NTL Broadband Terms & Conditions Moving House?

gordk · 24-02-2005, 16:05

Can any one offer any advice?

I signed up to NTL broadband in October 2004 it appears for a term of 12 months (although I cannot find the original terms & conditions), and am currently in rented accommodation. The house I am in, recently was sold and I am having to leave. As I have no real place to go here I have decided to go and live with my friend outside of the UK for a year. I would want to continue broadband when I return but NTL have said I must pay the remainder of the contract ie up to Ocotber 2005.

However, I am sure it said somewhere if you are moving to an area not covered by NTL then the contract can be renegotiated. If not I am liable to pay for a service which I will not be receiving and may be paying for someone else to use internet for free.

I have spoken to NTL and found them to either be disinterested or very rude and unhelpful. Do I have any rights in this case or am I stuck with this bill? Obviously this was not forseen when I took the contract out and I have always had good service from NTL but now I am not so sure.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

nostra · 24-02-2005, 16:09

i assume u are moving to an non cabled area then?

this post might be of some interest to you someone having the same problems...

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sh...ad.php?t=19459

gordk · 24-02-2005, 16:26

Hmm so it seems NTL changed their rules recently.

Oh well guess I shall have to finish paying this contract and then cancel with them for good. Thing is as I will have no billing address - where would they send the monthly bills and would I be paying for someone else who may move into the house if they plugged in their modem?

If not then where exactly is the service I am paying for going?

ian@huth · 24-02-2005, 16:52

If you signed a NTL contract then you have to abide by the terms of that contract. You probably had free installation of your services and NTL or the company they bought out had to spend a fortune cabling your area and providing all the infrastructure. NTL are not a charity and need to recoup costs already incurred and have every right to insist on you paying the full cost of your services for the remainder of the contract period. What NTL have done for customers moving out of area in the past was a concession by them and they are quite free to stop doing this.

gordk · 24-02-2005, 16:53

Mind you after reading that post it says the service is continued even if you are moving to a non NTL area with the other product they reccommend. If I am moving abroad what happens then? Is this still liable?

d0pey · 24-02-2005, 17:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by ian@huth

If you signed a NTL contract then you have to abide by the terms of that contract. You probably had free installation of your services and NTL or the company they bought out had to spend a fortune cabling your area and providing all the infrastructure. NTL are not a charity and need to recoup costs already incurred and have every right to insist on you paying the full cost of your services for the remainder of the contract period. What NTL have done for customers moving out of area in the past was a concession by them and they are quite free to stop doing this.

Im sorry but I don't agree with that. It is the persons fault the area is not covered by NTL. I could move less just over a mile up the road from here and not be able to get NTL cable. Is it my fault they never cabled the road?

gordk · 24-02-2005, 17:02

As another point in question, I previously had a seaprate broadband account with NTL which I had to pay for installation at the same address. I had this for a period of over 12 months but wanted to freeze it as I had work abroad. NTL would not freeze it for the period I was away and I cancelled it no problem. When I arrived back I resigned with NTL (same address) and this time did get free installation - however, due to circumstances beyone my control I can no longer receive this service due to sale of the house and my moving outside of the country.

What would be the best plan in my case would be either if I could pay a small fine to hold the account or pay for installation when I get my own place sorted.

I presume this is an option NTL does not provide and I suppose I have learned my lesson and that NTL are not the company to meet my current needs. However, again all advice is greatly appreciated as I do not want to be paying for something I am not receiving.

ian@huth · 24-02-2005, 17:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by d0pey

Im sorry but I don't agree with that. It is the persons fault the area is not covered by NTL. I could move less just over a mile up the road from here and not be able to get NTL cable. Is it my fault they never cabled the road?

If you sign a contract for provision of services at a particular address then you are bound by the terms and conditions of that contract, terms that you agreed by signing were acceptable. NTL can continue to provide the services at that address so they should not be penalised by you breaking the contract. It is not their fault that you are moving away.

gordk · 24-02-2005, 17:13

But surely if the house is being sold and the tennants being evicted then this puts matters into a different situation? As it happens the new owners could be rennovating the house in which case there would not even be a house for the service to go to! If not I certainly don't want to be paying for someone else to use the service for free.

Keytops · 24-02-2005, 17:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ian@huth

If you sign a contract for provision of services at a particular address then you are bound by the terms and conditions of that contract, terms that you agreed by signing were acceptable. NTL can continue to provide the services at that address so they should not be penalised by you breaking the contract. It is not their fault that you are moving away.

Errr - isn't the contract to supply services to the *person* named? If that person moves and NTL are unable to supply a service to wherever that person now lives (do they make very-very-very long coax cables?

) then why should they continue to pay for a service they, in effect, aren't receiving?

ian@huth · 24-02-2005, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by gordk

But surely if the house is being sold and the tennants being evicted then this puts matters into a different situation? As it happens the new owners could be rennovating the house in which case there would not even be a house for the service to go to! If not I certainly don't want to be paying for someone else to use the service for free.

It still does not alter the facts that NTL contracted to provide a service and you contracted to pay for it. You, unfortunately, are the person breaking the contract and the one that should suffer.

gordk · 24-02-2005, 17:33

So I take it there is nothing I can do then? Thing is I have used NTL for the past 4 years in one form or the other and have usually have had no problem with the service.

However, with this situation which is of course not NTLs fault, but I feel lack of customer care due to circumstances beyond customer control has definitely lead me to believe I will not be making use of their services anymore.
__________________
__________________

Is it possible to pass my account to somebody else who can take on the remainding service period and will be in the UK? At least that way it can get used and will not be wasted?

It just feels like such a waste of money (ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£200) to pay for something that isn't going to be used?

ian@huth · 24-02-2005, 17:36

The one thing to remember if cancelling before the end of the contract period is to reduce all services to the minimum before cancelling. What services are you currently taking?

Tezcatlipoca · 24-02-2005, 20:04

*Moved to ntl Billing forum *

Keytops · 24-02-2005, 22:10

I'd just cancel the payments and let them try and find you to bill you :>