ok my post is based on problems my father had with his ntl connection where he was put on hold again again and again and fobbed of with lies time and time again and after 40 minutes on the phone he was told ntl will be there in the morning. This went on for weeks and all that solved it was a email to the top in the end. Myself has never had any real major issues with ntl and my problems have allways been fixed by ntl or this and other forums have helped me fix them . But when dealing with people over the phoneline it is oh so easy to fob them off and make the customer angry. I must also praise ntl however i have now noticed that when you phone them up to change a package they keep you on the phone till the very end when the services you have added/removed have been actioned so a very good move on ntls part and hey ive been on cable since the nynex days and overall im pretty happy with the service or i would have stuck with bt.I just think we like a good nag sometimes and ntls name seems to fit the bill
---------- Post added at 22:59 ---------- Previous post was at 22:50 ----------
ALSO NTLS RESPONSE TO WATCHDOG
We agree that the standard of service experienced by the customers featured on your programme is unacceptable and we apologise to them and to any other customers who have experienced similar problems. We have investigated each of the cases, and have taken action to resolve the matters and to learn from them to help avoid future repetition.
"However, to put the cases into perspective: today, NTL has 3.3 million residential customers using over 6 million services. In the past 12 months we managed the process of moving home for over 350,000 customers and received 24 million calls about a wide variety of matters. Yet, the number of complaints reduced to 0.31 per cent and customer recommendation has improved by two per cent over the past four months. While any complaint is one too many, we have seen real progress through 2005 with the number of complaints received directly by NTL falling by over ten per cent.
"Last year we highlighted an investment of over £100 million to replace a multiplicity of outdated facilities and systems. This ongoing programme of product and service enhancement continues and is our number one priority."
Background information
Over the past year we have introduced a raft of new processes and initiatives which together with additional training and the introduction of specialised teams are contributing to the ongoing improvement in performance levels. Additional investment in customer response and feedback mechanisms means we can accurately gauge service levels and react appropriately. For instance:
* New call centre technology has been introduced which helps us to keep customer waiting times to a minimum.
* We have overhauled our processes and introduced a dedicated team to ensure that customers moving house and transferring their services find the experience as smooth as possible.
* Field-based staff have undergone intensive training and new working times have been introduced with the result that 87 per cent of customers surveyed (September to November 2005) who had a fault were satisfied with the engineer who came out. This continues to improve.
* Calling ahead to our customers on the day of their appointment is now standard practice and the majority of our customers also receive confirmation details via text message.
* In response to customer feedback, new call centre opening hours have been introduced. We operate three UK call centres, employing 3,000 people in customer services. We have recruited significantly for the call centres and continue to do so.
* New procedures are now in place to help in the handling of deceased customer accounts, change of address billing and the auditing of erroneously high bills.
* Billing processes have been revised, a new simplified bill design is being introduced and specific explanation pages are being included to inform customers how charges and transactions have been calculated.
* We are developing a Customer Charter that will outline in black and white our vision of what our customers can expect from us.
* Our products continue to improve: over £5m has been invested to make our internet customers among the best protected on the internet with new anti-virus and anti-spam initiatives making a significant difference; we have introduced Video on Demand to our digital TV service which has had outstanding feedback from customers; new self-help online tools have been launched which will analyse a customer's PC to check and solve problems automatically.
* Customers continue to save money by choosing NTL in comparison to other providers. For instance, we offer the opportunity to have three services (TV, Telephone and Internet) for £33 per month. This cuts bills by over £100 a year.
Results:
* Customer recommendation has improved by two per cent over the past four months.
* In December, of customers surveyed post-call, 82 per cent said they were satisfied with the service they received on the call.
* On average over the past 12 months customer calls have been answered in just over three minutes.
* The number of complaints received has reduced over the past year to 0.31 per cent.
* We have measured a genuine improvement in service, product performance and customer advocacy.
NTL is more customer focused now than at any point in its recent history. We will continue to place the customer at the centre of our business with real and sustained focus on areas that affect the customer experience, from answering the phone promptly to resolving complaints at the first time of asking.
Cases featured on the programme
* Mrs Bloomfield - We are very sorry that this unfortunate sequence of events occurred at what was already a very difficult time. It was not NTL's intention to cause any frustration or upset and in September 2005 we contacted Mrs Bloomfield both by telephone and writing to offer our apologies and resolve the issues.
* Mr Easton Meade - During a third party investigation into an outstanding debt Mr Meade was unfortunately involved in a case of mistaken identity. We have since established with the third party that the person involved was another man of the same name. We have apologised to Mr Meade and ensured that this error has been corrected.
* Mr Adam Cameron - We have spoken to Mr Cameron and apologised that because of an error his original account was not fully cancelled and he subsequently continued to be billed after he moved house. Our processes are constantly under review and we recognise that on this occasion we failed to meet the customer's requirements. We have cancelled all accounts and have arranged for the appropriate credits and backdated refunds to be applied.
* Mr Brendon Airey on behalf of Mr Peter Airey - The issues highlighted by Mr Airey have been investigated fully. Although any service is liable to faults, we recognise that Mr Airey and his family have encountered more than their fair share whether attributable to ourselves or to third parties. We have arranged for our technicians to complete a full service health check and if any further goodwill credits are due these will be applied.
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