Xmas Present From NTL.

decies

Well those 20% extra channels that we were promised last spring,never arrived surprise,surprise.
Ntl really are some shower!!!!!
Sorry new channels added tonight just found them,NEW DISNEY RELATED CHANNELS AND SUBSCRIBTION TO BOOT.
The sooner sky forces them out of this country the better.
20% exta channels my $%^&!!!!!
Happy Xmas from NTL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round Cable

decies wrote:

Well those 20% extra channels that we were promised last spring,never arrived surprise,surprise.
Ntl really are some shower!!!!!
Sorry new channels added tonight just found them,NEW DISNEY RELATED CHANNELS AND SUBSCRIBTION TO BOOT.
The sooner sky forces them out of this country the better.
20% exta channels my $%^&!!!!!
Happy Xmas from NTL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Indeed, I hope that's not the big announcement or the 20% extra channels, they could try ITV2, FX, Challenge and abc1.

Marcopolo85

The sooner sky forces them out of this country the better.
20% exta channels my $%^&!!!!!
Happy Xmas from NTL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You'd better hope they never do............if Sky was the only game in town you'd see major changes! OK - Sky have more channels, etc (a lot of +1s knocking around there...........), but it's €28 pm versus €10 per month. That equates to almost three months subs with NTL to one month for Sky!

It might be worth remembereing that NTL also directly employ almost 600 people in Ireland. (not including contract staff) versus, I'm almost certain, single figures for Sky.

JTMan

Marcopolo85 wrote:

You'd better hope they never do............if Sky was the only game in town you'd see major changes! OK - Sky have more channels, etc (a lot of +1s knocking around there...........), but it's €28 pm versus €10 per month. That equates to almost three months subs with NTL to one month for Sky!
.

ntl Digital basic pack costs €28.50 not €10. It is misleading when ntl report it as costing €10.

JDxtra

It might be worth remembereing that NTL also directly employ almost 600 people in Ireland. (not including contract staff) versus, I'm almost certain, single figures for Sky.

600 people? Hmm. Then why on earth does it take so long to get through to them on the phone!

And your statement that Sky employs less than 10 people in Ireland is a load of rubbish. There must also be hundreds of people employed directly or indirectly in Ireland due to the existance of Sky: retailers, installers, marketing staff etc. Sky News Ireland is also a small operation - be even they have more than 10!

Next time you post, make sure you are reasonably certain of the facts.

chorus techy

Because ntl have a call centre in Dublin, Galway, NI, and many throughout the UK, they have very small operations dotted in many places. Sky however, have a massive call centre in Scotland, which handles calls from all over the UK and ROI, which means that generally your call will be answered quicker, because the place is so massively staffed.

And you'll be waiting for the rest of your life for "20% extra channels" and dont forget - this is an ntl year we are talking about!

And to top it all off for the happy xmas from ntl, they're knocking the basic change from €18, to €19.50! It'll be interesting to see how many basic pack subs are cancelled over the next few weeks as sky digi subscribers scrap the crap. And I myself will be one of 'em...

Colm80

chorus techy wrote:

And to top it all off for the happy xmas from ntl, they're knocking the basic change from €18, to €19.50! It'll be interesting to see how many basic pack subs are cancelled over the next few weeks as sky digi subscribers scrap the crap. And I myself will be one of 'em...

Here Here just right behind you.

Round Cable

chorus techy wrote:

And to top it all off for the happy xmas from ntl, they're knocking the basic change from €18, to €19.50! It'll be interesting to see how many basic pack subs are cancelled over the next few weeks as sky digi subscribers scrap the crap. And I myself will be one of 'em...

However they are knocking off two euro off the Digital package, so those who have both will actually be saving 50c a month.

Colm80

WOW A hole 50c well done ntl. Is the decrease for go digital going to make peolple move to digital.

djhooley

have to agree. ntl is a load of crap. the only reason i have it is because i live in an apartment and arent allowed put up a dish. the menu is rubbish,remote control is a disaster. the picture often breaks up. no red button for interactive.i could go on and on. :mad: :mad:

Round Cable

djhooley wrote:

have to agree. ntl is a load of crap. the only reason i have it is because i live in an apartment and arent allowed put up a dish. the menu is rubbish,remote control is a disaster. the picture often breaks up. no red button for interactive.i could go on and on. :mad: :mad:

Well I'd have to disagree, I don't have any break up problems, and the picture quality is excellant, bar TV3 and TG4. The guide/ browse is much better than Sky's, with them you have to go into the guide to get a programme description on a show later on in the day, although they always have a 7-day epg, unlike Ntl's 1. The remote is a pain in the ass, no red button for interactive can be a blessing, on Sky people's screens are riddled with ads, such as push red now etc...

On the whole I don't think they're too bad.

cgarvey

One of us is in the minority then

It's hard to say which one, as most people in here have had negative experiences with ntl .. but that's not representative of ntl's customer base.

I too suffer from frequent break ups, occasional lock ups, heavy pixelation, poor picture quality on all channels (when compared to Sky, say). So, if I'm watching Eastenders in widescreen on BBC1, I get hurrendous pixelation. If I watch a 1/2 hour program anytime on Bravo, it'll freeze (for 1-3 seconds) at least twice during that program.

ntl's response is to send out an engineer, who arrives early, doesn't knock on the door, (nor do we have a doorbell), and leaves in a piece of paper saying he tried to call with a time in the future on it. The piece of paper was written before he pulled up outside. When I catch him in the act (I just opened the door, I didn't say anything or quiz the note or anything), he sighs and says "I suppose I better come in so". He checks the signal level at the back of the box, and says they're very good.. he checks lots of acronym readings on the box and says everything looks better than good.

Given the choice I would most definately be a Sky subscriber for quality and Interactive services. Unfortunately, I don't have the choice as is the same for the vast majority of property renters.

Round Cable

cgarvey wrote:

Given the choice I would most definately be a Sky subscriber for quality and Interactive services. Unfortunately, I don't have the choice as is the same for the vast majority of property renters.

Sky are not complete angels, their CS is supposed to be crap, however their choice of channels and picture quality DOES beat NTL.

chorus techy

Do they not have a call centre out in East Point Business Park? Because they many, MANY times I rang them up while I had the digital, I was never put through to the same place, sometimes I was put through to Waterford, sometimes Dublin.

cgarvey

Round Cable wrote:

Sky are not complete angels, their CS is supposed to be crap, however their choice of channels and picture quality DOES beat NTL.

Now we agree totally

Marcopolo85

jdempsey wrote:

600 people? Hmm. Then why on earth does it take so long to get through to them on the phone!

And your statement that Sky employs less than 10 people in Ireland is a load of rubbish. There must also be hundreds of people employed directly or indirectly in Ireland due to the existance of Sky: retailers, installers, marketing staff etc. Sky News Ireland is also a small operation - be even they have more than 10!

Next time you post, make sure you are reasonably certain of the facts.

You would do well to take your own advice......If you took the time to read the post you would see the term "directly employ" AS WELL AS the contract staff which are employed. It is extremely disappointing to see a company in which those employed are native Irish castigated by a small amount of people.

It's worth remembering that, although NTL bought Cablelink, the vast majority of staff who work there are the same people - are you honestly saying you'd like to see them end up on the dole, or is it just NTL you have a bone to pick with?

Yes - you're right.....it is €28.50 a month for BOTH analogue & digital packages - but a lot of people keep their cable from NTL so it's a straight digital v digital comparison for them. AND - for that fee you get the multi-view option. Am I correct in stating that additional boxes from Sky are charged out at €15 per month each, that you have to buy them (€159), and - oh yeah - there's a call-out fee when they go belly-up?

JDxtra

Marcopolo85 wrote:

You would do well to take your own advice......If you took the time to read the post you would see the term "directly employ" AS WELL AS the contract staff which are employed. It is extremely disappointing to see a company in which those employed are native Irish castigated by a small amount of people.

It's worth remembering that, although NTL bought Cablelink, the vast majority of staff who work there are the same people - are you honestly saying you'd like to see them end up on the dole, or is it just NTL you have a bone to pick with?

Yes - you're right.....it is €28.50 a month for BOTH analogue & digital packages - but a lot of people keep their cable from NTL so it's a straight digital v digital comparison for them. AND - for that fee you get the multi-view option. Am I correct in stating that additional boxes from Sky are charged out at €15 per month each, that you have to buy them (€159), and - oh yeah - there's a call-out fee when they go belly-up?

I only had two points to make.

1) It normally takes a considerable amount of time to get through to a customer care rep. in ntl:home.

2) A considerable amount of people are also employed in Ireland due to the exitsance of Sky (you said this was in the 'single figures' - I disagree).

I have no major issues with ntl or their employees. In fact I'm a home subscriber and I would also throughly recommend the data services provided by ntl:business.

Lets not make this into a slagging match. You appear to have a serious issue with Sky. Howver both companies are not without their problems.

Marcopolo85

jdempsey wrote:

I only had two points to make.

1) It normally takes a considerable amount of time to get through to a customer care rep. in ntl:home.

2) A considerable amount of people are also employed in Ireland due to the exitsance of Sky (you said this was in the 'single figures' - I disagree).

I have no major issues with ntl or their employees. In fact I'm a home subscriber and I would also throughly recommend the data services provided by ntl:business.

Lets not make this into a slagging match. You appear to have a serious issue with Sky. Howver both companies are not without their problems.

Absolutely no problem with Sky. It is a first class platform with every modern digital facility available to you - my main point was that what is primarily an Irish (albeit foreign-owned) company has, and is trying it's best to, compete.

This is free enterprise - much as people choose between two phone services, such is digital TV. However, like all things, the highly specified goods (be it Sky, cars, etc) come at a price......that's all I'm saying. As long as NTL, and even Chorus, are around Sky will be kept on their toes in Ireland, but that wouldn't be the case if the others were gone.

Yes, they sometimes have delivery problems, but given the prices charged I think they achieve a very reasonable service. Put it into perspective - Eircom charge €24 p/m rental to have a device in OUR homes to generate money for THEM! Doesn't €28 p/m for TV seem extraordinarily reasonable in comparison - given the amount of time you actually use the phone.....

Anyway - looks like we'll have to agree to disagree.......Happy New Year to you.