The wrath of Paul

St Paul wrote to the Corinthians, this Paul wrote to his cable provider...

By editorial@silicon.com, 12 October 2001 00:10

NEWS Dear Cretins, I have been an NTL customer since 9th July 2001, when I signed up for your 3-in-one deal for cable TV, cable modem, and telephone. During this three month period I have encountered inadequacy of service which I had not previously considered possible, as well as ignorance and stupidity of monolithic proportions. Please allow me to provide specific details, so that you can either pursue your professional prerogative, and seek to rectify these difficulties - or more likely (I suspect) so that you can have some entertaining reading material as you while away the working day smoking B&H and drinking vendor-coffee on the bog in your office. My initial installation was cancelled without warning or notice, resulting in my spending an entire Saturday sitting on my fat arse waiting for your technician to arrive. When he did not arrive at all, I spent a further 57 minutes listening to your infuriating hold music, and the even more annoying Scottish robot woman telling me to look at your helpful website.... how? I alleviated the boredom to some small degree by playing with my testicles for a few minutes - an activity at which you are no-doubt both familiar and highly adept. The rescheduled installation then took place some two weeks later, although the technician did forget to bring a number of vital tools - such as a drill-bit, and his cerebrum. Two weeks later, my cable modem had still not arrived. After several further telephone calls (actually 15 telephone calls over 4 weeks) my modem arrived ... a total of six weeks after I had requested it, and begun to pay for it. I estimate that the downtime of your internet servers is roughly 35%... these are usually the hours between about 6pm and midnight, Monday to Friday, and most of the useful periods over the weekend. I am still waiting for my telephone connection. I have made 9 telephone calls on my mobile to your no-help line this week, and have been unhelpfully transferred to a variety of disinterested individuals, who are it seems also highly skilled bollock jugglers. I have been informed that a telephone line is available (and someone will call me back), that no telephone line is available (and someone will call me back), that I will be transferred to someone who knows whether or not a telephone line is available (and then been cut off), that I will be transferred to someone who knows whether or not a telephone line is available (and then been redirected to an answer machine informing me that your office is closed), that I will be transferred to someone who knows whether or not a telephone line is available (and then been redirected to the irritating Scottish robot woman.... and several other variations on this theme. Doubtless you are no-longer reading this letter, as you have at least a thousand other dissatisfied customers to ignore, and also another one of those crucially important testicle-moments to attend to. Frankly I don't care, it's far more satisfying as a customer to voice my frustrations in print than to shout them at your unending hold music. Forgive me, therefore, if I continue. I thought BT were shit, that they had attained the holy piss-pot of god-awful customer relations, that no-one, anywhere, ever, could be more disinterested, less helpful or more obstructive to delivering service to their customers. That's why I chose NTL, and because, well, there isn't anyone else is there? How surprised I therefore was, when I discovered to my considerable dissatisfaction and disappointment what a useless shower of bastards you truly are. You are sputum-filled pieces of distended rectum - incompetents of the highest order. British Telecom - wankers though they are - shine like brilliant beacons of success, in the filthy puss-filled mire of your seemingly limitless inadequacy. Suffice to say that I have now given up on my futile and foolhardy quest to receive any kind of service from you. I suggest that you do likewise, and cease any potential future attempts to extort payment from me for the services which you have so pointedly and catastrophically failed to deliver - any such activity will be greeted initially with hilarity and disbelief - although these feelings will quickly be replaced by derision, and even perhaps a small measure of bemused rage. I enclose two small deposits, selected with great care from my cats litter tray, as an expression of my utter and complete contempt for both you, and your pointless company. I sincerely hope that they have not become dessicated during transit - they were satisfyingly moist at the time of posting, and I would feel considerable disappointment if you did not experience both their rich aroma and delicate texture. Consider them the very embodiment of my feelings towards NTL, and it's worthless employees. Have a nice day - may it be the last in you miserable short life, you irritatingly incompetent and infuriatingly unhelpful bunch of twats, Yours psychotically, Xxxx Xxxxxxx Paul

Comments

There are 27 comments. Join the discussion

  1. 1. Mark Baldwin

    Actually, I find NTL most helpful and good value, but don't let that spoil the clear benefit of the company having caused such a blossoming of wit and good humour.

  2. 2. anonymous

    I have complete empathy with Pauls letter. I have been with NTL since day one and experianced the long queues and incapable support techs, after costing me an outright failure on an OU Course (let alone 12 weeks of life wasted) I have come to the end of my tether and cut them loose...

    Three times they asked me why I was leaving... do they really need to ask.. at least one of the people I spoke with when cancelling one of the services expressed some concern and even said don't blame you for terminating the contract..

    Remember NTL. we are the customer, we pay your wages... or should I say PAID!! stop promising what you can't deliver..

  3. 3. Michelle McClellan

    I second that, chuck AOL in the dog pile with them. It's been over a month and not a word from them, I bet they charged from day one however! HELLO AOL?? DO YOU NOT WANT MY MONEY?

    Needless to say customer service in this country is sh*t. I seem to encounter nothing but wait times and delays when calling companies. I think it's a big giant conspiracy by all the companies in the telecoms industry... the more we are on the phone, the more money they get charging us.

    You bunch of b**tards.

  4. 4. anonymous

    Hey, at least Paul could pay. NTL have managed to rack up a nice debt for me by failing to claim money from a live and active direct debit on my account. Despite my best attempts to get the to take the money, I remain in debt to them.

    They even set up an unauthorised new direct debit when they thought that me changing my name through marriage might be causing the problem. Erm, hello, why has no one else had that problem when I still haven't got round to telling everyone? They didn't even manage to collect money from the new one!!

    Apparently their billing/payment collection system omits to take payments. Apparently, 'it just does it for no apparent reason' was the shrug off!! When I questioned the this was pretty bad form from a software program and shouldn't it be investigated with the provider, was again brushed off. WTF!

    I had my broadband disconnection arranged for three days ago. At 10pm last night it was still working fine. The most helpful customer service agent I have spoken to, last night told me to keep using it while it's still there and I won't get charged! Bargain! He also told me to request copies of all of my records on their files so I can take it further. I didn't know I could do that - thank you kindly!

  5. 5. alan jones

    That letter is the dogs b*ll*cks .Well done .I will happily stay with BT and send the letter to all my mates .A salutary warning to steer clear of NTL

  6. 6. Samir Talwar

    Well, I've had NTL broadband for over a year, and it's been down for about a day in total... not bad if you ask me. But I agree that the customer service is about as useful as a pomegranate shoved up my rectum.

  7. 7. Simon Mitchell

    Fantastic! I'm glad I'm not the only one, sadly I didn't manage to put it into such a well worded letter and just settled for telling them where to shove their service(or lack of it)!

  8. 8. Chris Boote

    Don't just shout at them, sue them!
    Well, take them to the small claims court at least for the cost of the time & phone calls.
    When I had the most appalling service from BT Closedworld, they had the cheek to continue to try to extort money from me, despite not providing any actual service, so I filed a claim against them (less than £100 which they have to pay back if you win) for costs and damages.
    Their solicitor was as incompetent as their engineers, and tried to argue that under such-and-such a precedent, defendants could not claim any compensation in the way of damages.
    I agreed wholeheartedly with them, and pointed ouit that as _I_ was taking _them_ to court, _they_ were the defendants.
    One short adjournment later 'for consideration' and they coughed up in full.
    Well worth 20 mins filling in stuff online and a day in court!
    So tot up the cost of all those 'phone calls, add in, say, £20 per hour for your time, then double it (for damages) and file a claim.
    If they are all stuck up away in scotland, they might not even bother to contest it...

  9. 9. Dave Fletcher

    My installation was done efficiently and on time, and works OK most if not all of the time....

    However when the power supply in the local distribution cabinet dies 5 minutes after customer services goes home on a Friday night, I have to say I fully agree with Paul.

    Cable TV and "Always On" broadband services are supposed to operate 24/7, so why the hell is there nobody to complain to during evenings and weekends?

  10. 10. anonymous

    I totally agree with Paul, I had been a happy customer of NTL until I moved house and they F***ed the disconnection from my old house and reconnection at my new house, I then spent 50+ mins on to support being passed from Dept to Dept, person to person - I am usually quite patient but this was the final straw I asked to speak to a manager about the problems and said I wanted to discontinue my services with NTL. I then received a bill from them 2 days later for the next billing period - they will not get paid. I then went to speak to BT to get a phone conection setup with them at 6pm on a monday evening and was told I would be connected around 7 am the next day - which I am pleased to say I was. NTL will not be recommended to anyone I meet saying they are thinking of changing to them.

  11. 11. jo d-d

    Couldn't have said it better myself!

  12. 12. anonymous

    I agree NTL provide a terrible service.

    I go back to BT on the 5th November 2004. I sent NTL a letter by recorded delivery on the 1st October, in order to give them notice of the fact. They haven't even seen fit to acknowledge receipt of the letter.

    Not a very efficient outfit.

    Regards, Steve

  13. 13. anonymous

    Glad to see that someone has finally written a letter be-fitting NTL.They took 4 weeks to transfer my phone 5 houses down the lane and I had to pay teh bill for that period took.Totally incompetent bunch.I had logged in a complaint on the NTL site and you would be surprised that they came home to enquire...guess when...after 40 days of lodging teh complaint...

  14. 14. anonymous

    Ecellent!!! what do we expect from a company that has a website called NTLhell named after it. I hate them with a passion, I have never known a company so incompetent, even when you write and complain to Customer Services they ignore that as well.

  15. 15. Carole Haddad

    What a fantastic letter Paul, well chosen words but unfortunately, they are so ignorant and incompetent as you said that they did not get the irony and the sarcasm behind it, i am sure. I am writing to them as well but I am looking for the name of their manager.

  16. 16. anonymous

    This is, BY FAR, the best piece of literature I've read in years.

    Kudos to Paul for so eloquently delivering his message to a much deserving recipient.

    - Nicole.

  17. 17. anonymous

    They were supposed to install us on Saturday (26th) and despite us calling them on the day to confirm, no one turned up....

    Simple solution for me... SKY... bye NTL... if they turn up I have decided to let them install then on the 6th day call and cancel as per our contract seeing as they have made a mathematical mistake on the contract I have signed.

  18. 18. Kevin Sartin

    Christwhat have i done.
    I've recently had broadband and telephone installed (no other service in the area,bloody BT have not updated their exchange)so far so good. I have however had two brushes will customer services. one to set the broadband connection up as the installation disc had the wrong customer details on it and secondly to turn off that bloody answer machine that i did not ask for.
    Both calls were to a call centre in india i think and were pretty fruitful except for being on hold for ages....
    i hope i don't have the same experiences as eveyone else as i may hang myself.
    But i must congratulate Paul for a brilliant letter.I would have too wound up to pick the pen up !

  19. 19. anonymous

    I cancelled my service within the 7 day cooling off period, they were so useless, and their accounts department still tried to bill me, in an increasingly threatening fashion, denying any knowledge of my cancellation even though I had 2 of their customer services people confirm it had been cancelled and I was still using BT for my line. In the end the only way I got rid of them was by writing to their managing director, whose name was Simon Duffy, and threatening to move my company's business account from ntl back to BT. That worked.

  20. 20. Alan Thomas

    Paul your spot on mate good on you!

  21. 21. darryl

    Having worked in 'customer avoidances' I can only say with heartfelt gratitude that, you Paul, have given several 'bollock jugglers' many days of unending hysteria.
    The thing about this is that they (the bollock jugglers) will take it as encouragement and will seek to find other ways of avoiding providing that which some daft enough to think any company which believes that using an abbreviation (BT, NTL et. al.) is cool, with any semblance of a service.
    Having also found myself in similar situations when being 'serviced' I completely applaud your humour, wit and delivery technique.
    Thanks Paul, next time try a company who don't try to hide their name.

  22. 22. Elaine Wilson

    Lamentably, they are as bigger bastards in the flesh as they are on the phone. Try walking past an NTLK sales stand, saying no thanks and then pause to hear the piss taking from behind you as they do in the Eagle Centre Derby. Challange them if you like and they take the piss to your face as long as you are a woman with a push ahir loaded with child. They only time they apologise is when your 18 stoine 6 foot one husband arrives and enquires what the f**k is going on.

  23. 23. Michael Wells

    Totally agree with everything said - DO NOT sign up with NTL unless you wish to experience a heart attack and utter despondency.

    Like Paul I was with BT, moved to NTL and then spent 12 months desperately trying to get back to BT again. I really cannot remember the numbers of letters, emails and phone calls made to NTL only for them all to be ignored or at best to make matters worse.

    OFCOM should shut NTL down immediately, talking of which if you get in touch with OFCOM they will say you must allow NTL to respond to your complaints - but they never do respond. Thank God I am back with BT. I would try another telco as I believe in competition but would rather die "King Edward style" with a red hot poker than go back to NTL.

  24. 24. John Michalik

    How bad can a company's service get and still survive?

    My experience from signing up for an NTL TV & Telephone package on the internet in mid September 2005:

    - turned up on wrong date (30 days early)
    - failed to turn up on re-arranged date
    - installer was not aware of services to be installed
    - made a complete hash of the brickwork when installing the phone line
    - did not switch on the TV package agreed
    - claimed that the promotion date for this package had now passed (which was wrong as I have it in black and white on an NTL promotional mailing)
    - did not port across my BT number in spite of four telephone calls over 6 weeks to remind them to do so

    Not surprisingly I have now cancelled everything and will not touch NTL with a mile-long bargepole. I should have know better.

  25. 25. anonymous

    i have to say in defence of ntl that some of the employees in there are dedicated in helping and providing a good service.
    i for one have had good and bad experience with them. on the whole they have been pleasent, and knowledgeable in solving my problems. one lad i spoke to had a problem that had drageed for 2 weeks resolved in 2 mins thanxs to his hard work and caring for wat the customer needs are.

  26. 26. Emma A

    We inherited NTL thanks to Cambridge Cable, so you'll need to work out how long ago that was! Finally, thanks to a few final straws on the proverbial camels back (mis billing, crap service, changed contract without permission, refusal to acknowledge any communication except ££££ from us) we've made the decision to go elsewhere. We came across this letter by accident and oh boy are we glad! Thanks Paul. We haven't howled like this for years. I'm off to find a tissue...... have you considered writing for a living???

  27. 27. David Burdon

    I'm now enjoying a similar relationship with Tiscali. What a crap company.

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