ntl's email problems explained - Page 2

poolking · 03-08-2004, 15:36

A note to all of the cynics, can you just be happy for a change that someone from NTL has decided to come out and explain the situation and give NTL a break.

Instead all I'm constantly seeing is people deconstructing statements for the sole purpose of looking for something that they can turn negative.

orangebird · 03-08-2004, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by poolking

A note to all of the cynics, can you just be happy for a change that someone from NTL has decided to come out and explain the situation and give NTL a break.

Instead all I'm constantly seeing is people deconstructing statements for the sole purpose of looking for something that they can turn negative.

Just what I was thinking....

andygrif · 03-08-2004, 15:46

Well there are two issues - one is the explanation, which I believe has generally been congratulated.

Second is the issue affecting customers, and until it is fixed (bear in mind how long this has been ongoing now) I cannot see any positive here. It is an example of poorly managed systems and poorly implemented improvements - both of which lead to a poor service to customers.

orangebird · 03-08-2004, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by andygrif

Well there are two issues - one is the explanation, which I believe has generally been congratulated.

Second is the issue affecting customers, and until it is fixed (bear in mind how long this has been ongoing now) I cannot see any positive here. It is an example of poorly managed systems and poorly implemented improvements - both of which lead to a poor service to customers.

Quote:

We are currently
reworking the whole hardware solution with the probability of spending
double what we first intended.

Quote:

We are also taking advantage of two
new products that have just come to market - one which allows
customers to manage their spam mail before it gets into their mailbox
and another which provides a comprehensive anti-virus capability.

Quote:

However, we
should have the great majority of our customers migrated to the new
platform by the middle of next month, with the rest following in the
autumn.

You don't think any of that is positive??

Neil · 03-08-2004, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by poolking

A note to all of the cynics, can you just be happy for a change that someone from NTL has decided to come out and explain the situation and give NTL a break.

I absolutely applaud that

But....let's not forget-ntl did not come forward voluntarily. It was only after Mick's 'pitbull round your ankle' approach of not giving up, that we got that reply, but got it we did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by poolking

Instead all I'm constantly seeing is people deconstructing statements for the sole purpose of looking for something that they can turn negative.

That's not 'all' you are seeing at all.
People are happy about what they have seen (even me!

), but they are just sceptical based on ntl's track record/tendency to BS it's customers, & I don't think the the sceptism is unreasonable where ntl's email 'service' is concerned, seeing as it has been ongoing for over a year.

chopsmcp · 03-08-2004, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by ianathuth

Many spammers use dictionary attacks which have more successful hits on a large ISP than a smaller ISP. They may send out millions of messages all of which have to be handled by the ISPs whether they are valid or not. Think about it, a million guesses at the part of the address before @ntlworld.com will result in more identified actual email addresses than a million on a small domain such as @chopsmcpsdomain.com

I know - but I don't think dictionary attacks are central to the problem. Looking at the CCs in the spam I get, and analysing the fake bounces coming my way, the ntl addies are too complex and specific for that to be the case. Spammers have clearly got an enormous amount of valid or once-valid ntl addies and are hitting them repeatedly.

That said, even a dictionary attack is more profitable on an ISP with no server side spam filtering, as you know the valid guesses will reach the end-user.

chopsmcp · 03-08-2004, 16:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by poolking

A note to all of the cynics, can you just be happy for a change that someone from NTL has decided to come out and explain the situation and give NTL a break.

Instead all I'm constantly seeing is people deconstructing statements for the sole purpose of looking for something that they can turn negative.

What I'm seeing is a lot of woolly thinking. Openness does not mean the problem is going to be solved. The reason some of us are "deconstructing" the statement is to try and work out how likely it is that things are going to get better, not to have a go at NTL. Personally, I would be thrilled if they got these ongoing problems sorted; I just don't see much evidence that they're going to, at least in the short term.

ian@huth · 03-08-2004, 16:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by chopsmcp

What I'm seeing is a lot of woolly thinking. Openness does not mean the problem is going to be solved. The reason some of us are "deconstructing" the statement is to try and work out how likely it is that things are going to get better, not to have a go at NTL. Personally, I would be thrilled if they got these ongoing problems sorted; I just don't see much evidence that they're going to, at least in the short term.

What evidence do you want? You have heard what Simon Duffy had to say.

Give them a chance.

chopsmcp · 03-08-2004, 17:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by ianathuth

What evidence do you want? You have heard what Simon Duffy had to say.

Give them a chance.

I think you mean, "give them another chance". Remember, we've had assurances before. 3 months ago I (and others) were told the hardware upgrade would sort things out; it didn't. And that server side spam filtering would come in by mid June, also improving things. It didn't. Now the story (from a support guy who BSed me for 10 minutes on the phone today) is that they *hope* they'll have filtering up and running by the end of the year. Which is five months away.

Based on previous experience and what I've seen I predict that things will get worse over the next few months, not better. I will be absolutely thrilled if I'm wrong.

trebor · 03-08-2004, 17:59

I would like to say thanks NTL for the explanation about email.
I hope this new attitude to customer service, and openness continues.

Frank · 03-08-2004, 18:56

I think it is positive that Simon has decided to reply, and as he replied while on business in the US, it is even more impressive. Simon is relatively new at ntl, and if his example is followed then things can only get better.

What is not so impressive is that the original e-mail and the follow up were addressed to Bill Goodland and Aizad Hussain, and CC'd to Simon Duffy. Neither Goodland or Hussain, both of whom are closer to ntl Home issues than Duffy, bothered to reply (nothing new in my experience), and Simon probably felt the urge to respond after receiving the 2nd e-mail and noting that niether of his "associates" had replied.

Strip out traffic wardens such as Goodland and Hussain and we might be getting somewhere.

**Paul** · 03-08-2004, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank

What is not so impressive is that the original e-mail and the follow up were addressed to Bill Goodland and Aizad Hussain, and CC'd to Simon Duffy. Neither Goodland or Hussain, both of whom are closer to ntl Home issues than Duffy, bothered to reply (nothing new in my experience), and Simon probably felt the urge to respond after receiving the 2nd e-mail and noting that niether of his "associates" had replied.

Indeed - lets hope he has dropped the hint to them that they should be more responsive. Full marks to him for replying.

03-08-2004, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebor

I would like to say thanks NTL for the explanation about email.
I hope this new attitude to customer service, and openness continues.

New attitude? What new attitude?

You mean keeping customers completely in the dark about what's going on until Mick emails him twice to try & get an explanation?

If it hadn't been for Mick's emails, we would still have no idea about what was happening.

Why wasn't this information put on the service status page? Surely it would have saved a lot of CS calls. And don't forget, it is only the minority of NTL customers (those that read these forums) who still know what is going on. Until NTL are truly open & honest, the majority of customers are still in the dark!

greencreeper · 03-08-2004, 19:42

Well it's nice to be kept informed but I must admit I'm surprised that nobody foresore the growth in spam and virus transmission via email - the writing has been on the wall for a long, long time.

The news about spam management is worrying. I'll wait for the sword to fall

**Mick** · 03-08-2004, 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by XFS03

New attitude? What new attitude?

Erm - the openness usually never seen with ntl...

Perhaps your not familier with the fact that on many occasions many emails to ntl management directors have been ignored. The new attitude here is that a full explanation has been given into the email problems. My emails could of been ignored and I would of took the usual stance that this is ntl's usual attitude but I got replies, very informative replies.

And to be fair and as Frank says - I mailed Bill Goodland and Aizad Hussain and cc'd Simon Duffy in on the 1st of mails. If anyone should of replied it should of been them two not Simon.