simoningrantham
05-03-2004, 03:00
Where do I start?
I used to live in Brighton and at the time worked for NTL in their call centre at Portslade. When I moved to Grantham (having quit NTL some months earlier in disgust) I really should have known better than to connect to NTL but one of my requirements was reliable broadband. Knowing that BT broadband is decidedly dodgy around here due to distance from the exchange, and that broadband is one of the only things NTL does well, I bit the bullet and signed up in september last year - Family Pack, 600k BB, and telco (which *allegedly* included a year's free Talk Unlimited - more of that later). I assumed that having worked in their billing department in Brighton, I would be armed with enough knowledge to deal with any problems which arose - how wrong I was.
I duly set up direct debit from my bank account. After the first month, they took out two month's charges for the TV. I wasn't too concerned about this, as I knew from experience their policy on pro-rata charging (although they still don't make this clear to new customers). I was, however, concerned that they hadn't debited anything for the phone or the BB.
A week later, the BB stopped working and I found the phone restricted. Worse still, I found I couldn't access voicemail or even call customer services, both of which are supposedly free, so I had to call them from my mobile - god knows what that cost. I get told that the restrictions are because my account is overdue. I tell them that I have not received ANY statements from them (even for the sum that had already left my account) and that anything due should have come out by DD anyway.
Now, this is the bit I fail to understand and would love someone to explain. I get told that the money for my Family Pack was paid out of my account, but that the phone and BB has to be a separate DD, and for some reason that was never set up. I tell them my history of working for NTL and that it's not two separate debits and they basically tell me I'm a liar. What the f**k are they on about?
So, I check my bank, and fair enough, the broadband and phone money didn't go out. They tell me the only way i can get the services de-restricted is to pay by credit or debit card, but they won't accept my Visa Electron. (In fairness to them, I have had that problem with other companies). So I drive 3 miles with the cash to the house of a helpful friend with a switch card, and pay them. Whilst on the phone paying it, I mention that it should have been all set up by direct debit. They apologise and promise to send out a DD mandate. I still don't understand why it's not on the same DD as the TV, but no-one seems able to explain why.
Now here's why I'm p**sed off and have come to this site:
The above sequence of events has happened EVERY MONTH since f**king september!!! I am staggered and confused by the following:
1. I never receive ANY statements, paperwork, or promised Direct Debit mandates from NTL. They definitely have my correct address, as I make sure I give it to them and confirm it every time I have my monthly argument with them. I don't have any problems receiving post from anyone else.
2. Even without a DD mandate, why can't they just carry over the details from the DD for the TV which doesn't seem to have any problems at all?
3. Even more perplexing, why the hell does it have to be 2 separate debits? It was NEVER like that when I worked for them, and that was only a year or two ago.
4. Why does this cause them to restrict my services EVERY MONTH? They must have notes on their system from when I phone to shout each month, they must be aware of the situation! Also - they know that the DD for £28 for the TV comes out of the bank each month flawlessly - why the hell would someone pay half of their account and not the other - they must know that I'm not deliberately not paying it!
And just when you think it can't get any worse, this month it did:
Upon making the phone call to pay on my friend's switch card, the total was much, much higher than usual. As I don't get any paperwork, I asked for a breakdown. The answer I got floored me completely.
When I originally signed up, the offer they put forward was that if I took BB, TV, and Telco all together, I would get Talk Unlimited for free. The breakdown of my bill revealed that I had been charged for Talk Unlimited. More staggering still, despite being charged for Talk Unlimited, I had also been charged for all the landline calls!!! I had to talk to 3 people in that one call, two of them (supposedly) supervisors, to get those charges knocked off. Amazingly, their argument was that because I had had my services restricted several times I had lost my entitlement to free Talk Unlimited. In my exasperated state it was very, very hard not to swear profusely at them whilst explaining that I had been restricted due to THEIR ERROR, though somehow I managed to convey the information calmly and get the charges waived "as a gesture of goodwill", apparently.
Towards the end of this month, I know that I will have to go through all this again. I am within a millimetre of defecting to Sky+ and BT, the only reason I don't, as explained earlier, is the cr*pness of BT broadband in this area.
Would someone, anyone, like to explain what the hell is going on here and what i can possibly do to resolve it, as 24 is far too young to be cultivating grey hairs!
Cheers,
Simon x
I used to live in Brighton and at the time worked for NTL in their call centre at Portslade. When I moved to Grantham (having quit NTL some months earlier in disgust) I really should have known better than to connect to NTL but one of my requirements was reliable broadband. Knowing that BT broadband is decidedly dodgy around here due to distance from the exchange, and that broadband is one of the only things NTL does well, I bit the bullet and signed up in september last year - Family Pack, 600k BB, and telco (which *allegedly* included a year's free Talk Unlimited - more of that later). I assumed that having worked in their billing department in Brighton, I would be armed with enough knowledge to deal with any problems which arose - how wrong I was.
I duly set up direct debit from my bank account. After the first month, they took out two month's charges for the TV. I wasn't too concerned about this, as I knew from experience their policy on pro-rata charging (although they still don't make this clear to new customers). I was, however, concerned that they hadn't debited anything for the phone or the BB.
A week later, the BB stopped working and I found the phone restricted. Worse still, I found I couldn't access voicemail or even call customer services, both of which are supposedly free, so I had to call them from my mobile - god knows what that cost. I get told that the restrictions are because my account is overdue. I tell them that I have not received ANY statements from them (even for the sum that had already left my account) and that anything due should have come out by DD anyway.
Now, this is the bit I fail to understand and would love someone to explain. I get told that the money for my Family Pack was paid out of my account, but that the phone and BB has to be a separate DD, and for some reason that was never set up. I tell them my history of working for NTL and that it's not two separate debits and they basically tell me I'm a liar. What the f**k are they on about?
So, I check my bank, and fair enough, the broadband and phone money didn't go out. They tell me the only way i can get the services de-restricted is to pay by credit or debit card, but they won't accept my Visa Electron. (In fairness to them, I have had that problem with other companies). So I drive 3 miles with the cash to the house of a helpful friend with a switch card, and pay them. Whilst on the phone paying it, I mention that it should have been all set up by direct debit. They apologise and promise to send out a DD mandate. I still don't understand why it's not on the same DD as the TV, but no-one seems able to explain why.
Now here's why I'm p**sed off and have come to this site:
The above sequence of events has happened EVERY MONTH since f**king september!!! I am staggered and confused by the following:
1. I never receive ANY statements, paperwork, or promised Direct Debit mandates from NTL. They definitely have my correct address, as I make sure I give it to them and confirm it every time I have my monthly argument with them. I don't have any problems receiving post from anyone else.
2. Even without a DD mandate, why can't they just carry over the details from the DD for the TV which doesn't seem to have any problems at all?
3. Even more perplexing, why the hell does it have to be 2 separate debits? It was NEVER like that when I worked for them, and that was only a year or two ago.
4. Why does this cause them to restrict my services EVERY MONTH? They must have notes on their system from when I phone to shout each month, they must be aware of the situation! Also - they know that the DD for £28 for the TV comes out of the bank each month flawlessly - why the hell would someone pay half of their account and not the other - they must know that I'm not deliberately not paying it!
And just when you think it can't get any worse, this month it did:
Upon making the phone call to pay on my friend's switch card, the total was much, much higher than usual. As I don't get any paperwork, I asked for a breakdown. The answer I got floored me completely.
When I originally signed up, the offer they put forward was that if I took BB, TV, and Telco all together, I would get Talk Unlimited for free. The breakdown of my bill revealed that I had been charged for Talk Unlimited. More staggering still, despite being charged for Talk Unlimited, I had also been charged for all the landline calls!!! I had to talk to 3 people in that one call, two of them (supposedly) supervisors, to get those charges knocked off. Amazingly, their argument was that because I had had my services restricted several times I had lost my entitlement to free Talk Unlimited. In my exasperated state it was very, very hard not to swear profusely at them whilst explaining that I had been restricted due to THEIR ERROR, though somehow I managed to convey the information calmly and get the charges waived "as a gesture of goodwill", apparently.
Towards the end of this month, I know that I will have to go through all this again. I am within a millimetre of defecting to Sky+ and BT, the only reason I don't, as explained earlier, is the cr*pness of BT broadband in this area.
Would someone, anyone, like to explain what the hell is going on here and what i can possibly do to resolve it, as 24 is far too young to be cultivating grey hairs!
Cheers,
Simon x