CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Over the last few weeks we have been talking to Simon Duffy (NTL CEO), in regards to a Customer Service Article that we intend to publish in the near future on this site. Some other aspects of Customer Service were discussed with examples given of Customers who had nowhere to turn.

Out of the blue Simon Duffy requested that Mick and I meet with him and Peter Wilcock.

This meeting has been arranged for tomorrow afternoon 2:00 in Manchester.

We will be bringing up several issues with Customer Service, amongst other things and have a hefty agenda to get through.

We hope that we can forge links with ntl to address many of the problems you, as customers are having, and the problems we can see from an overall point of view.

Please be assured that any examples taken from the CF database will NOT include any personal details of the posters, just the subject matter.

We will obviously let you know the outcome of this and any further meetings.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

:tu: :clap: :hyper: :handshake

I think that just about sums my thoughts on the matter up.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Excellent! :tu:

Hopefully if you get a dialog going, you could eventually bring up how some employees are being persecuted on here for trying to help people in their spare time. Some kind of official descision and policy about it would be good to clear it up?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

If they offer you jobs, just say no ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Nice to see they still have a interest in this site and our views.

After ntl pulled the plug on nthellworld you must have a article that will raise cause for concern for duffy to show a active interest in what you intend to publish here ?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

WTG Team,
Let's hope something positive comes from this. :tu:

oooh just noticed that was my 1000th post,
nice for it to be on what will hopefully be the start of something good, and not on a slag off/complaint type thread.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Let's make this clear - there will be no discussions about buy-outs of websites :D

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

:disturbd:

They can offer me a job anytime :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Great to hear links could be made between the forum and NTL... I hope it works out positive for both parties for future development!

/me signs off wondering if the big guy is a member on this forum... dont think it'll be an obvious nickname though ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Good luck. Sounds like a good idea.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

This is something I took up with Simon Duffy some time ago and this is part of his response. The last sentance refers to associates unofficially helping on forums during their working hours with NTL. Simon was unaware that associates had been warned about helping out on sites such as this and had to refer to Aizad Hussain for clarification of what was happening.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

aww :( i was about to type: i wonder if duffy brings his cheque book :erm: :p: :D

seriously i think this is a step in the right direction, i think having employees on here in an official capacity can help if allowed.

im sure the talks will allow a 'clearing of the sir' between the users of this site and NTL customers, i dont think we will see huge changes but atleast we will know NTL's position for the future hopefully about its direction and customer service deployment.

well im only hoping here :p:

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Nicely done - hope they have sympathetic ears. My personal gripe is being told email is not an integral part of the broadband service (and therefore I cannot moan when it collapses, though to be fair it's been reasonably OK recently). Not sure what planet they live on but, say, if I don't get email notification re products ordered online or bank statement prompts, then that's an issue. I know they say email is free but we all know that, like lunches of that ilk, there's no such thing. Sorry, rant over :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I would like to know if they have a plan to get the Customer Service back on track.

Back when I joined the company it was actually quite good (in my region anyway) but over the last year or so has been eroded away by little or no training and new staff being taken on as temps instead of actually working for Ntl (and giving them even less incentive to stay)

You used to have to go through a phone interview and then a formal assessment centre before getting a CS job (Out of my interview group there were only two who made it) and then you had 4 weeks training including job visits to different depts so you knew what happened outside your own little bubble.

Now there are people taken on without any interview whatsoever and unsurprisingly the customer service has dropped through the floor.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Thats a great idea as people who can get access to this could voice their queries that they're not sure are worth a phone call to CS or not. May improve waiting times for getting through to CS at times when its really hectic.
I work on a support helpdesk, and when we're experiencing high levels of calls, we always get a few who wait 10-20mins to ask a really silly question that doesnt deserve to be put onto the logging software as having been raised.

I'd like to think of myself as being pretty useful with things like the TV and Internet and do all the checks possible and get the results from the checks down on paper to have next to me on the phone. That way they can get my problem sorted quickly and move onto the next guy/gal in the queue. There's nothing more off-putting than looking at the wallboard in a call-centre to see 20+ people waiting in a queue for your assistance!

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

This very often happens, some of the network guys were gagged on .com a few years ago. When I brought it up people from Matrix court said it wasn't true. Sometimes these orders are only from the top of one division, and not overall company policy.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

A phone book sized agenda I should think.

Good luck Si hope it goes well If theres anything I can help with (not that I should think there would be) then just let me know.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

if the CLT team could be reformed or something to show an official capacity here that would assist users who have exausted existing channels by emailing NTL (dont scoff!) phoning or even trying their regional directers....

but yes it would be a start, as i said before i dont expect anything earthshattering but if NTL want to do something right for once then its a step in the right direction.

i know the big bulletin points will be customer service and technical support quality levels and the poor standards of them but i also think there needs to be a better communication system with managers and supervisors, no one should recieve a warning or told to curb their help on a forum which has NTL customers!

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

On the television side, can you congratulate them on the fact they now have a system in place to allow customers to test software before it goes live.

Now on other things:

Full BBCi intergration - And if done properly, would be better then the Sky version.

Channel numbers - Start to advertise the fact now, ready for a change, say in 6 months time.

PVR - As much as a VOD will be useful, a PVR would be the cherry on the cake. Even better, a PVR tied in with Tivo (I know a pipe dream, but hey :) )

HDTV - Start planning now. End of Story.

Set Top Boxes - Since NTL own the boxes, can we get some quality control on them.


Finally, any chance of a CS service on Sundays?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I hope there will be some qs on the bb side, the future of/cable network, adsl2+ etc. :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

3 things I wouldnt mind addressing.

1 - Mailing list optional for powerusers who want notifying on planned maintenance etc. so know ahead of time if problems going to occur.

2 - Easier escalation of faults, the india call centre is very diffilcult to communicate with the staff, not just language barrier but them seemingly to be poorly trained and not been able to handle a problem where the fault is at ntl side.

3 - Timetable for upgrades in areas, Leics still has largely a analogue only tv service and some area's like my sister's can not even get broadband, some news on this would be great.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Well done guys - lets hope they actuallt act on what is discussed :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

When we met with them a couple of years ago it was all very friendly but the biscuits could have been better.

Peter Wilcock used to be NW Business Unit MD or something but is now MD Central Operations and Business Improvement so it sounds like you'll be talking to the right people. It will be interesting to see if they'll comment on the recent choices of other ISP's to go 'unlimited' and/or increases in usage allowances. Where does ntl stand on capping now? If they bring it in, aren't they worried that people will think its a cynical move to prevent customers from choosing their own VOD and VOIP providers while ntl prepare their own products which will presumably be bandwidth exempt? When it comes to bandwidth I hope ntl dont think they can get away with pretending to 'manage scarcity' (which can seem to be more lucrative) rather than 'delivering abundance' !

It's not all about capping of course but someone had to mention it.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

How about telling them that they might pick some more customers up if they unbundled the phone and TV?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

are you sure he wasnt just talking to himself ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Just hope no money changes hands, :D no seriously hope thigs go great. :tu:

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I should bloody well hope not after last time!! :mad: :dozey:

If you can forge some links that would be great, afterall it'd benefit all the members (present and future) if you could get back a list of willing contacts in the upper esherlons of Ntl again.

But.....and you knew there would be one..........."once bitten twice shy"...........I hope :)

*wonders how Frank and Neil feel over this?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Ah - so it's already decided then :D

Well it's good to see the powers-that-be communicating with lesser mortals, though for what ends, the cynic in me wonders.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

People keep alluding to "Last Time", I guess I missed a whole chapter of CF's history somewhere along the line.

Is it recorded anywhere or would somebody care to enlighten me (if it's not too sore a point that is)?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

nthellworld/CF history - http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=12374

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Thanks for that Matt D, I'm off to work on the script for the movie now :D

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Will be interesting to see if ntl really are serious about moving things forward. The cynic in me suggests that they just want to play more lip service and fob you off. At least that's what happened when anticap met Bill Goodland and his team. ntl have and always will have an agenda. Sites like cable forum are little pin ***** in their sides to be brushed aside whenever they look like getting too big for their boots.

If there is one key issue for the wellbeing of the site it must be that employees are free to come to the site, and not be persecuted by ntl if they do so. Yes ntl will be concious that staff wont give away confidential information, sing from the wrong hymn sheet, etc, and wont want staff to be distracted from their primary job function. But forums can serve a major customer service function. To get staff officially able to post would get much closer to the ideals of Frank when he originally established the nthellworld operations.

I suppose the other critical area is the lack of customer support services at times when users can expect to experience problems. That is evenings and weekends. I continue to be amazed that there is no means of contacting ntl on a Sunday. They operate in a 24/7 environment. I know cost may be an issue, but at what stage does lack of proper support loose ntl customers?

It will be interesting to see how the meeting goes. I hope it is fruitful, and if some progress on customer service can be made, it will open up a means for future dialogue on other concerns of customers.

ntl don't have any means, that I can see, of assessing customer satisfaction and happiness levels. (Many of us will pay, and keep paying, just 'cos we don't want the hassle of upping sticks - just like very few move bank accounts despite knowing we could save money). Yes they know how many calls they get, and a big rise in numbers will suggest something went wrong, but how do they get opinions of the silent majority. Forums can serve as a barometer.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

24/7 customer service should be an essential for a company operating in the fields that NTL do. There are small ISPs that give this level of cover so why can't NTL, the biggest broadband ISP in the country. I don't for one minute believe that there is insufficient work for this to be viable. Even if there is a quiet night on the phones there is an opportunity to deal with customers letters and emails. I received an automated response to an email I sent last week but no further contact or resolution to the problem (one email account will not authenticate). Having 24/7 customer service support will lighten the load during the times when they currently operate which would be a good thing for both customers and NTL associates who are having to deal with the customers.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Maybe not 24 hours a day but 7 days is IMO essential. Especially for faults.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Good idea :rolleyes:

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Who pays for it though?

There isn't enough money to pay for it at the moment, so which services do you suggest should increase in price to pay the vastly increased wage costs?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Perhaps they are doing lip service... However, everyone deserves a chance, so this is Duffy's chance to prove himself, and I wholeheartedly welcome that. Wilcock was around (in a very similar role) when I worked there and showed absolutely no interest whatsoever in nthellworld.com as it was then, or the work I was doing. I won't bother talking about Goodland as I have better things to do.

Hmm good luck with that buddy... For this to happen would require a massive shift in thinking and culture at ntl. ntl don't have the balls to do this, plus the fact that this method would not give ntl enough control. Control is the key word here. Hell, they couldn't even organise support on ntl community, a site that they owned and had branded. ntl are scared of web forums full stop, because they cannot control them and people can post in real-time, nor do they trust their staff enough to post custom-written replies on a forum.
It's a numbers game dude, ntl don't do qualitative analysis, which is one of the problems. They only care about quantative analysis. This is a long established fact.
I too hope that Duffy, someone who I haven't seen "in action" much, can think outside the ntl box.
Hehe. Well they did have a nice Responsetek flash feedback application on their website for a while some time ago. I'm sure that collected much quantative feedback and cost ntl a fair bit. Or perhaps nobody bothered to read the results, much like the thousands of unread emails that were sent to the Power Users mailbox when Goodland came up with the idea of a Power Users consultation group to pacify customers. And yes, I looked, and lo-and-behold, I'd guessed right.

Anyway, I wish my colleagues here at CF a productive meeting (I guess they are in there right now), and I hope that many good things come out of it. We shall see though, ntl screwed us last time, now they have everything to prove.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

You can guarantee that this is just an excercise in the service of lips.

There is absolutely no way ntl would risk having one of their employees have free reign to post an un-sanitised response.

I agree they do not like forums. Hell, they even scrapped the internal employee forum and replaced it with one where you can only post about specific subjects approved by the management.

No free speech in ntl, not even internally

Agreed, they are obsessed with number and targets, even more so than the Labour party.

It's always been quantity not quality.

Be under no illusions that Duffy is only there to line his pockets. No I don't mind someone enjoying the benefits of their success. But it sticks in the throat when people are on 90 days and being made redundant that he strolls into the car park in his Bentley, or Ferrari, and then parks it right outside the main entrance, not even in a parking bay but right outside the main entrance. As if to say "ooh look at me and how great I am"

This really piisses people off.

ntl have no interest in this or other forums.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

on the 24/7 support thing, if ntl have no money to pay for it then why are high level management recieving bonuses that would be a good question to ask.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Well, the meeting went ahead as planned. Simon Duffy initially wanted to know more about Cable Forum, it's history and who was running it, and what position the sites played in the grand scheme of things.

Points covered

• Customer Information

This was covered with several sub points. i.e Customer Information Packs, a Customer Web portal, better information on Upgrades, etc, better clarity in the Terms and Conditions, returns policies, and general customer feedback. Examples of problems were handed to them by Mick. Details about the upgrades and information conveyed to customers was mentioned separately. Simon Duffy, clearly recognised that problems customers were experiencing were unacceptable and they need to establish why this is happening. Mick brought about the fact that some problems customers were experiencing keep on happening.

The response was encouraging, they were aware of some of the problems, unaware of others. Installs is being looked at in depth, with a lot of work going on.

• Customer Service

Again we covered many points including Telephone ping pong, same complaints time an time again, Fault Tracking, Call Logging, etc.

The response was again encouraging. They want to provide a Cable Forum Liaison person who will assist us with issues and also want to provide us with an escalation route into ntl so that problems that cannot be easily be dealt with can be tracked. Call Logging was re-introduced last Monday.

• Merger

No Comment

• June Price Rise

No Comment, but this has been released on their site.
http://www.home.ntl.com/page/customerupdate

• NTL Staff on Cable Forum

This was discussed at length, and it would seem that ntl want to talk about it more internally, but Simon Duffy stated that if they want to do this in their own time, then there is not a problem. The only problem is that there is no real way of tracking this activity, hence the possible introduction of an escalation route direct into ntl.

• Press Releases and General Information

We pointed out the fact that we get rumours from internal sources, and that we get updates from Telewest, and that they are not so good at communicating information. It has been suggested that Cable Forum become an "Official" portal with which ntl can communicate plans, and information to the customers.

• Question and Answer

There are many questions that get asked regularly (TV channel renumber), etc, so it was asked that if we came up with a list of questions that people would like answers to, would they be willing to answer.

Answer was Yes, within reason, anything commercially sensitive or confidential would not be answered.


************************************************** *****

Overall the meeting was positive, and Simon and Peter are taking many of the points we raised away with them for more consideration.

The idea of an ntl Cable Forum Liaison person who we can channel information to and get information from is very encouraging.
Also opening the lines of communication between the two parties was applauded by all.

Cable Forum will need to supply some statistics to ntl, in regard to common customer problems, and monthly statistics, which ntl will respond to.
This was the initial meeting, with lots of good ideas, and thoughts, and it would seem that there will be further discussions by email to firm some of these things up. It will probably mean a bit more work for a while, but in the long run, we hope it will make Cable Forum a much better site for customers and staff.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Sounding promising - fingers crossed :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

On the face of it - it is very promising - now it's upto ntl to follow up the promise with action - we will do our bit, lets hope they do theirs. :D

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

well im pleased that something will hopefully be achieved by the idea of the liason officer its something which i applaud them of bringing up and hope they act upon so we can get the 'official line' on the future of products or services.

im a bit disappointed about the lack of movement on a team on CF to deal with customer issues ongoing with service.

maybe having a regular Q&A section actually happen is also useful for frequently asked questions.

well lets just hope its not hot air from NTL and they engage in being useful.

im interested in how cableforum could be used as a 'portal' would it just be a matter of being linked to the ntlworld.com homepage or given a section with an explination of what the site is about ?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Yep us too

I'm not ... they idea was mentioned to them, but I can also understand their need to bring customer issues "in house", as this is the only true way of tracking them.

They liked that idea

us too

We're not sure either yet, we will be discussing this further with them, and we will let you know when we have more information.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

ok thanks Nemesis i look forward to future announcements on here :)

i can understand that, but i think if there is a outstanding issue that needs resolving with TV, telephony, billing, etc then it would be better if the customer can recieve a resolution through the forum.

yes i am refering to those within NTL who dont do as they say when a customer is on the phone to them.

im sure NTL could pick a group of people voluntarily doing the work outside of their normal hours ie during time off and then collectively registering the changes made by a database or logging proccedure.

just an idea...

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

The main prupose of the portal would be for those queries that we are unable to sort out immediately, or are long standing issues.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

interesting, i await the updates in the following weeks/months :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I actually did a presentation suggesting this exact thing about 4 weeks ago. They liked the idea but as Simon said, they want it all done in house. They're of the opinion, customers shouldn't HAVE to use an external method and thats one of this years key focus's. Customer Experience

Shame, I spent 4 hours on that presentation

Oh, I also had a meeting with Simon and Peter today along with many other associates at 10am

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

The 'vibe' I get from this is very positive. It is obviously early days, yet, but the implication seems to be a recognition by NTL that this is not just a 'rant' site.

From Nem's summary of the meeting, it looks like he & Mick did a very professional job in representing Cable Forum - well done guys :tu:

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Care to divulge ?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Customers will still be helped through forum in the normal manner, nothing will change in that aspect, but what we wanted to do and suggested to Simon Duffy and Peter was, assess high priority issues and send them to contacts within ntl. I and the old administration team on nthellworld.com used to do just this, contact managing directors which at the time was six business units, however, Simon didn't want to commit to this due to fears that it could potentially cause havoc and e-mails might go astray and issues not fully dealt with causing further problems than it might solve and that it is too messy to do i.e to have several contacts to rely on to pick up these issues and to actively log all issues appropriately so they can be tracked. What they have said they want to do is create a central 'point' where high priority issues need urgent attention, and to be picked up internally and then the issue tracked and logged by ntl, so they can monitor patterns of problems, why they keep happening so they become aware there is an issue. Efficiency, being the 'buzz' word.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

In some respects it would be better, primarily it would be positive public focus and other customers would benefit from any fixes. Information sharing is the whole point of having a forum, in that others with the same problem can search and find the answer without taking up more ntl/Telewest resources. Of course ntl could set up their own forum, with trackable tickets and users, integrated with internal systems. However, this doesn't appear to have moved forward in the last two years...

We could create a logging application, but to be honest it isn't our job. This suggestion also begs the question of why should an ntl employee have to work voluntarily and outside of their hours?

At the end of the day, ntl have had YEARS to get their act together and provide online support. What do they have right now? A fragmented set of static articles spanning multiple websites.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Not trying to **** on anyones parade but a lot off this gives me the feeling of "Deja vu" hope i'm hopelessly wrong.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Don't worry, you are ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Goood work guys. Seems like this is going to be good for everyone.
I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

If ntl ever wanted to find out what was wrong with the network and track faults they should really be asking the people in the front line (customers and csr/faults staff) . It used to make me want to scream when we identified a problem on the network which was easy to fix but we would have to gather multiple reports and test before any action could be taken.

We once had some of the DTV people come and sit with us to listen to calls and find out from us what was causing probems. So they listened and we told them and off they went and created a portal that we could sit and track how long it took them to fix things. And we watched the problems day in and out and nothing really changed. Every software release on DTV is biled as the fix all release, when I started it was v5.32 thats was going to cure all the pixallation and freezing. Which it did a little. Now i'll bet theres a software release due that is still hoped to cure things.

I do understand that these box's are fairly complex and theres lots of issues that can factor in, so why 1.5 years after I left ntl are the same dtv issues ruining the viewing experience.? Why can someone not fix the guide?, why does the brand new stb I had installed lock up? How can you improve the software interface yet make it worse?
Why does digiguide work all the time on my pc which is connected to the same cable? Why does it blank and lock-up when the signal is spot on?

Peter needs to stop worrying if the staff have their shirts tucked in in the call centre no customers see and start making sure that those staff are properly equipped to provide the type of customer service that is required by subscribers.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I'm gonna leave that one in the meeting. It was basically an associate forum where we got to have our say about what was annoying us. Ran out of time though before I even got through the things on my list.

One thing I will say, if you called in yesterday its completely possible Simon heard ya, he was listening in on calls too

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Sceptical, but optimistic.

Frank & I have been through these meetings before (with the King BS-er Aizad :rolleyes: ), yet Mick & Nem came away feeling positive, & I trust their judgement. :tu:

I do have my own feelings on the whole issue, but I'll reserve judgement & maybe get proven wrong (unlikely :naughty: ;) )

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

How about their unofficial site: chetnet?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

What about it? It's still unofficial.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

You mean the one that's down at the moment ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

It is indeed un-official and ..."down" at the moment.

But it is used extensively & exclusively by NTL for trials etc. I have no idea who Chet is but Peter M (Patrmigan), Pointman, Bomber etc are all NTL employees running trials, helping customers etc

(BTW I have not visited chetnet for ages so my info is not much up to date)

I was just saying that NTL has an online outlet albeit unofficial

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I've been at ntl long enough to know that nothing will come of this.

If I am proven wrong, I'll show my Ar*se on Hook building 270 steps (just in front of Duffys Bentley)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Mick and Nem, if ever there was an incentive.... :) And Pierre, we will of course expect photographic evidence should a positive outcome be achieved (but please make sure it's clean and, if necessary, neatly combed!! :D

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Going on what you say about Chetnet, NTL have numerous unofficial sites such as this and ntlh.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

To be honest, knowing ntl as I do, none of it means anything until they actually DO something.

They are always promising the earth and delivering nothing.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I PM'd Pointman ages ago and offered a trial forum here but nothing came of it because the trials team and admins, I am told, aren't that keen of this forum. Everyone, I guess has their own preferences and I am not going to lose the plot worrying about who likes who or what.

I got an e-mail a few weeks ago telling me our site url had been added to chetnet's swear filter, whether there is any truth to this is another matter, I care not. I think it was an attempt to upset me or wind me up and provoke me but it did absolutely niether of these and binned it got. We also keep getting e-mails from a weirdo trying to spark off a war again between ntlhell, again I am not interested, nor do I want to waste any energy wondering whats happening on other sites. I am sure they serve their purpose, members and visitors very well but this site is the one where my energy is focused and I am sure the admins of other sites feel exactly the same way to their sites.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Umm guys...

We have tried this before if you remember. What makes you think there gonna listen...cause they sure didn't when me and Neil went and saw Aizad Hussain. He tbh just didn't care that I slapped a whole 200 page print out of the problem thread on NTHW

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

to the doubters there is one crumb of comfort re all this - they contacted Mick and others and not the other way round. So perhaps this time there is someone in charge who wants to use the internet forums positively.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Ever heard of the saying "if at first you don't succeed, try, try, try and try again" or something like that. :D Remember the spider!

Things may not have happened in the past but that doesn't mean the same situation will remain for ever more. Since Simon Duffy came on the scene there have been the biggest changes that NTL has ever known. He isn't just sitting on his backside and doing nothing, he is taking far reaching measures to alter the situation. Changes take time and problems will occur during the period of change but the end result should be worth it. If you haven't already read Simon's (Nemesis) article at http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=27176 then do so as it explains a lot and gvies hope for the future.

This site and NTL can work together to benefit both the company and its customers but members have to want this to develop. How much help a company (or person) is prepared to give is dependent on how the help is asked for and how much respect is shown to the ones being asked to help.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I agree Ben, you and the others did do this before, but I am not going to pass up an oppurtunity to see if we can actually push the issues forward when we have the ear of Simon Duffy and Peter Wilcock.

They invited us in, to listen to what we had to say, and this interaction is now public on here. It's up to them to make sure that they take this oppurtunity to listen and do something.

If nothing comes of this for whatever reason, at least there is this public record that we tried.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

That's not quite right...

Yes-they contacted us, but only after Mick & Nem were, shall we say persistant in their communications with Simon Duffy.

Yes, ntl instigated the meet up, but only after Mick/Nem kept on drawing their attention to the issues that their customers suffer.

I have no doubt in my mind that if we hadn't been making that contact, then no meeting would ever have been suggested by ntl.
__________________

Peter Wilcock was 'in charge' of NTHW.com, & look what happened to that.

As Aizad did with Frank & I before, when we were invited to attend meetings in all of the regional head offices.

Agreed. :tu:

Agreed again! :D

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

This is very disappointing. This forum is the place to "pick up" trialists. Pointman and Peter M left all sites but the Chet one. I am wondering whether this was an order from above.

I can confirm that www.cableforum.co.uk is not in chetnet's swear filter, just tried it and then removed the relevant message.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

The last time that NTL became involved with NTHellWorld.com, it was taken over and within a short while had gone. It was effectively a way of removing all the negative comments by NTL customers, which were being posted regularly.

Fortunately, someone had the foresight to set up NTHellworld.co.uk otherwise all the NTL customers would not have had a means of maintaining the NTHW community and voicing their complaints and praise.

I'd be highly suspicious of an NTL approach, and I'd be making certain that alternative Cable Forum domain names were in place to ensure that the same thing does not happen again.

Oh for the days when we had Miss Moneypenny? I wonder what ever happened to her. She was the best advert NTL ever had.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Be assured, once bitten twice shy. There will be NO dealings with ntl in regard to ownership of this site.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Can I just say Simon Duffy did comment to us in the meeting yesterday about our independence and that he thinks it should remain this way. :)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

We've said it before and we'll say it again - bookmark this page if you like - cableforum.co.uk and nthellworld.co.uk are not, and will never be, up for sale to ntl or anyone else.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I'll give ya £1.99 cheque ? :D :D

but to the point. I really do hope things come out of this and CF is able to work closely with NTL. It would be good for CF and NTL to work together considering the amount of people come here with issues.

I just feel the first time was wasted. I mean I took a day of work out of MY time to go and see Aizad to help his company and he really wasn't interested. I know this might be a whole new managment your dealing with but its the same old NTL as we have always known. Don't be dissapointed if it all falls though....

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

That's very big of him.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Pierre ..... shut up

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Wasnt he the one who wanted to end/close down the nthellworld.com site?

One name keeps coming up - Aizad - there appears to be a concensous of negativity towards this man.

On a side note, I remember when Frank brought Tim Ryan onto the forum to field questions etc about NTL and I vaguely remember (this was about 2-3 years ago) pointing out there needed to be someone to liase between the forum and NTL. Tim's response was to ignore the comment.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

NTL can liaisse with this site quite easily by having someone with a user name that indicates that they are the NTL spokesperson answering queries that arise, fielding comments and perhaps giving insights into NTL's plans.

Miss Moneypenny did that job previously and did it well because she was honest and sincere in her comments and was informative without compromising NTL's commercial sensitivity.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

if she was that good, it prompts the question - why did it end?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

She was Miss Moneypenny on .Com and Moneypenny here ...
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/member.php?u=324

She stopped visiting Dec '03, no idea why ..

Although emails to the address she used are being bounced ... so probably no longer works for the company.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

2 words-Hussain & Wilcox.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

am I right in thinking Azaid Hussian still work there? and if so what's his position and relationship to Mr Duffy?

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

:disturbd:

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

let's hope Duffy sees the light then and gets rid of Hussian.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Too many ill feelings I think, in this thread, for a chance for this to work I think we need to be a little bit more positive rather than more negative. If we keep looking at the past rather than going forwards, there is a risk we get left behind.

I know people are more reserved with their judgement and have a right to be because of the past but If yesterday, before the meeting, if I didn't think anything was gonna come of the meeting, I would not of bothered attending. Let's move forward not backwards, this thread is on the verge of turning sour and I do not want to think I and Simon wasted our time yesterday because of a situation of 'here we go again'.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

:clap:

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Well, I think it's a good thing.

Simon Duffy appears to want NTL to be more open about how they do business, and maybe this site can be a part (hopefully important) of that.


I am not knocking the guys and gals from NTL who do post here, but I do think it would be better if NTL work with the site in an official way.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Gee - so many people stuck in the past, you are hung up on events from 2+ years ago. :rolleyes: Open you eyes boys and girls - getting the personal ear of the head cheese is a massive step forward - and we intend to look on this as a positive move and take as far forward as we can. :D

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Open your eyes to the fact that some people have been there, & done that. :cool: ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

That would be opening your eyes and looking at the past Neil, like I said we should be thinking forwards, not backwards all the time. ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Here we have a divided issue - some have already tried (and failed) on numerous occasions to deal with NTL so when they appear to be listening it is very easy to be sceptical. I'm all for going forward - if nothing comes of this it'll only look worse for them.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

to be fair, as Paul says, that was over two years ago.

I can understand a 'once bitten twice shy', approach, especially in your case, Neil, as you experienced so much of the BS at first hand.

- however, personally, I applaud the positive approach by Mick & Nemesis & hope their enthusiasm is rewarded.

- if not you will, at least, be able to say 'told you' ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

Thank you for making my point for me. ;)

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

I/we didn't fail to deal with ntl, quite the opposite in fact.

It was ntl that killed all communication by lying about using NTHW.com for the benefit of their customers, & then closing it down.

It's never stopped them before Russ, they don't really care how they 'look' IMHO, there are enough BB punters signing up daily for them (in their view) not to have to worry.

Re: CableForum & NTL to meet
 

If they are clearly not worried as you are suggesting Neil, then why bother to to travel to Manchester to meet me and speak to Simon, (remember they originally wanted me and Simon to go to Hook first) and ask CF to attend a meeting esp with ntl's CEO present, to ask what CF is about and ask us for our opinions and specific issues on customer services etc etc?

If they are not worried as you suggest why bother to even consider meeting CF? :)