NTL messed up my Sky digital!

quaalude

Hi -

I cancelled my NTL back in November, and just have Sky digital now. When I cancelled I was told someone would be around to disconnect it, sometime in the future.
Well, today a guy called around, and said he was from NTL and he'd come to physically disconnect it, and he could do it from outside.
I was like "sure, ok" and thought nothing of it until I turned on the TV like a half-hour later. Sky digital is saying "No satellite signal is being received"! I called NTL but they are being very slow to help. I just went outside to take a look and it seems he just snipped the wires, both the NTL and the Sky!
What should I do? The guy from NTL was saying "Have you called Sky yet?". I don't see how it's Sky's problem if a guy just comes around and snips the wires. NTL don't seem to really care as I'm not a customer anymore.
I'm really annoyed - any advice is welcome.

DaithiSurfer

call NTL and tape the call mentioning the date and that the guy was out today and snipped the wrong wire.
Just get them to acknowledge that he was out to cut A wire.
call sky. Tell them the story and let them charge you to fix it
Get a report from them and a receipt.

Take all the evidence to the small claims court including an invoice for the time you had to take off work to let sky in etc.

You wont get it any other way.

watty

Tell Garda too. It would be classed as malicious damage...

He could have caused a fire or damged LNB and/or Digibox.

quaalude

Hi -

Thanks for the replies.
I just called them and the dude on the phone was loathe to say that the guy was from NTL at all - at this point I didn't mention snipped wires or anything, I was just seeing if there was any movement with my problem i.e. no Sky. They guy on the phone was like "Are you sure he was from NTL?" I mean, WTF? The only people in the world who know I cancelled my NTL are me and them - how could it *not* have been an NTL guy?
This is extra hassle I don't need on a day *filled* with hassle.
He said he'd call back at 7.15 - I'll post how it goes.

Lookout

Very strange that they snipped the wires. They normally insert an isolator between the cable and the little distrubution box outside, which cuts of the signal.
Anyway, sue the bast@rds for damages.

I tried cancelling my NTL when I got Sky, they kept sending me bills and I keep phoning to cancel the serivce. Eventually I gave up phoning . It's now with my lawyer as they are trying to get me to pay for the last 18 months subscriprion that I cancelled.

PK - the king

SUE!!! SUE!!! SUE!!!

NTL are a shower of thickheads. They came out to disconnect a connection on my next door neighbours - instead the cut both of my two connections, and my UHF aerial connection leaving me without any cable OR any other way of receiving TV!!! It took them over a week to fix it. I'm sorry I didn't go after them for damages. So, take my advice - if an opportunity comes up to sue ntl, TAKE IT.

FIRE

Yes definately sue, definately take them to the small claims court. I wasnt the type of person to think like this until I got screwed by a certain company. I hopefully will be able to put my story on here after the court case, unless it's settled out of court, but for now I wont jepordise it by writing about it.

Definately get some justice.

BrianD

Tell Garda too. It would be classed as malicious damage...

Very Irish and a bit over the top don't you think? It's more accidental damage and stupidity then malicious damage.

watty

I tihink often claiming under insurance (if Digibox is damged it is yours, not Sky's) due to 3rd party or theft etc the Insurance company may require that Garda was informed at the time or it can be difficult to get the claim approved.

Greenman

Yes sueing very Irish and gives Ireland the high premiums.
Why not ask to speak to a supervisor and explain the problem and then say you'll give them X amount of days to sort it or you will sue and that you know your rights. I always found giving these companies the view that you know your rights normally works.
I was getting nowhere with a big multinational and I was within my rights. I threatened the media and within 10 minutes got a call from the European head office and all was sorted.
If I feel I'm right I dig in!!!

dub45

Originally posted by BrianD
Very Irish and a bit over the top don't you think? It's more accidental damage and stupidity then malicious damage.

I think the ordinary public would be much more forgiving if companies like NTL reacted better when they do screw up. Instead of them apologising and getting to correcting the error in most cases its the 'victim' of the error who ends up a screaming nervous wreck with lots of wasted time before the error is corected.

If NTL responded in a case like this by saying ok we will get it corrected immediately and heres even 20 euros for your trouble think how much more goodwill they would generate.

quaalude

OK, I've been calling NTL, like, every hour for the last while.
They say someone will come out to me today to reconnect Sky, sometime before 6.30.
I didn't mention the snipped wires at any stage to them, in case they say "Oh, it couldn't have been us, we don't snip the cables" - I'm just gonna act dumb about the cut cables.
I'll post an update - hopefully I won't be sueing anyone today!

Charles Slane

Any news ?

I've had nightmare dealings with NTL before. Although it's practically impossible to get things done in this country (with some notable exceptions). I don't know how many times I've taken time off work only for the delivery/repair not to turn up.

quaalude

Yay! TV is back!
The dude called me earlier, and said he was real sorry, and that he lived close by and would sort it out for me on his way home from work. He came, re-attached the cable, and put weatherproofing strip on it so the join would last.
He also left me his mobile number in case I had any problems, which was nice.
So I guess I was lucky, getting it sorted the next day - I won't have to sue!
Thanks to everybody for the concern and advice.

Tony

I hope he used F connectors and self amalgamating tape, even doing this you should check for water ingress periodically.

Good luck

dub45

Originally posted by quaalude
Yay! TV is back!

I am glad that you got it bad so quickly - but when you think about it wasn't this guy apallingly careless? It can't be all that unusual for NTL to be cancelled when people get in Sky so you would think that he would be careful to distinguish which cables he was cutting!!!!

FIRE

Originally posted by dub45
I think the ordinary public would be much more forgiving if companies like NTL reacted better when they do screw up. Instead of them apologising and getting to correcting the error in most cases its the 'victim' of the error who ends up a screaming nervous wreck with lots of wasted time before the error is corected.

If NTL responded in a case like this by saying ok we will get it corrected immediately and heres even 20 euros for your trouble think how much more goodwill they would generate.

I was thinking exactly along these same lines. It seems we have a couldnt care less attitude here in Ireland, and it's these sort of situations that turn law abiding citizens into raving lunatics, when people dont even admit that they MIGHT be wrong.

I wouldnt go as far as money for trouble just a decent service, and say someone will be around ASAP to rectify the problem.
I'd hate to have that guy with me in a life or death situation, like disarming a bomb.


Glad to see your back on board.

dub45

Originally posted by FIRE
I was thinking exactly along these same lines. It seems we have a couldnt care less attitude here in Ireland, and it's these sort of situations that turn law abiding citizens into raving lunatics, when people dont even admit that they MIGHT be wrong.

I wouldnt go as far as money for trouble just a decent service, and say someone will be around ASAP to rectify the problem.
I'd hate to have that guy with me in a life or death situation, like disarming a bomb.


Glad to see your back on board.

By the 20 euro I was only suggesting some sort of gesture. But most companies dont have the gumption to try and turn such disasters round to their own advantage. They usually just worsen them as we agree by turning us into raving lunatics:mad:

Oriel

Right it's either one of two things -

a) NTL have got either act together.
b) no but serisouly, the only other thing it could be is that we have an NTL insider in boards! (shock horror!)
Let's hunt him out boys...

quaalude

No-one was more shocked than I at the quick resolution of this.
Doesn't it speak volumes about our collective experience as consumers when there's something to talk about when a problem *actually* gets resolved quickly? We're so used to having phone repeatedly, and explain and re-explain situations to a different customer service rep every time, with repeated promises of call backs and such that never happen. When a problem actually gets fixed by a company that screwed up it's like a miracle!

vibe666

there's a few people on boards from ntl, eircom, esat, BOI, o2, vodafone and just about every other major company in ireland, lurking in the shadows afraid to show their faces for fear of recriminations over evry bad thing their respective companies ever did.

it's a community, and as such there are people from all walks of life here.

dub45

Originally posted by quaalude
No-one was more shocked than I at the quick resolution of this.
Doesn't it speak volumes about our collective experience as consumers when there's something to talk about when a problem *actually* gets resolved quickly? We're so used to having phone repeatedly, and explain and re-explain situations to a different customer service rep every time, with repeated promises of call backs and such that never happen. When a problem actually gets fixed by a company that screwed up it's like a miracle!

I agree I think call centers have to be one of the worst developments of all time. Basically no body has any responsiblity for anything with that setup and it simply does not work.