DD date

[Stephen]

If you are in an SMS billing area then you can change your date.

Originally Posted by orangebird

The council don't allow it for my council tax. But, I'm a grown up and can manage to put the money aside until they debit it from my account. It's not rocket science. Will sir be wanting ntl to wipe his ar$e for him next?

Then your council is also lacking, as my council *does* allow me to select a DD date. It's a pretty poor defence of NTL if the best you can manage is another example of a slack organisation.

Originally Posted by orangebird

No it doesn't depend on that at all. Some accounts it's physically possible, others it's not. Nothing to do with peoples moods....

Physically impossible? Is there some sort of large, angry gorilla stopping people getting near the computer. I suspect that what you mean to say is that it the result of either poor vision or indifference on the part of NTL's system planners.

[orangebird]

Originally Posted by dr wadd

Then your council is also lacking, as my council *does* allow me to select a DD date. It's a pretty poor defence of NTL if the best you can manage is another example of a slack organisation.



Physically impossible? Is there some sort of large, angry gorilla stopping people getting near the computer. I suspect that what you mean to say is that it the result of either poor vision or indifference on the part of NTL's system planners.

The system won't allow it. End of. Why can't some people take responsibility for paying their own damn bills?

[scrotnig]

ntl currently uses three main billing systems:

SMS: date can be changed
ICMS: date can be changed
SABS: date cannot be changed YET.

Later in the Harmony programme the facility will be available. At present it goes off the date your account is created, that date becomes the billing date and DDs are then claimed 19 days later. For those paying by credit card it's claimed on the billing date.

Originally Posted by orangebird

The system won't allow it. End of. Why can't some people take responsibility for paying their own damn bills?

Really, and there I was thinking it was actually the fault of the angry gorilla. Well, thank you for pointing out the bleeding obvious, no-one here was able to fathom that one out for themselves.

You are completely missing the fundamental point that the system *should* allow this to be possible, the vast majority of other organisations permit a change in DD date. It is just another example of your typical attitude that NTL can do no wrong, even if it is well illustrated that this aspect of their service is sub-par in comparison to other organisations. This is one of the reasons why I refuse to pay my bills with NTL by direct debit.

Yes, it would require programming changes to their billing systems, but a well organised company would have done that while they were making other major upgrades to the system. But since NTL don`t actually seem to be capable of managing the debacle that is their internal systems I guess we really shouldn`t be surprised.

[scrotnig]

Incidentally, direct debit dates are not some prescribed right. Even if you have an agreed date with a company, the company can simply notify you (by the normal monthly bill) that your next payment will be on a different date and there's nothing the customer can do other thanc ancel their direct debit altogether.

The point with Harmony and DD dates is that it's known it needs adding, but the company has focused on making sure Harmony customers have a fully working provisionable service first. To have messed about coding the DD change facility in while there are still stability issues for some customers would be irresponsible.
__________________

Originally Posted by dr wadd

Really, and there I was thinking it was actually the fault of the angry gorilla. Well, thank you for pointing out the bleeding obvious, no-one here was able to fathom that one out for themselves.

You are completely missing the fundamental point that the system *should* allow this to be possible, the vast majority of other organisations permit a change in DD date. It is just another example of your typical attitude that NTL can do no wrong, even if it is well illustrated that this aspect of their service is sub-par in comparison to other organisations. This is one of the reasons why I refuse to pay my bills with NTL by direct debit.

Yes, it would require programming changes to their billing systems, but a well organised company would have done that while they were making other major upgrades to the system. But since NTL don`t actually seem to be capable of managing the debacle that is their internal systems I guess we really shouldn`t be surprised.

See my other comments, it's a known issue but is low on the list of priorities. There isn't an infinite pot of money to throw at this, things need to be prioritised, and I'm afraid specifying DD dates is considered very low when set against the other issues.

I appreciate it's inconvenient for some people but at the moment it's not a major focus. People who are really unhappy about it will need to consider changing provider if it's really that big an issue - that's the free market economy. ntl will lose far less customers this way than if they sorted the DD dates issue but left loads of people with unreliable, unprovisionable services.

Originally Posted by scrotnig

See my other comments, it's a known issue but is low on the list of priorities. There isn't an infinite pot of money to throw at this, things need to be prioritised, and I'm afraid specifying DD dates is considered very low when set against the other issues.

This may be so, but it is such a fundamentally obvious bit of functionality to have it is almost unbelievable that it wasn`t present from the off. Typical poor foresight on NTL's part and another wonderful example that they fundamentally can not grasp the concept of customer service.

[seaneeboy]

No company in the world is perfect, if they were they'd be the most successful ever!

What it's worth looking at, however, is what consumers would like as part of an ideal service.

It would seem in this case, flexible direct debits is something that some people would like. Rather than disupte this concept, wouldn't it make for sense to look at why it can't be done rather than to make rather personal accusations about people's abaility to handle their own money?

I like to think I can budget quite well, but I have been caught out in the past by Orange being inflexible with their DD dates. This doesn't mean I don't deserve to own a mobile phone, or that I can't be trusted with my salary, it just means one month I miscalculated. If I was able to shift that DD to the day after I got paid then those calculations would be a lot easier. I want to enjoy my money, not worry about it. The point of DD is to help that.

[Marge]

As I wasn't sure which service Greencreeper had that needed the DD date changing thats why I offered to ring him. As it turned out it was on a system that couldn't be changed, nothing to do with what mood I was in, the direction of the wind or whether Greencreeper was wearing underpants Going by some comments in here once again I really do wonder why I bother trying to help (nothing to do with Greencreeper, we had a nice chat)

[Scarlett]

Originally Posted by seaneeboy

I like to think I can budget quite well, but I have been caught out in the past by Orange being inflexible with their DD dates. This doesn't mean I don't deserve to own a mobile phone, or that I can't be trusted with my salary, it just means one month I miscalculated. If I was able to shift that DD to the day after I got paid then those calculations would be a lot easier. I want to enjoy my money, not worry about it. The point of DD is to help that.

TBH, Orange are far worse IMO...

They only offer you you a limited range of dates (something like 10 different days a month) and thats it, I'm being charged an extra £3 because the best they can offer is about 5 days before I get paid!

Yes we are sorting out our finances so that it can go back on DD (or more likely a standing order due to various companies messing up DD's) but as we have been bad at doing this up to now, it don't get fixed over night.

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by seaneeboy

It would seem in this case, flexible direct debits is something that some people would like.

That's the point, it's only SOME people.

If hypothetically your company has enough in its budget for ONE project out of two that are needed, and one of those projects would benefit ALL customers and another would benefit ONLY A FEW, then any sane company will go with the one that gives the most benefit.

That's the harsh reality of this situation. As usual, some people are trying to make out that it's some sort of cock-up when in reality it's a deliberate decision that's been made.

And as with the cap threads, people who need DD dates to be flexible assume that EVERY SINGLE customer feels the same way, when the reality is that most don't even mention it.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Scarlett

TBH, Orange are far worse IMO...

They only offer you you a limited range of dates (something like 10 different days a month) and thats it, I'm being charged an extra £3 because the best they can offer is about 5 days before I get paid!

Yes we are sorting out our finances so that it can go back on DD (or more likely a standing order due to various companies messing up DD's) but as we have been bad at doing this up to now, it don't get fixed over night.

Wow, you have the luxury of having your DD taken around 25 days after you get paid.

[Ben]

The system DOES allow it becuase they have changed my DD date for me

I am also on SACM. them telling you they wont change it is BS (granted it took them along time to do it but it DID get done)

OB you really dont have a clue do you.....NTL have a obligation to change your DD date for you if you would like. Its not a case that they CANT because as I said mine has been changed. If they say they can't I would pack up and leave as its unacceptable for a company the size of NTL not to be able to provide such a service.

We don't want to hear your NTL licking anymore OB

[Marge]

Ben, sorry to disillusion you but for Greencreeper it can't be changed On some accounts it CAN be changed but not for this account. I don't talk BS and ask if you have worked these systems that we're talking about or work for NTL??? It's not a case of WON'T, it's a case of CAN'T.

Originally Posted by scrotnig

If hypothetically your company has enough in its budget for ONE project out of two that are needed, and one of those projects would benefit ALL customers and another would benefit ONLY A FEW, then any sane company will go with the one that gives the most benefit.

A valid point, but it isn`t one that NTL apply universally. Somewhere along the line the extra content that comes with the broadband service (I`m not talking about that thing you pay a bit extra for, the standard stuff) is being paid for. I`m not particularly interested in that, so by definition only some customers are. NTL however consider that a worthwhile investment.