Have we got a problem with NTV

[muffin]

Just rang Multimax customer service desk to report a problem with NTV reception. Was advised that they now only deal with broadband problems - for anything to do with NTV we have to go directly to NTV, but they were unable to provide a telephone number and suggested that I send them an e.mail - NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

We have a contract with Multimax to provide both broadband and NTV services as they have taken our money for 12 months service on both items.

Why then is Multimax saying that we must now contact NTV for service, but they are unable to supply any proper method of contact?

This raises grave concerns as to how long NTV is going to be available or will it go down the same route as Dopi TV did.

[kbasat]

Multimax provides internet service and resells NTV tv services, you do not have a contract with Multimax regarding NTV.

As it can be seen (again) here, because people fails to differentiate the difference between Multimax and NTV, we had to force some measures ad Multimax to make that distinction.

Multimax is a local Internet Service Provider in N.Cyprus, specializing in high speed internet solutions

NTV is a multinational company, having systems in 8, serving to customers from 70 different countries.

NTV does not have a conventional phone support system because that would require customers to either pay for high charge international calls or having to setup local systems in tens of countries just for call support. It is not feasible.

However, claiming Multimax is unable to supply any proper method of contact is not correct. Several support options are included, including online chat feature at http://www.ntv.mx, raising a support ticket at http://www.ntv.mx/support or simply emailing info@ntv.mx

I am personally puzzled how some people come to the conclusion they do provided there is no actual evidence to come to those conclusions... 'This raises grave concerns'? What is 'this' exactly? : That NTV has grown so big that it can now have their own support departments and Multimax has decided to forward customers over to NTV instead of playing the intermediary so that customers can raise questions directly to the source and get faster response? very grave concern indeed... NOT!

People consider even the slightest change, good or bad, without realizing whats going on, as a sign of doom for something, well it is not. Have a nice evening.

[Mollie the cat]

If I could find a decent alternative to NTV I would change in a heart beat. Almost every night without exception the TV freezes between 7pm and 9.30pm, drives us crazy! I have just been on to NTV live chat, no reply so far.
Will we ever get a night when the TV does not freeze?

[muffin]

What really concerns me is the fact that always in the past when phoning Multimax helpline with TV problems, they have been dealt with at source and normally involved the person on the helpdesk making some adjustment to the equipment which fixed the problems.

There has been no notification to customers that there is now a different means of support for NTV. Incidentally their online support chatline does not work - no response whatsoever. And I am certainly not happy to communicate by e.mail which they can choose to ignore if they do not wish to respond.

Kemal has missed the point of my post stating he has a contract - we have paid Multimax for both services and have a signed agreement with them and this constitutes a legal CONTRACT.

So, yes, we DO have concerns. Why are they failing to communicate important changes in the running of their systems to their customers? Surely anyone must feel concern. Basically we are without any support for NTV or do they in fact have a team of engineers in this area?

[bargainboozeandwines]

Mollie the cat

Their are plenty of alternatives out here.

And damn good as well.

[Mollie the cat]

I had a reply to my ticket from NTV (below)

Thank you for contacting us. We do not have currently any issues during this time period. You might check with your internet service provider during this time period (between 7 and 10) and also check your internet speed and stability, which might be affecting your TV reception (as the TV system is internet-based).

So, let's see what happens tonight then!

[muffin]

In response to your post Kemal, you do have an obligation to your customers regarding NTV. We have all signed an agreement with Multimax to supply both Broadband and NTV services. If either of these services breakdown then the onus is on your company to remedy the breakdown. It is called a CONTRACT.

I fail to understand why you have not notified officially any NTV customers of the massive change you appear to have made regarding the maintenance of this service. Personally I am very unhappy at only having an e.mail address to contact when NTV is not functioning
properly ( which is quite often) How do we know that they will deal promptly with our queries and are they able to resolve all NTV related problems? Do they have a local team of service engineers.

All this is very far from satisfactory and of grave concern; so please give these matters some proper consideration instead of brushing them of as queries "from people who do not understand your systems". A very high handed attitude for someone in business to take.

[khristy]

molly the cat
i watch tv via a slingbox from the uk, and have problems watching during the evenings, so it could well be due your internet provider.
i am with mm and use to be very good,never going off, but of late it has just got worse.

[Mollie the cat]

I have the same problem again tonight!! I rang MM the lady there is adamant the problem is NTV.
She had the same problem on her set in the office, our internet connection with MM is fine, good speeds.
I have submitted another ticket to NTV.

[kbasat]

Back to the main topic, first of all:
In order to not play the intermediary in NTV related issues, Multimax has decided to redirect all customers who has NTV problems directly to NTV. This move was part of an attempt to better differentiate services, and thus improve the response times for solutions to problems.

There is no such thing as 'withdrawal of support for NTV'. We believe customers contacting NTV support directly for their TV issues and Multimax directly for their Internet issues will receive a much better response.

The only difference of importance between previous situation and the new one seems to be the lack of telephone support for NTV. NTV assures its customers that it will do their best to improve on online chat availability and respond to email and ticket requests in a timely manner. All emails sent to NTV is automatically indexed and a response is sent to customer acknowledging the receipt, so nothing is lost.

NTV has recently made considerable re-investment into its systems, and will continue to do so in the future that aims to fix stability issues as well as increase the number of channels offered. Number of channels for the UK package will increase to approx 110 by end of this year.

Reading all the information and explanations above, if you are still not happy with how things are, you are welcome to visit Multimax offices and cancel your NTV subscription.

The procedure will be as follows:
1. You will fill out cancellation request, and the service will be considered terminated from that day onwards (actual termination may take a while)
2. The refund will be 100% of the unused portion of your NTV subscription calculated from the day you filled out the cancellation form.
3. The request will be processed, and within 2-4 weeks your refund will be deposited into your Isbank account (if you have one) or a check can be collected from kyrenia office.
4. This offer is valid until 20th November 2013

Hope this will put an end to all of the 'grave concerns'.

Kemal

[JBA]

Muffin

Strange isn't it but you have with Multimax exactly the same relationship that you had with DOPI. DOPI were not primary suppliers, they were agents.

It may surprise you to know that the service that DOPI sold as their own is still up and running, stronger than ever and a lot cheaper now (5tl per week). I have never ceased to use it although I did what Multimax are now suggesting you should do - I went to the end supplier for support. Of course it was not so easy to understand this at the time because DOPI misrepresented their position whereas Kemal is trying his hardest to explain the facts to you.

Going to the end supplier I got the support I wanted. I had few of the problems that DOPI users had and a seamless upgrade to the new system which, incidentally, uses Multimax servers to distribute programmes. If there was any significant problem with Multimax then I would suffer the same problems that you are experiencing - I don't.

[Whatarotty]

I have NTV it's unwatchable tonight so went onto Filmon and guess what? Freezes, unwatchable, frustrating!!!

Multimax what's happened? Do you have so many customers that you can not feed us all at the same time?

[ATT]

What I would like to know is that if I choose to cancel my NTV subscription due to the lack of service and regular unwatchability of the TV channels, do I get a full refund on the 250 Euros I was charged for a MagiBox that I will no longer need (and the reason I don't need it is the service providers fault !!) ?

[kbasat]

I have NTV it's unwatchable tonight so went onto Filmon and guess what? Freezes, unwatchable, frustrating!!!

Multimax what's happened? Do you have so many customers that you can not feed us all at the same time?

At that very moment if you go to http://www.mmcyp.com/en/speedtest and do a speedtest (while you have everthing else turned off), if you see that you dont get proper speed, you should contact Multimax support to get your connection checked. If you do get your proper speed, the problem is either not related to your internet, or a lot more complicated.

"Multimax what's happened?"
Nothing, just read and follow the instructions above

"Do you have so many customers that you can not feed us all at the same time?"
Read my article at http://www.kibkomnorthcyprusforum.com/v ... 46&t=11172 and hopefully it will make a positive change in your attitude towards us...

[Deniz1]

I am so glad I only have good old Digiturk never any problems there and basic Turkcell 4gb internet again no problems there.

[teatime]

What I would like to know is that if I choose to cancel my NTV subscription due to the lack of service and regular unwatchability of the TV channels, do I get a full refund on the 250 Euros I was charged for a MagiBox that I will no longer need (and the reason I don't need it is the service providers fault !!) ?

Good point ATT, notice it wasn't answered though

[kbasat]

What I would like to know is that if I choose to cancel my NTV subscription due to the lack of service and regular unwatchability of the TV channels, do I get a full refund on the 250 Euros I was charged for a MagiBox that I will no longer need (and the reason I don't need it is the service providers fault !!) ?

Good point ATT, notice it wasn't answered though

We apologize for for not calling for an emergency board of directors meeting when this question was asked at 11pm yesterday night, we will be more careful next time.

We have discussed the matter today and here is the verdict:

First of all it should be noted that Mag250 box that Multimax provided for NTV is a generic media player, having functions that can be used for more than just NTV purpose. In addition, it can also be used for several other providers who provide similar services to NTV.

That being said, Multimax is willing to make a buyback offer if in case the customer still wants to return them in the following terms:

Installation charge for NTV will not be refunded.
Multimax has been selling mag250 boxes for 150Euros for a while (if any customer for any reason has paid more than this, the calculation for refund shall be corrected accordingly)

Standard warranty on mag250 boxes are 12 months (as with most electronic devices). Multimax is willing to buyback mag250 boxes for the price that is equivalent to:
(number of months left on warranty / 12 months) * 150 euros

The deadline for this offer is also 20th November, 2013 and the same conditions apply as above.

Kemal

[ATT]

Kemal,

I actually think this is an insulting offer. We purchased the box from MultiMax in good faith and on the basis of your advertising of the NTV service on your website. As the agents for the NTV service at the time then it was your responsibility to have ensured you were selling a saleable product or service. The NTV service has not worked properly for a single day in the 7 weeks or so we have had the service, and we have complained repeatedly ( I mean repeatedly by email, online, telephone) and not had a single visit to even check if the box might be faulty !!

As we have not had ANY decent service for this product since purchasing it, and not had a single answer as to the continuous problems of trying to use it, and given that we purchased from you (MultiMax) in good faith that we would receive the service we were paying for, I think the offer you are providing is totally unacceptable and insulting !! You should provide a full refund without question !

[ATT]

And I also notice that despite all the problems being experienced by NTV customers, Multimax are still promoting NTV with a direct link from your website Is this really wise ??

Are you still selling the Mag250 boxes as well ? But interestingly distancing yourselves from any support for the NTV service (which I can understand by the way).

[kbasat]

So you expect Multimax to announce full NTV refund to everybody from day one in public without question? or would you like to contact us if you think your case requires any special consideration? gotta love the logic in some peoples expectations...

Kemal

[kbasat]

Also, the offer for refund for NTV subscription and the box was offers for some peoples disgruntlement regarding the way NTV issues are handled.

We are not offering refunds for NTV because we think NTV service is not good, we are offering it because some people think Multimax is responsible by taking money for NTV service, so we are responding by saying you are free to receive your money back for unused portion of service. This is the best Multimax can offer.

If you are having issues and expect compensation for your Internet, you should contact Multimax.

If you are having issues and expect compensation or any sort of refund for your TV system, you should contact NTV.

The options Multimax offered are choices for NTV customers if they are not happy with support policy changes, nothing more.

Multimax still thinks NTV is a good system and a good value for money for what it includes. You are getting a 120gbp package for a fraction of a price in a place where it is not available in any other form. It may not be perfect, it may be ahead of its time for Cyprus, but we still believe it is good value for money. But we do realize it may not be meeting everybody's expectations and therefore not everyone.

We will continue to advertise NTV, customers are free to check the 1 week free trial it offers and decide for themselves if it works for them or not. With ability to subscribe monthly without any contractual obligations, not much you can lose there.

Kemal

[ATT]

Kemal - It was MultiMax who sold me the Mag250 box and delivered and installed it as well as taking paymeny for it. Therefore, LOGICALLY, it is via MultiMax I am addressing the issues regarding the cost of the box. If I have an issue with my NTV subscription I will indeed deal with NTV direct !

And I actually think your sarcasm is not really ideally suited to a customer service role !!

[kbasat]

I am NOT customer service and and posting here anonymously is NOT addressing things via Multimax. So logically, your logic is flawed. Thank you...

Kemal

[ATT]

I didn't state that posting here was addressing it via MultiMax - I merely stated " it is via MultiMax I am addressing the issues regarding the cost of the box". My method of doing so was not mentioned.

My initial question about a possible refund on the cost of the Mag250 box was addressed at the members of this forum who were discussing the issue of levels of Service from NTV, with the expectation that a member of the forum may already have received an answer. You, my good man, chose to answer on behalf of MultiMax and therefore assumed a customer service role in doing so !! So whether you like it or not, via your actions on this forum you are LOGICALLY assumed to be in a customer service role as you are answering MultiMax customer queries and issues in a public forum.

And you trying to be clever with your answers and being sarcastic is doing MultiMax no favours whatsoever !! I actually have no issues with MultiMax other than the cost of a box that they charged me for when I cannot get the intended (and advertised) use out of it !! I have no issues with the internet service that haven't been addressed.

On the other hand I have huge issues with NTV, whom you seem so quick to defend. And in particular you say about the cost compared to the UK - well it is my understanding that the service is "allegedly" a pirated service anyway (which I was not aware of until I heard the allegations recently). So if it is a pirated service - and I have asked the question directly via the online service support but without an answer - should NTV even be supplying the service and should MultiMax even be selling the boxes and installing the service ??

[kbasat]

The words such as 'illegal', 'pirated' etc are just words. Let me try to explain it this way:

You login to bbc iplayer/itv player, 4od etc and it tells you that you need to be in the UK and have a TV license to use it. What you do? you use a UK VPN connection provided by 3rd party companies to mask your IP address and make it look like you are from UK. By using this method, you are committing 'piracy' and doing something 'illegal'...

Sky cannot sell you boxes if you show them an address in Cyprus. What you do? You show them your UK address, obtain boxes in UK and carry them over to Cyprus yourself and get a sat guy to give you a swimming pool size dish and receive UK channels, again 'pirating' the system and 'illegally' receiving channels.

Like the Sky case above, some people sell 'legit' systems of packages that does not belong to Cyprus. They belong to other countries and offer some English content. These providers do not have license to broadcast outside their region, or selling in Cyprus, so purchasing and using these systems would still be piracy and illegal.

Examples can be further quantified if needed...

NTV is a product, that provides UK content for people who can not receive them. This is by no means illegal by the laws of TRNC. But it is not more or less 'illegal' or 'pirated' that the other solutions above.

Hope this provides a bit of explanation on the alleged situation.

[ATT]

Thank you for that comprehensive explanation Kemal

[bargainboozeandwines]

ATT

I see your question regarding piracy but do not see an answer to it!

The way i see it is that i do not think there is any problem with a person bringing his sky box from the uk to cyprus and watching what he has paid for in the uk to sky and sky get the money,to me they are just watching something that is being received outside of it's boundaries but you would of paid for it and sky got all the money.
.

Watching other peoples content on another electronic gadget which can be tuned to receive streamed content and paying for it, to the people who do not own that content,that is piracy in my eyes and the laws eyes and the person re selling that content to others and keeping the money and not giving any of the money to the content owners. Below in my opinion is what is being done in cyprus now, and people are not happy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nnels.html

Maybe this is a better explanation on piracy.

[Jonnie]

I seem to have posted this in the wrong thread earlier:-

Bareing in mind we are in the TRNC I think Kemal is being pretty reasonable here to be honest, I do not know of many companies here who would do the same.

To give an example outside the UK. I bought a Ford car from a Ford dealer. New. From day 1 I complained about the oil usage, they would do nothing saying it was in Ford spec. At 14 months it needed a pretty expensive repair, Ford dealer did their bit as much as they could but this did not amount to much, Ford would not help. Another expensive repair later they still would not do anything. I had to pay extra for the dealer to strip the engine to find an oil control ring was missed on manufacture. Even then Ford were reluctant and only when a wrote to the MD and followed up with a phone call did Ford finally react.

The point is the dealers only make a small amount on the car, they cannot afford to spend huge amounts sorting it out, that is down to the brand owners in this case Ford. Do you think I should have got a full refund on my car?

I personally have NTV, to be honest so far it has been the best TV I have had for the money here but I bought it as Internet based TV as as such respected its limitations. It is not perfect and it has its moments but I bought it as NTV and not MMTV. Some are clearly having issues at the moment and I think KB is trying his best to sort this out indeed far beyond what many TRNC companies would do.

[iv_cyprus]

ATT

I see your question regarding piracy but do not see an answer to it!

The way i see it is that i do not think there is any problem with a person bringing his sky box from the uk to cyprus and watching what he has paid for in the uk to sky and sky get the money,to me they are just watching something that is being received outside of it's boundaries but you would of paid for it and sky got all the money.
.

Watching other peoples content on another electronic gadget which can be tuned to receive streamed content and paying for it, to the people who do not own that content,that is piracy in my eyes and the laws eyes and the person re selling that content to others and keeping the money and not giving any of the money to the content owners. Below in my opinion is what is being done in cyprus now, and people are not happy.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nnels.html

Maybe this is a better explanation on piracy.

And who were you?! Some guy trolling on all MM or NTV related threads on the forum just on purpose. Going against all innovations, unless they serve only your own goal? Talking about piracy in TRNC? Well there is no such thing here by the local laws. I am sure you are not talking about piracy, when buying bootleg DVDs from the local TRNC shops for 5TL per piece, neither when you do tons of downloading from torrent trackers (which is punished by UK laws and ISP policy there as well). Most of the time you seem to have the mentality of a 16 years old teenager, being unsatisfied and envious because of other kids' achievements or belongings...nobody is buying all that nonsense you post here anymore...but your complexes will prevent you from understanding the above.

P.S. And regarding your technical incompetence - even if you bring your Sky Box and dish here, Sky already changed their frequencies and you will be able to watch ~10 channels out of 100 and paying ~50 pounds per month (if you are lucky). Don't get yourself embarrassed anymore, please.

[snickers]

Marion the moderator.

On the 27th of October I posted questions and concerns regarding Multimax or NTV and was told
I was not allowed to complain or post details in this way regarding the above.
So I posted it in JOKES as it was becoming a JOKE

Well, well, well , it has raised its ugly head again.

The people are asking the same questions again that I did, but no MODERATOR closing the thread.

Still a great forum.

Just needs a bit of CONSISTENCY.

[PoshinDevon]

Marion the moderator.

On the 27th of October I posted questions and concerns regarding Multimax or NTV and was told
I was not allowed to complain or post details in this way regarding the above.
So I posted it in JOKES as it was becoming a JOKE

Well, well, well , it has raised its ugly head again.

The people are asking the same questions again that I did, but no MODERATOR closing the thread.

Still a great forum.

Just needs a bit of CONSISTENCY.

Snickers......

Just to advise that the board moderators try and keep up to speed with all postings and moderate accordingly. We are not on line or on this forum all the time so we do occasionally miss something. We do try to moderate fairly and consistently according to the forum rules. Often the written word is mis-interpretted or understood differently so moderating does have its pitfalls. However rest assured behind the scenes the moderators do share information and discuss whether or not we have done the right thing....hopefully we get it right most of the time which is we know appreciated by most.

There is plenty of advice and comments made which is hopefully useful and with this in mind I am now locking this thread as it has been dormant for a good number of days and the discussion has really gone full circle.