How long does it take?

[redleym]

I am currently struggling to have my Ntl TV and phone package cancelled!
We have asked these people to cancel the package as the prices after our initial 12 month period sky rocketed!

We have called them on several occasions now and we still have not had the services removed! This has been an ongoing saga for the past 4-6 weeks and they have just given me a cut off date of 22nd July! After which, we will receive a final bill! But i have just received a bill for £77 and 4 weeks ago paid them £124, i cant afford for this to be dragged out any longer!

Every time we called they would informn us that they can not put us through to be disconnected till the bill was paid! Then once the bill is paid they inform us that we will have to wait till the next bill is issued and then they can think about disconnecting us!

We are a young family, and we live very closely to the breadline and i can no longer afford this luxury! Therefore i am dishappointed that the company did not help me to be smoothly disconnected!

If anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated!
I have spoken to my local CAB and they believe that i have a case, i am in the process of writing to the Ombudsman and hopefully they can sort this mess out!

Thankyou
mark

[Aragorn]

Mark, to CF (even if it's a short stay!)

Sounds like NTL have truly been messing you around.

Is the July 22 date in writing? If not, make sure they do confirm it.

Afaik, once you are outside your 12 month contract you can cancel with 1 months written notice regardless of any 'outstanding' bill. You can also drop your TV packages to the minimum base at any point (potentially) saving some money.

If you want to take NTL to task, do you have documented evidence of them refusing to cancel or was it just on the phone? (if on the phone, did you note dates and names)
Hope you do get sorted in 9 days.

[MovedGoalPosts]

to Cable Forum

Sounds a bit off to me that you can't instigate a cancellation of service just because a bill is outstanding. Ntl bill in advance for many services so you would generally be in credit, except for any call charges you have made.

In any case, when someone is saying they won't be able to keep paying, that surely should be a trigger for a supplier to want to allow disconnection so they didn't incru a bad debt.

Ultimately your contract with ntl simply says you have to give one month's written notice. Put it in writing sending it by recorded delivery to the address on the back of the bill. Normally ntl will deal with this by phone, but it seems this time they are being pedantic and sticking to the letter of your terms and conditions.

The only time you cannot cancel is if you are within your 12 month contract period. Are you outside of that?

[Chrysalis]

I expect the skyrocket is due to you been on a 12 month offer so you was never paying the normal price.

If you having trouble with the cancellation then for now downgrade to the minimum base pack tv + phone that will have a quick impact.

[redleym]

Originally Posted by Rob C

to Cable Forum

Sounds a bit off to me that you can't instigate a cancellation of service just because a bill is outstanding. Ntl bill in advance for many services so you would generally be in credit, except for any call charges you have made.

In any case, when someone is saying they won't be able to keep paying, that surely should be a trigger for a supplier to want to allow disconnection so they didn't incru a bad debt.

Ultimately your contract with ntl simply says you have to give one month's written notice. Put it in writing sending it by recorded delivery to the address on the back of the bill. Normally ntl will deal with this by phone, but it seems this time they are being pedantic and sticking to the letter of your terms and conditions.

The only time you cannot cancel is if you are within your 12 month contract period. Are you outside of that?

Yes i finished a 12 month contract with them about 5 months ago! My bill then proceeded to jump from £45/month to £85/month, thus my wanting to cancel the package as this is far too expensive for us!

I asked if we could go back onto the origional package and they declined! It seems that they only offer the offers to new customers and not existing ones!

My partner spoke to them again yesterday and they have kind of admitted that it was there fault! They have reduced my most recent bill from £88 to £45 and have said that this is my final bill, i have noted the persons name and requested that they put this in writing as i dont want this saga to continue any more!

I have to add that when i am eventually disconnected, i will not be utilising the services that NTL have to offer! Its a shame, because we never had any problems during the first 12 months, no interrupted viewing, nothing!

Thanks again for all your support it is much appreciated! I will deffinatly be staying a member to this forum!

thankyou
mark

[Chrysalis]

redleym the package you are on about is probably not a package but a temproary offer for new customers, I guess a sales guy may have decided to fool you to get you to order or you mishead but the offers on signup are not normally permanent.

[tonecold]

written notice?
why the hell was it then that when I ASKED NTLs phone monkeys, repeatedly, if I needed to put anything in writing, they always said NO then?

[MovedGoalPosts]

Catch 22 I'm afraid. ntl are best geared up to deal with things by phone, and normally should deal competently with cancellation requests made that way. Front line CS may not be able to accept a cancellation, but they should have put you through to retentions who try to persuade you to stay.

Bottom line is that the terms and conditions (your contract) say written notice. Only problem with that is ntl aren't really into snail mail, or even email to mass addresses, so those too get ignored and overlooked.

Remember you are dealing with a communications company.