[Merged] Tech Support to be charged at 0871 rate from 8 May

[etccarmageddon]

I pay on sipgate per min:-

0870 - 7.51p
0845 - 3p

a nice slice of these rates is returned to the number owner in the form of commission. higher commission for 0870.

[andygrif]

I can't remember where I read it (it might have been on here) a few days ago, but some clever bod had worked out that a call centre getting around 2,000 calls per day with an average call duration (including queues) of 10 minutes netted the company approx £180,00 0 per year.

Personally I think it's daylight robbery, the first rule of customer service is striking up a good relationship with your customer - not removing large sums of cash from them and invariably providing shoddy and inaccurate advice when you do get to speak to someone.

I think this is doubly true when people are calling from ntl owned lines, it costs literally nothing for those customers to dial ntl CS, but they still seem to think it's worth of paying for?!?!?!

[Gareth]

Blimey, I think this is a bad move. The freephone number was always one of the things that people pointed out when I said I ditched NTL to join Sky... I replied saying I have only had to call Sky once and the call lasted less than 5 minutes and ended up with Sky paying me money

People have short memories, though, so give it a few months and everyone will have accepted this.

I agree!

people complain but very few ever do anything other but complain!

If NTL can screw it's customers for a few more quid then good luck to them.

But I can promise you I won't be one of them!

Ohhh and just to point out to anyone who has broadband with NTL who are under a 12 month contract you can cancel it under section 20.1 (i)

That is how I got out of my AOL contract was because they went from a freephone number to a prem one!

However I am happy to stay with NTL for my broadband, I have never really had any problems with my broadband and personally I would rather them do it this way than an increase on my monthly bill!

[bo-peep]

i had a reason 2 ask abt new customers.my son recently joined and it turns out it was Mar1st ( asked the lass just now 2 check when i made my first call 2 him).she had said that those customers joining from the 1st were given the new 0845 number-but he WASN'T cos i checked with him.i told her that present customers shu've been told first.oh and i rang BT 2 ask if they were start charging and was told no.

[andygrif]

Originally Posted by Gareth

People have short memories, though, so give it a few months and everyone will have accepted this.

I'm not so sure about this, especially as they get a nice reminder of whatever the problem was when the bill drops through the letterbox. On a certain other forum the 0870 number that Sky has is constantly a bugbear of many...and they're right - it's blatant profiteering from problems are are generally of the company's making anyway!

[Russ]

Originally Posted by andygrif

I'm not so sure about this, especially as they get a nice reminder of whatever the problem was when the bill drops through the letterbox. On a certain other forum the 0870 number that Sky has is constantly a bugbear of many...and they're right - it's blatant profiteering from problems are are generally of the company's making anyway!

Gareth may have a point - remember the supposed 'mass exodus' from ntl when they started charging for their dial up after so long as a free service?

[andygrif]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not predicting a mass exodus - just something else for people to whinge about when it comes to ntl. When you hit enough things to whinge about and the time is right...you leave - which is exactly what happened with me...there were so many little things with them - each one not big enough to make a big deal out of or to leave over....but it's straws and camels' backs territory IMHO.

[etccarmageddon]

on the new sky sports HD channel it has a message which says something like ring 0870 nnnnn for information on how to receive this channel - you ring up and wait on hold for ages and then get told that you can't get the channel as sky hd is not available until september.

0870 numbers are a **** take.

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Mick

150 hasn't worked for some time now on my ntl telco line.

odd I last used it on friday. If 150 is going thats a sour move, nice easy number to remember.

---------- Post added at 18:28 ---------- Previous post was at 18:25 ----------

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

they would have raked it in last night from all their callers. something not right about charging people to ring you to discuss how your speed is ****e or sites aren't working.

I was just thinking the same, maybe to pay for the upgrades ntl will profit of customers ringing up why their speeds are slow. Then after a few months of this they have the cash to upgrade. Then rollout to 2 meg customers repeat process and finally 1 meg

On a serious note I would hope that if reporting fault their is a free number or the call is refunded as it isnt right on the customer if they on the phone for say an hour because their service is faulty and they get billed for it.

?

Is BT a 0800 number for customer service. If it is then they might just get a new customer ?.

[bo-peep]

a wise word from the lass i spoke 2 who said they had online support 4 the BB ( if u didn't want 2 ring in).i did happen 2 say that the service wudn't b of much use if one didn't have a connection/was having probs ( which is why people wud ring in).there is going 2 b an option of getting them 2 ringback she said.i used 150 this afto and always have dun with no problem.not sure if the freefone will work....

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Bill C

Is BT a 0800 number for customer service.

Yes.

[bo-peep]

Bill C

i rang BT b4 i rang ntl ( got the number from their site) and asked if they had ne plans 2 start charging 4 CS and was told no.

ntl have issued a statement regarding this matter:-

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...r-service-line