Why NTL? (NTL)

Member Name: chrispitts

Product:	NTL
Date:	15/07/02 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All in one package, Very neat installation, Good channel selection

Disadvantages: ?poor customer service

I know, I know. Yet another NTL op. As if there aren't enough. But bear with me. Because I got NTL last month. And the only reason I got it is because I read some favourable DooYoo ops (and tried to blank the unfavourable ones from my mind!). So I thought I'd summarize what, in my opinion, is good about NTL... and what is bad.

First, a brief overview.

NTL is one of the biggest telecommunications/cable companies in the UK - it provides a range of phone, TV and computer connection services through a Cable connection into your home, thus avoiding the (mostly) out of date, poor quality BT phone lines, the dodgy aerial-recieved terrestrial TV channels, and the ...........
......... wait of a dial-up modem connection.

Well, that's the theory. And, in practice, it actually seems to do what it says on the tin! But wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves...

So, I decided to go for NTL, primarily because I wanted a faster internet connection (but I made sure my wife believed it was for the Cable TV Channels!). Being a busy man (and a typical male chauvanist pig!) I left the organisation to my wife while I went off to work. She rang on Tuesday, and they not only gave us an automatic discount on the installation charge (she's a born haggler, my wife!), but agreed to install it all the following Monday. Yeah, right! Heard that one before.

To my complete surprise, at 10am on Monday morning, an NTL van rolled up outside the house. The incredibly pleasant engineer explained exactly what he was going to do, and which wires and boxes were going where, and then got on with it - even burying the cables under the gravel surrounding our house. One of my concerns were the number of holes which were going to be drilled in the walls, but he did it so well, you'd hardly notice. And even the boxes are unobtrusive (to say they were attractive might be pushing it a bit!) He was done in about 1 1/2 hours (and 4 cups of tea
). The next NTL van rolled up as he left, and they set up the actual TV end of it all. (It seems a bit odd to have 2 vans doing the job, but they worked so that one was finishing the job before, while the other went on to the next job, and it seemed to go OK). So, all installed and ready to go?

First job for me was to check the computer connection. I opted to do it myself, rather than let them set it up, although they did offer. And it was the easiest thing I've ever done. Plug the modem into the cable coming out of the wall. Plug the other end into a USB slot on the computer. Insert the CD. Install the software. Sign up. Bingo.

And, boy oh boy, did the connection fly! I've reached 90kB/s download speeds, and average around 30-40. It saves a lot of time and hair-pulling, and is one of the best presents my computer has ever recieved from me!!! And it's an "always on connection", so you remain connected to the internet as long as the computer is on. Of course, that slightly increases the risk of hacking and viruses, but if you're careful, it shoud be OK, and I've now installed a firewall to block unauthorised access.

So, no complaints there. How about the phone line?

Well, a phone's a phone, innit?! I can't say I've noticed a huge difference, but the free calls to other local NTL users means my wife rings her family a lot more. Still, gives me time to play on the internet (because you can use the internet and the phone at the same time!)And my wife tells me the bill is much less. OK. Sound quality seems good, but I can't say it's had a huge impact on me, really.

So, onto the telly.

We previously had Sky, and I think, in comparison, Sky was better. But this was a package, and worked out a bit cheaper, so we thought we'd give it a try. And it's really not too bad. The channel selection isn't quite as extensive as on Sky, but it does contain a couple that
Sky doesn't. As with Sky, you can opt into Premium channels, like the Movie channels, Sky Sports, Disney etc., but our experience suggests that most of the time, you get more than enough from the basic entry-level package. Add to those channels several digital-quality radio stations, and you have a nice entertainment package.

But...

Yes, there's a but.

I don't think the Cable TV streaming is quite as good as Sky. We still suffer occasional pops and clicks, and lose channel information from time to time. And one thing we have noticed is that the TV image freezes frequently when you're downloading/uploading a lot on the computer.
The picture quality and sound quality is generally excellent, and the channel select menus are easy to navigate (and it seems far too easy to set reminders for programs - even my 14 month old daughter can do it!) The interactive section contains lots of silly games, and general information, but doesn't seem quite as nice as Sky's (although we highly recommend the "Bingo" game - great fun!)

As to the downside...

As most of you will know, NTL is in dire financial trouble. How this will affect the end-user remains to be seen, but it could cause potential problems.

NTL are renowned for their appalling customer service. As you will have seen, we've had no trouble as yet, but the general feeling is that NTL are in a big rush to sell, then lose interest once they've sold. I can't say I have had any experience of their customer support to comment.

So, all in all, we have no regrets about NTL. It has provided everything we wanted, in a nice easy package, and we currently have nothing to complain about... stay tuned!

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