NTL caller display
 

Hi, I have recently moved all my toys over to ntl cable.tv.phone,bb,etc
It was an almost painless transition as the pace set top box worked until the engineer drove into the sunset.

1st Pace box "It just kept down loading and re-setting

I still had the ntl phone temp no. + bt line so not to bad?
I still had freeserve adsl connected so again not to bad?

1 week later the engineer arrived with another box (Pace) and said these are being replaced as they are troublesome,all worked for about 2 days

2nd Pace box "It just kept down loading and re-setting"

not to bad?
By this time my bt line was transfered to ntl So no contact with the outside world at all as it was now the local server box,not to bad?

3rd Pace box fingers crossed

The biscuit

I have recently purchased some ntl caller display dect phones VS 2000
and was helped immensely by members here at cf with the user manual

I called ntl to add caller display to my extra's (as advertised in their sales brochure)
at a cost of £1.50 pcm not to bad?

Problem is, they do not provide this service Now that is bad

Its cost me loads to re:equip

I will have to move back to bt when the contract runs out unless they can remedy their caller display policy/problem
I live in the Bromley system area

If anyone has any info or veiws on this I would be grateful to read your comments

Art

Re: NTL caller display
 

You could probably get out now...
due to the inability to provide a stable service since inception
inability to provide CLI, what could be considered a basic service since BT rolled it out nationwide.

Depending on where you got the phones from you can probably return them for a refund within x days.

So tell NTL that due to the problems you want to cancel their service. Do this by phone and special delivery letter.

Return the phones, return to BT/sky.

Re: NTL caller display
 

The failure of the set top boxes COULD be considered reason to get out of the TV contract....but not the phone.

The non-availability of CLI is definitely NOT a reason, as the service is advertised as subject to availability. It's available in some areas but not others.

Re: NTL caller display
 

I didn't think you get a contract with the phone? only TV/BB?

Re: NTL caller display
 

Most regions will hold a user to contract on telephone. All ntl services are supplied on the basis that it's a minimum 12 months.

I worked in the relevant department for 18 months, I do know that if we encountered a customer who had had at least one box swap and it still wasn't right, we would release from TV contract but we were not obliged to do so on the phone if that was in full working order. Same applies to broadband.

Each case is, however, taken on its merits.

Re: NTL caller display
 

OFCOM will only allow a monthly termination on a telephone line contract, however thats not really relevant in this case as the telephone is integral to the CATV contract, while he could cancel the phone line his ongoing bill would still be £29 (£19.50 CATV + £9.50 Compulsory Telco) so it would be a bit of a hollow victory.

So if you are right you can release him from the CATV contract and then OFCOM rules allow him to release himself from the Telco Contract after 30 days.

I'd just like to add that as a regular on here, I'm generally an advocate of NTL services, however in this instance it would appear better to release the customer as he clearly will not be getting the services he wants, even if the CATV is fixed.

Re: NTL caller display
 

The OFCOM thing needs clarifying. There is NO rule that allows customers to cancel lines after only a month. BT put most customers on three month contracts, if you try and cancel in that time, they won't let you. Some BT customers get 12 month contracts where a lot of work has to be done to provision the line, again, OFCOM will not rule that people should be released without valid reason.

What CAN happen, however, is that customers of either company can port their number across to the other one, subject to availability. If this happens, neither company can enforce their minimum contract.

Re: NTL caller display
 

did they not tell you that caller id may not be available in your area? I called up on friday to have it setup on my new DECT phones as well, I was told its not available in all areas and if it doesnt work, i would not get charged (how kind!). but i was warned..

Re: NTL caller display
 

Hi
Thanks for all your advise
Round 1
This situation has been an ongoing problem since October
I have had the tantrums with all and sundry at ntl
With not being happy at the loss of all my services I did manage to get them to agree to cancel, but by then my bt line was disconnected as it had been transfered in # only to the ntl network.

So I resolved to continue the service with the promise of a better service
Round 2
It is only now on purchasing these caller ID dect phones, that I find they cannot supply me with that facility that is clearly advertised in their spin brochure.

I spoke to the sales staff at ntl and was advised "It is not available in your area.We are looking in to it and will inform you when available"

I live in London The capital City of England, Isn't anyone else concerned that this service is not available here
Why are ntl manufacturing phones that do not work on their system?

Re: NTL caller display
 

probably only those who live in london ;)

the phones work, its just the exchange that doesnt handle the caller id function, or line or whatever, in that area. the phones do work fine, and they work in other regions.

although i understand your frustration, the london part is kinda nothing to do with it ;) anyway, ntl are a mish mash of old cable networks, so they kinda didnt have that much control over it. not like bt who got to work on the whole countries system

Re: NTL caller display
 

The moral of the story is?

If you want Caller ID, get a BT phone line. :)

Re: NTL caller display
 

Or you could just ask when you get installed if caller ID is available in your area. :rolleyes: For the vast majority it is.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Are you sure about that?

The last figures I saw suggested that it was in fact the vast minority of ntl customers that could get Caller I.D, & due to the vast costs involved in the necessary upgrades, ntl wouldn't be persuing CLI. :shrug:

Unless ntl have reversed those figures & not told anyone? ;)

Re: NTL caller display
 

I thought the Ex-CWC (ie Bromley) areas generally could not get Caller ID? I know that I certainly can't in Bromley itself. I will admit, it doesn't matter to me though, as my main house phone is on a BT line, and does have Caller ID. The only reason I still have an NTL phone is that I have NTL TV and Broadband and it's not worth the hassle getting rid of the phone.

Re: NTL caller display
 

What figures have you seen Neil??

Caller ID is not available for those customers the East South East and North West regions. It IS available in every other region of ntls network. Which is NOT the minority. :)

Re: NTL caller display
 

I've got caller ID on my Telewest line....

Re: NTL caller display
 

are those areas networks that were constructed by Nynex and Videotron? :)

Re: NTL caller display
 

YEP. :)

Re: NTL caller display
 

So out of all the regions, how many ntl customers can get CLI?

Re: NTL caller display
 

NTL do not manufacture them Alba do.

Re: NTL caller display
 

I don't know the figures Neil - I thought you did? ;)

Re: NTL caller display
 

No I don't, the document I saw (& the confirmation that came with it from Aizad), was that most ntl customers can't/won't get the option of CLI.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Hi all




I have now resolved the problem, thanks to you all here at cf

I now have the caller ID working on all 4 ntl dect phones

Thanks

Merry Christmas

Art ;)

Re: NTL caller display
 

If its working on the Ntl line you might want to update the services you have.

If it's not I'll just be quiet and slink off into the corner again.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Sorry but why should someone in London get the service in preference to anywhere else in the country. That really makes me angry! I mean someone in London actually asked me if we had a daily postal delivery in Liverpool the other day.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Something to do with the 'ant' mentality they all have. They rush around all day and crawl back all alone into their holes at night and have the mindset that seems to think that the rest of the UK should revolve around 'their' way of thinking.

Roll on regional devolution then the taxes I pay will be spent in 'my region' rather than supporting some whinging southerner who wants <insert item name here> yesterday and throws the rattle out of the pram when they cannot get what they want :mad:

1. Your choice, you chose to live there for whatever reason, you should have made sure your requirements were available before you moved :D

2. No

3. NTL phones are 'badged' the equipment is 'manufactured' probably in the Far East for a UK supplier, in this case Alba.

Re: NTL caller display
 

We're in the North-East (formerly Comcast), and have CLI (I presume this is the same as caller display?). I've had it for about 10yrs or more, first on BT, then on Comcast (now NTL) for the last 6yrs or so.

It used to be £1 a month, as all the add-ons were, but it's now £1.50 a month (yes, a 50% increase came about overnight) :)

Re: NTL caller display
 

It is now £1.75 per month!

Re: NTL caller display
 

Makes no difference if you ask CS if it's available in your area - I rang them twice to confirm it was available and was told 'yes' both times, and that all I had to do to enable it was to ring CS when I was connected and it would be added. Imagine my annoyance when I became an ntl customer and rang to have it enabled, and being told it's not available and won't be as far as they are concerned! I'm back off to BT for the phoneline! :D

Re: NTL caller display
 

Jeez...another increase slipped in on the sly. Why don't they tell you there's going to be price changes instead of just charging you without asking....they're always doing it?

Imagine going into a shop to buy something and you get to the till and they charge you more than the price you were shown, I'm sure that would go down well.

Re: NTL caller display
 

I don't think any company asks it's customers if it's ok to increase prices :erm: The increase for telephone features happened back in September last year from £1.50 to £1.75 and info was sent out to customers advising of the change.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Inserts went into every bill, in fact from memory, two months running.
What if you had a flier from a few weeks back and then went into the shop and the price had changed....that happens quite often.

The harsh reality of the capitalist system is that, as a general rule, any company can alter its prices 'without notice and without giving a reason'. Most will endeavour to inform customers where possible, but it's a common myth that they are obliged to do so. Tesco don't take out adverts informing customers that beans have gone up 4p, and nor should they.

BT moved the market by shoving their feature prices up to £1.75, ntl exists to make a profit, and therefore it is obligated to maximise revenue....if your only competitor in a market gets away with upping prices 75% sadly you have to consider following it.

I personally think all the phone features on both networks are now ludicrously overpriced but both companies feel they can get away with it.

Re: NTL caller display
 

I might be able to take my international calling to another supplier by dialing 18xx before I make a call, but I cannot take my CLI from another supplier.
Perhaps OFCOM should look into this cosy dupopoly situation for select services.

Re: NTL caller display
 

I am hoping that as reseller companies (eg TalkTalk, 18866) start to use the new system that allows them to own line rental costs as well as call costs, (which will mean just one bill), these firms will be able to resell features also. They will doubtless undercut BT forcing them to lower the cost, at which point ntl would come under pressure to do the same.

That is my hope anyway.

Re: NTL caller display
 

That's not what I said though is it?

Of course it's up to them if they increase prices (I've had no flyers by the way). It IS up to the customer if they want to continue with the service at the new price though.

Also as I pay by direct debit they've broken the terms of the DD scheme which states they must give you 14 days notice of a change to dates or amounts.

It's no big hassle, as I would have stayed with it anyway, also they often do these backdoor increases for the TV too. The point is I didn't recieve notification, which I should have.

It's fair enough saying flyers were sent to everyone, that doesn't guarantee everyone actually got them. Depends on who's putting the flyers into envelopes I guess. We went 6 months with no bills arriving after they switched the firm that does the bills a few yrs ago. It was only threatening to cancel DDs, and reverting to paying the bill, when it actually arrived, as I wasn't letting them take money from my account without a bill, that got it all sorted out.

NTL is great when everything is working ok, but a nightmare when it involves actually having to deal with them.

Re: NTL caller display
 

That just about sums it up for me.

Re: NTL caller display
 

They have not, your bill which shows the increased price gives you 14 days nottification of the amount to be taken by DD.

Re: NTL caller display
 

For that to be true the bill would have to arrive 14 days before the payment goes out of my bank....it never happens! :)

No big deal, after being with them since day 1 you get used to their quirks, and getting them sorted out. :)

I guess you work for NTL do you if you're so defensive of them. I'm not critising staff, I wouldn't have stayed with them so long if I wasn't happy with the service overall. Just had a guy here today fitted the new Samsung box. :)

Re: NTL caller display
 

No I don't, I was just pointing out that they are probably in the right here, I don't know why it takes so long for your bill to arrive though, I don't pay much attention to my bill as I don't use the phone so it is the same every month.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Sums up most companies in the UK really. Great when it works, nighmare when it doesn't as long as they are getting your money they really couldnt care less what happens to you for the most part.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Errr-ok.....

Re: NTL caller display
 

I would agree with that.

Re: NTL caller display
 

In your experience, what companies fall into that catagory? (I.E. what companies have you actually dealt with that made your blood boil when it came to sorting out a problem?)

Re: NTL caller display
 

T-Mobile
Southern Electric
Marks and Spencers
Home Base

to name but a few....

Re: NTL caller display
 

You forgot one! :D

Re: NTL caller display
 

Npower
BT
Sky
British Gas
Inland Revenue
Liverpool Direct
O2
One&One
HP
Sony Viao Helpline
Natwest
Barclays Business
Timewarp Internet
Esure

The list could go on forever

Re: NTL caller display
 

Might be easier to quote who didnt. ;)

Re: NTL caller display
 

CLI works on most lines on the ntl network. There could be a couple of reasons for Caller Display not being released in certain areas (crud London network). First of all the exchange not having the feature (very unlikely), second of all and very likely the power levels at the mux cabinet, da cabinet or dp cabinet.

Don't forget that ntl are pouring millions of pounds into the London network to make it as near 100% broadband ready as possible (again mostly a problem down to power levels). Didn't any think that when they complete the upgrade on the London network, most of the level problems will be resolved, just a thought.

So as per usual Londoners get their VIP treatment, as the rest of the ntl network waits for network upgrades and overbuild which costs a less in man power and £ÃÆ ’‚£Ãà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£Ãƒââ‚ ¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£.

Whine whine whine.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Not really. The London users are only asking for what they have been promised for years, and the rest of us already have.. (BTW, although my Location says London, I am actually in Bromley, just outside London).

Anyway, I wouldn't moan too much. You have access to Video On Demand (which no other part of the country does currently).

Re: NTL caller display
 

I dont have access to VOD or any current ntl services at home. As my area has been waiting years for an upgrade from original CATV pilot scheme equipment to new build cabling, capable of offering services from the renfrew headend.

To give you a guide to how long, the orginal CATV scheme was ran by clyde cablevision before I was born.

Re: NTL caller display
 

Having glanced through this thread, I can see that my experience this morning was absolutely typical of ntl.

Putting hope over experience, I went to the ntl site, entered my postcode and found that I could have caller display. However, having seen examples here of what happens if you believe anything that ntl say, I phoned up ntl and discovered, surprise, surprise, that, no, caller display was not available in my area (Bromley); it was only available in the north east.

I did ask why, in that case, the ntl site said I could have customer display. The person I was speaking to expressed ignorance of this but said that my complaint would be forwarded internally (I'm sure that I heard it being filed in the WPB at this stage).

When I asked when it would be available I was told that they couldn't tell me a thing about this and that there was no one that I could speak to who could tell me anything.

So, as ntl aren't prepared to tell their customers anything, can anyone update us on what the true situation is? For a start, will it ever be available?