Virgin call centres....

ProdigalScouser

I've had nothing but problems with Virgin's offshore call-centres. For a kick-off they can never find my account, even with the account number, my name, my telephone number etc. but the on-shore centre finds me straight away. The biggest problem is that their "tech support" consists of nothing more than reading a script that amounts to "switch everything off and switch it back on again" despite me specifically telling them that this wouldn't work (I'm an IT manager). They can't deviate from this script because they don't actually know what they are doing - when I told them it wouldn't work, they just kept plowing on.

What I found works is to use the online problem form. If you turn autocomplete on in your browser's options, you can quickly fill the form in and send off half a doxen problems in a short space of time. It seem that, if you hit a certain number, the UK call centre will then get in touch.

fluffnutter

Can I just put in a word of defence for the scripts that EC agents follow? I know it's frustrating to be asked stupid questions in a seemingly unvarying sequence, but you'd be amazed how many calls that are resolved by asking these questions. Lots and lots of people phone up without the slightest clue that a simple power down and up might well resolve their problem.

But more importantly... if the call is unresolved at first contact and needs referring, the next team to receive the call will simply reject it if they can't see that every straightforward problem has been investigated and ruled out first. YOU know it's not because it needs a reboot, but THEY have to establish this - boring as it seems. Scripts are by far the most useful way of doing this.

The thing is.. and I come back to cost again... you're not speaking to some real techy person when you first phone up. Their labour is far too expensive to waste their time saying 'Have you tried switching it off and on again?'. Nope, the techies are in the back office, solving the real system problems and re-tuning and testing the code. You're actually speaking to someone who probably doesn't know the difference between their telly and their kettle. That's why they're asking the numpty questions, and you're getting annoyed. But it's cheap!! That's why you don't have the techies as the first line - too expensive.

custardy

where possible,use the VM support forums

fluffnutter

custardy wrote: »

where possible,use the VM support forums

I'd second that. There's loads of good, techy support on the web. The EC agents are really just there to answer the phone unfortunately. It's not their fault - they're not trained to do otherwise and just shouting at them slowly 'WHAT.... PART.... OF.... I'VE.... ALREADY.... TRIED.... THAT.... DO.... YOU.... NOT.... UNDERSTAND?' won't get your interweb working any more quickly

Driver8

Sally42 wrote: »

I came across this thread and laughed ~ a few weeks ago, I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you (I'm the woman who threatened to jam a call centre manager's gonads between two bricks when he accused me of simply being out to get money off the company, when my broadband was crashing on average about 15 times a day....I later learnt that my phone call had been recorded and played back to some 'higher' managers......), but after calling tech support on Monday for some help, I'm not so sure. I was dealt with by a wonderful lady, who spent an hour on the phone, remotely connected to my pc, cleared up a myriad of problems, made me laugh and brightened my day!

Remind me not to get on the wrong side of you !

erdd2

If a router is not supplied by virgin, they will transfer you to a company that will take you so far to resolving the problem and then hit you with the "you need to agree to a subscription, provide bank details and your system is needing this service" this is when you hang up and fix the problem yourself with the aid of internet forums!

tealady

I'm with VM and am still waiting (after a week) for the agent to ring me back with an answer to my problem. I might try the forums when I have a mo, thatnks for the tip.
BTW I loathe overseas call centres simply because myself and the agent often have difficulty understanding one another!!

fluffnutter

I doubt anyone likes overseas call centres. It's not just the language problem - they take jobs away from this country too, simply because labour is cheaper abroad. Again I keep returning to the cost of these operations. In privatising many of our industries, e.g. telecommunications, gas, electricity etc. you open the market up to competition and in the main this has benefited the customer - certainly in that bills are probably cheaper. The problem is, that in endlessly undercutting each other, companies look for ways to reduce overheads. And where do they reduce them... in wage bills and in the level of service the customer receives. So people lose their jobs and the consumer gets a poorer experience.

But hey! The companies keep their enormous profit margins so it's not all bad!

Dave_C_2

fluffnutter wrote: »

I doubt anyone likes overseas call centres.

Which is why Nat West TV ads are saying "UK call centres" as a selling point. Even a few seconds on a TV ad is very expensive, so it's not just an afterthought.

Dave