Open Forum

Please feel free to comment on the AOEP or make suggestions for the Executive Committee.  Where possible your comments will receive direct responses or may be brought to the Executive Committee to obtain a response.

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11 Comments

  1. Any member can make a comment by clicking on the comments

  2. Age action have a project to have the schingles vaccination free of charge to over 65 year olds. Could we support them ?

  3. Frank, as discussed I suggest you put in on the agenda for the next Exec meeting.

  4. I was very disappointed with the latest AOEP-eir offer. It represents a significant step backwards from the 2021 agreement, both in value and in long term security for members.
    While €29.99 per month for 1Gb broadband may look attractive at first glance, the annual €4 price increase every April makes it far less competitive over time. By contrast, the 2021 offer was €39.99 per month for life, with no annual increases.
    The differences do not end there.
    • Eir TV, previously included free for life, now costs an additional €14.99 per month.
    • Free worldwide calls, also included in 2021, are no longer mentioned.
    • And realistically, most pensioner households do not need 1Gb speeds — 500Mb FTTH (fibre-to-the-home) is more than sufficient for typical usage.
    It is disappointing that our former employer would present such a limited and short term offer to long serving staff. I certainly felt undervalued by the downgrade in benefits, and for that reason I remained on the original 2021 package.
    If any proof were needed of how uncompetitive the 2025 offer is, GoMo – an eir owned company – is currently offering 500Mb FTTH for €29.99 per month for life to the general public.
    Given this, I believe AOEP must negotiate far more robustly on behalf of members in future. We have considerable collective purchasing power, and we should not hesitate to broaden negotiations to other providers, including GoMo, to secure a deal that genuinely reflects our loyalty and long service.

  5. What about fibre to the house. Did i read a few year’s ago that eir would contact us on the aoep offer for life that it would be provided free. Anytime i contact eir about it they don’t know what I’m talking about and want to create a new contract. Can this important issue be sorted out.regards Dave oleary mallow

    • Dave, like eir I don’t know what you’re talking about either. Can you indicate where you saw this?

      • Dave, your memory is working well!

        Extract from AOEP’s meeting with eir on March 28, 2023
        The meeting was held in the Company Head Office in Citywest at 2 o’clock

        Attendees from the Company: Attendees from AOEP:
        Sandra Donohue, Director of Human Resources Denis J Fahey, Secretary
        James Mangan, HR Director Openeir, CTO Frank Kavanagh, Treasurer
        Central Functions Pierce Butler, DPO

        Topics covered:
        1. Broadband
        2. Pension Increase
        3. Welfare
        Broadband
        AOEP Customers eligible for FTTH (c. 400 eligible for faster speeds)
        Every AOEP customer will be proactively contacted and automatically moved to FTTH via a letter from eir. This will give the customer faster speeds for the same price as they pay today, eir will contact the customers directly. They have commenced this activity already and it is progressing well.
        Offer for AOEP members
        They have a great working relationship with our colleagues in the AOEP and the uptake of our previous offer was extremely successful with a very strong and positive response from AOEP members. In order to launch and manage an offer similar to our previous offer for newly retired customers, we need our new billing system in place, which is launching this year. When this is live, They plan to launch a new exclusive AOEP offer in early 2024. They will work closely with the AOEP on this offer closer to that time. Their objective is that this offer will be available via our telesales team and will provide a better experience for your members. They should be in a position to update further in September.
        In the meantime, any newly retired AOEP customer can avail of our market leading offer of FTTH broadband and TV for €49.99 for 24 months via our telesales team.
        The Age Friendly Careline continues to receive positive feedback from customers and has been recognised externally, winning a number of awards. The service is available on 1800 252 252. The AOEP offered the support of their membership in running this service and already assist members with any questions they may have. This is much appreciated.

  6. According to the minutes of the meeting, “Every AOEP customer will be proactively contacted and automatically moved to FTTH via a letter from eir.”
    Did this ever happen? I certainly never received any communication from eir, and I am aware of other members who were also not contacted.

    If this initiative stalled, could AOEP consider resurrecting it? A simple starting point would be to create a private page on the AOEP website where members could securely submit the following information:

    Their current broadband type

    Their actual download and upload speeds

    Eircode

    Email address

    Confirmation that they wish to upgrade to FTTH

    This would give AOEP a clear picture of member demand and strengthen our position when engaging with eir.

    Eventually, eir will shut down the copper network and migrate all customers to fibre anyway – FTTH is cheaper to maintain and far more reliable than the ageing copper infrastructure still in use. Upgrading AOEP members now would not only be practical for eir, it would be a meaningful gesture of goodwill towards their former employees.

    • I contacted Eir at the time of the last offer and advised them that I had a current contact which didnt end until after the offer window. I was advised that the offer would remain and that I should contact 01 224 1113 and quote AOEP 10932 whereupon I could sign up. I still have a few months to run but think I’ll try calling the number to see how I will get on.

  7. I have recieved ballot papers on a preliminary poll for eircom superannuation scheme in the post ,with a choice to vote for either Standard arrangement or Alternative arrangement. What is the aoep recomendation? I cannot understand all the jargon in the literature that accompanies it.

    • John, the AOEP Executive recommends voting Standard. Please post your vote quickly. The count is Monday 11th September.

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