Tried to save NTL time and money but they weren't having any of it

Kintarō Hattori

Before we moved to our current address I had asked NTL if broadband was in the area. They said yes so we left our old place and moved in here. When the engineer came to hook everything up he said he was only here to connect the TV as there was no broadband service in the area...... grrrrr they got it wrong.

Fast forward six months and I've just off the phone with them again and it has finally arrived in the area. I told the chap I'd like to sign up. He mentioned that an engineer would call on friday and connect the free modem and router.
I told him we had been receiving broadband before we moved and so didn't need a new modem or router but he said they were part of the service. I tried to explain to him that there was no need for an engineer to call as I'm absolutely able to set it up myself but he was sticking to his guidelines. If he'd given me a moment to speak I'd have reassured him I didn't need a new modem or router or for the engineer to call.


I'm not bitching as it's great to have the service again and I never had any issues with NTL but it is a little disappointing that he was sticking so firmly to his guidelines. I really don't need a new modem or router and setting it up takes just minutes, it's not like the engineer has to fiddle with any points or such.

eightyfish

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

grrrrr they got it wrong.

NTL get everything wrong all the time. They are by far the most incompetent company I have ever dealt with for any reason whatsoever. I cannot explain to you how useless they are at everything. Customer service is non existent. The operators are clueless and nobody ever ever ever calls you back. Ever. If you want to cancel your account they will f*ck it up. Even if you send them multiple REGISTERED letters. If you want to open a new account in a new area they will f*ck it up and tell you you can, you can't, you can, you can't depending on who you talk to. If you pay a bill by on-line baking and it goes missing in their system they will f*ck it up even more by cancelling your account twice, promising to call you back eight times and never doing it, loosing every single fax you send them and asking you to fax it again.

They are, in short, the worst company ever to exist.

Del2005

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Before we moved to our current address I had asked NTL if broadband was in the area. They said yes so we left our old place and moved in here. When the engineer came to hook everything up he said he was only here to connect the TV as there was no broadband service in the area...... grrrrr they got it wrong.

Fast forward six months and I've just off the phone with them again and it has finally arrived in the area. I told the chap I'd like to sign up. He mentioned that an engineer would call on friday and connect the free modem and router.
I told him we had been receiving broadband before we moved and so didn't need a new modem or router but he said they were part of the service. I tried to explain to him that there was no need for an engineer to call as I'm absolutely able to set it up myself but he was sticking to his guidelines. If he'd given me a moment to speak I'd have reassured him I didn't need a new modem or router or for the engineer to call.


I'm not bitching as it's great to have the service again and I never had any issues with NTL but it is a little disappointing that he was sticking so firmly to his guidelines. I really don't need a new modem or router and setting it up takes just minutes, it's not like the engineer has to fiddle with any points or such.

Your forgetting about the fact the UPC own the modems and if you use the modem from your old place in your new place it's technically theft of service, even if you are paying for it. You where supposed to send the old modem back to UPC or arrange for them to collect it off you not keep it.

Most companies now use automated systems that don't let the people on the front line make changes, so the person you where dealing with may have agreed with you but due to monitoring and systems couldn't do anything other then send an engineer out.

Kintarō Hattori

eightyfish wrote: »

NTL get everything wrong all the time. They are by far the most incompetent company I have ever dealt with for any reason whatsoever. I cannot explain to you how useless they are at everything. Customer service is non existent. The operators are clueless and nobody ever ever ever calls you back. Ever. If you want to cancel your account they will f*ck it up. Even if you send them multiple REGISTERED letters. If you want to open a new account in a new area they will f*ck it up and tell you you can, you can't, you can, you can't depending on who you talk to. If you pay a bill by on-line baking and it goes missing in their system they will f*ck it up even more by cancelling your account twice, promising to call you back eight times and never doing it, loosing every single fax you send them and asking you to fax it again.

They are, in short, the worst company ever to exist.

I've been dealing with them for years for both television and broadband services and never had anything bad to say abou them. I'm aware they used to have a terrible reputation but I've thankfully so far had no difficulties with them.

hightower1

eightyfish wrote: »

NTL get everything wrong all the time. They are by far the most incompetent company I have ever dealt with for any reason whatsoever. I cannot explain to you how useless they are at everything. Customer service is non existent. The operators are clueless and nobody ever ever ever calls you back. Ever. If you want to cancel your account they will f*ck it up. Even if you send them multiple REGISTERED letters. If you want to open a new account in a new area they will f*ck it up and tell you you can, you can't, you can, you can't depending on who you talk to. If you pay a bill by on-line baking and it goes missing in their system they will f*ck it up even more by cancelling your account twice, promising to call you back eight times and never doing it, loosing every single fax you send them and asking you to fax it again.

They are, in short, the worst company ever to exist.

Even worse than umbrella crop!!!! :eek:

dub45

hightower1 wrote: »

Even worse than umbrella crop!!!! :eek:

Well I definitely think that UPC would go for the obedience bit! They definitely think that the customers are there to serve them:rolleyes:

Kintarō Hattori

Hmnn perhaps I do need that engineer to call after all. I've connected the modem and router up but when I fired up my browser I'm being asked for an SID username and password, something I've never been asked for before. The activity lights on the modem are all lit so I was surprised.

zynaps

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Hmnn perhaps I do need that engineer to call after all. I've connected the modem and router up but when I fired up my browser I'm being asked for an SID username and password, something I've never been asked for before. The activity lights on the modem are all lit so I was surprised.

Yeah... the engineer is supposed to sort that out (iirc, by phoning the office and getting the correct info from them after confirming what he'd done so far) during installation.

Kintarō Hattori

zynaps wrote: »

Yeah... the engineer is supposed to sort that out (iirc, by phoning the office and getting the correct info from them after confirming what he'd done so far) during installation.

Really, is this a new thing? The first time that the NTL engineer came he didn't ring the office. He just set it up and went on his way.

hightower1

Its a self provision system, it allows engineers to set up the db levels correctly , first time connection the modem then goes straight to the provisioning system asking to log on. He should have the username and password already set aside.

Its favorable as it also allows ISP to issue modems via post so if your house is pre enabled a simple connection of a f lead , power on modem and hey presto self install. UPC here dont do that as of yet though simply because infrastructure and pc literacy is very poor here.


The levels for cable bb will need to be tested by an engineer to make sure you'd get full speed, stable connection and that the modem will provision properly. Thats why I imagine they would insist on sending one, if not and they gave you a username and pass over the phone depending on levels you could be ringing in a weeks time to f**k them out of it for slow speeds due to poor db and an engineer would then be needed anyway.


I just think its a case of doing it right the first time so you dont have to keep going back.

Cabaal

Its not your job to mess with UPC owned equipment though, I know what your trying to do but leave UPC do their job

watty

You'll find with any Cable protocol service (Waterford, Longford, UPC/Chorus/NTL, Permanet, Digiweb) that unlike DSL having the coax and having a modem does not equal a service.

There are things to be checked. Often the installer has to ring the Provisioning people. The Firmware or Model currently supported may be changed. An attenuator may need to be fitted as the signal level dynamic range of Cable Modems is 30dB less than a Radio system. A local trunk amplifier could be wrong kind or missing an Upstream filter/amp, then there is no return channel for the Modem to work.

The UPC CS /Installer people in this case were perfectly correct. The old equipment should have been returned to them at once. It's not like DSL Modems.

With DSL you can use any DSL Modem. With cable you can ONLY EVER use the physical Modem that has been "provisioned" for your account. When an account is cancelled the Modem identity will be removed from the Database, it won't work.

zynaps

watty wrote: »

The UPC CS /Installer people in this case were perfectly correct. The old equipment should have been returned to them at once. It's not like DSL Modems.

Have you ever actually tried that? On the occasions that I've had equipment to return to UPC, they either didn't want it or an engineer who was out at our new place grudgingly took it away (once). One engineer just laughed when I offered him the old modem and STB (neatly boxed up with cables and all). At one point I had three STBs on the floor when they were erroneously replacing good ones with good ones to fix a problem elsewhere.

If they're not snooty about, or indeed even barely interested in taking back the gear, then I certainly won't press the issue (and, indeed, I'd happily play about hooking them up to see what happens for kicks, but that's just me ).

watty

However that's UPC's staff issue. I'm only explaining the legality of it. If you write and say you will charge them for the rent to store it or the Recycling centre charges (if they confirm in writing they don't want it) they will do something. It's actually now illegal to dump such gear in the bin. It's of questionable legality for UPC to "Abandon" packaging or Electronic equipment. They may be legally obliged to remove MMDS gear from your roof too.

zynaps

watty wrote: »

However that's UPC's staff issue. I'm only explaining the legality of it. If you write and say you will charge them for the rent to store it or the Recycling centre charges (if they confirm in writing they don't want it) they will do something. It's actually now illegal to dump such gear in the bin. It's of questionable legality for UPC to "Abandon" packaging or Electronic equipment. They may be legally obliged to remove MMDS gear from your roof too.

That's a good point, and to be honest I never pushed the issue much with them. However, I would expect the legal onus upon the customer would be simply to make the gear available to UPC for collection for some reasonable period, rather than to actually return it themselves (although when my friend's IBB Ripwave service was abruptly cancelled in the area due to "setting up WiMAX", she was told to hand deliver it to their warehouse in Grand Canal Dock before she could get a refund, so...).

wratch

Does anyone know how to get SID/Username & password for NTL?

hightower1

Why would YOU need that?

wratch

So i can use my UPC broadband

Jumpy

wratch wrote: »

Does anyone know how to get SID/Username & password for NTL?

Ring them. Although I doubt they would give it to you over the phone.

wratch

I tried them ealier on but no answer!!! I was on hold for about half an hour

hightower1

hightower1 wrote: »

Why would YOU need that?

Your modem would already have used that at install. Did it just come up or did you get another modem? Your only able to use the modem they supplied you with.

wratch

Im using their modem. The thing is i had to open new account because the person who owned the account moved out and canceled their acount but left all the equipment here. I signed up again on thursday with UPC and i have the signal now (modem is online and functional) All i need is SID login. Thats all. Now they are sending a tehnician out on tuesday to install the broadband for me for which im gonna be charged €30. STUPID

accensi0n

wratch wrote: »

Im using their modem. The thing is i had to open new account because the person who owned the account moved out and canceled their acount but left all the equipment here. I signed up again on thursday with UPC and i have the signal now (modem is online and functional) All i need is SID login. Thats all. Now they are sending a tehnician out on tuesday to install the broadband for me for which im gonna be charged €30. STUPID

Read the earlier posts about new accounts needing to be provisioned.

Why should you get it for free just because "it worked here before"?

hitbit

Wow Eightyfish.
Did you pee on their flowerbed or what.
We dumped Sky, Now theres a company that needs to look up customer services in the dictionary.
We have the whole UPC shebang 4 boxes, 20gb BB and phone. No problems to date and their customer services have been excellent.

hitbit