NTL fees reviewed

Thumbs up: Finally, something positive came from the NTL HQ in Dublin last week.

Following discussions with the National Consumer Agency (NCA), which reviewed the company's decision to charge a late payment fee to customers and a fee to customers who don't pay bills by direct debit, some modifications have been announced. Following the meetings, the late payment fee will come into effect only after a written reminder to the customer, and notification that a late payment fee will be incurred if the bill is not cleared within a specified timeframe.

NTL has also agreed to review its proposal to apply a direct debit charge to existing customers who are pensioners or with special needs and has given a commitment to inform these customers before implementing the scheme by April 1st. NTL says it has also increased its staff numbers in its call centres in response to recent customer service issues.

MySpace mobile

Thumbs up:The social networking phenomena looks set to become even more pervasive following the announcement that Vodafone customers in the UK can now edit their MySpace sites on their mobiles. The partnership means people will be able to edit their profiles, post photos and blogs and get messages through their handsets. The mobile service will be pre-loaded on to selected Vodafone handsets and will also be available to download from the Vodafone live! site. While the service has not yet been made available to Vodafone's Irish customers, we understand plans to do just that are in train.

Only the crumbliest

Thumbs up:The Cadbury's Flake girl is back after a five-year absence from our television screens. Model Alyssa Sutherland made her TV screen debut as the new Flake girl last week when she was seen peeling back the wrapper and enjoying the chocolate in a manner which will be familiar to millions. Adverts starring Flake girls started 50 years ago and have consistently been voted among the most memorable TV ads of all time.