This is an account of my recent experiences with Birmingham Cable Communications. They supply cable TV, and Telephone services to people in the Birmingham area.

I have been using Birmingham Cable since the service was available in my area. This is a period of a few years. I am not a particulary economical user, I subscribe to a few pay TV channels, and make extensive use of the telephone, especialy for my intenet conectivity. Over this time I have therefore paid Birmingham Cable many thousands of pounds.

To be fair to Birmingham Cable I would also point out that I am not a particularly prompt payer, and my bills have often become overdue. However I have always paid whatever costs are incurred because of this, and the account has never lapsed for an unreasonable period of time.

I would have thought that Birmingham Cable would have considered me a valuable customer, particulary due to my high usage.

This is what recently happend:

• Earlier this year, I requested, filled out, and returned a direct debit mandate form to them
• I have recieved no letters saying that the DD has failed.
• On Thurday of this week I descovered that I was unable to make outgoing calls.
• I telephoned Birmingham Cable's customer service line.
• They refused to talk to me until I found & quoted my account number.
• This I did.
• I asked why I had been cut off. I was told that it was due to non-payment.
• They explained that the Direct Debit only applys to my TV service, not the telephone.
• I said that they are a communications company that doesn't communicate with their customers. If I had known they were about to disnonect me, I would have sorted out the mis-understanding.
• They said they used to employ a team of temps who called customers in situations like this. But the customers didn't like it, so now they just disconnect customers.
• They said I should have seen on the bill, that the previous bill had not been paid.
• I pointed out that as I was under the impression that as I pay by direct debit, I don't study my bills closely.
• But they cant sort it out until the office opens at 9am tommorow (Friday).
• I made another call Friday morning.
• They discussed the matter without me having to quote my account number.
• Apparently, when I asked for the DD form, I should have asked for two! (silly me). Aparently they need one for the TV, and another for the phone.
• I said that they can use the mandate they already have for the TV, to pay for the phone.
• They said they cant, because its a different account.
• I said that as far as the bank is concerned, I have given it permision for Birmingham Cable to make direct Debits from my account, irrespective to the service I am being charged for.
• I was on hold for 5 minuites while they 'spoke to billing'.
• I was told that they definaty need both forms.
• I sugested that as its possible to now setup Direct Debit mandates over the phone, lets do one now.
• They said that they cant. Its Cables policy not to.
• I said that unless they can reconnect me faster than BT, I will move back to BT.
• They said they will re-connect me as soon as they have cleared funds to pay for the outstanding balance.
• I said that even if I pay now in cash they still would be unable to reconnected before BT.
• They said they are sorry, but they cant reconnect my phone until the account is paid.
• I said I wish to close my cable telephone, and cable TV accounts.
• I was told that will take 30 days, and was kept on hold while they go to get the form.
• An appointment was then made for an engineer to collect the Cable TV equipment.

Issues:

• Disconnecting customers to gain their attention, and to initiate dialogue does not promote customer satisfaction.
• The quality of the service seems to have got progressively worse over the years. For example:
  • I am only able to change volume on some TV channels.
  • Birmingham Cable closed a north Birmingham customer service office.
  • The customer service telephone line regularyly has unreasonable queues.
• I use Birmingham Cable's telephone messaging system. Now I have been disconnected, callers are able to leave messages, but I am unable, (and probably never will be able,) to hear the messages from my phone.
• I use my home telephone to provide essential computer support, but Birmingham Cable seem to treat suspending the service as a trivial matter.
• After disconection, reconnection can take up to 48 hours.
• Why do Birmingham Cable not trust a customer to pay for at least a few days, so problems such as mine can be resolved.
• In view of BT's recent advertising campagn promoting customers returning to BT from other providers, I would have thought that Birmingham Cable would be striving to improve customer relations.
• If there is a payment problem, customers should not be notified by adding a note to a bill, or even issued in an envelope that resembles a bill. The customer is then more likely to open it.
• Customers who subscribe to the messaging service should be left a message informing them of any problems.