64K shafting

[GeezerNug]

I've just got me letter saying that the 64k service is being withdrawn and I now have to stump up £18 a month for the 150k service. The letter says that there are insufficient subscribers to justify the service. What borrox! What they mean is that there are insufficent customers affected by the decision, even if they all go elsewhere.

They also said that they'd turned on the 150k service from 2nd December. More borrox.

The guy on the phone said some interesting things.
"Ah, we've just had a meeting about you guys. 64k was an introductory offer and you've been paying nothing for it."
"Pardon?" says I. "How much is the TV base package?"
"£1 8 a month.."
"So when I pay £24 a month, how can you say I'm getting it for nothing?"
"Ah, err, um, ... sorry ... my mistake."
"Right. Why are you doing this?"
"Because the MD decided to. There are only 2000 people on 64k in the entire UK."
"So no technical reason then?"
"No."
"What's to say that you'll deliver what I'm paying for? As it stands the whole connection grinds to a halt in the early evening because all the husbands go on-line while the wives watch the soaps. This is down to NTL's lack of infrastructure and increasing the bit rate can only make this worse. The news servers hardly ever work either."
"I hear what you say."

Yeah, right. Just let him rant, more like.
He did turn on the 150k service though. It's better, but not £12 quid extra a month better. Wonder how long I'd have waited if I hadn't phoned?

What a p*ss poor way to treat your customers.

Angry? I'm incandescent!

B*stards!

Sorry to bug you guys. I feel better now...

Cheers
John

My first thought was that if there are really only 2000 customers on 64K, then how do they justify p*****g them all off for a measly £12 a month extra, each - that much ill feeling for less than a managers company car does not make sense.

My second was that it sounds like you are in the same boat as a person in another thread...

click here

Well at the end of the day they are entitled to do as they please, stupid as it may be.

According to the other thread it seemed to be a time limited offer anyway, was it ?

Originally Posted by pem

Well at the end of the day they are entitled to do as they please, stupid as it may be.

According to the other thread it seemed to be a time limited offer anyway, was it ?

I'm not sure, my impression is that the concept of a 64K service, in which deal the customer buys the modem, does not fit in with the sector for quite a while? I mean they are likely to be long standing customers, happy with their lot and probably taking other services, as well. - why p**s them off for such a small gain?

Gaz

[Sociable]

Not 100% sure but I think it's linked to the issue about how many levels of service can be run side by side on the network because of the protocol the modem is using.

I think its been at least a year since they stopped actively selling 64k so they have honoured all the existing 12 month contracts I think.

[mmm]

Originally Posted by pem

Well at the end of the day they are entitled to do as they please, stupid as it may be.

According to the other thread it seemed to be a time limited offer anyway, was it ?

The 64k cable was a special offer to attract new customers. It was advertised as Double digital (Phone + 64k CM) for £14.99 a month or Triple Digital (Phone +64k CM + DTV) for £20.99 a month, free installation including free cable modem rental. It was never available in all franchises, and the offer ended in September or October 2001. At the time 64k was withdrawn for new customers there was an official announcement via the support newsgroup (now not officially visited) that ntl would honour existing initial 12 month contracts.

At the time ntl also offerred (to some!) free dial-up internet, free second phone lines etc. Dial-up has since gone to £10 per month (via £5 for existing customers), second phone lines now £6 (for most but not all!).

It was a bloomin good deal, and is still for the lucky few easily the cheapest always on dedicated line dial-up speed internet connection (NB when it works). But I doubt if ntl has even recovered the installation and modem cost from most customers (30 months * £5 in my case). So I don't blame them for culling the 64k service, the £2 million a year will also be useful I'm sure. In fact I'm sure if was only the new billing system that has finally made someone notice that we still existed!

[BBKing]

I think it's linked to the issue about how many levels of service can be run side by side on the network because of the protocol the modem is using.

What issue? New to me.

[Sociable]

Originally Posted by BBKing

What issue? New to me.

Isn't there an issue with the version of docsis they use? or am i confusing this with something else?

As I said wasn't 100% so as always I bow to your knowledge

[mmm]

Originally Posted by Sociable

Isn't there an issue with the version of docsis they use? or am i confusing this with something else?

As I said wasn't 100% so as always I bow to your knowledge

There are dozens of CM config files, ie Terayon specific ones for copper (64k), Bronze (150k), Silver (600k), Gold (1024k) plus all the other manufacturers variants. Obviously there is an overhead in maintaining all the different files (recent port block seems to have done at cable modem level) but there is no technical reason to ditch 64k, its purely an economic business decision. Lose a few customers but gain more from the others - why can't ntl just be upfront about this?

[mkirksmith]

Hi,

I got my 64k cable service was stopped yesterday - no warning. I was perfectly happy with it - I don't need 150k. I'm wondering if I'm the last NTL customer to have it - apparently they couldn't find my modem in their audits until now.

For the last couple of years I've been told that the 64k service has finished and I'd have to upgrade - I've argued about it and been allowed to keep it.

I'm really very annoyed at it being taken away.

I'm now looking at ADSL services - Tiscali are now £20/m for 256k and £25/m for 512k versus NTL's £18/m for 150k. There seems to be more competition there.

mks

[swoop101]

@mkirksmith
If you can get 150 through stb, IIRC, you actualy get about 256 when you don't use interactive. My sister does anyway.
So £18 pm is not too bad.

By the way, WELCOME to NTHW

[asdf]

I thought that the 64k service was meant to of finished about like 2 years ago?

I know when my friend was on it she then moved upto 128 as she'd heard rumours that the trial was about to end. When she signed up it was when broadband was first rolled out and the 64k people were triallists, or so she just told me :p