Delayed installation - Constant lies

You seem to have worked out most of this for yourself already but FWIW ...

Your story has been repeated hundreds of times on here in multiple variations of 'delayed installation' complaints. A wide and deep communication chasm exists between VM and its installation sub-contractors. Once the sub-contractor is tasked with the job, they seem to be pretty much left to get on with and VM his little/no interest, involvement or influence on what happens, based on evidence from many similar past descriptions on here.

As a result, when you sepak to VM about the installation, they know nothing at all other than the next date that pops up on their screen (which has been described as nothing more than a 'placeholder' in the past on here). A word that is regularly repeated by the agents is that they 'guarantee' the installation will happen on the day they tell you but such guarantees are worthless as they are not based on any practical reality.

The £30.49 missed appointment charge is payable when VM tells you that you have to be in for an appointment but fails to show without giving you at least 24 hours notice. Compensation payments are supposed to be made with 30 days of your connection being activated. Beware of VM agents offering 'goodwill' payments along the way instead of auto compensation as these are typically much less than the actual compo due under the auto comp scheme.

Hopefully you have familiarised yourself with the auto compensation scheme

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/billing-and-payments/automatic-compensation

https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/fibre-optic-services-terms-conditions/automatic-compensation

and are keeping detailed notes of everything that has happened to ensure you are paid the correct amount. Keep notes in a timeline format of all VM's failures with links from the timeline to supporting evidence (texts, screenshots, emails etc.).

You will find many past topics on here where VM has failed to pay up what was owed under the auto comp scheme and the customer has had to go to arbitration to get paid the correct amount which is why you need to document everything as you go along.

A VM forum person will reply to your topic within a few days. Every so often they can manage to kick start a stalled installation but their efforts seem to be constrained by the broken and dysfunctional installation process that VM has created for itself.