NTL, no subscription but have channels

learnerplates

Will NTL disonnect if I do not subscribe?

I've just moved house, rented. The NTL is still live, the 15 channels, no box. An NTL letter came to the house addressed to someone else, I didn't open it. I can see the connection outside the door, it's uncovered but we're behind a security gate so I don't know if they can get in. Will they bother to dicsonnect if we make no communication? If I contact them then they will probably start billing me..

ethernet

If you posted that in the Cable & MMDS forum, you'd be made feel guilty

Watching the unencrypted analogue channels without paying for them is theft. You do not want to be prosecuted. Best pay for it if you're going to keep it. If you don't want it, just tell them and they'll probably disconnect you.

learnerplates

Theft:eek: legally it probably is, I suppose not having a TV license is theft as well:eek:
I'll get to it straight away, thanks for the information.

Anyone else have experience with this?

DRakE

If he's connected but not watching the TV is that theft too?

cheesemaker

They know whats going on,you'l have it for a while,then a flyer will come in the door for Ntl digital or some such sh!t,then convienitly a day or two later they cut off the channels,(they have you right where you want you)as you ask yourself 'hey,the channels are gone,wheres that ntl flyer.Ring them and you end up subscribe to digital and broadband and digital phone etc....
the first ones always free

well maybe,maybe not they are sly <unts though

yayamark

ethernet wrote:

If you posted that in the Cable & MMDS forum, you'd be made feel guilty

Watching the unencrypted analogue channels without paying for them is theft. You do not want to be prosecuted. Best pay for it if you're going to keep it. If you don't want it, just tell them and they'll probably disconnect you.

question how will ntl know hes watching it. if it was me id say nothing. youve done nothing wrong. Sit back and enjoy until they cop on:cool:

3greenrizla's

friends of mine are just after moving out of a house where they had free ntl for the last year.

perhaps it would be a good idea to return the unopened mail.

ethernet

learnerplates wrote:

Theft:eek: legally it probably is, I suppose not having a TV license is theft as well:eek:
I'll get to it straight away, thanks for the information.

Anyone else have experience with this?

I'd cough up and comfort myself by telling me that paying for NTL will results in improved customer support [as if] and having a TV license will result in improved home-made material on RTÉ [equally as unlikely].

sgthighway

I'd do the right thing and do nothing. The worst thing that could happen is it will get disconnected. Somebody has a contract with NTL for that house and it isn't you. We pay enough for everything else so why not feel relieved you don't have to pay for NTL. NTL are the worst shower of ***** that you could ever deal with. They send bills, reminders nearly before they are due; they are that efficient but as soon as your system breaks be prepared to wait.

PS - I pay €77 to NTL every 2 months and I have a TV License

learnerplates

It's very pricey for the old TV alright, and paying a TV license on top of that seems like double taxation (triple taxation really since our tax also pays for the RTEs).

Sure we'll see what happens so, the NTL site says it's 26euro per month but there's no mention of connection fee!! how much is it? if I just sign a contract of whatever now then I guess a connection is unnecessary an I just start paying monthly bills, depending on the connection fee it could work out more pricey if happens in the next couple of months.

forbairt

learnerplates wrote:

Sure we'll see what happens so, the NTL site says it's 26euro per month but there's no mention of connection fee!! how much is it? if I just sign a contract of whatever now then I guess a connection is unnecessary an I just start paying monthly bills, depending on the connection fee it could work out more pricey if happens in the next couple of months.

There'll be special offers ... so hold out for a bit ... 3 months free something or other .. and 6 months free something else ... can be quite nice for a year ...

Most recently I kept getting calls from them asking me to sign up to their Phone service ... I mean how many calls do I have to get before they understand ... I already have a service I'm happy with

learnerplates

The do have a special offer on the site already, 10 euro for the first 3 months.

Any idea how much the connection fee is?

forbairt

learnerplates wrote:

The do have a special offer on the site already, 10 euro for the first 3 months.

Any idea how much the connection fee is?

If you have to pay a fee for them to connect it I'd be surprised ...

http://www.ntl.ie/television

Looks like no connection charge ?

If they do tell you there'll be a connection charge .. tell them oh .. and maybe you'll look into getting a skybox ..

ethernet

learnerplates wrote:

The do have a special offer on the site already, 10 euro for the first 3 months.

Any idea how much the connection fee is?

You wouldn't expect a connection fee seeing as you're already connected. My sister in town had the basic analogue line up and asked to upgrade to digital. Don't recall her paying anything extra for a call-out or 'connection'.

Dublinstiofán

I'd sit back and enjoy. Very rarely you get something for free off NTL.

Unless your one of their staff of course and have free broadband from everybody else :rolleyes: But i'd imagine even their staff don't want that its so ****e.

learnerplates

Ethernet, I'm worried that if I do not setup a new account while connected that they'll disconnect me, then maybe I'd have to pay for a reconnection!!!
Hopefully nothing will happen and if the do disconnect me then hopefully there'll be no charge to reconnect as their website does not mention it.

ethernet

learnerplates wrote:

Ethernet, I'm worried that if I do not setup a new account while connected that they'll disconnect me, then maybe I'd have to pay for a reconnection!!!
Hopefully nothing will happen and if the do disconnect me then hopefully there'll be no charge to reconnect as their website does not mention it.

Too risky to contact them and ask! Like forbairt said, it may be worth holding on for special offers. I wouldn't be too bothered about having the bill in my name -- at the end of the day, all they want is your money. No harm to pay the current bill while you contemplate ...

miam

Hi....i'm just wondering if anyone has had this problem. I've moved out of my house where my NTL was in my name last March. I rang them to transfer the details of the NTL to my landlord and he said he would pass on the details to his new tenants. I just got an call from NTL today to say that i'm liable for 154 euros and they have no record of me closing the account.....therefore, the new tenants have been getting NTL for free these past few months and I may have to pay 150 euros that I don't have. It's upset me a lot today. So although, you may think that you're getting it for free.....that probably isn't the case. I'm going to fight it, i'm paying NTL in my new apartment now and i don't want to pay double for their crappy service. Sorry this is a bit of a rant, but am just so annoyed.

ethernet

miam wrote:

Hi....i'm just wondering if anyone has had this problem. I've moved out of my house where my NTL was in my name last March. I rang them to transfer the details of the NTL to my landlord and he said he would pass on the details to his new tenants. I just got an call from NTL today to say that i'm liable for 154 euros and they have no record of me closing the account.....therefore, the new tenants have been getting NTL for free these past few months and I may have to pay 150 euros that I don't have. It's upset me a lot today. So although, you may think that you're getting it for free.....that probably isn't the case. I'm going to fight it, i'm paying NTL in my new apartment now and i don't want to pay double for their crappy service. Sorry this is a bit of a rant, but am just so annoyed.

NTL's customer service is terrible. So they didn't even put in in your landlord's name? Fight it to the bitter end. That or pay and go around to your former resident with some bulky-looking males and demand they pay you for what they owe.

miam

Hehe! I've calmed down a lot from earlier! I'm not going to pay it, and NTL and their bullying tactics are not going to get the best of me. Thanks a million ethernet!

BrokenArrows

DRakE wrote:

If he's connected but not watching the TV is that theft too?

like robbing a bank but not spending the money. rofl

muppetkiller

Same thing happening in our place, We cancelled our NTL digital as it was woeful. But the analogue service is still there. We haven't had a bill in about 8 months so they obviously don't know it's on.

And just for the record don't bother even attempting to get through to NTL via phone. It's one of the main reasons we dumped them ...you can never get through to them.

paulh19

learnerplates wrote:

Anyone else have experience with this (free NTL)?

Learnerplates, is it still the case that you have an NTL connection but that bills are arriving addressed to someone else at your address?

If so, best thing might be to try* to let them know. Just from the point of view of that person who may believe that the account is closed.

* Having said the above, they were impossible to get through to on the phone the last few times I tried, and I don't believe they read letters or respond to emails that are sent to them.

I know someone who had the NTL terrestrial (i.e. not digital) channels for free at his house for years. He was even receiving promotional please-sign-up-with-us letters from them addressed to "Dear Householder" all of the time he was there.

I believe it was the case that NTL managed to close the previous owners account but neglected to disconnect the signal. And of course they weren't bothered about having their equipment returned to them or picking it up so he was able to just continue using it for free.

NTL were sold late last year to crowd called UPC, and at the time tried to implement a new billing system and also tried to relocate their operations to a new call centre. There are plenty of other first hand accounts of the outcome of this endeavour on boards.ie and elsewhere on the net if you search. I'll not bother writing another one though suffice it to say I am also an ex-customer of NTL.

If you end up getting a signal for free, happy days. I wouldn't sign up with them; it will probably not be worth it.

If they want to disconnect you, that is for them to do. And if they do so, get sky.

sgthighway

A company called Multi Channel introduced Cable TV to Galway. They were taken over by CableLink. During this takeover a load of paperwork got lost hence Cablelink weren't sure who had been disconnected and hadn't. My parents got free cable because Multi Channel put a big junction/fuse box in our garden. When Cablelink went to charge us for it my Dad treatened to put an Axe through the cable in the garden cutting off the whole street. Cablelink said my Dad signed a waiver. He didn't and Cablelink could never find an agreement of any description with my Dad but left him connected. He is still connected with NTL for free.

Are NTL upgrading a lot of the cable? I see them out on the ladders a lot up around Mervue/Ballybane.

Tar.Aldarion

Had it free last year, it might still be free in my new place. Well, I don't pay anyway. If they disconnect you so be it, it's their business to keep track.

learnerplates

A bill for 250euro came to the house yesterday under someone elses name, I had to open it to see if it was a disconnection notice.

NTL appear to be still billing the previous tennant for broadband and digital cable even though all the NTL gear is gone and only an analogue signal remains.

Could be the previous tennant lifted the gear and didn't bother disconnecting or that NTL just neglected to close the account after disconnecting the digital and broadband.:eek:
Which do you think it is?
They're surely goin to come looking for the 250 and threaten full disconnection if payment isn't received. If i ring them to explain they'll surely try to bill me for the analogue tv!

Tar.Aldarion

'Letter? What letter?'

muppetkiller

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

'Letter? What letter?'

just return to sender saying not at this address

learnerplates

Even that would indicate to NTL that there is someone new living in the house, I think this would trigger some NTL action resulting in a disconnection or a new account having to be setup!

Best keep stum me thinks until direct communication or action from NTL.:cool:

Tar.Aldarion

Exactly.
'Letter? What letter?'

Fletch123

I don't see why you're worried about getting disconnected. It's more like they're finishing the account and you'd be starting a new one. I don't think they charge you start up charges for a new account. What you might be getting confused about is if you don't pay your bill and they disconnect you, and then you pay your outstanding money they may charge you a reconnection fee, but that wouldn't apply to you since you'd be opening a new account.

This is obviously worrying you. Head down to the NTL office. Say you've just moved in, but there's NTL letters piling up for the previous tenant and then ask them what you should do. Give them the bare minimum info, just what they ask for, and hopefully it'll get sorted.

Good luck!