Virgin Media Call Centres

Tea3

Just a mini-rant as I need to let of steam.

Ok, a note to virgin media:
1. If you send cards to people saying they get free mobile calls to virgin media mobiles please make it clear that it is only at certain times for some people - my mum (70+) has already made several mobile phone calls and now found out she only gets them at weekend. The 'special customer' card should be clearer so everyone, including those who cant go online to check the terms, should be able to understand it as just now it can be read in various ways and looks like everyone who gets the card now gets free calls to mobiles.

2. Please ensure all your staff who deal with customers over the phone can speak and understand english clearly. I have no problem with a call centre being in any country at all so long as once I have spent 10 mins getting through to a human they can understand what I am saying and reply to my query. I have friends of all races, various religions and sexual orientation and dont give a monkeys of the colour or location of who is dealing with my enquiry - they can be pink with neon green spots and live on the moon if they want to, so long as they can clearly understand english and dont just repeat the same phrase about not understanding me over the top of what I am saying. After 35 minutes and calling 3 times I eventually gave up and decided to email Virgin Media instead as my query is still unresolved. There are people in the UK where english is their first language who should not be working on phones as they are hard to understand (my parents included who talk very fast scottish with a strong accent) whereas I have three friends from India who speak english perfectly - the nationalilty or country is not important - employ who you want, where you want but make sure they can understand what the customer is saying!

Before anyone complains to me - yes, I have spoken to overseas calls centres in the past and been fully understood and was able to hear the replies fine so this is not a complaint about everyone in overseas call centres - only the people who dont understood or fully speak english who are dealing with customers who speak english. If hiring a typist you must ensure they can type, a window fitter should be able to fit windows, you would want a taxi driver who could drive so it figures on phones you want someone you can understand on a phonecall - wether they be from overseas or from the UK the main thing for working on phones is a clear voice who understand the language fully of the country they are taking calls from (I speak french but not clearly or well enough to take calls in a french call centre for example).

MothballsWallet

3. Don't install your equipment on a rented property without ensuring that the landlord has given their consent - something documented in your own terms and conditions.

trevormax

I got that silly pink card too. I havent fallen for it simply because I don't know anyone else on a Virgin telephone/mobile.

Tea3

Thats the problem my entire family is on virgin mobile so mum who is on payg mobile thought she could now phone people from home phone for free instead of paying and phoning from mobile. I only realised the 'free calls' were not actually free all the time by reading the info on the website but mum can hardly switch a pc on let alone go online and many elderly people dont have web access so I think clauses/terms should be on the actual card that was sent (or even a little insert with it). Very misleading.

paulofessex

I spent over ten minutes having to repeat my postcode 5-6 times once with the overseas VM call centre staff, and thats without having all the other issues throughout the call.

Problem is, just what can we do about it...nothing. I can imagine the complaints department giving itself pats on the back for a drop in customer complaints....no!!!!! it's because we can't be bothered with the hassles it takes when making a complaint.

dizziblonde

MothballsWallet wrote: »

3. Don't install your equipment on a rented property without ensuring that the landlord has given their consent - something documented in your own terms and conditions.

Ours is installed (house was already cabled up anyway) with the wires not fixed to the walls at our request - VM guy was terrified he was going to get into trouble doing it that way.

VM callcentres are generally dreadful, I have to brace myself and prepare a stiff drink for when I get off the phone before I call them - the latest conversation involved me asking for a change of name on my account (recently married) and the reply being, "why you trying to commit fraud?" Little twerp was chewing gum while on the phone as well - an absolute pet hate of mine and something we were NEVER allowed to do when I worked in a call centre.

Gerrard_8_lfc

The best protocall with VM is not to call after 9 pm at night.

The worst experiance I had was when my Broadband kept cutting off and I had a VM Engineer round and he could not find a fault as it was intermittent fault.

I then caled VM that night at 10 pm and the girl from india was not understanding what I was saying and then when she understood what was wrong she tried to help by telling me what to do. I tried everything but it was still down. I then said what shall I do now she said call back another time ???.

That annoyed me and the fact that inbetween me asking questions there was a eery silence I could tell how much she did not want to speak with me.

A Statement I seen today that made me laugh applies to this story. Pay Peanuts get monkeys.