Oh Virgin Media...

Beetlemama

I moved our sons bedroom round at the weekend, we got a few new things for him and a new bed (I made a post all about it, lol) and we were given a whole Pirate themed bedroom set by a friend at work so it looks beautiful, I even put up shelves...

Now, I had to move his TV and VM box, moving his TV from by the window in to the alcove beside the chimney breast to give him a bit more floor space, but the cable doesn't reach. So I put up a post on Freecycle looking for 5ft of wire or a connector so I can join up a spare wire I have, but didn't get a reply.

This morning I call Virgin Media to ask them if they have a tech in the area this week if he could drop a connector or cable round so I can wire it up - know what she said? It'll be £99.00 for him to come round!!!!! oh dear god! I laughed, I thought she was kidding, I said No, I just need a little bit more cable that's all, I thought she'd thought I needed a new installation in a different room, but no, seriously, to have the man come over it's £99.00 - "....but he'll put the wire on for you" she offered helpfully.....
:eek:

Well......I suppose I better start looking on ebay and calling the little electrical shops then.They could stick me a connector in the post for 50p, make it a fiver even and add it on my bill, but a hundred quid? you've got to be kidding.

VM, that's pure manure!

chris_n_tj

Do what i did just watch out for a VM van and nip and ask, they gave me a lengh free of charge with no bother. xxx

Beetlemama

Yeah I said to DH that we need to watch out for a van in town. They'll be one about I'm sure and he wont charge me a hundred quid!

DCFC79

The fee isn't just for the cable but for the time spent for the engineer to do the job, not sure it includes time spent getting to you

Beetlemama

If the guy had been in the area I'd have popped over to the van and collected it.....nm they are £2.71 in Wilkinsons

spike7451

Beetlemama wrote: »

Yeah I said to DH that we need to watch out for a van in town. They'll be one about I'm sure and he wont charge me a hundred quid!

I used to get stopped all the time by people looking extension cables.The cables you buy from shops are not ideal for cable services (they're OK for Sky/Terrestiral) as they loose too much signal over distance as the cable & fittings is in most cases,inferior.The's a lot more to a cable tv/bband install than just plugging a lead into a box like Sky do.
You also would be billed £50 if you are found using a shop bought lead as you've introduced a non-VM item into the 'network' (VM service calls are free,unlike Sky)


If you contact these people below,they'll make you one up with the correct cable & connections.
http://mediacables.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_54

wannabehermit

Maplins do the connectors, not very dear at all. Virgin know we have Maplin bought connectors and lead as well as their engineers have seen them - connectors had to be put on as the ones the engineer had put on were broken and screwing our signal.:mad:

spike7451

wannabehermit wrote: »

Maplins do the connectors, not very dear at all. Virgin know we have Maplin bought connectors and lead as well as their engineers have seen them - connectors had to be put on as the ones the engineer had put on were broken and screwing our signal.:mad:

They may be OK for short distance runs,however depending on your signal levels & return/forward path slope at the ETB (Gray box on the outside wall,the ETB) & also at the termination point (STB/SACM) the loss may be too great to provide an effective service.
One I remember was a home owner who paid a spark over £150 to run a cable from the ETB to his new extension at the back,all underfloor.Neither his TV or BBand worked after that,spark had used cheap cable & the loss was well in the minus at the TV.
If you are going to buy cable,or even get a new aerial fitted,make sure they/it's CAI approved & has the CAI logo.

scottygirl_2

I have just done the excat same thing this weekend for my teenage daughters bedroom , moved everything around and needed to move her virgin box to other side of room. we also needed extra cable, so unscrewed the coaxal and wire took it down to local handyman shop where i bought 5metres of cable he put the end on (not sure what they are called) for me all for£3.50.came home screwed back into back of virgin box and tv all working great

Beetlemama

spike7451 wrote: »

They may be OK for short distance runs

Thank you, but it's only about four and a half feet, it's just that the cable to his room didn't quite reach - does now.

I had a proper VM cable from last time or the time before, or before that, when they have been over and fiddled with things, I just needed to join it to the existing cable with a double female connector.

In all honesty, just about every VM engineer that's been over here to the tv or the broadband has never had anything good to say either about VM/NTL, I'm not scared they might tell Virgin I have an unauthorised joiner, lol.

Aren't I the wild-child...:D