By Will Sturgeon, 7 April 2004 15:20
NEWS Cable company NTL is to axe 1,500 call-centre jobs, in a twist that is likely to anger those who already struggle to get through to an operator on the beleaguered firm's helpline.
The lay-offs are as a result of the closure of 10 out of 13 call centres across the UK, in locations such as Belfast, Brighton, Cambridge, Glasgow and Winnersh.
Sites elsewhere in the country, in Coventry, Luton, Nottingham and Teesside, will see major lay-offs but will retain skeleton staff to remain operational.
According to reports, NTL hopes the high natural turnover of call-centre staff will bring about natural attrition during the next 18 months but the likelihood of an entire call centre's staff deciding it's time to move on is slight and some redundancies will be necessary.
Simon Duffy, the NTL chief executive, said: "NTL has made good progress in improving its customer service, but we still have some way to go."
While many customers may claim that is an understatement, it is unclear how laying off 1,500 staff will improve matters.
However, Duffy claimed in a statement that "consolidation of [its] call centres and investment in leading-edge technology" will improve matters for NTL's famously unhappy customers.
Comments
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1. anonymous
As a very frustrated NTL customer, this is a sure fire way to make me a "late" NTL customer! What are they thinking of?!?!?! The whole idea is a contradiction...
2. Grant Norman
This will make it almost impossible to get to speak to someone at NTL, but I am hopeful that those to leave are incompetent masses that, in my experience, have proved to be largely useless as servicing the customer.
I have been an NTL customer for over 18 months and almost every month I have had to call NTL to complain about overcharging. The only number publicly available is the customer srevice number, but they never do what they say they will and its impossible to speak to a supervisor/manager person who has the ability to make a decision based on facts of the case rather than a script. The only way I got any of my account issues sorted out was writing and emailing the CEO of NTL Home after I read on his biog on their website he was "committed to customer service excellence". He's probably since left NTL and got a job where he has achievable goals.
Why am I still a customer of NTL? BT and Sky are just as bad for customer service on the TV & telephone front, and there is no cable alternative, and I can't get Freeview in my area. Maybe I should just stop watching TV, accessing the internet and using the phone and do something that shuts me off on my own instead. Or go down the pub and be sociable, which in turn could lead to alcoholism. All because NTL are one of the most poorly run, incompetently staffed companies still in existence.
3. anonymous
NTL offer appalling service but the alternatives are no better. Like most major corporates now, they have no concept of customer service. All that matters is the bonuses and personal ambitions of the senior levels.
4. anonymous
I was a Cable & Wireless cable customer before ntl took over. They were pretty bad at customer support. BT were equally awful and still seem to be. So I am stuck with ntl who manage to get worse with each complaint. I have never got an honest answer to any of my communications with them.
5. anonymous
What I like is that you never hear the good points about NTL only the bad fair enough they have problems who doesn't but you try running a massive cable network perfectly 100% of the time, and most of the calls are from people moaning about and service that half can't use properly anyway (the 12 o'clock flashers) If the company was perfect then their would be no need for customer services or technical support, half the people you slag of companies like NTL, BT and SKY are dreamers they believe the world owes them something and want it all on a silver plate. Some day I would like to see all the good comments posted but then its only the complainers that make them selves know cause they have nothing better to do
6. Richard Loraine-Smith
I am an NTL Customer on 2nd march 2004 they increased their charges for calls on the following basis,
Per Minute Billing will be introduced on all calls from 23rd March 2004.
Surely this is a huge increase in call charges when I complained they wondered what all the fuss was about.
I have complained to my local Ytading Standards Office as I am sure that most of their customers have not been able to get intouch to voice their displeasure. I have cal;led Ofcom who are aware of an increase in complaints but are unable to specify what they are.
7. anonymous
I have been an ntl customer for 3 years. Whenever I have called the service centre I have had a very, fast,good and helpful response on both internet connectivity problems and cable TV. Engineers have turned up either next day or when it suits me. They are knowledgeable and have the correct spares. A far better service than I experience from BT or other domestic Service Lines.
8. anonymous
I work at NTL customer service, i always try to do my best for customers,just recently though my hands are tied by mangers decisions,as we are now being told not to ask customers if there is anything else i can do for them? just to say thank you, and end the call as quickly as possible, so that this will redudce the call time. also we are no longer allowed to transfer the call to other depts if the customer has misdialed.this means we have to tell the customer to redail even though they may have already been waiting in a queue for over 30 mins.we have also just been told not to memo any accounts unless it is a complaint. so there are no records of the conversation on the account if the cust requests a printout.this means csa can do as much or as little as they want with a cust account as there is no record of what has or hasn't been done.
9. anonymous
By any means NTL is the worst possible company and I'll do everything to inform people about it. Don't tie up with NTL!