In the cold season of 2022, a patron of Eir reached out to the telecommunications organisation, citing consistent loss of signal and dropped calls from her mobile device. Fortuitously, she had the acquaintance of a local engineer who diagnosed the issue to a faulty phone mast. Empowered with this insight, she initiated a neighbourhood Facebook page to assess if others were grappling with similar connectivity issues. Following the overwhelming response, it was clear she wasn’t alone.
Over half a year, the woman, the protagonist of a narrative presented to a Dublin District Court on a Monday morning, found herself persistently reaching out to Eir. Her attempts included 13 phone calls, five email exchanges, and eight attempts engaging with the company via social media platforms. Sadly, these recurrent efforts proved futile.
She often requested for a complaint reference number, only to be met with assurance from Eir staff that such wasn’t necessary and continuous refutation of any fault with their local mast. Yet, her mobile coverage losses persisted, leading to severe consequences.
In one distressing instance, a 999 dial on behalf of her unwell child was thwarted due to signal loss, forcing a swift drive to A&E for emergency medical aid. Another incident saw her unable to receive a crucial C-Pap breathing apparatus for her father due to failed phone contact with the courier firm, consequentially culminating in his hospitalisation.
It was only when she voiced her concerns to ComReg, the telecommunications regulator, that it became clear there was a real issue with the mast in her vicinity. Her only resolution was to change her mobile provider, which she proceeded to do.
At the court hearing, Michelle O’Donnell, the communications regulator’s compliance officer, conveyed this story. She noted how numerous Eir customers had contacted ComReg claiming they were unable to formally lodge complaints with Eir.
Eir has admitted to numerous rule violations at a court hearing held on Monday and has been imposed a fine of €750 for each of the 10 infractions. This isn’t the debut instance where concerns about the company’s customer service have been voiced.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (CCPC) report last month identified Eir as the most frequently mentioned firm by customers contacting the CCPC info line in 2023. It ranked last in the annual customer experience report by CX company in 2022 and was placed amongst the last 10 out of 150 firms the previous year.
Numerous negative experiences of the readers with the company were stated on this paper’s Pricewatch section. Some of the rage can be felt just by the headline “My experience with Eir showed a multitude of incompetence” or “Eir leaves reader frazzled with letters to dead brother and contract confusion” and also, “Man billed hundreds by Eir for service he never used and didn’t know he had”.
Post Monday’s hearing, the director of retail and consumer services at ComReg, Barbara Delaney, expressed that the infractions by Eir were “extremely severe.” She emphasised that customers have rights that should be maintained such as lodging a complaint, receiving a prompt reply and having their disputes resolved. She made clear that Eir and other service providers should understand the gravity of this issue and that ComReg has zero tolerance towards such transgressions, signalling it to be a basic customer right. The seriousness of the matter is heightened due to the fact that staff were warned of disciplinary action if they provided contact numbers to customers or guided them to the complaint portal.
It’s clear that no shopper wishes to be placed on hold indefinitely for whatever cause. However, it becomes considerably more severe when it appears that this state of affairs has been intentionally orchestrated, and customers are not permitted to voice their grievances. Additionally, when staff, who one would assume were employed to assist consumers, are essentially prohibited from aiding customers, it exacerbates the situation.
The actual convictions, she stated, illustrate the gravity of the situation – purposely and deliberately subverting customers is absolutely reprehensible. She expressed hope that this situation would serve to underline the rights of consumers. She reinforced that it was inherent in conducting business to promptly address any consumer complaints. It was stressed that attending to complaints was an integral part of business operations in Ireland, and not a luxury, supplementary, or afterthought activity. Should businesses aspire to maintain their customer base, addressing grievances was imperative.
On Monday evening, Eir vehemently dismissed any insinuations that it had threatened disciplinary action against its staff should they adhere to sector regulations. The company’s spokeswoman asserted during a statement that serious, unprecedented and erroneous accusations were levelled at Eir by ComReg during the court session, alleging that customer care employees were instructed to disregard regulatory duties – accusations that were strongly refuted by Eir.
These allegations were based on documents inaccurately interpreted by ComReg, which could have been easily rectified had they sought engagement with Eir prior to the hearing. The contentious documents were actually training materials intended to guide new customer service representatives on how to escalate calls to Eir’s dedicated complaint management team. The statement emphasises that directing a call to the complaints team, instead of simply providing the Eir complaints number, leads to a superior customer experience.
Eir expressed its profound concern over ComReg’s choice to bring these false claims into court without prior warning. As stated, Eir has always been committed to upholding the highest standards of compliance and integrity, and always fulfils its legal obligations. Most importantly, Eir has never instructed any employee to contravene legal or regulatory requirements. For a deeper analysis and political discussion, please check out our Inside Politics podcast.