2 week installation delay
<span;>Ok, I'm sure this has been posted already, but I'm honestly at a loss what to do next. My broadband installation was due on the 15th Jan, between 8am and 1pm. The engineer didn't show. I call...
Forum Discussion
It's NOT correct that they can get out of compensation because of their subcontractor being slow. As _wibble_ says, it's their own responsibility to get the job done when they have promised. You should refuse any other payment.
The other excuse they use is an alleged delay in getting permission to dig the pavement. In most cases this only takes a couple of days, and you can check with the Council when they actually requested it.
I'm not. So the letter says to email them if I accept. I am not going to do that. It then goes on the say call this number to discuss other option, the number being that hellish customer services one. Do I need to call these people, or can I just wait for the 8wks to be served and further this to the ombudsman? The latter I'd prefer.
You email back to say you reject their offer and require the correct amount which is (what you have calculated). Your next step depends on their response.
There is no way replying to the email can be construed as accepting? I only ask as it categorically says to reply to the email to accept, and call the number to refuse. These people are useless, and I wouldn't put it past them to not even read the thing, and assume it was being accepted.
What you need to do is to call the number as requested and make it absolutely plain that you reject their offer. if possible record the call yourself, (despite what some people claim, this is perfectly legal and no, you don't have to disclose it upfront), expect it to be a frustrating and pointless exercise.
You then write a letter to them addressed to their Sunderland office, in said letter you include the details, complaint reference and account numbers etc, you make it perfectly clear that you are rejecting their offer, that you have tried to follow their procedures, have made a call to them as per their request, but have found this to be ineffectual and the agent was completely unable help you. You might also want to admit that you have made a recording of this interaction. You further state that you expect VM to pay the full amount of the compensation owed to you and that you expect this to show up in your account within 14 days. If VM are unwilling to do this then you are exercising your right to demand a 'deadlock letter' which under the OFCOM regulations, VM are obliged to provide 'promptly'.
Almost certainly you will receive neither the proper compensation, nor said letter, in which case you wait the required eight weeks from the date of your first complaint and then escalated it to the Ombudsman service. You can use VM's attempts to deny you the compensation by falsely claiming you aren't entitled to it, and any failure to proved a deadlock letter as mitigating circumstances in your claim.