Hi
New to this so please forgive any lapses in forum etiquette or if I go on a bit...
Ok, I recently tried to use NTL's website to arrange my home move. Because of the dates that I had entered I was told that I could not proceed and that I would have to contact the normal 0800 052 2000 and speak to the 'Home Move Department'.
Whilst at work I used my mobile thinking that it would be cheap enough to call a freephone number but after a considerable amount of time queuing and £6.44 later, my network cut me off as no more credit!
Eventually with the aid of my girlfriend I was able to get someone from the home move dept to call me back and arrange my home move for the 18th of August.
18th of August whilst I was at work my gf calls me and tells me that the NTL guys are here and don't seem to have a clue what they came to install and were under the impression they were installing a tv package. My gf explained to them that we don't watch tv and they should only be installing the telephone and broadband. Engineer goes out to his van for a minute comes back and confirms that he now knows what he is doing... Gf assumes all ok when engineer says that he is finished but felt a little on the spot when asked to complete the customer satisfaction postcard there and then so he can take it with him...
I get in from work to find another cable modem and a customer welcome pack... Am a little confused as am an existing customer and had all the equipment already. I decided to plug my telephone into its new socket to call them and check but find no socket for one... They only put broadband in! had to go to a local call box to ring them but they were shut! This was just before 6pm, operator that I spoke to said that I could not leave a phone number for them to call me back and that I would have to call them "during office hours".
The next day I call and get through to them quite quickly and a very polite professional person takes my call and informs me that the person that placed the order for the home move put through a cancellation for "telco" (telephone). I only requested that they move my services from one address to another! The operator assures me that he has emailed the person responsible requesting that they call me the next morning... Nobody calls! Another trip to the call box and a different, much less clued up operator on the end of the line... Had to explain the problem again, then again! Operator goes away briefly, comes back and informs me that there is a fault on my telephone line. I agree with her and tell her yes, the fault is that you haven't put one in! (for the 3rd time). Eventually we agree on the earliest possible date (because of my work) for them to come and rectify their mistake for the 3rd of September.
I have been an NTL customer for many years and have always found their customer service to be very inconsistent. Often swinging from the absolutely brilliant to the downright rude and incompetent.
NTL are great when you don't need to speak to them directly but as soon as you need their help or advice they are either a nightmare to get through to or they mess up what is usually a simple task.
This time last year I changed my phone number and the engineer crossed my phone line with a neighbours and we were both sharing a phone line and I was paying the bill and it took an age to sort out!
I'm in the process of drafting yet another letter of complaint and am beginning to wonder if I want to stay with them...
Incidentally I only moved next door so they used the same box and still got it wrong!