NTL unbundle digital from Telco

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

I'd suggest if NTL were falsly advertising then go to trading standards rather than the limp/useless ASA.


I've just been to the site and it clearly states:-

"*Price excludes your telephone line rental which must be purchased with your TV package."


good luck with your complaint!

I have just had a look here and it also says that

Just thought I'd add my insignificant opinion...

[etccarmageddon]

obviously the opinions of us plus the (at least) 2 ntl staff members arent enough to convince!

[Okonski]

Originally Posted by scrotnig

This is one of those stupid threads where people who know nothing will argue black is white with people who know the facts.<edit, yawn!> I, like Debs, am in a position to know. If it happens, I will tell you, but at the moment it hasn't and is not likely to, if you can't accept that, tough I am afraid, as you are wrong.

Faced with such overbearing superiority, and an unwillingness to accept that things move on (but probably because nobody told you) why not take an adult approach? I was given the info, placed an order and confirmed the price. I've no axe to grint, hidden agenda or otherwise - I just tell it like it is, and what happened. You are painting yourself into a pretty small corner. If ntl don't deliver what they've promised to me, I'll tell you and take the appropriate action. HOWEVER, if they do, I'm sure you'll just not be content until you get a PDF of my bill showing the charges, and possibly even then you'll complain that's not conclusive proof either. But hey, this is a debate - and just because your contacts might have let you down, doesn't mean that black is white or the moon is made of cheese.

Oh, and whilst we're on the subject, if more and more of us come on reporting in the coming weeks that NTL is accepting our orders for no telephony with NTL, do remember how King Canute felt....
__________________

Originally Posted by ian@huth

Please try ordering NTL DTV using any of the links that I posted earlier in the thread using any proxy of your choice and see if you get a message saying that you must have a telephone line as well before you get to the order input page. For your convenience I will copy the post here

Better still, because of the mess and conflicting information on the website (assuming you want to ignore the final order page where it is shown as an option), call 0800 183 0123 and order it directly from a CS individual, that's much more 'hands on' and gets to the nub of the problem.

Rather than slagging each other off, why dont' we just wait and see what happens? Either NTL HAVE unbundled, and not bothered to tell their own staff (unlikely, but not impossible) or someone has c...k up, in which case NTL may well accept responsibility, and allow as a 'one-off'. However, arguing on here is not going to help - it just asggravates people.

[simpsonsFAN]

Thank you!, now there is someone that achally deserves applaus and is not trying to contradict me.

-Chris

Originally Posted by simpsonsFAN

Thank you!, now there is someone that achally deserves applaus and is not trying to contradict me.

-Chris

They deserve applause for being sensible, not because they didn't contradict you.

This whole argument is getting a bit tedious. If someone places an order via the web system for TV with no phone, and that order is processed, installed, and they are billed correctly, then we will have proof, otherwise this whole argument is nothing but a speculative waste of time.

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by Okonski

Faced with such overbearing superiority, and an unwillingness to accept that things move on (but probably because nobody told you) why not take an adult approach? I was given the info, placed an order and confirmed the price. I've no axe to grint, hidden agenda or otherwise - I just tell it like it is, and what happened. You are painting yourself into a pretty small corner. If ntl don't deliver what they've promised to me, I'll tell you and take the appropriate action. HOWEVER, if they do, I'm sure you'll just not be content until you get a PDF of my bill showing the charges, and possibly even then you'll complain that's not conclusive proof either. But hey, this is a debate - and just because your contacts might have let you down, doesn't mean that black is white or the moon is made of cheese.

Oh, and whilst we're on the subject, if more and more of us come on reporting in the coming weeks that NTL is accepting our orders for no telephony with NTL, do remember how King Canute felt....

Which bit of 'ntl have not unbundled telephone services' do you not understand?

I have tested the very page you mention. A dialogue box pops up telling you that you need to order telephone. I know that those dialogue boxes get blocked by some people's PCs depending on the setup. That's what's happened to you.

Please don't tell me that I might be wrong. I'm not. If and when unbundling happens...and is NOT on the agenda as far as I am aware...then I will say so.

As for orders getting processed, certainly in ex Cable & Wireless areas there is NO WAY for you to be billed for TV without the phone. It can't happen.

I am still amazed people are arguing about this.
__________________

Originally Posted by JohnHorb

Rather than slagging each other off, why dont' we just wait and see what happens? Either NTL HAVE unbundled, and not bothered to tell their own staff (unlikely, but not impossible) or someone has c...k up, in which case NTL may well accept responsibility, and allow as a 'one-off'. However, arguing on here is not going to help - it just asggravates people.

I do seem to be shouting at the wall here, but ntl have NOT unbundled. And the website has NOT been changed...it still insists that the phone is ordered, via a popup dialogue box.

There are certain areas of London where phone is not available, it's perhaps possible that if you enter a postcode for those areas it won't give you the popup box. I don't know, I haven't tested.

But, for anyone still unsure, and for what feels like the 47th time, TV has NOT been unbundled from telephone. I can't make this any clearer.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Okonski

Better still, because of the mess and conflicting information on the website (assuming you want to ignore the final order page where it is shown as an option), call 0800 183 0123 and order it directly from a CS individual, that's much more 'hands on' and gets to the nub of the problem.

That might be an idea except for one small problem. I already have a NTL telephone line.

I believe what my eyes tell me if I go into any NTL site and try to order TV. I believe what people like Scrotnig and Debsy say as they both work for NTL, are both very experienced and both work in Departments that do know what is on offer. If you search through these forums you will find the subject has been talked about many times with reasoning why NTL don't sell TV without a phone line.

[Okonski]

Originally Posted by JohnHorb

Rather than slagging each other off, why dont' we just wait and see what happens? Either NTL HAVE unbundled, and not bothered to tell their own staff (unlikely, but not impossible) or someone has c...k up, in which case NTL may well accept responsibility, and allow as a 'one-off'. However, arguing on here is not going to help - it just asggravates people.

Which is what I've been saying all along - and in my most recent posting, but like a dog with an old bone, we get the samesame... same response "I'm right", and the protagonists not content with always wanting the last word, contiue to restate the same point. That isn't a debate, just a certain stubbornness. As for faith in a mystical 'pop-up box', well.... I'm now supposed to believe that it's fine to say one thing on a web page, but have a pop-up box that contradicts it in another? Yeah, right!

I think those who work for ntl would be best placed to get the so called 'misleading' order page changed back to its pre-unbundled version if their stance has any hope of legitimacy. Either way - let's wait till Thursday and the install, and for good measure I'll ask for a copy of the order schedule to be PDF'd or faxed and I'll make it available here assuming it backs their verbal confirmation.

[poolking]

No Okonski you've just decided not to listen to the NTL staff that have already posted in this thread.

Suggestion to the admins/mods close this thread, its going around in circles.

[Neil]

Thread Closed until we get a PM/EMail from Okonski on Thursday with details of how his phoneless DTV install went.

[Neil]

*Update*

I've just received the following PM from Okonski....

Just to make sure that I wouldn't be left with a festering unexpected bill after the engineer left on Thursday, I called NTL CS and asked for confirmation as to the amount being billed for the DTV service. The agent looked up my details as said; "You're on the Family Pack, which is £19.95, but you have to add the phone line at £9.95 which will bring it up to £30pm, not including your BB". I explained that this was not the arrangement I agreed to, and was put through to a supervisor at my insistence, where we went through the whole fandango again. It appeared she could drill down to deeper levels of information on my account, and when she returned explained what had transpired.

The product code on my account showed that I would get the Family Pack at £19.95, WITH NO ADDITION for a phone line. Confused? So was I. She went on to explain that there is an ongoing promotion that provides this, but for 12 months only. It is AFTER the year expires, the £9.95 for the phone line kicks in, bringing the total to £29.95. So in answer to my various questions;

1) Telephone has NOT been unbundled, it has simply been discounted by 100% for 12 months.
2) Existing BB users can take advantage of this offer (having DTV) if they do not have it already, the phone service will provided at no cost. They can opt to have it connected or not as they wish.
3) The telephone line rental and Voicemail are free for a year, only additional services and calls are billed.
4) The original CS agent simply entered the promo code to knock off the telephone charge, not explaining it was only for 12 months (naughty!)

I've been asked not to reveal the Promotion number in public (but if you PM me, I'll provide the code on request).

So, if you want DTV, have no use for a phone line, and want to save a promised £144 over the year (and can remember to call them in 12 months to check whether it's unbundled yet) you know what to do!

I'll be re-opening the thread shortly-so please form an orderly queue to say "I told you that it was just the free line rental offer & not unbundled DTV!", & play nicely!

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by Neil

*Update*

I've just received the following PM from Okonski....



I'll be re-opening the thread shortly-so please form an orderly queue to say "I told you that it was just the free line rental offer & not unbundled DTV!", & play nicely!

I told him that it was just the free line rental offer & not unbundled DTV.

[poolking]

So basically Okonski, you owe some people in this thread an apology.

[Okonski]

Originally Posted by scrotnig

I told him that it was just the free line rental offer & not unbundled DTV.

You're singing from the WRONG hymn sheet - 'unbundled' was a term initially used in the subject matter of a pre-existing thread. I simply stated that it was possible to receive the Family Pack at £19.95p m and NOT be forced to pay £9.95pm for an unwanted phone line. So - I got what I wanted, and you got what you wanted - so let's not bore everyone to death who doesn't want to save the promised £140 in a year. Of course, after the year is up I'll look at the matter again, but at the end of the day the phone line (if connected) IS free.

What it also shows - sadly - is the level of professionalism amongst certain members of ntl staff, who were either (a) too dim to notice the ramifications, or (b) provide accurate and understandable information. And of course, the shady practice of 'pop-ups' that modify a main window - something that you feel is not an issue. With pop-up blockers the norm, ntl should be ashamed of even trying to get away with that one. But that's an argument for another day. Meanwhile, I'm off to enjoy my 'savings' of £140 for a telephone service I neither want or require,