Forum Discussion

Woodentom's avatar
Woodentom
Tuning in
6 months ago

loss of service - how long before the contract is broken

I know there are a lot of posts regarding loss of service and after 2 days there is compensation. Just wondering how long it has to go before the contract can be broken?

we are in our second full day and we are unable to work from home without broadband and with the contract up in 5 months, am wondering if it down all next week then can the contract be broken?

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta

    There's no published guide to how long you would have to wait without service before you can cancel.

    You'd have to make a formal complaint, give them notice that you want it fixed in XX days, and then go to the Ombudsman Service.  But that could take up to eight weeks and you can be sure VM will resist it all the way.

    • jpeg1's avatar
      jpeg1
      Alessandro Volta

      Client62 wrote:

      Switch to VM Business if you need a repair SLA.


      And even that can be slow to fix if there's a local area problem. It's all the same network.

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta

    Note that it's two full working days until automatic compensation kicks in, after which you get £9.76 per day.

    If you need constant uptime you should have arranged a backup on demand.

  • newapollo's avatar
    newapollo
    Very Insightful Person

    Hi Woodentom 

    Have you used the /check-services/   function? You can also a run a test on your equipment from there. 

    If nothing is showing  you could also try the automated Service Status number  0800 561 0061.  This often gives details of more local issues down to postcode level.  This will  provide an estimate of when it's likely to be resolved

     

    (You need to register the fault with them before you can qualify for automatic compensation)

    /virginmedia.com/help/billing-and-payments/automatic-compensation 

    Total loss of broadband or phone service

    Your broadband or fixed phone line aren’t working at all? Check to see if there’s an outage in your area on our handy service checker. You can report the issue to us by registering it online or alternatively, calling us. If we haven’t fixed the fault within 48 hours from the end of that day, you will be entitled to £9.76 credit per day until it’s sorted. Once you’ve reported the issue to us and service has been fully restored, any credit owed will be automatically calculated and applied to your bill – so there’s no need to call us to credit you.'

  • Tudor's avatar
    Tudor
    Very Insightful Person

    There is no SLA for a VM residential broadband connection. It is not designed for business use. You should get a business connection and even then you should arrange a suitable standby if the broadband connection is down. Either a second ISP connection or a 5G wireless connection. I have the former.

  • interesting responses. with the working from home situation across the globe since covid i am sure 99.99% of people who do this have a home broadband connection.

    my thoughts on VM are far from positive and we are on day 3 now with the latest update stating repairs by 5pm today, interesting it was 5pm yesterday until 10 mins before when the date suddenly changed. i am sure they will not give us compensation even if it isn't fixed today and to challenge it will take my time and effort. We will just see how the next 2 days go and as my contract is due in Feb then only suggestion is get another broadband provider in and paid both for a few months until the VM runs out.

  • Client62's avatar
    Client62
    Alessandro Volta

    WFH Plan B : A work mobile USB tethered to the office laptop.

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta

    WFH Plan B: A MiFi router with an Ethernet port, e.g. Tensa N300 or Huawei B320, and a 1-month data-only 4G SIM card.