[Okonski]

I've now been a costomer of NTL (Cabletel originally) for 15 years, and during this time NTL have had a continuous process of changing their terms and conditions - at each stage the benefits to the consumer have become eroded, and what ntl can do against you (as a customer) has been strengthened. It is very difficult to hold respect for a company that makes no account of your loyalty and previous contribution to profits, and then do the following;

1) Report any late payment or disconnection to a credit reference agency, whilst
2) Charging you £10 for paying 'late'
3) Charging you £20 for 'Reconnection' after a computer has turned off your services, which could mean the total loss of TV, telephone and Broadband.
4) Charging you an additional £48 each year because you didn't make payment by one of their 'preferred' methods.
5) Remove the ability to contact Faults, Customer Service and Sales at no cost either via short code, or an 0800 Freefone number.
6) Print a monthly invoice that for some reason takes exactly 7 days before you receive it (my Invoice is always dated around 14th of each month, but NEVER arrives before 21st).

The effects are cumulative, I wait to be corrected, but should you have a billing issue that requires investigation there is every likelyhood that ntl will not resolve the issue and advise the correct payment due - the 'system' takes over and fines are stancked up ready to hit you on the next bill, starting the dispute all over again.

My last action was I had a billing overcharge, and on taking it up with CS was advised the amount would be credited to my account, so I could pay the remaining balance, which I did. Within a week I received a letter stating I had underpaid by £20 (the amount overcharged and supposedly credited). I responded to the letter writer, pointing out the error. I received a folllow-up letter stating my services would be interrupted if I did not pay the £20 by return, I responded again, stating there was no outstanding balance, and serving notice that should by services be disrupted I would reserve the right to charge ntl £50 per day for the loss of all three services.

Needless to say, the services were removed and it took 3 days to get them back on (and without paying them the £20 not owed). I demanded £150 for service loss and complained directly to Manchester. The end result was a bill credit of £50, plus package enhancements that made the arrangement for £162, so honour was satisfied.

Then the next bill arrived, complete with a £20 'fine' for service disconnection, which was applied 2 weeks after the compensation was paid. Calling CS to point out the error, I was told that irrespective of whether ntl had compensated me for the loss of service, the £20 fine was still justified. Back to Manchester again, and they were prepared to waive the fee.

The bottom line is I and many other customer spend a great deal of time and effort looking after our finances, yet at every turn ntl and companies like them use every trick in the book to lever extra £ÃÆ ’‚£Ãà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£'s because the bulk of us will just roll over.

Don't let them get away with it

Finally, do remember getting ntl to provide you with all services leaves you at the mercy of a communications black hole should they get it wrong (and they do). The prospect of finding my mobile phone going dead also because of some imagined billing issue just doesn't bear thinking about!