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

[King Of Fools]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

Don't suppose you have the number?

From:
http://www.ntlworld.com/helpsupport/...us/langley.php

Service Status Line
0800 052 4315
8am- midnight 7 days a week

[Chrysalis]

That number isnt on my bill, so not much use if your internet is out and cant reach the webpage.

Also isnt an option on 150.

[etccarmageddon]

it's in my phone now - very useful - thanks for it.

[HD462]

I read a few threads lately about ntl starting to charge for calls to customer services and technical support. I find this really annoying when the only time I phone them is either when they mess the bill up after changing something on my package, or when there's a problem with one of my services.

Either way I only phone when there's a problem of their creation, so why should I have to pay to tell them either, (a) about a billing error, or (b) about a fault on THEIR system?

Often tech support calls can be lengthy too. One of the advantages of switching to broadband from dialup was the free tech support if it was ever needed...should have known eventually they'd do a hatchet job on it.

I sent my feelings using the Responstek form on here a couple of days ago. Here's what I wrote, and their reply, to which I've just replied back. The thing is, they don't seem to see anything wrong, so long as other firms do it, they seem to think it justifies them doing it...heavens forbid they could actually aim to be better than the other firms.

Thank you for your reply, but I don't use any of those companies, and you're not comparing the same thing.

Fair enough if I'm phoning Customer Services by my own choice, ie to change my package. But I don't see why phoning to report a fault with your system should be paid for by the customer. I already spend around £800 a year with you, why should I pay to tell you there is a fault with YOUR system??

When I first got broadband support was free, that was one of the benefits of switching from dialup, and support calls can be lengthy, not that I phone very often, only when there's a fault with YOUR system.

I feel you are going to lose a lot of custom over this, which in turn will lead to more job cuts.

[Neil]

Hi.

As we already have a thread running on ntl charging to call them: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=45342 , we don't need another so I'll be merging the two together soon.

[HD462]

Thanks mods for moving that post in here. I couldn't find the thread about it again which was why I started a new one...thought you'd deleted it there at first.

[Shaun]

Still a **** excuse, other do it so we can, I'm off to murder my next door neighbour, afterall others do it!!!

[King Of Fools]

Originally Posted by NTL

Below is some examples of numbers and charges other companies/providers have used while ntl continued to provide a freephone number:

Sky charges 8.10 pence per minute (ppm) for all general enquiry’s

Virgin net Customer Services 4.45ppm
Virgin Broadband Technical Support 25ppm

Tesco Broadband
Customer Services 4.45ppm
Broadband Technical Support 50ppm

As you can see ntl are still quite competitive with the pricing of call as we are with our services.

I like the way that (apart from Sky) they compare the cost with all the other ISPs run by NTL!

[fireman328]

What a con this is, when it is a slack day for faults what is to stop them degrading the service to generate calls to push up their income. Come to think of it why bother providing any service, they could just operate a call centre and watch the money roll in. I think I will contact a friend in the Fraud Squad who deals with dodgy traders to hear what he thinks about this three card trick. I for one will not be contacting them if I see a cabinet door open or the local yoblets trashing one !!
Oh dear thats what they want, someone to pay extra for a service which is already payed for in the existing contract. Is the CEO Arfur Daly ?

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Frank

That's interesting, considering this is supposed to be about providing better service to customers rather than generating revenue from their problems.

Another interesting questions, add it to my list.

Having spent 4 hours on the 0845 number trying to sort out my disconnection.

"ooh, we can see you made the request on May 15, just we have not done anything with it..."

They did credit £5 to my parents NTL bill to cover the cost of this call when I asked, I got put through to CS and they did this, wait to see the bill though.

Originally Posted by Paul M

So, in theory, no one should wait more than about 5 minutes. I wonder how long it takes to get called back though, given that many people have lives (!), and can't sit by their phone all day.

Ah - it's simple really. They never call back and then you have to call again and so it goes on and on until you run out of energy or money.

The whole NTL statement is a joke. Whoever wrote it is obviously a ruthless person, capable of lying, cheating and worse.

I can list many other ISP who don't charge for fault reports.

And they really need to decide bit as far as I know 0871 is 10p a minute

All the above is my own opinion of course.

---------- Post added at 04:03 ---------- Previous post was at 03:58 ----------

Originally Posted by nemesis01

wonder if they will be any faster answering now they are charging......nah.:P ohwell, I never ring them anyway.

No. My last call took 1h:15m

---------- Post added at 04:17 ---------- Previous post was at 04:03 ----------

Originally Posted by dezzo

Me for one. And when I worked there you would get plenty of calls from people who the last note on their account for any reason was 2-3 years ago.

Notes on my account have gone missing on a regular basis. You can't be serious. I don't know a single happy NTL customer. Everytime I speak to NTL I get the same old offensive attitude, hang ups, sending me around in circles, routing my calls to wrong depts.

I have never seen anything worse from any company in any field.

---------- Post added at 04:20 ---------- Previous post was at 04:17 ----------

Originally Posted by Neil

Ah but we know that CSR's don't always update the notes on the account.

How many people post here saying they were promised x/y/z by Joe Bloggs in CS, but then when they phoned back got the old "I'm sorry Sir/Madam, but there's no note of that on your account" (Answer=lots)....

I had that happen at least 10 times. I think they cover up for each other. If you insist that you did call before, they insist that you didn't and eventually hang up unless you agree.

---------- Post added at 04:44 ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 ----------

You obviously never tried to call NTL cust service or tech support - yes - I do know the difference.

Many of my calls were NOT logged. I would say at least 30%.

Originally Posted by Pinkypants

It is compulsory for every agent on every call to log on a comment / Fault report on the account. Faults agents on average get Quality evaluated three times a month. If they do not leave log notes on the account and make the mistake 2 times within six months = informal warning, disciplinary etc. Agents who do not leave notes find they do not have a job pretty quickly.

In terms of recording of calls, calls are only recorded for Quality and training purposes only, as stated to you when you call NTL.



From the posts I've read in the DTV / Telco faults section here, most the queries should be solved first time within NTL, as long as the customer has clearly explained the problem and gone through to the correct Department (like some who report a fault to customer services and wonder why it's never resolved etc). Some faults do take a long time to fix and are more complicated than others, mistakes are made, sometimes those faults are not resolved first time round. I don't deny that happens. But you will find that in every company, not just NTL.

To get back on topic, I don't really have an opinion on whether the line should be chargable or not. Technical support has been chargable for a while now so it was inevitable that at some point Customer Services would be chargable too. However, NTL has invested a lot of money in the long term future of the company and its employees. It has taken more staff on, it provides better training and incentivex for its staff and there is a real drive to make quality improvements for the customer. To the cynic, you may argue NTL should be providing that already, maybe so but at least the company is doing everythng it can to improve the situation. You won't see the immediate effects of this, but in the long term it will mean shorter call queues and a better overall service.

Anyway thats just my opinion

---------- Post added at 05:15 ---------- Previous post was at 04:44 ----------

Originally Posted by perfect-bliss

Im glad that the number is changing. The amount of stupid calls that u get coming through the call centres is unbelieveable

Not as stupid as some of the people who answer these calls.

---------- Post added at 05:18 ---------- Previous post was at 05:15 ----------

Originally Posted by perfect-bliss

I must say tho, if someone is calling to report a fault, then a customer shouldnt have to pay for that. its not their fault, so they shouldnt be penalised

I never phone for any other reason. All the problems I ever had were NTL's fault. In one case they disconnected me by mistake instead of upgrading, it took 32 calls to convince them it was a mistake and 3 engineer visits.

---------- Post added at 05:24 ---------- Previous post was at 05:18 ----------

Originally Posted by dezzo

Probably if the fault was found to be with Ntl equipment etc. then you could get them to refund the cost of the call. TBH its probably a way of trying to force customers into other methods of troubleshooting and contact before calling tech support.

I tried that and you just get the run around for ages with promises of call backs and then promises of refunds that never happen.

I think trying to pursue any refund from NTL is a waste of time. This week alone I spent £30 in phone calls without a result.

Originally Posted by ofirgal

[

At one point they where told not to. When they where having very long wait times on the phones they where told not to add notes to the customers account log, This way they could reduce the amount of time that each customers problem took. I was shocked to say the least when i was told. Problem was that it was not written down anywhere so there was no proof.

At one point???? This has been and is happening all the time.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by ofirgal

I don't know a single happy NTL customer.

Well I know several, in fact I don't think I personally know any unhappy Ntl customers right now.

Originally Posted by ofirgal

At one point???? This has been and is happening all the time.

Not all the time. When I worked there (for over 2 years) we were instructed to do this about 7 or 8 times during peak times such as when big football matches were on and the majority of CSR's (mostly the competent ones) ignored this as we actually did care about our jobs and the customers.

There were/are CSR's who don't care but there are still people there who do try 100% for customers, even the ones who, to be perfectly honest, don't deserve to even have someone listen to them.

Originally Posted by ofirgal

Not as stupid as some of the people who answer these calls.

Great attitude there, I'm sure everyone will be bending over backwards to help you...

[Chrysalis]

I do know people happy with ntl, one of them even tells me to stop moaning when I was with ntl. I also know a fair few unhappy peeps tho.

I can vouch for CS/TS reps not making notes tho, the amount of times I rang up about my broadband problems and no notes of previous calls, both the india and uk call centres seem as bad as each other on this.