NTL:home - TV, Telephone & Broadband Internet Review

Overall Rating

Sorry - can't think of any!

A communication company that does not know how to communicate

Where do I begin?
My wife and I had been thinking of having a landline installed into our home and having an Internet service as well. Previously we had relied on having a mobile phone each but needed to get one because of work etc.
WOW!
We couldn't believe our eyes when we stumbled on an advertisement for TV, Phoneline AND broadband Internet service for just £15.00 per month with NTL.
My wife contacted the number that evening and within 5 minutes installation had been arranged. I phoned in work and booked a days holiday for the installation date. 'Charlie' came along as promised at the set time and merrily began to set up the installation, he was friendly, chatty and efficient.
... AND THAT'S WERE THE GOOD COMMENTS END!
Everything was in place and 'Charlie' said that he would have to go to the outside box on Y..... Street to finalise the setup. 10 minutes later he had returned with a puzzled look on his face. Apparently there was no cable in the outside box...... and things just snowballed and got worse and worse from here on.
First of all NTL had no cable to complete the job and would have to buy some in? WHAT? A cable and wireless company having no cables -strange!
I was told that NTL would come back the following day, so I booked yet another days holiday. That morning I phoned to confirm that they were coming (just in case) - NO! The excuse was the supervisor should not have told us that without first confirming it with the installation team. Another phone call using my mobile which by now had clocked up £20.00 in calls as the automated service keeps asking you for your landline number, HELLO - you haven't switched our phone on yet!!!!! Then you get passed from pillar to post until someone decides they can help - then they pass you onto someone you have already spoken to. By this time we had decided to tell NTL to forget it and to come and collect their equipment which they agreed to do.
Next, I get a text on my mobile to say that installation would be carried out definitely on the following Monday morning, so cautiously (and mostly out of curiosity) I agreed. I booked another days holiday from work! Many thanks to my boss for being so understanding!
Monday morning came..... and went... and I make another phone call (£8.50) and was told they would be there at 1.00 pm.
As promised (huh!) NTL turned up at just after 1.00 (2 of them this time) and started to dig the garden up to do something called a re-pull. They pushed cable into the hole they had made then set about looking for its exit point. 4 o'clock came and they still hadn't found the end of the cable. By this time I couldn't help laughing at the puzzled faces as they scratched their heads and walked up and down the streets looking for it - honestly, it was a joke!
Finally they found the cable, connected it, phoned me on the now connected landline to check it was working....... and left?
I now had to figure out how to use the newly installed digital box and more annoyingly, had to set up the broadband Internet myself. By the way, the channels you get on TV are exactly the same as you get with a freeview box which you can pick up for about £15.00 at the supermarket.
This is my experience of having the £15.00 TV, Broadband and Phone offer from NTL. It cost me 3 days off work, about £40.00 in phone calls, endless hassle off the kids for having no TV for over 3 days, a mess in the garden and then...........
(SIGH)
I get another text on my mobile to say that installation will definitely be carried out tomorrow. I didn't tell them..... well would you......?

This morning I have received a bill for £30.00! I will have to phone NTL about my bill...... or maybe not?
In my opinion, do not use NTL, they only want to know when they are selling you the packages, after that.... FORGET IT!