Phone consumers wary of switching
The findings came in a consumer survey by the Government’s phones watchdog, ComReg, after Smart quit the home phone business.
Smart had run up massive debts with Eircom for using the former State-owned firm’s network of phone lines, forcing thousands of subscribers to find a new phone company.
Yesterday ComReg revealed the results of a poll of householders who had been asked what they thought about the way the country was served by landline, mobile and broadband firms.
ComReg also wanted to see whether consumers shopped around for a better deal among Ireland’s 15 competing companies offering traditional landline services.
Consumers said the Smart Telecom episode had left them wary of switching but householders who had changed firms said they had been generally very satisfied with their new deal.
Those who had stayed with their phone company were generally pleased, too, as bills had gone down even though line rentals with companies like Eircom had increased.
“Consumers are interested in alternative landline providers but the ‘Smart experience’ has left them very cautious,” pollsters Amárach Consulting said.
Of those who had switched from Eircom to other home phone companies, a number had returned within a year as they were offered a better deal than they were formerly on.
Amárach said consumers believed competition was working as prices were falling and choices widening.
The survey — of focus groups in Dublin, Waterford and Galway — also revealed one-in-10 adults had given up their home phone with more householders just relying on mobiles alone.
