Telewest - the hidden costs to the people of Crawley

7.30.21pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 6th Oct 2004

Gordon Seekings - warning of the "overcharging" to Telewest's analogue customers in Crawley

Telewest, successors to Crawley's former Cable TV and 'phone company Eurobell, are misleading the people of Crawley argues Crawley Lib Dems Group Leader and Northgate Councillor, Gordon Seekings.

In the last week they have written to their Cable TV customers in the Crawley area advising them of an increase in charges. However, presumably due to an error, they sent letters for digital Customers to all former Eurobell customers - and many of them do not have digital service but the old analogue service.

The charges for Sky Sports and Films will go up and all Telewest customers in Crawley will pay the same as digital customers. This is notwithstanding that they only get 3 film channels and not 9 and do not get Sky Sports Extra. Analogue customers also do not get some of the additional channels that digital customers have.

As Gordon says "the letter from Telewest extols the increased service they have provided and regrets the increased charges. However, as a former Eurobell customer with an analogue service I was concerned that they had sent out the wrong letter."

"They told me that the letter was sent out automatically to everyone and there was not a separate letter or charging scheme for analogue customer. What we are therefore now going to be charged for is the full digital service and channels and yet we will be getting a poorer service and less TV channels.

"There is also a legal complication as the contracts former Eurobell customers signed require a month's notice for changes in charges to their service. As the letters Telewest have sent out are for digital services former Eurobell customers with analogue service have not been given the legal notice of a change in their service charges.

"It will in fact be a breach in the legal contract for the increased charges to be raised as of 1 November; or for the charges to go up at all till 30 days after a letter has been sent out to the former Eurobell's analogue customers.

"It will be interesting to see what happens on 1 November. I for one will certainly refer Telewest to Trading Standards if I'm charged the increased amount without the statutory legal notification.