NTL sales rep
 

Just bumped into one of these while shopping. I didn't hide the fact that I already had NTL BB but told him I was interested if he knew anything about the ADSL trial.

He said the trail was finished and ADSL is not going to be rolled out. He said how people prefered there normal cable BB. He then tried showing me the difference. Told me how BT only had 512 and NTL had 600. I told him how BT has 256 upload and NTL has 128. He then pointed out that cable broadband could go to 30MB if they wonted. Well I had to point out the 1GB cap to him then lol

I then pointed out how Telewest had 2MB but NTL only had 1MB. He said well I shouldn't be telling you this but, I stepped in then and finished it for him. Yes there trying to merge. He said no NTL are going to buy them out:rolleyes:

Well my suspiscions about NTL sales rep's are now confirmed. They dont really have a clue, only a false sales pitch they have to learn

Re: NTL sales rep
 

You meet one rep, and think you know enough to tarr them all? :rolleyes:

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

Major probs with my system grrrrrrrrr... but what I was going to say was thank you!

I am an ntl sales rep and what the guy was saying is something I believed was going to happen up untill 2 months ago. Ntl are freeing up a lot of cash for something..... it has to be a merge because of the tax/monoploy problems that would arise if ntl was to buy telewest.

I do take offence to the fact that, as orangebird pointed out, people seem to be quick to tarnish all sales staff. This change to "cable forum" was meant to take away some of the negativity and I find it insulting to be pigoen holed into a "type", I am honest, and if I give an opinion i make sure whoever I am speaking to realises that it is an opinion.

How can us staff ever effectivley help people, if the person on the other end of the phone i.e the customer already has pre-conceived ideas that I will say anything to get a sale? Or that a C/Serv rep is chatting rubbish in order to get them off the phones?

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I'll never forget the NTL rep that came to my house to try and sell me NTL Broadband ... I wouldn't have minded so much apart from me living in a non cabled area which I understand as it's all bricked roads/pathways there are no plans to actually cable in the future.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

We had a rep come to our door to try to sell us BB; at the time we had 1mb BB, 3 STBs and a phone line on the associate package.... you would think they would give the salesmen records of who was already customers!

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

I think you might have hit the nail square on the head there....

Re: NTL sales rep
 

One of the reps in a stand outside mcdonalds in luton last week stepped in front of me...

" How would you like allways on reliable broadband " ?

After a took a deep breath and counted to 300 I explained

" I have only just got away from your useless company - why the hell would I use you again " ?

:D

Re: NTL sales rep
 

:shocked: That's what you say after counting to 300? Remind me not to be around when you just launch straight into it .... :disturbd: ;)

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

So every CS rep does that???

Obviously, as it's the sales reps fault you got screwed around. :rolleyes:

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I nearly told him exactly what I think of his companys so called broadband service in a very loud voice !!!

I feel sorry for the poor guy.. You can bet he is a crap basic wage and has to relay on feeding poor unsuspecting suckers ( er members of the public ) a load of bull to make a half decent wage.

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

No !!! thats why I did not have a go at the rep. I dont blame the staff for working for such a pi$$ poor excuse for a company !! Never have !!

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

You know that's not what I mean! You also know as well as I do that CS certainly have a rep for fobbing people off.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Re: NTL sales rep
 

That's actually the kind of thing ANY salesman would say, not just one who works for NTL.

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

And if you seriously believe that why bother calling up? How can you expect somebody to be able to help effectivley if the customer is thinking "this person is talking ****".

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I think this thread is getting a bit out of balance, I'm sure there are many ntl broadband customers who are happy with the service they get. I know I am. :)
Again there are excllent call centre and sales reps as well, although of course there are also some poor ones!

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

Well its good to know that at least one sales rep is honest or knows what you are talkin about, but I think you are in the minority. I spent 5 years installing in belfast, and in the last year to eighteen months, with the big push on to see BB, christ the number of mis-sales is shocking. Its bad enough spending two hours clipping cable around the house to get the modem installed, and then finding the subs puter only has 28 meg RAM. But is a bloody disgrace when field-sales go to a house, sale the sub a service, and dont bother to check the the computer is up to spec. FFS the sales reps carry a BB checker. I spent 6 manths as the Belfast BB Troubleshooter, working with a bloke in the BB Retention Team sorting out customers who where going to disco because of BB problems. And the number of calls I went to to discover below spec computers is a disgrace.

Oh and before anyone asks, there was an email sent out by one of ntl's managers to the affect that ' no computer is to be checked for spec before the modem is installed'. Basically, by the time the modem was in the house and the MAC id given to Install Support then the customer was locked into the 12 month contract, and where then screwed. :mad:

Re: NTL sales rep
 

TBH i think most people who buy BB from a salesman on the street, won't be too bothered about the upload speeds, and if they do want to know, then they can always ask!

A salesman will always neglect to tell you the worst features of their product ;)

Re: NTL sales rsdep
 

I don't - I'm a Pipex/Sky/BT customer.

And when I WAS an NTL customer, I went through one of the helpful people on this site, after posting a request for information.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Yep I know the score I used to be in sales myself so know most of them wont even have a clue what there selling its just a pitch they have to learn. I was lucky I changed my pitch depending on the sort of person I was chatting too which worked better but still this guy was crap. Fancy going on about 30MB christ they can't even offer 2MB

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Maybe the rep was being honest and meant 30 kbs ?? :D

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Overheard in Dixons today
Customer "Which do you think is better, SKY or ntl"
Salesman "Sky definitely, there are lots of problems with cable but Sky is rock solid all the time"
Customer bought Sky

Re: NTL sales rep
 

even if the rep did not mention the ntl's negatives sides so what i work for a mortgage company and sales reps accross all companies will over exaggerate the benefits of their product to increase sales next time you see the ntl rep if you dont want their service walk past & ignore them

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Like I said I spoke to him only to see if he know about the ADSL trial and he reckons that's over and there sticking to cable bb. The ultra fast download (ish and faster and cheaper still if you have Telewest) ultra slow upload broadband service

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Possibly true, or did it have something to do with being able to purchase satellite TV products at Dixons, but not cable? A Salesman offering useful, impartial advice or just trying to get a sale?

Re: NTL sales rep
 

It was probably due to the Dixons salesman being a braindead brainwashed and commision ridden prat.

Dixons/Currys that god damn awful chain of electrical superstores will always always try and sell you Sky even if you buy a 14inch tv set, the same as they will always offer you finance and always offer you insurance, because they get commision for it!

They push Sky far to much even when people have no desire/need for pay television. In many cases freeview would suit the majority of customer much better but they neever push that.

The sales idiot was clearly lying because Sky is never rock solid.........especially in iffy weather condtions.......maybe he mean the Sky box becomes a rock after a year?

Re: NTL sales rep
 

what a good salesman he was then... he wont sell much if he points out the deficiencies of the product will he??? duh!

Re: NTL sales rep
 

LOL surely not!

Did the salesman mention that if you buy your sky box it will end up costing you extra if it goes faulty?

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I think that your branding of Dixons staff is uncalled for and the only brainwashing I can see is your attitude towards Sky. You must live on another planer to the rest of us.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Why is that ?

Because he has a different opinion to you ?
:rolleyes:

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Do you think that Defiants branding of ntl sales reps is uncalled for too?

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Yes why is that??

I had Sky for 10 years............

Despite what you think PLENTY of people have problems with Sky, take a browse through the digital spy forums for a quick overview, bad weather, software issues, broken boxes being a few of the common issues.

Dixons staff are in my experience brainswashed and braindead in many cases.......they sell whatever gives the most commision its a fact of life if I worked there i probably would too you cant blame them. I would much rather them give impartial advice that was customer specific like my friendly electrical retailer. Everytime you buy a TV from there you are hassled to buy Sky.......you are hassled to buy breakdown insurance and take on ridiculous Fianance schemes enabling you to buy a product previously costing £1000 at nearly £5000 over 5 years with their ridiculous 29.9% APR packages they have duped many!

DSG is money orientated its an awful awful place, with dreadful customer service, I would rather spend more at a local retailer.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Do you think it is fair to refer to someone that you have never met or had dealings with to label them a braindead brainwashed and commision ridden prat?

Themelon only seems to surface to give his / her view of Sky which is nothing like the Sky that I have had in locations all over the country. I have never met anyone who has had much of a problem with Sky but everyone around me that has NTL has had many problems.

To me the Dixons salesman was spot on. My Sky has always been rock solid unlike NTL DTV which was always problematic for the couple of years that I had it.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I suppose it might be similar to what life was like when I worked for Tandy's - when it came to selling PCs, we weren't allowed as such as to mention other computer shops. Perhaps Dixons have a policy where they aren't allowed to 'big up' anything they don't sell themselves.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I think there is a difference there Orange. There's not that many poeple out there that know the score with Broadband and its service's. Just like there's not that many who really know about computers.

This guy was pushing a pitch. When pushed on his knowledge of Broadband I found it to be hardly anything

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Yes I do.

Too many people brand all employees of a company based on mabe just one experience. Likewise they brand a company as good or bad based solely on their own experience which may or may not be representative.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

The branding of any staff based on the experiences of just one or two is uncalled for - and this thread seems to be doing just that.

I have never had any problems with my NTL STB's (I have three) - my parents are on their fourth STB for Sky (they had two in one week !) - so guesss which I think is the worse.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

The same would go for a DSG Sales person, ask them about Sky and the will spout some sales blurb...........ask them technical information about its benefit over other platforms, they will repeat the sales blurb......they will give no real reason as to why you should choose Sky.

They fail to recognise Freeview will be more suitible for the majority of customers.

Incidence: They sold Sky to an elderly next door neighbour who wanted ITV2, Dixons sold him the £13.50 package........umm. ITV is free on Freeview but on Sky you need the family pack.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Have had many dealings with DSG staff.........i think they are generally recognised as being at best unhelpful, The cheap prices of a DSG Store will lure many unsuspecting customer but the customer service and technical knowledge leaves a lot to be desired. Its a good place to get a bargin but if anything goes wrong.....god help you!

People, like yourself will have good experiences of Sky.........but I feel it necessary when 'blurrred vision' is sometimes given that Sky is the best thing since sliced Bread.........It isnt always. It seems a popular consensus amongst this forum that if you get Sky all you problems will be solved....well not always, I like to add my experience.

People I know have trouble with Sky, People on digital spy have trouble with Sky. People I know have trouble with NTL, no service is perfect. But my NTL DTV and people I know have had a very good and impressive DTV Service from NTL.

They do........this site and numerous people on it including myself probably being prime examples. People rightly or wrongly tend to go on the offensive when they have suffered a bad experience from a particular company, guess its just human nature.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

When I managed a computer company down South we had DSG stores very near to us (Dixons, Currys, PC World and The Link). Virtually all staff from these stores used to buy from us rather than their own stores even with their staff discounts. The general computing knowledge of most of these was excellent. The reason they worked for DSG was mainly because they wanted to work in that field and there were jobs available there. DSG staff, and probably most sales staff, have to follow management directions on what to say to customers and what not to say. They have to push what management want pushing which is mainly extended warranties. What response you get from a sales person depends on how you treat them and how you communicate your needs.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Pc World lower than a snakes belly in a wagon rut imoa. Have you tried Aria as well i find them to be very good.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Yep I go to both there well balanced :D

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Wait a moment?
Are you telling me a sales guy was putting a positive spin on a product he was selling and had limited technical knowledge?? GET OUTTA HERE!

What kind of crazy mixed up world are we living in?

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Its funny too that the last two place's mentioned have people who do know what there talking about.

www.aria.co.uk & www.microdirect.co.uk Cheaper than muppet world too :)

Re: NTL sales rep
 

sorry but you shouldnt tar them all with the same brush , i have had very good help from pcworld in teesside , i think it is the usual story of inconsistency , bit like ntl really :(

Re: NTL sales rep
 

So much for the attitude change when the site changed names :rolleyes:

Re: NTL sales rep
 

sorry my mate , i dont get that one :confused:

Re: NTL sales rep
 

I used to work in a computer store as a saturday job when I was a teenager. Even though I only worked one day a week I still had to attend the weekly training session. We sold customers what they needed to get the job done, not the most expensive thing we could push on to them. We *had* to know how the products worked, a typical thing we had to do at a training session was demonstrate the functionality of a printer without recourse to the manual, and I`m talking about the time when printers were a fairly tricky thing to get up and running (anyone else remember having to manually enter printer codes into your word processor to get it talk to the damn printer?)

When I was at university I got a part time job at PC World, I quit it after 1 day after seeing what a bunch of charlatans they are.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Well its been nothing but arguing.....sky are crap........Ntl are craper..........No Sky are craper.........Ntl are the best...............how dare you think that.................its my right....................sky are still scrap ........................not all of sky are crap...................ntl are brainless...............dixons are crap......................... :zzz: :zzz: :zzz:

I'm off for a drink :walk: :beer:

Re: NTL sales rep
 

But dixons don't sell ntl cable, they dont make any money out of it and are always going to say sky.

When I went for a interview for on digital sales I asked what they thought was the best sky, on digi or cable) They answered ' Whatever we are selling'

Speaks volumes for sales pitch's. Now I aplogise to all the sales people out there but if I suspect the are feeding be bullsh1t then I'll tell them where to stuff the contract/product. I will not be lied too.

Re: NTL sales rep
 

Haha, funny you should mention both of these companies... I used to work fot them both!!!

Still friends with the MD at ARIA, and my old man still works there!