NTL vows to cut off non-payers

CABLE company NTL has vowed to cut off services to 25,000 customers who refuse to pay their bills. The firm said it was losing 5m each year from the minority of defaulters among its 368,000 subscribers.

Those who refuse to pay their bill within a 14-day period receive a warning letter and then have seven days to pay before the service is withdrawn.

However, after complaints by the Consumer Association, NTL has made clear that it will only target customers who consistently refuse to pay their bills.

“If there’s a customer who has a dispute with us over service quality or bill size, we’re not going to cut them off,” said spokeswoman Sandra Eaton.

Those who are cut off have to pay the arrears and a 50 fee if they want to be reconnected. NTL’s two main competitors, Sky Digital and Chorus, said their problems with non-paying customers were minimal.