE CAREFUL THOUGH, vodafone 12 month contract is just that. You don't like the service and want to quit after one month, you will be docked whatever is left ie 11 months @ 40 euro, off your bank account.
Smart were great, never had a problem before this year, but now that digiweb have brought the company they are inforcing a 170gb fair usage policy, and i get had with it every month, they didnt care before, now they put your speed down to dialup and you have to pay 8.50 euro for them to put it back up. i download an average of 200gb a month and they didnt care befor, im thinking of switching back to utv, there not 1 to 1 contention ratio but they never cared how much i downloaded
I was not happy with the Eircomm broadbadn as it was giving speed about 600Kbps so i moved to Smart Telecom. I ordered on 7th of august and they said that it will take 2 weeks to install and said service will be interrupted only for 2hours. oh god what a big lie it was. Its one month now and even i havent recieved my Modem yet. They transfered my phone line to themselves and since yesterday i have no broadband connection. They promised that you will not have broadband only for two hours but it will take few days i think as no modem recieved yet. I emailed to info@smarttelecom.ie, customercare@smarttelecom.ie and also emailed to the agent who ordered my connection. i emailed 3 times to the agent in 1week no reply. I emailed customercare@smarttelecom.ie 2times no reply from them yet. So bad customer service they have now so i am wondering what will happen after getting broadband. someone advise me…….
thnx
vikram
Here's a tip. Remove your links to them. By linking to them, you are adding to their success as their search engine rankings will get higher the more that people link to them, attracting more customers to them.
There was a small company in the USA who sold mobile phones. Their service was absolutely awful, but their sales were high as everyone who complained online about them linked to them and this allowed them to easily obtain the top position on search engines for most of their search terms. This in turn resulted in huge online sales. All thanks to their terrible service and stacks upon stacks of complaints.
Hope your new provider is better. I have had awful experiences with companies that many people I knew had used for years and had nothing but fantastic service.
Good advice.
Possibly SMART also! They need to take away or repair the few public boxes that are to be found in the city centre. Beyond use and eyesores at this stage.