Virgin Mobile - Customer Unsupport!!

Pontoon

I'm at the end of my tether with this company which has a reputation for good customer service.
I'm fed up getting foreign call centres with folk who don't understand the nuances of the english language, and who don't understand what your problem is and won't give a straight answer!

Apologies for this long rant, but it gives you an idea of the fact i have been with them a month and this is the effect they have!!!

I got a brand new sim-only contract, and ported my number over. The day it ported was the day before I flew to Europe on holiday.
I spoke to someone when setting up the porting and checked if I needed to sort out settings or anything. the answer was no. All simple and straight forward and helpful.

On the day it ported, I randomly tried the sim several times, but it wouldn't pick up data. I phoned a couple of times and checked it wasn't something else, I was initially told to be patient it can sometimes take until midnight before it's all sorted.

I was then told they were txting me the settings the next day when I still had the issue. (having done some research since then, this was POINTLESS! If you can't recieve data, you can't receive mms, therefore you can't receive settings by txt! You'd think someone in tech support would know this)

I went on holiday without any access to internet except when we found wifi. I did try and find answers on the website, but the formatting on the website kept going squew-wiff and I guessed that I probably needed to pay for a datapackage to get data abroad, so I did. I found out how using the hotel wifi, then sent the txt which all went through fine. I got a response that it had worked.
... however I still couldn't get online without wifi.

I enjoyed my holiday and randomly tried to find solutions. Nothing worked.

I got back to the uk a week later, and phoned virgin while waiting on my connecting flight phoned to try and solve the problem.
I got another foreign call centre person with a quiet hard to hear line, who after discussion, told me she would txt the settings and they might take up to 15 min to come through.

20 min later I call back again, this time being a bit less patient and a bit more assertive. I quickly get put through to a lovely Welshman who asks my phone model, recognises that there are issues with the HTC OneX receiving settings by txt and offers to email me instructions which I can follow when I get home to set up the phone properly. He also offers to put a note on it for me so that when i'm home and more ready to deal with customer services I have it noted what has happened, and I can claim my £s back for the datapackage. GOLD STAR for the welshman!

I finally got it working and it is doing its job. I then a few weeks later decide to sort out the issue with the data package money, but first I need to check my account. I try logging in.
I must have forgotten my password so it locks my account for 15 min. I leave it and try again later, it's still locked.
I try resetting the password.
It's still locked.
I try to contact someone, to find the email link takes you to the login screen :mad:

I try resetting my password again and leaving it the 15min again before trying it.
and I'm still locked out.

I phone up and initially try and address the data package money. However the girl doesn't seem to have a clue what I'm asking for and doesn't understand that I can't remember if I went for the £5 or £10 deal ... which is why I was trying to log on to my account to see. She then becomes preoccupied with getting me logged in as I suspect she understands this is an issue.

However she starts asking if I've tried my security password, which i had just given her, as the password for my account. I point out that I wouldn't because that is my phone password not my online password, and also that I've reset the password twice so it shouldn't be my original password anyway.

She mumbles something about using the password I gave her as a security check as the password. NB the whole time I'm speaking to her the line is quiet and hard to hear her clearly!
I ask her clearly and concisely "Have you reset my password to that password?"
I get more mumbling, but I don't get a clear yes or no.
I ask her again.
more mumbling.

I ask to be transferred to someone who will understand what I am saying, as she obviously can't understand a straight forward question.
She mumbles something about her manager being busy can she give me a call back.
I reply, Only if they can understand what I'm saying and help get me logged into my account and to sort out my problem.
She then offers to transfer me to Tech support to sol

Eventually through to tech support and he checks my account and sees it locked (40 min after the last time I tried to log in) and his "cure" is for him to wipe my online registration and for me to register from scratch all over again :eek:
I point out, that isn't a solution. He explains that the web site is managed by a different dept. I ask to be put through to them. He explains they aren't customer facing, and they work with email. I then have to explain to him the ludicrousness of the issue i'm having as when you click the email link on the website, you get taken to your login page... which I can't log into because it is locked because I've been having problems... which is why i'm trying to email them...

He didn't really have an answer for that!:mad:


I am now away to find out if I can get a deal elsewhere!!! I am really really unhappy about this whole thing!

Virgin have great offers. Shame about the majority of their customer support!!!

pmduk

Virgin's reputation for customer support is based upon them repeatedly telling us how good they are. Customers that have used it tend not to be so supportive of that view.

Pontoon

I realise that now.

My OH found this after I told him about the latest incompetencies.

which I'd wish I'd read before being duped into taking out a contract with Virgin Mobile

marmitepotato

Have you tried their Facebook or Twitter account?

banger9365

marmitepotato wrote: »

Have you tried their Facebook or Twitter account?

they are just has bad ,or should i say DPA (if you have used them you know what i mean)

Pontoon

Just to add insult to injury!

I phoned to request my pac code and check that there were not going to charge me anything for leaving. I got a very apologetic guy who totally understood my issues and said that they should have wiped the charge for the data roaming package immediately when I phoned and much of the hassle would have been saved had I been put through to the right person.

He totally understood why i wished to leave, and checked that I didn't have any outstanding debt (which I don't I've got outstanding credit) he then transferred me to the most bulldozering salesman possible, who promised me a free months rental and said he'd wiped the data charge automatically and was so keen to talk over me that he was ignoring my request for the pac code.

I did get it eventually, but only after a 10 min conversation about why I have no interest in staying with a company who outsource their support to people who cannot help with basic issues!

Oh ... and i was amused by how often this sales guy mentioned he was in sheffield. it was at least 3 times. Suspect they need to try and make up for the amount of miskates by the foreign call centres they have.

I'm now waiting on a giffgaff sim, which will hopefully bring me much happiness and joy in comparison!

aileth

Hope it wasn't my OH who bulldozed you, he works for retentions in sheffield!!!!

From what he's said their main call centre is in Manila and they have no end of problems with them, apparently there's one in Nepal too of all places.

Pontoon

LOL! I actually didn't mind him too much. I twigged and bulldozed back!

I just hate folk giving me the hard sell after the decision has been made. Once I've got another sim on the way and i'm requesting a pac code, realistically, you don't have a hope in retaining me.

I actually feel sorry for some of the British staff, as they are the ones who have to deal with all the customers who have been wound up by the foreign centres with useless staff. Most of the Brits I dealt with were helpful, polite and did what they could... till computer said no.

aileth

Pontoon wrote: »

LOL! I actually didn't mind him too much. I twigged and bulldozed back!

I just hate folk giving me the hard sell after the decision has been made. Once I've got another sim on the way and i'm requesting a pac code, realistically, you don't have a hope in retaining me.

I actually feel sorry for some of the British staff, as they are the ones who have to deal with all the customers who have been wound up by the foreign centres with useless staff. Most of the Brits I dealt with were helpful, polite and did what they could... till computer said no.

I think the one you spoke to was being a bit naughty really, as I do remember him saying to me that when someone calls up requesting the pac code, you -have- to ask them why but you are not allowed to be obstructive in giving it to them. He said you can tell when someone really wants their pac code and those that are still on the fence!

I think it's standard nowadays though, I dread having to ring up and cancel something because you get all this spiel and I hate losing my temper.

I have to say I was very surprised once though when I called up direct line to cancel my pet insurance, I braced myself for the, "But we can give you X...", and she just said, "Okay, that's cancelled. You'll receive a document in the post, thank you." I was absolutely stunned.

paulofessex

What's makes their customer support even worse in my opinion is how if you visit on of Virgins shops, we have one where l reside, the only help they can give you is to put you on the phone to customer services...back to square one.

We recently had an issue where their customer services wouldn't even give us a price to have two additional boxes unless we agreed to have a TiVo box, upgrade broadband and to cap it all to have a landline, which is something we don't need.

We had to go through the formal complaint system to enable us to get the answer.

Pontoon

Well the saga didn't end there.

My bill arrived, ... and low and behold there is that £5 data package charge which I previously had 2 people tell me they would automatically remove it as it was virgin's fault I couldn't use it when i was on holiday.

My subsequent phone call went straight to a foreign call centre, who refused to put me through to a British call centre when I asked. Saying they couldn't.... I don't believe that for a second.
I had to suffer mumbling on a muffled line, which makes me "speak up" ... and in an open plan office at work, I HATE doing this! It means all my colleagues know exactly what I think of virgin... :S I suppose that isn't a bad thing...

She then agreed that the charge should be wiped, and claimed that she didn't have the facilities to send me a receipt of that, either via email or post. However she would send a txt... which I still haven't received. I was insistant on the written confirmation. which she didnt' provide.

I've checked my online account, and she is right, she has wiped it off the bill... for just now... however I've cancelled my direct debit, just in case.
I'm !!!!!!ed if they're getting another penny from me!!!!

:mad: