Denial Of Broadband Support!

Scott_Lee67 · 06-12-2005, 10:31

If you have arrears on your telephone service NTL Automatically direct any calls made by you from your home phone to their credit control department.

Whatever number you dial or option you select your call is routed to this department and this includes out of hours.

I recently needed to contact NTL Broadband support out of hours and as (unbeknownst to me) I had arrears on my telephone accountI was continually routed to their credit control department, who of course were shut! I tried all weekend to get hold of Broadband Support but was denied access because of the arrears. Consequently I was not able to access the internet. for the entire weekend.

This Monday, after what I can only describe as 45 minutes to an hours worth of torture, queing and being passed from pillar to post from the UK to somewhere else on this planet did somebody in credit support finally explain that the reason I kept coming through to them was because of the arrears which I paid immediately.

Twice now I have not received bills from them.

handyman · 06-12-2005, 10:37

I think thats quite a good idea that they can have that feature on the IVR. Quite often when I worked at ntl faults we would get calls from people saying their service was not working only for me to investigate and find they had not pay bills and have to hand them off to accounts to pay up.

Well done ntl I say.

Scott_Lee67 · 06-12-2005, 11:01

I agree that it is a good idea in principal because it gives NTL the opportunity to broach the subject of arrears with their customers but when it is applied in such a manner as to deny the services that NTL are contracted to provide and which I pay them for, then there is something seriously wrong and it needs changing.

I was not aware of any arrears on my telephone account and my broadband subscription was fully paid up so I should have been able to access support out of hours without constantly being directed to a closed department!

In any case, when I was able to get through during normal hours it was not until I expressed my utter frustration at not being able to access support did the 4th person that I spoke to over the period of an hours queueing and being directed to wrong departments, was I informed of the arrears which I duly paid.

Ramrod · 06-12-2005, 11:06

it's a good idea as long as the person in arrears knows they are in arrears....
....does this apply to emergency calls?

orangebird · 06-12-2005, 11:11

I really don't understand how someone doesn't know whether they've paid their bill or not...

**Derek S** · 06-12-2005, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ramrod

....does this apply to emergency calls?

Calls to 999 and customer care can still be made.

Saaf_laandon_mo · 06-12-2005, 11:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangebird

I really don't understand how someone doesn't know whether they've paid their bill or not...

My telewest direct debit once bounced, and I didnt know till about 2 weeks later because my latest bank statement hadn't arrived, and I didnt see any letters from the bank notifying me of this. The first I heard was when Telewest wrote to me, so I guess it sometimes can happen. Anyway I thought companies only take such action when you're more than one month behind, and then there is no reason I can see for not realising you are in such arrears.

Scott_Lee67 · 06-12-2005, 11:25

AsI am self employed and my finances are often unstable I cannot rely on money being in my account on the due date for me to be able to use the Direct Debit facility so I rely on the bill coming through the post and thewn call to pay by debit card or use internet banking.

On 2 occasions I have not received bills. 1 for broadband and the other for telephone.

The issue is not about paying bills its about NTL denying its customers access to support out of hours for a service that their customer has paid for and they are contractually obliged to provide!

APS · 06-12-2005, 12:51

Surely they were not denying the broadband support as I am sure you would have got through if you had used a mobile or someone elses phone.

What they were denying you was use of the phone which you had not paid for..for whatever reason.

handyman · 06-12-2005, 12:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by APS

Surely they were not denying the broadband support as I am sure you would have got through if you had used a mobile or someone elses phone.

What they were denying you was use of the phone which you had not paid for..for whatever reason.

Ahh never thought of that.

d.chatten · 06-12-2005, 15:15

I thought we payed our NTL bills a month in advance and if that's the case then NTL should give people support for up to one month from the last bill because we have allready paid a month in advance by paying our last bill.

hayesey · 06-12-2005, 16:41

It would be better if they played a short pre-recorded message telling callers that they were being transferred directly through to Credit Control due to thier account being in arrears rather than simply just transferring them right away.

Scott_Lee67 · 06-12-2005, 18:43

In hindsight it would have been an idea to use a mobile or a call box come to that but I have spent a fortune calling NTL only for my credit to run out whilst listening to their poxy music!

I have spent an age in p*ss soaked phone boxes calling these idiots on the 3 occasions during the last 12 months that they 'accidentally' disconnected me!

In any case the message said "Welcome to NTL Broadband Support" so I was not aware that I was being transferred in the first place!

Finally, what is the point in diverting calls out of hours to a department that is shut? Especially when there are other essential services that are available such as Broadband and Telephone support which you cannot reach if they leave the flippin divert on!