Can Telewest avoid NTL Hell?

The marriage of Telewest and NTL has been a long time coming, but nobody's denying the sense behind the move.

With little overlap between their networks but much common history, the companies fit together well. In a market dominated by giant telcos and international media companies, economies of scale are essential: nothing smaller than a nationwide company can afford to compete with BT and Sky in the forthcoming adventures of IPTV.

But there is one significant difference between the two companies — the way they treat their customers. NTL has a dreadful record on customer support: in comparison, Telewest sparkles.

Over the years, we've reported on many problems with NTL's service, problems often made worse by NTL's seeming indifference. In 2002, Oftel said NTL was the most complained about telecoms company in the UK, and just this summer Which magazine reported that NTL came bottom of the pile for customer service out of all UK ISPs. Complainants even spilled into our own Talkback area.

Even that wasn't enough, with angry users creating their own Web site in nthellworld. It was one of the best around — until NTL bought it up and closed it down.

Telewest has never done this, because it never had to. The company isn't perfect and its users have had their share of problems, but there's been no groundswell of disaffection. The company listens and takes action before things get out of hand: a simple idea, but worthy of note in an industry which still has a genetic tendency to think of its customers as supplicants before the throne. .

By swallowing Telewest, NTL is turning itself into a company with nearly five million subscribers — and some invaluable expertise in how to manage them and their problems. If NTL's management pays attention and raises its game to match then everyone will benefit. The fear for Telewest users is that they could be on a one-way trip to NTL Hell.