STB Failing - How to Cancel Contract?

bjblackmore · 26-01-2004, 12:39

Hi,

We've had NTL since mid December, and I have to say I am NOT impressed with it so far! We had only been watching TV on it for 4 hours, before the STB decided to play silly b*****s! It kept popping up with the 'We are currently updating your service please wait' this lasted 12 hrs, and only decided to work after I'd left it unplugged all night.
Then another week went past, and it failed again, only this time it kept rebooting itself, and the front panel lights were all flashing on and off, almost like it was power surging! We eventually got an engineer out, who turned it on, went into the engineerÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¡Ã ƒâ€šÃ‚Â¬ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…Â¾Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢s screen, and rebooted, which seemed to fix it!
Then on Friday the box started playing up again, the picture kept jamming and freezing so we rebooted, and now it only comes up with the 'We are currently updating your service please wait' screen, or the NTL:HOME screen, which then pops up with an error 1014 message! Its been like this for 3 days now, and we can't get an engineer out until this coming Friday afternoon (1 week after it failed)!
We borrowed a neighbors; STB and plugged it in, and it works fine. Looking at the bottom of the box, I can see scribble and writing, so it looks like its a 2nd hand/refurbished unit!
I'm about ready to cancel my contract and go with sky, but I think I'm tied in for 12 months, how do I get out of it?

Best regards

Ben

Marge · 26-01-2004, 13:00

Sounds like you need an engineer again to have a look at in...........

You can't "get out" of contract as it is for 12 months, sorry

**Mick** · 26-01-2004, 13:12

Hi bjblackmore & Welcome.

Demand that you require a new STB, I have had the STB replaced three times during my custom with ntl. Which in one particular time the engineer came & replaced a broken STB with a broken STB while he was there, so he had to go out in his van and pick up another.

There is a way out of your contract soon, if and when ntl raise the prices of their ntl DTV product.

bjblackmore · 26-01-2004, 14:16

But if they are not keeping their end of the contract i.e. supplying a decent tv service - then surely we can cancel it? At the moment I'm paying for a TV service I can't watch! How easy is it to try and get a refund for the week its not been working?

Shaun · 26-01-2004, 14:28

If the product isn't of "merchantable quality" you can get out of your contract with them, I did.

I left them with 2 months still on my BB contract, and they canceled it for me because I was really unhappy with the level of service (see all the other BB threads).

You CAN get out of it and if they tell you other wise then you need to speak with someone higher up, after all you shouldn't have to pay for something you can't use

bjblackmore · 26-01-2004, 14:47

Thanks, that's what I thought! If its not sorted on Friday then I'm going to cancel and go with Sky! My parents have had that for 8 years, and not had to call an engineer out once!

threadbare · 26-01-2004, 15:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjblackmore

Thanks, that's what I thought! If its not sorted on Friday then I'm going to cancel and go with Sky! My parents have had that for 8 years, and not had to call an engineer out once!

Your parent are very lucky - the grass isn't always greener...

lets hope that whatever happens, with ntl or sky, that the rest of your digi tv days are trouble free.

i would be inclined to get the STB replaced and take it from there

best of luck

Florence · 27-01-2004, 08:04

Which STB have you got.

The pace 1000 are slow I found but still had it for almost 2 yrs before it died. I never used the TV through it though.

The pace 2000 is the best this is the one I had fitted and this was better. Everyone I know say this is the best.

Avoid the 4000...

The service isn't that bad at least I don't drop the internet as much as a friend on ADSL.

Good luck.

bjblackmore · 27-01-2004, 09:43

Hi,

I'm not to sure which STB it is, I'll have a look tonight. I know it has audio in/out and an ethernet connection on the back, with 2 card slots on the front. I think the engineers screen said it was model A or version A.
The STB we borrowed that worked didn't have audio in/out or ethernet and only has 1 card slot, although the engineers screen said this was model or version B.
I will check for sure tonight, and write all the details down!
Our broadband has been fine, no complaints with that, and the telephone is fine, I'm just not happy about the TV, if we cancel the contract, we'll still keep BB/phone!

Ben