Direct Debit Disaster

[Sipowicz]

Can any of you guy's (or Gal's) out there explain why NTL are so screwed up with their customer accounts?
I have two accounts - Digital TV and telephone. Digital has a direct debit set up, however try as I have, I cannot get NTL to set up a DD for the telephone account. They have lost Mandate after mandate or my bank has lost it (so I am told!). I now pay on-line.

I got a "courtesy call" from NTL tonight reminding me that I have not paid my telephone bill. I explained that with holidays etc I had slipped and that I had made the payment in the last few hours by internet, only to be told that I have left it too late and that I am due to be disconnected by Tuesday of next week and that I had to pay by Credit/Debit card now, as the payment I have made would not be received by then as it can take 5 days to get to NTL! (It goes out of my account the same or next day!! so where does it go then??) I don't do plastic money, so the internet is the only sensible answer at the moment.

I have been given a repreive, but I was encouraged to set up a DD to avoid this happening in the future. I agreed that this would be better and can we arrange it over the phone!

Shock, horror they tell me that they can only set up a DD over the phone for a Digital account!! WHY??????

I am now waiting for yet another DD mandate to be sent to me, I await it with baited breath. As I have been waiting for 15 months or so for a Jiffy bag to return the old analogue Cable Box to them, I am not expecting much.....

My main point is why can they not join the accounts together? They are both in my name, at the same address and would be paid from the same account! I took the phone out with NTL at the same time that I took Cable TV.........

[grum1978]

Ntl are in the process of migrating all the different billing systems on to one system, this will allow all cusotmer to recieve one bill and have one dd,

Out of intrest which area do you live in?

[Sipowicz]

Originally posted by grum1978

Out of intrest which area do you live in?

Cambridgeshire!

[grum1978]

Originally posted by Sipowicz
Cambridgeshire!

they were right about not being able to set up the dd over the phone then

let us know if ntl go back on their 'reprieve' though

[Sipowicz]

Originally posted by grum1978

let us know if ntl go back on their 'reprieve' though

Will do M8

[Lord Nikon]

I would notify them IN WRITING and by recorded post that you require the analog cable box collecting within 30 days, failing which you will take their lack of willingness as an indication that they do not wish the equipment returned and you will make use of alternate methods of disposal.

[darkangel]

surely they can't disconnect u if the payment has cleared from your accout, unless u have a history of bad credit with them?
ask cs services can the not protect your account till the payment clears
edit:-this is a prime example of why i never use dd, had sky they took 4 months 1 time £180

[chambece]

Originally posted by Sipowicz
Can any of you guy's (or Gal's) out there explain why NTL are so screwed up with their customer accounts?
I have two accounts - Digital TV and telephone. Digital has a direct debit set up, however try as I have, I cannot get NTL to set up a DD for the telephone account. They have lost Mandate after mandate or my bank has lost it (so I am told!). I now pay on-line.

Wow, this is unbelieveable - I have exactly the same problem!! It was all fine untill I got my CM, before then, everything was paid by direct debit - I was already on Digital, so in all honesty I really can't see why *anything* needed to change, as it was added to the phone bill which was paid by DD anyway, but since then - Probs almost a year now - we go through the same thing each month - Bill arrives, I expet the DD to have gone through, I get a call, , they say it the DD should be being processed by the time for the next bill, but send me another just in case....

The Direct Debit for the account still seemed to be set up at my bank through all of this, so I really don't know why it wasn't paid...

In fact next time I think I'll take a few copies and just send them in each month!!

report them to the direct debit company.
Any company not pulling its weight in regards to DD can have the facilty denied to them......or so I understand.

Look through this:-

http://www.directdebit.co.uk

Its quite informative

[Stephen Robb]

I set up all my DD's over the phone with the payment department for the TV, Internet and BB and have had no problems. The only one I pay for by cheque is the phone bill, and I only do that as it gives me a bit of flexibility in case I get a biggy!

[Sipowicz]

Originally posted by grum1978


let us know if ntl go back on their 'reprieve' though [/b]

Just to update you, I came back from holiday and they had NOT cut me off. But I did get a shiney new TV bill and another DD form in the post. Lets see if they C*ck this one up as well..........

Watch this space.............

[anarion]

ok so we have a few problems every now and again with direct debits i.e instructions not being processed by the bank, mandates lost in the post and the inevitable personal error. But a majority of customers on DD have no complaint and it is the regretable few who we hear from regularly. I'm not gonna sit here and say NTL are great when it comes to DD or try and make excuses to fall on deaf ears, but we do our best and will continue to try to do so.
In Luton we do have the facility to set up DD over the fone and we advise customers to do this as it it a hell of a lot quicker. The new system should be in place soon, hopefully, so all problems can be ironed out once and for all.

[grum1978]

ok...First of all you need to understand how ntl became what it is today. Its basically made up of different companies that they have bought all with different databases.

Ntl have tried previously to bring it all one to one system without any sucess, harmony started last year and as with all things of this size has had it problems. The difference between harmony and other projects? It works!! It already has customers on it and is billing them. Obviously ntl are not going to bring over every account from each database all in one go because that would cause chaos!!

One system will happen of that i am 100% confident in saying and it will bring benefits to both customers and staff!!