NTL stuff left in house - can I remove?

dmg24

Fedz wrote: »

I think you'll find you're wrong - as it belongs to NTL/CableTelVM so is classed as criminal damage.

Obviously how does one prove who did cut the wires and filler over it and throw the inside box/wires ...etc away - but, still if done it is criminal damage

So I'm wrong, yet I used to tell at least a customer a day that for three years, and in all my monitored calls my mistake was never picked up on?

Yeah yeah ...

Anybody going to call the police? I'm sure they'd be really interested!!!

Fedz

Just because you told customers everyday for 3 years plus ntl/CableTel/VM coudn't care less or the fact that that nobody would bother to shop you for it doesn't make it any less of criminal damage

Damaging property that isn't yours is criminal damage. Simple.

samtheman_2

Its not criminal damage - they have no claim on you. I know it was different with BT way back but I don't know if that still stands. If virgin were bothered they'd come and remove the equipment which they will not do.

Fedz

samtheman wrote: »

Its not criminal damage - they have no claim on you. I know it was different with BT way back but I don't know if that still stands. If virgin were bothered they'd come and remove the equipment which they will not do.

So what do you call deliberately damaging private property because technically that is exactly what it is - you don't own the wires and or boxes installed

samtheman_2

Right Fedz - phone and ask Virgin to remove the cables - see what they say.

Fedz

samtheman wrote: »

Right Fedz - phone and ask Virgin to remove the cables - see what they say.

I understand what you're saying and yes they would possibly say no but, by rights your then supposed to give reasonable notice in writing then if they still leave it all you then take them to court and or pay someone to do it and bill ntl/CableTel/VM if they refuse to pay the cost then you take that to court - they'd loose and end up paying the costs incurred ...etc.

Obviously it's easier to do the job yourself, ntl/CableTel/VM wouldn't care it hasn't cost them anything you doing the job for them but, technically the wires and or box are still private property of ntl/CableTel/VM and as such is classed as criminal damage, whether you agree or not, look at the defination of criminal damage yourself on eg: wikipedia

Badger_Lady

Fedz wrote: »

Obviously it's easier to do the job yourself, ntl/CableTel/VM wouldn't care it hasn't cost them anything you doing the job for them

Yeah - I think this might be the easier option

Fedz

Badger_Lady wrote: »

Yeah - I think this might be the easier option

Quite possibly so would I if I were adament not have cable at my house for one reason or another and despite the rights or wrongs but, I'd much prefer to leave it for it has value of having cable and non-cable access at a property - a good selling and or renting point as far as I am concerned

fwor

Fedz wrote: »

Just because you told customers everyday for 3 years plus ntl/CableTel/VM coudn't care less or the fact that that nobody would bother to shop you for it doesn't make it any less of criminal damage

Damaging property that isn't yours is criminal damage. Simple.

I must start by saying that I'm not a legal expert, but... The legal situation w.r.t. people leaving stuff in your house isn't that simple.

One course of action would be to write to them and say that if they don't remove the items within (say) 28 days, you will consider the items to have been abandoned by the owner, and you will dispose of them as you see fit.

After 28 days you can destroy the boxes/cables or do whatever you like with them and they won't stand a chance of making any sort of case against you.

mrmajika

Whether it is or isn't technically criminal damage is neither here nor there, if we're honest.

To the OP, I stripped out all the NTL stuff (as it was at the time) when I moved into my new house, as it was a real mess.

I got VirginMedia back in a few months back and they reinstalled all the wires and cabling for me free of charge (and did a much neater job than was there to begin with).

Strip it out. If you ever want it back in at some point in the future, just plead ignorance.