Over three hours so far today; has anyone tried to contact VM from a landline?

[retiredcol]

CategoriesBlog

Colin Wood

Colin Wood

Published an hour ago

Currently in a 63 minute queue; I'm aging at a rapid pace.

Hi,

I'm currently on a 63 minute queue awaiting someone to actually talk to me. My wife and I have been with NTL/VM for over thirty years and it's never been as bad as it now is.

I'd possibly have more luck joining hands to contact the dead than trying to speak with someone at VM.

18 months ago we received a letter from VM explaining once again a price increase but I was amazed as I read further; I could get a similar bundle for about half price by shopping around.

Our bundle currently costs £61 per month and I'm aware we could have got it much cheaper elsewhere.

We don't use a mobile phone so we are now alien to VM who keep requesting our mobile phone number; VM keep wanting to text us?

We have lots of problems trying to contact VM in the event of a problem; last March we were completely without TV for a week relying on DVD's; two technicians came out both useless the third finally sorted the problem out.

Service rating is zero for VM even though for many years enjoyed excellent service; it's gone downhill and I admit I'm not at all happy as I sit here awaiting a human to talk to me.

Our contract ends shortly and already paying more than we should we'd sign up for another 18 months but only at £61 otherwise enough is enough.

I'm always patient and polite but this really does test my patience I'm 76 years of age and getting older fast awaiting a response from VM.

Kind regards, Colin.

Update,

It's now 1:50pm and VM have sent a message;

Thank you so much for your patience. You're now connected with the Queue Update BOT.
Info
- 13:00
Sorry you're still waiting, we know this isn't ideal but we're getting there.
Just to be sure: Are you still okay to hold?

VM are taking the Mickey and this is still ongoing and live; now showing an "Error" so contact lost. So much time already wasted.

I need to change my approach; when the next payment is made to VM I'll contact my bank to stop future payments. VM fall over themselves as others do to attract new customers whilst treating long standing loyal customers as they are now treating us.

Contacting VM is a nightmare but in fairness once actually speaking to someone at VM they are always polite and friendly. I don't like leaving bad reviews but this has annoyed me and still without closure.

Date of experience: 26 September 2023

---

Edit

Reply from Virgin Media

An hour ago

Hello Colin.

Thanks for taking the time to leave us a review. We’re very sorry to hear that you feel this way and we’re keen to know more so we can help put things right.

Please get in touch using one of the following contact methods;

Call: 150 from a Virgin Media Landline or 03454541111 from any other phone
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/virginmedia/
WhatsApp: +447305 327 112
Twitter: https://twitter.com/virginmedia
Forums: virg.in/VMforums
And we can help from there

Regards

Gareth

Many thanks Gareth for your reply it's appreciated. Here I now am at 3:15pm having now politely requested Nikita to cancel our contract. After over 30 years with VM I think it's time to change; I'm now offered another contract at £78 per month; my wife and I would extend our current contract for another 18 months at £61 per month otherwise It's time to move on; our friends are telling us to swap as are Internet forum members; I'm a member of eight forums and have been discussing VM. VM are attracting new members whilst pushing loyal members away; we don't want favours just to be treated fairly.

I've been put into another queue having already been in one queue for an hour and a half this morning. I'll check to see if there's a message if not I'll close the chat. I can do without all this unwanted hassle especially when I'm aware other deals are on offer.

Kind regards, Colin.

[Yozzer · Accepted solution]

Hi Colin, I feel your anguish. I am 82, and also been decades with NTL/VM, and I came to the conclusion that loyalty simply was not respected, and the assumption was that nobody who had been so many years, would actually leave. I too waited very excessive periods on chat and the phone, but once I realised the methodology was one of, I felt, contempt, I decided to go. There are some good people on this forum, who try to help, but it still took two weeks for someone on this forum to feedback to me my cancellation had bee actioned, but still nothing formal from VM. There is something seriously wrong, and in fact it was saddening to some extent, leaving after so much time, but my friends and family could not believe the difficulty in communicating with a communications company. Anyway, what you do is up to you, but if you decide to leave, do it in writing to Virgin Media, Sunderland, Post Code SR43 4AA, and send it recorded and signed for, and I paid the extra for next day before 1pm. I did this on advice from Goslow, and it was good advice, as many here have cancelled and it has not been actioned, which is what worried me. According to folk here, do not stop your DD as it will only cause failed payment charges on top. I am very relieved mine has been confirmed via Vikki on this forum, as one of my sons was going to take legal action if I and his mother was messed around, and he is in a position to do it, but I do hate that kind of hassle, there should be no need. People of our age do our health no good trying to seek a resolution with a company that seems to have gone off the rails, just move.  

My thanks though to the Forum team.  

[Akua_A]

Hi @retiredcol 

Welcome to our community forums and thank you for your first post.

Sorry to hear you have experienced long wait times when trying to get in contact with our team to discuss the possibility of renegotiating. We are further saddened to see you were unhappy with the deal offered. You can find some great existing customer deals here  https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/existing-customer-deals You can also call our retentions team on 0345 454 1111 who can best advise on package deals and discounts. Here on forums, we are unable to assist in regards to package changes and package deals.

Thanks,

[retiredcol]

Hi Yozzer,

Thanks so much for your welcome reply and useful information. VM totally ignore loyal customers treating them like  dirt putting up their prices whilst attracting new customers with reduced costs. I agree entirely; VM must think because of our age we're already past thinking so they can treat us like idiots.

Contacting VM is like contacting the dead; chat lines on for hours then cut off; only having a landline phone is something VM simply don't understand; how can a text message be sent to a landline not that I've ever sent or received a text because I never use my £12 old eBay SOS phone; I don't even know if it still works; likewise my wonderful wife has a mobile phone this costing around £60 a few years ago internet capable but we never use the thing; as an apprentice mechanical mining engineer back in the early sixties everyone had two hands with which to do work; these days millions only have one hand the other holding a mobile phone wandering around like zombies with head to the floor; I don't intend to join them. I was five years old before electricity was installed into our miners cottage.

I'm delighted to finally have the top secret VM address; try finding this on the web; I will indeed write confirming cancellation of our contract and post it recorded delivery also logging a copy for future reference expecting hassle from VM after the day I've just suffered with VM.

The only way I could think of speaking to a human at VM was to cancel the direct debit then perhaps VM would contact me because it was impossible for me to contact VM by landline or chat and I have searched for VM's postal address without success; I bet if I was a new customer wanting to set up a VM account contact would be rapid. It stinks.

I've suffered a nightmare of a day wasting hours because of VM's inability to communicate with customers; it used to be bad enough speaking to someone on another planet unable to understand them this has now been sorted because there's no one at VM to talk to; I think VM is run by robots.

Having had enough a forum member kindly sent me BT phone number but out of curiosity I opened the BT website and had a go using the BT chatline; WOW what a huge difference; immediate help; it did take about 45 minutes in total answering all the questions and setting up a new account but compared to VM it was a real pleasure to finally be in rapid touch with someone; we worked together whilst all my questions were immediately answered; the outcome is VM will lose my wife and I as customers when BT engineer visits to set everything up on 12th Oct.

I should have done this years ago but this time near VM contract end I was well and truly ready. We'll have full fibre broadband 100 with complete Wi-Fi

Broadband add on complete Wi-Fi this costing £5 per month extra but guarantees no buffering or drop outs.

TV entertainment with basic free Netflix we didn't have Netflix with VM.

Home phone retaining our landline number pay as you go without free evenings and weekends which doesn't bother us in the least.

VM cost £78 per month; WAIT for it BT cost £51.99 per month all in and with a free higher speed for a month this including the £5 add on for powerful Wi-Fi.

I don't know how good or how bad BT will be but it can't be worse than VM but at least it will cost us considerably less each month. VM have now lost our £732 per year just because they won't talk to us. If we'd carried on with VM it would cost us £936 per year with a new contract.

VM had their chance today but were greedy.

What really upset us was in March this year; watching YouTube became hugely frustrating it buffering all the time but it also often froze or simply got fed up and disappeared; I had great difficulty contacting VM but eventually engineer #1 visited snipped the ends from a few cables and made new connections not testing anything; as soon as he quickly departed YouTube was as bad as ever; we ended up without any TV at all for a week. Engineer #2 visited he too a waste of time. He spent ages here and as he departed he sat in the van for a few minutes; I was straight out to inform him YouTube was playing up he replied he'd done all he could it was loss of signal at VM end but he would report it;  engineer #3 visited and at last got it working but it still buffers at times and occasionally loses the plot. We said then just wait until the contract is about to expire. You've already lost two long standing customers how many more will you lose if you don't sort out your communications.

Many thanks again Yozzer I sincerely wish you well with your new provider.

Kind regards, Colin.

[Yozzer]

Hi Colin, just a quick note, I believe you need to give 30 days notice, or do I was told on the  forum, so that is what I did. I sent mine off the 11th September, as well as cancelling by phone, and the leave date is the 11th October, my install is this Friday, so it gives me time to check it out alongside VM in case of teething bugs. All the best, Brian

[Ashleigh_C]

Hi there @retiredcol 

Thank you so much for popping back to us and I am so sorry again to hear that you have faced these issues trying to arrange a cancellation with us. 

Can I ask if you have been able to confirm this cancellation now?

[retiredcol]

Hi Brian,

Many thanks for your additional useful information. I'll write and post a formal letter of cancellation to VM today. The recent letter received from VM regarding "We're changing our pricing terms" states we can cancel any time before 31/10/2023 without paying any cancellation fees.

Like you Brian it saddens me to be discussing VM in such negative terms after so long being loyal customers but I've reached the point of not wishing to discuss further with VM after the way they treated us and the abysmal service we've endured since March. I was awake at 3am last night thinking about how we've put up with VM for a number of years; lots of buffering; YouTube freezing or disappearing; TV incredibly slow to boot up each morning; lost emails and many email error messages; Gmail loads faster than NTL and is much more reliable; often "Timed out" messages appear; having now stepped back VM simply isn't worth the price they charge. Our current contract with VM includes a £25 customer discount but even at the reduced £61 it is still dearer than competitors.

My opinion is unless you have a mobile phone leave VM alone it's too much hassle trying to contact them by landline. BT as yet is untried by us not yet having the installation carried out but how can VM compete when with such poor service from VM we're expected to pay £78 per month when we can obtain similar but better bundle including basic Netflix for as low as £47 ours £51.99 because of the Wi-Fi add on; just on cost alone we'd be foolish indeed remaining VM customers; it's not just cost but VM simply aren't as good as they used to be.

Thanks Brian for your good wishes; I hope all goes well for you on Friday.

Kind regards, Colin.

[retiredcol]

Hi Ashleigh,

The cancellation isn't yet completed but I think VM have now accepted our contract will be cancelled shortly and I'll write a letter of cancellation just to make absolutely sure. VM customer service is terrible when only having a landline; surely as a communications company VM can at least speak to their customers rather than have automated replies asking for a mobile phone number and not being able to supply a mobile phone number keep hearing "Sorry I didn't catch that" after half a dozen of these then Goodbye. Has any VM team even tried to phone VM using a landline; no mobile phone no contact?

Kind regards, Colin.

[retiredcol]

Hi Akua,

Sorry for the late reply. Many thanks for trying to help; my wife and I didn't want to change our current VM bundle just sort out a new contract. Have you tried contacting VM using a landline on 150 or the 0345 number you kindly suggested. I tried both but every time was stopped when asked for a mobile phone number unable to proceed further; please give it a try from a landline.

I appreciate assistance with packages isn't available here on the forum but neither is assistance available via landline direct to VM; from 11:30 yesterday morning I was on the keyboard apart from mealtimes until 8pm last night before finally settling with BT sorting out passwords opening new accounts with such as Netflix etc it was a very tiring day indeed which could have been avoided had VM customer service being fit for purpose but now we're signed up with BT for two years I'm pleased to leave VM which really is sad after a lifetime as VM customers.

Kind regards, Colin.

[Beth_G]

Hi Colin,

Again we are very sorry to hear you feel this way and for the experience you have had. However please know that irrespective of what package a customer subscribes to, we treat all customers equally and strive to deliver an excellent service.

I can see that you have been able to speak with us over the phone today and from what I can see, everything appears to be in place. Can you please let us know if you have been able to come to a resolution with our team?

We'd be really sad to see you go, however if you do still require any help please don't hesitate to get back in touch.