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Hassle to beat the broadband

It hasn't been a good week for NTL if the Pricewatch mailbox is anything to go by. Within the space of 24 hours, three different complaints came in relating to the company. First up is Suzie Byrne, who signed up with NTL for a digital TV and broadband package last February at an introductory offer of €14.99 per month - she also ordered Sky Sports and arranged to pay by direct debit.

She then starting getting bills which indicated that she was not on the introductory offer and that the direct debit had not been applied. "I paid a bill of €170 with the promise that the offer would then be applied. I kept receiving inaccurate bills and was told by NTL staff to ignore them as it was being sorted out."

Byrne then lost her service for two weeks and NTL seemed unwilling to send someone to fix it. When they did arrange times to send someone, they never showed up. Eventually, the problem was resolved. "I kept receiving two bills each month - one for the broadband and one for the television service. This is despite an FAQ on the NTL website which says that it issues only one bill per household."

In July, a direct debit was taken from her account but it was for only €11.98, less than she owed "but it was a start". Then, in August, she received a bill which indicated €4.98 was outstanding. It also told her that her service was being disconnected. "I still have my service and I would love to keep it. I would also like to pay for my service properly by direct debit, the correct amount at the offer I 'signed' up for," she says. She knows she owes NTL money but has no idea how much as NTL seems reluctant to tell her.

Then there was Lidia Matassa who lost her digital service recently and made a service call to NTL. She was told to expect a call back with an appointment, which never came. Two days later she called again and was told an engineer would be out to her on the following Monday between 9am and 1pm. She stayed at home, losing four hours' pay, but no one showed up and no one phoned. She made another phone call that evening and was told that the technicians "were running late", and would be at her house by 7pm. They were not.

And finally, there is the reader who contacted NTL's customer service e-mail address this week only to the told that the mail box was full.

"Can I be the only reader who was told that NTL's customer service e-mail box is full?," he asks." Should I be surprised?"

Armed with all our complaints we contacted NTL - or UPC, as it is now called.

A spokeswoman said that both Byrne and Matassa's issues with the company were now "resolved". With regard to Byrne's numerous difficulties, the spokeswoman said her account was now fully up to date and the promotional price and direct debit had been sorted out. She apologised for any inconvenience caused.

The spokeswoman said Matassa's service had been restored and she was "very happy with the outcome". She said the full mailbox could be explained by the fact that "all ntl e-mail addresses were replaced with upc.ie from January 2007. Our website clearly indicates this for customers who wish to correspond with us online."

She also said that people with queries and complaints should now contact customer.support@upc.ie.

H2 Ouch

Barry Pickup from Dublin recently bought a one-litre bottle of Ballygowan in his local Texaco, where a litre of unleaded petrol was selling for €1.15. "The bottle of water cost €1.85. Am I missing something? Most of the cost of petrol is due to tax and duty, after all."