Steve's blog

I used to have an account with NTL, a cable TV / telco in the UK. I gave up on using their phone service and broadband over a year ago as I wanted simple things like a reliable net connection with reverse DNS. I switched to ADSL ages back, and things were good. I continued using the cable TV from NTL for a while, as I was too apathetic to switch.

Last month, I finally got around to doing something about that - Sky in the UK offer a better digital TV service with more features like the Sky+ DVR for less money than I was paying to NTL. Once the Sky satellite disk was installed, I started to cancel the NTL subscription. That was an adventure in itself:

Spend ages on the phone in a queue on the "customer helpline".
Eventually speak to someone, be given a fresh number to ring for the cancellations department.
Ring that number. It's busy and drops the line after a few seconds.
Try again at #1 above, and get a different number to ring. "Oh no, the first number you were given for cancellations is wrong".

After multiple iterations through the above script, I eventually got through to the right people. "I'd like to cancel my account", I told them. "Sorry sir, you'll have to do that in writing", they told me, "and you have to give 30 days' notice, which will start from the postmark on the cancellation letter." They then gave me an address to write to. An address that's not on the website, and none of the previous people could possibly have told me it, of course, oh no.

So, on the 13th December I sent them a letter to cancel. I expected things to end there, but no such luck. After Christmas a letter landed in the mail. It wasn't an acknowledgement of the cancellation. It was another bill for the period from 13th January to 13th February. The cancellation letter had had no visible effect. As the new bill neatly coincided with 1 month from the date of my cancellation, I took an easy route and cancelled the Direct Debit that NTL used to collect payment.

Now that got a response - a letter landed this morning threatening extra charges to my account if I did not reinstate the Direct Debit. An urgent letter that took 7 days to come through their system, judging by the postmark. So I've just been on the phone to them. After nearly 20 minutes of listening to hold music, I eventually got through to the complaints department. "Sorry, sir - the cancellation only took effect on the 19th December, so you still owe us...". After some arguing on the phone I've got satisfaction (I believe) - I've had a promise that the account is closed with nothing outstanding and no more nasty letters to come. If I hear anything more then I'll be going to the regulator about this...

</rant>

It seems the only way that NTL can keep customers these days is to make it nigh-on impossible to cancel an account.

17:23 :: # :: /misc :: 126 comments

Comments

Re: Why are NTL so crap?
Wilkini wrote on Sun, 19 Feb 2006 04:49

Just discovered whilst Googling NTL complaints as I thought I might need help with my own complaint.

Brief story: 1) 14 July 2003 - signed up with NTL for telephone and 56k dial up as no broadband available in area --> easy and ISP service was good;

2) 12 July 2005 - broadband comes to my area :o) Contact NTL for upgrade but NTL not doing ADSL BB here :o(

3) 13 July 2005 - Sign up with Tiscali and phone NTL to cancel told you need to allow 30 days which I reluctantly agree to; 4) 13 August 2005 - Stop using all NTL services;

5) 1 February 2006 - Receive letter from NTL saying I owe £96 for using service;

6) 2 February 2006 - Phone NTL (no problems getting thro) to complain about letter as had cancelled account only to be told no you did not! When I queried why had it taken so long to contact me I was told they had sent things by e-mail to me!! I said I was not going to pay and asked for account to be marked as in dispute whilst I sent letter of complaint in. Sent letter asking for account to be wiped clean and for reassurance that I would not be credit black-listed.

7) 13 February 2006 - New letter received (dated 8-2-06) advising amount owed has changed to £111.

8) 14 February 2006 - Phoned again and was told that it will rise until the account is cancelled and free of debt. Also advised that my account had been passed to Moorcrofts a debt recovery service. However, they could see that the account had been unused since August and would therefore only charge £36 for period when account was in use. I paid this and advised I would complain further.

9) 15 February 2006 - Response to my complaint which answered no questions I asked that basically said "tough" we don't care.

10) 19 February 2006 - Finally calmed down about this enough to write a further complaint.

MY ADVICE TO YOU ALL NEVER GIVE NTL THE PLEASURE OF HAVING YOU AS A CUSTOMER.

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