NTL on and off all night?

fishdog

Fishdog, you say the service is poor..I find the picture quality to be just as good as satellite.

I have never seen it as good as satellite. In theory this is possible, I admit. But lets assume you are correct, you must admit reliability is a huge issue with NTL. This is a huge issue with people. As an electrician, it is less wok for me to install cables for NTL, but I always seem to end up with an unhappy customer!

feelthegrease

Hammiepeters wrote:

When you get problems. press Help on remote. Then yellow button. wait while it resets. Normal service will then resume.

no point, just goes out again....grrr

i only watch tv for an hour or two each week, if even at all, but even so, EVERY SINGLE TIME i'm watching something ntl just goes off several times while im watching something.

screw ntl, just go to alluc.org or tv-links.co.uk

LMC

:mad: Just rang AGAIN! They have to send an engineer out......the next app is the 23rd june anytime between 9-6pm!! Joke. Told her the problem is with the charlesland area - at least she didnt argue that point, this time! She said they will refund my bill IF & WHEN the service is back running.....If we all keep emailing and ringing they just MIGHT get the hint

ash760

I was just on to NTL. They have had a lot of calls this morning. They said that if enough people complained, they would be out straight away. Unfortunately to do this, although its not a problem with your own box, you need to make an appointment for them to come out. I explained I had no intention of sitting in for a day waiting for them to come when it was not my box and would not solve the problem. I took a saturday appointment which I can ring and get an estimated time of arrival for on the day. She reckoned they would have it solved before then because of all the calls they received. If they haven't i might cancel it on the day if it doesn't suit. its not until 23rd june. People should call...

Hammiepeters

Yes. seems to be ridiculous now. Needs to be reset all the time. message on screen saying that we have not subscribed to RTE1,etc. Pathethic. However everytime I get a Sky techo out, he gives me bull about extra coax cable and extra costs etc. So I'm stuck with them. But complain and dont pay for such service.

eleMental

i rang last week aswell and tried the same approach "its not my ntl box its the charlesland area" but the girl just didnt want to know and harped on as per usual about having to send an engineer out to me first. so im gonna do that and try explaining to the enginner in the hope that HE feeds something back.

it also may interest you to know the girl told me that they upgraded their customer services system in NTL and that she has no log/record of any calls i've made to NTL prior to 10th january 2007 - its extraordinary. i have about an 8-year history with those guys and now seemingly any record of any call ive made to them prior to this year has been erased.

Charlie-Bravo

Marcais wrote:

NUMBER 1 SENT - marcais

Sorry, I was a bit slow out of the traps....

I've sent my email to NTL in relation to this inferior service. I tweaked my email a little...lets just say they won't like it but have to act because I'm a customer!

Now, I urge others to make themselves heard.

MegFi

i have had no NTL at all since yestderay - all screens blank. I just tried thet help and yellow button now and it worked - thanks for that

Lumbarda

I emailed NTL last week as well but just got a standard email back telling me about rebooting etc. - I know how to reboot, the point is that I shouldn't HAVE to reboot every darned night!! Especially as it always seems to go off at a crucial point in whatever we're watching and the time lost waiting for it to reboot is frustrating to say the least!

They also said that they sent a "d-hiit" to my set top box to strengthen the signal and have logged my complaints about ongoing problems in the area. I'm not holding my breath that it'll improve.... I think at this stage we residents, as the management company, should lift the ban on satellite dishes to the rear of houses - something for the AGM, I guess?

LMC

Is it true that some of us cannot put the Sky dish on the rear of the house, due to signal!?

future_plans

I suppose it depends what direction your house faces...

Eoin

future_plans wrote:

I suppose it depends what direction your house faces...

I've seen some dishes on the back of the house, but pointing towards the front, so you may be able to put it on the back no matter what direction you face? I guess it depends on the angle of the roof...

MuffinsDa

fishdog would be the man to answer that question!

mikedragon32

If the installation of a dish at the back means that the dish needs to face the front of the house, the dish has to go on a pole attached to the back wall. The dish will be put high enough to "peek" over the angle of the roof in order to get a signal.

One of my neighbours did this and on even breezy days you could see that there was movement by the dish, which would make for a patchy signal. For those of you who have/had Sky, on very windy days, when the dish moves a bit, the signal can break up intermittently.

Still better than having NTL mind you.

eleMental

i called NTL again today because yesterday all my channels had the "you have not subscribed to this service" even when i rebooted 2 or 3 times.

had my usual rant about how its not just me and how everyone has the same problem etc etc - and lo and behold she went off, came back and said shed escalated to her supervisor who acknowledged there is definately an issue with the charlesland MMDS as there are a number of engineers call-outs booked and they raised a technical service call to have an engineer come out to the charlesland area and check the overall transmitter etc etc!!!! it wont be for 10 working days she said, but hey, at least they are admitting theres a problem and are sending someone out to look at the greater issue!! wooohooo!!

fishdog

The dish dish must be able to point aprox. south east, with line of sight to the satellite.

If the installation of a dish at the back means that the dish needs to face the front of the house, the dish has to go on a pole attached to the back wall. The dish will be put high enough to "peek" over the angle of the roof in order to get a signal.

One of my neighbours did this and on even breezy days you could see that there was movement by the dish, which would make for a patchy signal. For those of you who have/had Sky, on very windy days, when the dish moves a bit, the signal can break up intermittently.

Correct, this is one option. However with my house I have mounted it on my chimney. This means that it is not on a pole ore bracket that is long enough to flex even in a strong wind. Perforated dishes are the norm to reduce movement from strong wind. Also it is more discreet on the chimney.

I think that it is inportant to note that several houses can be fed from just one dish without any loss in signal quality. If you could get sevral neighbours with terraced townhouses to agree on the location of one dish they could all be fed from the same dish.

Charlie-Bravo

fishdog wrote:

I think that it is inportant to note that several houses can be fed from just one dish without any loss in signal quality. If you could get sevral neighbours with terraced townhouses to agree on the location of one dish they could all be fed from the same dish.

Well, if you just replace the NTL dish pointing at Windgates with a sky dish pointing at the satellite then all issues would be sorted!

fishdog

Well, if you just replace the NTL dish pointing at Windgates with a sky dish pointing at the satellite then all issues would be sorted!

Something similar to this has been done with many modern appartment blocks. In hotels for example one large dish can do many TV's in many rooms. These systems are very high quality and relitively cheap now. They provide high quality digital reception with stereo sound, and in some cases the sound is 5.1 dolby digital!

Charlie-Bravo

astrofluff wrote:

Sorry, I was a bit slow out of the traps....

I've sent my email to NTL in relation to this inferior service. I tweaked my email a little...lets just say they won't like it but have to act because I'm a customer!

Now, I urge others to make themselves heard.

Now I'm quoting myself...not a good sign!

Anyways, I got a reply from NTL...they offered to send out a technician to have a look at the set top box! Wow, they do not listen at all. I reiterated that this was more an issue with the overall system in the development and this system needs looking at. We'll see how they deal with this.......

Marcais, have you had any word back yourself?

Has anyone made a complaint/observation!?

fishdog

astro, do you really think they are going to redesign and replace the overall system just for you???? That system simply does not work!! It is much easier just to fob you off with a new top box!!

They will never fix the problem properly for you! The best you can hope for is a few months "service" free of charge.

Many people are happy having reception that is ood to crappy, they simply do not know how much better satellite reception is.

At what stage do you say enough is enough, I will go for a dish now??? A yaer from now, two...?

I wish you the best of luck, I have seen this so many times now. Always the same result.

eleMental

astro - theres a technical call booked for an engineer to come out and check the overland charlesland transmitter, wiring etc. its due to happen in the next few working days.

i also had to book someone to come and check the set-top box aswell but quelle surprise he didnt show up on monday - turns out he called at 10am and 3 diff people in NTL assured me beforehand i needed to be there between 1pm and 6pm.

needless to say i lost the rag and after much jigs and reels spoke to the snr cust services mgr yesterday who said the technical site call will be prioritised to happen in the next 48 hours.

fishdog

Look back and read all of this thread. No one with cable TV is happy! Can anyone out there post here that they are getting not just good reception, but perfect reception all of the time with cable TV????

Is anyone happy with the service???

Charlie-Bravo

Fishdog, what we are trying here to do is to improve the NTL service. I know I am one voice but if enough of NTL's customers shout, they have to listen. NTL make enough money from Charlesland as it is, they might as well start looking at the issue.

elemental, that's great....good to see you are getting progress on your end. You might follow it up and lets us know what 'results' they have us in relation to the system's well being!

I did get a response back from NTL saying they had no plans to 'upgrade' the NTL system in Charlesland. Part of me thinks they couldn't be arsed cause they are busy installing similar crap systems in other new developments and don't have the manpower to look after their existing customers, or, they have an upgraded system available but it has loads of bugs that needs sorting out first before they install it! So, What the hell do we do?!...more complaints me thinks.

NTL also said they had an outage for 2 days and have refunded me a week as a 'gesture oif goodwill' (me arse, they're trying to fob me off...I won't let this one go!)

fishdog

Astrofluff

I know what you are trying to do, I know you are frustrated! So am I! I have seen this a thousand times. Write to them, shout, scream, it is wroth a try, and it might make you feel better.

Look back in this thread, I said that the only good it will do you is that you will get some money off a crap service (that is what appears to be happening)!! Virtually the whole country have been complaining about this service, in the papers, on RTE radio (Joe Duffy, Pat Kenny), on the internet, ringing and writing to NTL, result: No improvement in service, but maybe a few bob back!

Upgrade my ar5e!!

I ask again if there is someone out there that has excellent reception on all stations all of the time from cable TV, say it and prove me wrong!! I have yet to see it.

Let us know how you get on, good luck!

Charlie-Bravo

Yes, Fishdog...you keep going opn about it but there is no 'legal' alternative hence my efforts to improve the service. I don't think anyone is going to say the cable service is 100% perfect...we already know it isn't. Sure, the same could be said about having a dish! A bit of wind and you'll get a funny picture from time to time!

fishdog

A bit of wind and you'll get a funny picture from time to time!

Only if it is not installed properly. If it installed on a wobbly pole it may sway, but properly supported, no way! Satellite TV is DVD quality picture ALL of the time, even with many of the cheap free to air systems. Why do you think so many of your neighbours are putting up dishes???

but there is no 'legal' alternative

So what?? You are not going to go to jail!! Hundreds of people have put them up all over Charlesland and none have been removed! I am offering a solution that works! Not a single person has posted here saying that they are happy with the quality of the cable TV service!

You will not answer the question, if you can not get a quality picture all of the time (or even most) when will you accept that cable TV is
sh!t?? After 1 year, 2 years???

You have to realise that cable TV seemed great in the days when people only had black and white TV's and would settle for RTE1 and RTE2 if you stood on one leg holding rabbit ears!! I know you are making efforts to get the problem solved legally, but be real, they are not going to invest millions redesigning an prehistoric faulty system to keep you happy. It is like as futile as trying to convince Extravision to invest in VHS videos instead of a DVDs!!!

The sensible alternitive perhaps is to have sevral large dishes installed somewhere a bit more discreet that could supply hundreads of houses.These systems are used in large hotels and in appartment blocks. This would keep everyone happy. Between enough people it would not be too costly. Many quality stations are available free (BBC1,2,3,4 ITV1,2,3,4 Channel 4,5 lots of Sky and many more). RTE will be available free to air on satellite systems in the next few years, they have set a date (Im can not remember when, but soon) and are on target.

Charlie-Bravo

fishdog wrote:

I am offering a solution that works!

Fishdog, I'm not a mod, but I think you need to be careful about advertising here.

Anywho, I've been reading this thread since its inception. The topic began as an issue relating to NTL being sh!*e; which we all agree! This issue in getting NTL sorted out in some way has progressed (its great that more people are complaining). Many comments have been made by you and others about the satellite option; I have suggested getting a different company in to use the below-ground system (hence the 'legal' issue being dealt with). This may be a bit difficult as NTL may have exclusive rights over the below-ground system?!? I'm not a legal buff but it'd be great if there was someone here who could look into the technicalities of that.

People are probably fed up listening to me go on so I'm gonna tone it down on this topic (plus I'm missing some quailty TV if I'm posting here)

fishdog

As I said earlier I am selling nothing! I do not install sattelite dishes or sell them, I do not work for Sky or any satellite company (ever). Sorry to disappoint you. I am not available to do any work for anyone. But I have considreble experience in this area.


You will not answer the question, if you can not get a quality picture all of the time (or even most) when will you accept that cable TV is
sh!t?? After 1 year, 2 years???

Charlie-Bravo

fishdog wrote:

You will not answer the question, if you can not get a quality picture all of the time (or even most) when will you accept that cable TV is
sh!t??

Eh yeah, as I said in my last post: NTL is....

flight93

Sorry but I work hard and I spent alot of money buying my house and a nice plasma! The only way I can have a clear tv picture all the time is from a dish so I have put one up like many other like minded individuals all over Charlesland and Greystones etc.

I have given NTL a try, what a waste of time and money!!