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wrightyrx7's avatar
wrightyrx7
Tuning in
2 years ago

Seeking Help: Over 83 Disconnections and Counting

Hi everyone,

I'm reaching out to the community for some advice and support on an ongoing issue I've been facing with my Virgin Media internet service. Since November 20, 2023, I've recorded 83 disconnections, leading to over 21 hours of downtime. It's worth mentioning that these figures only reflect the times when my computer was actively being used; the actual number of disconnects could potentially be higher.

This situation has severely impacted my ability to work from home, affecting not just my productivity but also my professional responsibilities. I've made numerous attempts to address this issue with customer service, including seeking a waiver for the Early Disconnection Fee (EDF), given the service reliability issues. Unfortunately, my efforts have not led to a satisfactory resolution, and the service's unreliability has made it increasingly untenable for me to continue under the current contract without exploring other options.

I'm at a point where terminating my contract seems like the only viable option to seek a more reliable service. However, I'm faced with an EDF, which I believe should be waived under these extraordinary circumstances. The disconnections and downtime directly contravene the implied terms of consistent and reliable service, which were my basis for entering into the contract.

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who may have faced similar issues or has advice on navigating this situation. Has anyone successfully resolved a similar issue, or can anyone offer guidance on the best steps to take next? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help and support.

12 Replies

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  • Kath_P's avatar
    Kath_P
    Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
    2 years ago

    Hi wrightyrx7, 

    Thanks for taking the time to contact us via the Community. It's lovely having you on board with us in the Forums. ⭐

    We're sorry to hear you've been having an issue with your connection. Taking a look at things this end, I can see that you originally reported this to us in November and we advised at the time there was an ongoing area issue affecting you. This was closed as resolved on 10th December and since then we've had no reports of any issues from you. It is extremely important that you report these sorts of issues so we can get to work with resolving them. 

    Our diagnostics on your home network and Hub have not found any issues that could account for connection drop-outs. All your power and signal levels are within optimal ranges and there is nothing to suggest a new area fault. This means that the issues are most likely due to the equipment being used in the home.

    We can see most devices are connected via WiFi and some of these are showing a low signal. Are you currently using any third party WiFi boosters? If not, I think you may benefit from having a WiFi pod to help boost the signal which will help to curb any disconnections due to low signal. 

    We can get this arranged for you but in order to do that I will need to confirm some information with you to pass security. 

    I have sent you a direct message to allow us to do this with you in a private space. If you are using a PC/Laptop then you can just click on the little ✉ at the top right-hand side of the page to access your inbox. If you are on a mobile/tablet device then instead click on the little circle icon in the top right then select 'Messages'. 😊

    Thanks, 

    • wrightyrx7's avatar
      wrightyrx7
      Tuning in
      2 years ago

      Afternoon, 

      The device that is having the issues and also monitoring the virgin media connection is my desktop pc, connected to the router via the RJ45 cable supplied by Virgin Media. Wifi is not the cause of the drop outs. 

      Thanks

      Chris

      • Zach_R's avatar
        Zach_R
        Forum Team (Retired)
        2 years ago

        Hi wrightyrx7,

        As per my colleague's previous post, they've advised that they've sent you a private message to obtain some further information so that they can offer help with this. Please check your inbox and respond to them there for additional support on this matter.

        Thanks,
         

  • MarkCV1's avatar
    MarkCV1
    Tuning in
    2 years ago

    Here lies the BIG problem. It's been suggested by VM that each outage is reported. May I ask HOW we can efficiently report this? I'm in the exact same.boat as the OP and the amount of time I've spent waiting on hold, going through multiple hoops and IVR menus - probably a week of my time.and that's since January. 

    Bottom line - VM are the.worst ISP in history. Customer service is non existence. Customers have to prove that its down? Oh come on, if you have proper infrastructure alerting and monitoring in place you will see all the drops.

  • wrightyrx7's avatar
    wrightyrx7
    Tuning in
    2 years ago

    Apologies for the delay I have been waiting for my internet to come back online.

    I don't appreciate being told the drop outs are being caused by WiFi when I have already stated this is a wired connection. I am not concerned with any of my devices that are connected wirelessly, only my work machines which are connected directly to the Virgin Media Hub. 

    My Broadband Ping - My Virgin Media Connection

    Regards,

    Chris

    • Zach_R's avatar
      Zach_R
      Forum Team (Retired)
      2 years ago

      Hi wrightyrx7,

      We didn't say that the issues are caused by Wi-Fi, but that we can only see issues that may impact the Wi-Fi connection and not wired. Sorry for the confusion.

      Thank you for setting up and sharing a live BQM with us as requested. Would you also mind confirming any diagnostics and troubleshooting you've performed thus far in an effort to remedy these issues?

      Thanks,
       

      • wrightyrx7's avatar
        wrightyrx7
        Tuning in
        2 years ago

        I've made multiple attempts to address the connectivity issues, including two phone calls to Virgin Media and extensive discussions through live chat. My troubleshooting efforts have included power cycling the router by turning it off for 60 seconds and checking all physical connections, such as the coaxial and Ethernet ports, to ensure everything is properly set up and functional.

        Additionally, I've observed and participated in discussions within a local Facebook community group, where it's become evident that these service disruptions are not isolated to my connection alone. On numerous occasions where my service has gone down, other community members have concurrently reported similar outages with their Virgin Media service. This pattern underscores a broader reliability issue with Virgin Media in our area.

        Given the critical need for a stable internet connection for my work, these ongoing and widespread service issues highlight that Virgin Media's service in our area lacks the reliability I require. This is the core reason behind my request for the Early Disconnection Fee to be waived. It's essential for me to find a more dependable service provider to ensure I can maintain my professional responsibilities without interruption.

        Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope we can find a resolution that acknowledges these repeated and community-wide service disruptions.

        Regards,

        Chris

  • wrightyrx7's avatar
    wrightyrx7
    Tuning in
    2 years ago

    Thank you, Joe, for the update on the current outage and its expected resolution time. While I appreciate this information and look forward to the service being restored today, my concern extends beyond this individual outage. The issue at hand is the cumulative effect of multiple outages over time, which has significantly impacted my ability to rely on Virgin Media for consistent internet service, crucial for my work from home.

    The repeated disruptions, including today's outage, are part of a larger pattern of service instability in my area, as discussed previously. These are not isolated incidents but a series of many, which have prompted me to consider the necessity of a more reliable internet service provider to meet my professional obligations.

    Given this context, my request to waive the Early Disconnection Fee is based on the ongoing and broader reliability issues, not just the resolution of today's outage. I'm seeking a resolution that addresses the overarching concern of consistent service reliability, which is essential for my work.

    • Molly_T's avatar
      Molly_T
      Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
      2 years ago

      Thank you for getting back to us wrightyrx7. 

      Given your feedback and concerns it would be best if we get a complaint raised for you. This way, we have a record of your feedback and what you are looking for as a resolution. (To leave without EDF's). We can then take this forward to see if it is possible, based on supporting evidence from your account. 

      As you are already in a PM with my colleague, please just pop them another reply message advising you would like to raise a complaint and that this is what you are looking for as the resolution. They will then offer further support with this. 

      Thanks for your patience in the meantime! Wishing you all the best. 🌞