Word To Ntl Billing And Debt Collection Dept.

[NitroNutter]

OK lets get it on
WHY does ntl take 4 weeks or more to allocate a debit card payment to my account, and EVEN LONGER for bad Service REBATES.
Why does NTL use 2nd class post for bills which takes at least a week to get to me then accuse ME of BEING LATE to pay
Now Carol from your DEBT Collection department tells me THE ENTIRE £80 odd Pounds detailed on this months bill is not just outstanding IT IS OVERDUE. BILL ARRIVED @ 7.45am Today BUT the FULL AMMOUNT IS WAY OVERDUE. GET REAL.
Now my situation:
I do not ring NTL tek unless NTL have an OUTAGE. when NTL have an OUTAGE it can be 2-6 weeks to fix. No I will never pay you In advance for a service I might get or might NOT.
I have been a cable customer long Before You NTL was in MY area. IV allways maintained my payments.
I Do NOT owe for what you take a month to allocate and I do not owe till the bill drops thru my door.

Now as usuall YOU will get a PAYMENT within 10 days of my BILL. However as your getting quicker to fire NON-PAYMENT accusation and SLOWER to send BILLs and ALLOCATE payments I will HAVE to spend £2 to the credit referall agencies.
IF I Find 1 Instance of NTL blackmarking me, I will QUIT your SERTVICE.
I will MAKE full RECORDS Of all the details. I WILL Then NOT PAY YOU THE LAST REMAINING OUTSTANDING BALANCE so it forces you to take me to COURT. Then I will BE elligable for Legal AID and I will Counter SUE not just for INCORRCT ACCUSATIONS but for SLANDER too, Because telling LIES to thrid parties, especially OFFICIAL third parties is 100% slander.

Now I know someone is gonna tell me use direct debit. go away. I DO NOT WRITE BLANK CHEQUES for NOONE, and the DD guarantee is not worth the paper its written on.

[zoombini]

Sounds familier....

Originally Posted by NitroNutter

Now I know someone is gonna tell me use direct debit. go away. I DO NOT WRITE BLANK CHEQUES for NOONE, and the DD guarantee is not worth the paper its written on.

A Direct Debit is not a blank cheque and the DD guarantee is exactly that - I have used it a number of times to have payments reversed.

[NitroNutter]

Originally Posted by Pem

A Direct Debit is not a blank cheque and the DD guarantee is exactly that - I have used it a number of times to have payments reversed.

A Direct Debit is nothing else but a BLANK cheque ESPECIALLY if youve not got the bill till a week after the due date so you didnt know how much was needed, GET IT. and then theres double bill instance, YES IT HAPPENS just as INCORRECT BILLING happens. Its not the hassle of recovering the one bad payment its the hassle of trying to recover the KNOCK on effect where there is no sympathy for the customer it generally a TUFF TITTIE attitude.
On top DD on a variable fee is yes AN OPEN CHEQUE.
Iv offered standing order but its not satisfactory to NTL.
Now as i said go away you cannot possibly prove DD on any unknown/variable fee is NOT OPEN CHEQUE, as it is most certainly noothing else BUT.

[Hell's Child]

Originally Posted by NitroNutter

IF I Find 1 Instance of NTL blackmarking me, I will QUIT your SERTVICE.
I will MAKE full RECORDS Of all the details. I WILL Then NOT PAY YOU THE LAST REMAINING OUTSTANDING BALANCE so it forces you to take me to COURT. Then I will BE elligable for Legal AID and I will Counter SUE not just for INCORRCT ACCUSATIONS but for SLANDER too, Because telling LIES to thrid parties, especially OFFICIAL third parties is 100% slander.

Unfortunatally, from what I am aware, legal aid doesn't allow for counter suing, the costs for this are very high. Ntl will not be forced into taking you to court, and it is vary rare that ntl would in fact take an individual to court to recover a nominal amount, if it's thousands then maybee but if its pounds (anthything under £800) then the debt is usually "sold" to a debt collection agency who will then take up the case, then you definatally can't counter sue. Also, in a court of law it's you word against ntl's, unfortunatally for your sake ntl records wills show the date the bill was sent on, now if that doesn't arrive to you it isn't ntl's fault, it isn't yours either and case closed, nobody wins.

However, if you find out your billing date it would make it easier for you. If you don't recieve a bill within 5-7 days of your billing date, call in and let them know... that way they will record it, and also make sure another one is sent out, without a detrimental effect to your credit rating. This is just a suggestion that should help, take it on board if you wish or don't, it's up to you.

Originally Posted by NitroNutter

Now I know someone is gonna tell me use direct debit. go away. I DO NOT WRITE BLANK CHEQUES for NOONE, and the DD guarantee is not worth the paper its written on.

DD? utter b0ll0x, it is law, it is a guarantee that the banks are governed by, and all of the points are valid. It is not a blank cheque, especially if you are on Cable Broadband only, your charges are a SET monthly fee. if you don't like this fair enough not everyone does but this really doesn't make sense. Have you tried speaking to somebody about this? Maybe you'd get somewhere if you did.

[Julian]

I could be wrong here... but I'm sure you'll find that you have to have received the bill for the direct debit to be taken. This is a legal point afaik.

My bill arrives (2nd class ) on or around the 5th of the month, the dd doesn't come out until the 18th or after.

I'll check my contract... I'm sure it is in there.

[Julian]

Found it... It is on the dd guarantee...

If the amount to be paid or the payment dates change ntl will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.

[Hell's Child]

Originally Posted by NitroNutter

Now as i said go away you cannot possibly prove DD on any unknown/variable fee is NOT OPEN CHEQUE, as it is most certainly noothing else BUT.

If you have come on here for help, you certainly have the wrong attitude. Attacking people, especially mods, isn't going to help your situation. You want help??? Try being a bit more respectfull to people and you may get it.

[Hell's Child]

Originally Posted by Julian

Found it... It is on the dd guarantee...

Yeah but this guy doesn't think the dd guarentee is worth the paper it's written on.

Your completely correct though, the bill comes approx 10 days before the DD comes out, thats from somebody who works for ntl.
My bill at home also arrives about 10 days before the money is taken, and If I have any disputes, it gives me time to get it sorted out.

[Russ]

Another angle on this - all NTL would have to do is prove the letter was sent at least 10 working days before they took the amount. Whether or not it gets to you within this time is another matter as a third party then becomes involved - the Royal Mail, who will only be held liable for delayed mail if it has not arrived within 15(!!!) days of postage.

Oh and as for the dd guarantee - it's legally binding, anyone who thinks otherwise has obviously never tried making a valid claim on it.

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Russ D

Another angle on this - all NTL would have to do is prove the letter was sent at least 10 working days before they took the amount. Whether or not it gets to you within this time is another matter as a third party then becomes involved - the Royal Mail, who will only be held liable for delayed mail if it has not arrived within 15(!!!) days of postage.

Oh and as for the dd guarantee - it's legally binding, anyone who thinks otherwise has obviously never tried making a valid claim on it.

They cant prove it Russ-they have no way whatsoever.

The other problem with DD, is that it doesn't cover you for the companies billing errors. If the company you have a DD with sends you a bill that is wrong, & then takes that amount by DD, then the DD guarantee is useless, as they effectively took the right amount (according to the bill anyway)

The DD guarantee comes into effect if (for example) they send you a bill for £100, but take £200 via DD-Then the bank would refund the extra £100.

So whilst I don't agree that the DD Guarantee is 'not worth the paper it's written on', I have to say it's not foolproof.

[goblin]

Originally Posted by Russ D

Oh and as for the dd guarantee - it's legally binding, anyone who thinks otherwise has obviously never tried making a valid claim on it.

I thought I would jump in on this discussion at this point as I have actually tried to make a claim under the direct debit scheme and what the OP says is correct in my experience. Owing to the amount being taken each month being "variable" it is tantamount to "writing a blank cheque".

My circumstances were these. Back in the days when NTL was starting their "free" internet service. I was one of the "lucky" ones who was given authority to use the (as it was then) Diamond Cable connection as freely as I liked "All day and night if you wish Sir" as the lady at NTL repeatedly told me. At the end of each month my "call charges" to that one number were deleted or "credited" back to my account by the assistant to a nice lady called M Stoltz.

Obviously everything went smoothly for a few months. Up untill the PA to M Stoltz left on maternity leave, at which point M Stoltz herself took over the "credits" back to my account. A few months later, I got a bill for some £500+ in addition to my usual call charges etc. A day after that arrived (a Saturday) I received another demand from NTL explaining I had to pay an additional £274 for that month "due to excessive usage" of the telephone line. I immediatly got on the phone and called M Stoltz' department for an explanation. I didn't manage to speak to her as she was "out of the office". So I emailed her\telephoned her\left voicemail messages. Eventually I managed to contact her and she advised me she would "sort it out". I advised NTL's "Collections Department" about this, only to find the next week that nothing had been sorted out and I still had this debt. I tried to contact her the following Monday only to be eventually told that M Stoltz' department had ceased to be and that any enquiries of the type I was enquiring about had to go through Customer Services. Obviously they weren't interested and weren't exactly a great deal of help. Needless to say, I had to pay up and do it imediately otherwise NTL would cancel all my services and I would be charged again for reconnection.

I thought at the time - Ahh no need to worry, the money was taken via Direct Debit. They *Guarantee* against such things. But as the OP has found out, the DD guarantee doesn't cover payments taken as "Utilities" as these by their very nature are "Variable". Furthermore as my bank\s advised me once I have signed the "direct debit mandate" for a particular company it is "like giving that company a blank cheque".

Obviously, since this experience I have been a little more cautious as to which companies direct debit mandates I authorise. One company I shall NEVER give dd authority to again is NTL.

[NitroNutter]

Originally Posted by Hell's Child

If you have come on here for help, you certainly have the wrong attitude. Attacking people, especially mods, isn't going to help your situation. You want help??? Try being a bit more respectfull to people and you may get it.

I have not attacked anyone so dont make FALSE accusations

Note: thread title. My entire thread starting post was directed @ NTL
Note: my last paragraph where I read how someone may respond and ASKED them not too.
Now the thread is turning into a discussion on DD when its about NTL failing allocate payments and credits in a satisfactory period of time, and too boot TELLING me my bill is WAY overdue before or @ the point of arrival when they use second class.

As for anyone who believes a DD is not an OPEN CHEQUE dont fool yourself ask your legal advisor and your financial advisor.
The end on DD please get back to the original Topic of NTL failing to allocate within reasonable time and delayed bill sending.
Last year NTL was something liek 30Mil in the red, this year they are approx 50 mil in the black, this is without taking into account their DELAYED allocation method which just on BB alone @ average spend of £20 x 1 million customers = a further 20 million in the black.
Are they spending any ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£ÃƒÆ ’‚£ on improving their systems and staffing or just creaming it?

Deckchair out and a nice cup of tea to hand.Incog waits for someone to offer to help NitroNutter.

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by NitroNutter

I have not attacked anyone so dont make FALSE accusations

Note: thread title. My entire thread starting post was directed @ NTL
Note: my last paragraph where I read how someone may respond and ASKED them not too.
Now the thread is turning into a discussion on DD when its about NTL failing allocate payments and credits in a satisfactory period of time, and too boot TELLING me my bill is WAY overdue before or @ the point of arrival when they use second class.

As for anyone who believes a DD is not an OPEN CHEQUE dont fool yourself ask your legal advisor and your financial advisor.
The end on DD please get back to the original Topic of NTL failing to allocate within reasonable time and delayed bill sending.
Last year NTL was something liek 30Mil in the red, this year they are approx 50 mil in the black, this is without taking into account their DELAYED allocation method which just on BB alone @ average spend of £20 x 1 million customers = a further 20 million in the black.
Are they spending any ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£ÃƒÆ ’‚£ on improving their systems and staffing or just creaming it?

then if you are not getting any joy with ntl , report it to ofcom