Re: Bereavement account transfer - nightmare!
Hi, I have had this same horrid experience this afternoon. My darling husband died very recently. I am utterly bereft and trying hard to manage all the affairs. The Virgin Media experience has been hands down the worst.
I had always dealt with Virgin Media myself, with my husband's 'permission' (VM term) and my name was on the system but not on the account. The only thing needed was to change the actual name on the account - all payment details and email address etc were to continue. I had a difficult time reaching a human in the first place today. A decent guy called Faisal in the regular customer services team was to be the only one who demonstrated any humanity, but he was not able to help as I needed the bereavement team. On reaching the bereavement team I was treated extremely insensitively by three different insincere and ineffectively trained people, only one of whom gave me their name once they knew I was upset.
I was distraught and frustrated, but never rude; I did not shout or swear. At one point, whilst I was sobbing one of the bereavement team told me they would end the call because of how 'difficult' I was to deal with. (I was asking why I needed a new account number and our Internet had to be cut off and re-connected which didn't sound like the transfer of an existing contract to me).
So I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told that none was available, yet I could hear the supervisor telling the one I was already speaking to what to say! He took over the call when I said I could hear him! The supervisor talked over me, gave excuses and tried to convince me that giving me a new account number and disconnecting and reconnecting the service really was a transfer of the same account into my name - honestly I felt I was being gas-lit!
Also in order to get a fair monthly price reinstated I was told I would have to become a 'new customer', despite over 20 years of our continued loyalty to VM. This makes no sense, given that they have effectively denied me any connection to my husband and made me a new customer already.
I will speak with the retentions team once I can get back only the account, but honestly I'm not sure I can take any more.
ADMIN - please have your training department listen to that call as a perfect example of how not to handle a bereaved and upset customer.
I'm sorry to learn of your recent loss and of your subsequent treatment at the hands of VM. I wouldn't call in again for now. Rather see if the VM forum team offer a facilitated complaint. If so I would accept the offer. I also hope that Faisal gets the positive recognition internally that he is due.
