Virgin Media are Cr*p!

Grovis

New customer for Broadband and phone here. Install date was yesterday between 1-6pm. Half day booked off work. Waited and nothing between those hours so half day wasted. Tried to call Virgin Media (VM) customer services but was stuck on hold for 40 mins - gave up.

At 19:10hrs I had a knock at the door - gormless VM installer standing there in the dark. No apology, no explanation and no introduction as to who he was (hardly the expert engineer as promised on their website - both guys who turned up had no social skills and seemed a bit backward). Asked me where I wanted the cable to run from and told me he should have been finishing an hour ago but had been assigned my job (like he was doing me a favour turning up).

Not particulary happy but better late than never, I agreed for him to complete the install. Having drilled into my wall and setup the phone and Broadband entry points, I was told he couldnt complete the install that tonight. They didnt have the right key for the cabinet so couldn't unlock it to activate the service and wouldn't bury the cable they had taken from the pathway to my house (left it exposed along my lawn and flowerbed). I was told another installer would come tomorrow to bury the cable and complete the job. Slightly dubious I insisted I had a number to contact this new installer on, making a point that nobody had bothered to call me today. I was given the number but again not even a hint of an apology for the inconvenience earlier on. Basically no customer service skills whatsoever. I even heard one of them swearing and joking around during the drilling outside... I came back into my hallway and found they left a bit of cable and a crushed packet of rennie on the floor too... w*nkers :mad:

So this morning I call the new installer who should be coming today to complete the install. He tells me he is unaware of my job (great!) but will come at 15:00hrs once he has finished at his current location and call me if a problem. I text him my full address so has my details (it struck me after my call he wouldnt even know where to come) and ask he calls if any problems. 16:00hrs no sign of him. I call again he tells me he will be there later as busy on current job. 20:00hrs no call, no sign of him. I call and no answer.

So if this is how Virgin Media treat a new customer on a new install imagine how they will treat you if you ever need a tech to come out - if you can ever get hold of anyone at the call centre.

I will be cancelling in writing and calling them tomorrow to verbally cancel. I will also bag up their hub (awful by the way - described as a Super Hub - but worse than the 2007 BT router I have). Be removing the face plates they installed. Will take the exposed cable on my lawn and roll it up onto the path.

A testament to the crapness is the numerous websites dedicated to complaining specifically about VM and the complaint a minute they receive on Twitter....

I think I have had a lucky escape to be honest. Sorry for the tediously long post.

Gordon_Hose

I hate hate hate installers (so as not sully and devalue the title "Engineer"!) who don't turn up on time. Same as I hate hate hate any company who says "we'll be there between x o'clock and x o'clock" then turns up late. I'd rather they say "we'll be there sometime on the x date"! Giving a specific time slot, then not turning up is just bl**dy rude IMO!!

Let us know how you get on with your complaint.

jb66

I imagine installers hate apologising if they were late due to no fault of there own, good luck

Grovis

@gordonhose - haha I like it. Yes definitely not engineers on this occassion.

@JB66 - Tough! Your wear the badge and are on the payroll YOU (the installer) represent the company and apologise to the customer (the person who pays your wages) regardless who is to blame as you will be first point of contact and the "face" of the company. It is customer service 101!

I know you are only saying, and who knows if these guys were just put in the sh*t at the last minute, but in my job, which is about providing excellent customer service and inspiring trust to retain business, I expect the same back.

Furthermore anyone read the guff on their website about the installation process? Couldn't be further from the truth lol.

I have sent a letter which doubles as a complaint and my intention to cancel with immediate effect. I will be calling the Installation Manager first thing tomorrow for them to get their cable off my property. Tried to call Customer Services today but they aren't open...... something else to bear in mind

Ady87

I had the exact same happen. The company who provide the engineers (fellas with football shirts and high vis virgin media vests), do not communicate with VM customer services. I had engineers turning up and not turning up at all hours, making points of being there after they should have finished and being told repeatedly they couldnt do the job in the dark. Well, turn up before 8pm then.....

serverking

@Grovis, I've just dumped Virgin for Sky - they never increased my Broadband Speed ( allegedly up to 10Mb, but rarely got to 3Mb) since 2005, and I got fed up with the erratic billing system - I was on their '3 for £30' deal back in the day, yet were getting bills of £165 a month. They would just cut the broadband off and restrict the TV to Freeview channels... After calling India to get things restored, I was told service might be restored 'within 24 hours'....

I get twice as many channels now and a 20Mb connection, and UK call centres... the only downside is when we have torrential rain the signal can go...

Grovis

Well the facade continues! So I try to call to cancel first thing this morning (8am) and their phone system crashes on the "Thinking of leaving us" menu. Try again at lunch and get through to them and get everything cancelled I am told, as I have the 28 day money back guarantee. They had generated a bill for me (even though nothing had been activated) but I am assured this is cancelled and they are apologetic. I do go round in circles however as they cannot get anyone out for 3 weeks to remove the cable on my lawn and collect their hub.

What had struck my mind was that there was a slim chance an installer would appear today and bury the cable, connect it up to the outside box and activate the service in my absence. To avoid this I put a large note on my front door, which is right where the cable would go to be connected so could not have been missed & you would have expected someone to knock before starting the job thus reading the highly visible note, stating that I had cancelled the service, did not require installation and that the cable should be removed.
Well guess what? I come home tonight and they have removed turf down the side of my lawn, and looks like part of my neighbours' lawn too, buried the cable and replaced the turf badly. Also ran the cable through my flowerbed, burying it and connected it all up. It's dark now but it looks like a visible trench now separates my lawn and my neighbours. So they blatantly disregarded my instruction, came on to my land without my express permission, potentially dug up part of my neighbours lawn (without permission again I presume) and rigged up the service! All throughout I have not signed a single piece of paper to acknowledge the job was completed etc etc. Not at all happy and now wondering what my rights are ?

Gordon_Hose

You should send in a written complaint to their complaints department. If you don't get a satisfactory response then I would assume a complaint to OFCOM would be in order.

rainbowfairydust

Sorry to hear about the hassle VM are giving you, and glad i found this thread as due to move at the end of this month and currently looking at internet/tv options. Currently with sky and dont really want to pay for installation fees..

bungle4by4

to give a little balance, i've just had VM install my house, they turned up exactly when they said, the installers did a faultless job, very clean, professional, ran the cable neatly, and found a great hidden run through the house for the extra box.

the Tivo box is excellent, and all for less than sky. broadband is coming in exactly as it should at 30 meg. no problems at all.

oh and i got 56 quid for my sky box on ebay

daleski75

It's very hit and miss with VM installers I got 2 very helpful guys who listened to exactly what I wanted and did a job so good (shared drive with 4 other houses) that my neighbours thought there was a problem as they could not see anything dug up.

It sucks that the OP got a couple of crappy guys and I would battle it out with VM to cancel or at the very least give a nice discount and/or freebies.