Forum Discussion

Alby41's avatar
Alby41
Up to speed
17 days ago

Virgin Media cancellation difficulties .. BBC rip off Britain reporting today 8.1.25

This morning I watched an excellent TV program " RIP OFF BRITAIN " in which the TV presenter Julia Sommerville reported  the woes and difficulties of two elderly female customers trying to cancel contracts and OFGEMs investigations ..and the way that these customers were treated by VM ..We all know that customers have these problems .. In my book VM did not shine and these ladies were given the treatment and stress caused by their experiences ... I am not sure if they have been dealt with at all but the program was really excellent I thought..

So if anyone wants to watch this and can do so I recommend it .. Catch up TV ..maybe ... just saying.

The TV program was transmitted AM..around 1045 hrs 8.1.25.

 

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta
    16 days ago

    Many thanks for the heads-up on this. 

    The programme is available on BBC iPlayer, and the item on Virginmedia follows one about Volkswagen.

    Hopefully this will push Ofcom to finally conclude their investigation and take some action. 

     

  • legacy1's avatar
    legacy1
    Alessandro Volta
    16 days ago

    VM future for fibre with hub 5x also not looking good without modem mode😑

  • unisoft's avatar
    unisoft
    Knows their stuff
    16 days ago

    Although the programme can highlight two specific customers here, VM are still getting new customer sign-ups and partly through their XGS-PON expansion. Unless Ofcom grow some, the programme won't go anywhere. Management will just wheel out (as seen many times before, including on BBC Watchdog) the improvements they are making, the management and government common statement of "lessons learned", and it will continue to happen.

    Nothing will come of today's programme as people who have currently no other fast internet choice and have decaying BT FTTC or ADSL technology with its cross talk and distance issues, still sign-up hoping they have a better experience. In most cases, and not all, the service works fine, it's normally the phone customer services and staff not knowing procedures properly and not being empowered that's the contention, along with management practices of price gauging for existing customers and OTT yearly price increases, even if you had just joined...

    • unisoft's avatar
      unisoft
      Knows their stuff
      16 days ago

      Watched it now. A bit of a lazy investigation by production team. No mention of DSAR requests for call recordings, no mention that VM can fail OTS like they didn't close down my old provider, and they could have looked on the VM forums for lots of cases over past year with little effort. They also didn't cover recontracting only to be told after agreement that the price no longer exists and offered a higher one, contract renewals that said they were like for like but suddenly didn't have the same Netflix tier or TNT Sports, being charged for lack of equipment return when customers had repeatedly asked for returns packaging but was not sent or physical pickup appointments not being kept (like I encountered last time in March 2024). And probably a host of other issues!

      • goslow's avatar
        goslow
        Alessandro Volta
        16 days ago
        unisoft wrote:

        Watched it now. A bit of a lazy investigation by production team. <snip>

        I think it might need a 1 or 2 hour special edition of the programme, dedicated exclusively to VM, to cover all of VM's most-reported customer service issues!

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta
    16 days ago

    It's pretty clear they didn't look any wider than the specific cancellation issue. Perhaps it will encourage viewers to contact them with the other problems VM customers have, although it's unfortunate the programme was not a peak viewing time. 

     

  • Lionhart127's avatar
    Lionhart127
    Tuning in
    16 days ago

    I have not seen the report from Rip Off Britain yet. I see Martin Lewis  'Money Box' has slammed VM, and Which Magazine has said VM 'The worse internet provider for customer service'.  I recently renewed my VM Contract for Broadband and Land Phone, and I am now regretting it. The hassle I had with VM renewing my contract, it was a Nightmare?  I got so angry and frustrated, and I am 74 with a heart condition. I want to cancel my VM landline, and go onto a Mobile contract, presently with O2 'Pay and Go' . The daytime calls from VM landline came to over £25 for one month, not that many calls, plus the line charge. Hugely cheaper with a O2 1gig data, 500mins anytime calls. But what I have heard of Rip-Off Britain, I am dreading cancelling the landline. My experiences with VM is a  'Horrific Nightmare', trapped in this (torture chamber company)  until my contract ends, if I can even get the torture to end!  Something needs to be done, and Richard Branson should be accountable. But they get away with it, and all these UK Governments allows all these Rip-Offs to escalate in this Rip-Off country!