They have messed up my emails yet again

[Bazzamer]

I phoned up today as I could not get into my Virginmedia emails,I spoke to a foreign man and said to him, do not reset my password or I will loose access to all my email accounts. I personally don’t think he knew what he was doing, as such I have no access to any of my accounts now. I have been trying for hours, can’t generate a new password, he gave me a temporary one, to an account that I never use. Now can’t even change my password just won’t let me. What do you do, now am in a complete mess, can’t even get back into the one he used. This is the worst service I have had, am going to the Ombudsman as just not good enough, they now taking £83.77 a month for standard package, and I never get a bill, want to try and reduce cost, but it’s all hopeless. I said I want to speak to a supervisor or senior manage so I can complain. I was told someone will contact you in 5 days, by then I will have many emails, and some will be important. If only we could speak to someone who you can understand, as they talk so fast and you just cant understand a word they say. I will just have to phone tomorrow and hopefully get it sorted, but I don’t hold much hope, wonder if I will get a refund for being over charged, let’s hear others comments, why do we pay all this money and get such terrible service, something has to change.

[polly43 · Accepted solution]

I know what you mean about ringing what are laughingly called Virgin's 'CustomerServices'!  It seems to come from India or some country like it.  Like you say, people talk so fast, you can't understand them.  When you attempt to explain, they interrupt because they think they know what you're going to say.  But they don't.  You then have to tell them to please let you finish!  Then they don't know what YOU mean either!  You end up just going round in circles.  I don't phone now unless it is something really serious that I can't find out about online; usually because my online service is down anyway!  However, I noticed I couldn't get into my other Virgin e-mails yesterday either.  I could get into my main account, but not the ones that I have access to from my main account.  They all had small triangles next to them, which I took to mean they had errors!  So I just left it until today and apart from the fact that the sign-in page took an age to load, the e-mail itself, including the extra ones added to it, were fine.  I didn't have to strain my eyes looking for stuff like bridges, bikes and cars in their god-awful pictures either!  However, I learnt my lesson the hard way re. Virgin Mail.  I use Google now for my main e-mail account instead and use Virginh Mail as a back-up.  Google send them all onto Virgin.  Virgin Mail just isn't reliable enough.  I did hear a rumour that Virgin is phasing out their e-mail service.  I don't know if there is any truth in it though, but I wouldn't be surprised.  You should negotiate a new contract Virgin if yo0u are out of contract now.  You'll probably get them to bring your price down.  It seems you're paying an awful lot for just the basic 'Package'!  You're basically only leasing your V6 box from them for channels you can get on Freeview (and probably more) anyway.  It's the convenience of being able to record and stream programmes you're paying for really. 

[Bazzamer]

Hi Pollu43, Thank you the lovely letter. Today I phoned them again, although the lady I spoke to was a bit easier to understand, but she seemed to be stumped at every corner. She was unable to send me a PIN code, but could not do anything, I was told it would take 5 to 7 days, must be because they only have one member of staff working. I said by then I could have a 100 emails and it’s just not good enough. As I have important emails coming through daily, she told me to phone back in 4 hrs to see if anything had changed. I could not be bothered to phone back for another hour long call on the phone. But later on in the afternoon, I noticed that my emails are now back to normal, that can’t happen as they supposedly have no access to passwords. I can get all my emails with no problem, as my Apple ipad gets them from Virgin server, how on earth I don’t know how it does that, as I can’t get into my emails on virgins website despite trying all sorts of passwords can’t even reset any of it. But why do they keep deleting passwords, then the customer complains and they seem to put it back to where it was in the first place. The last time this happened a English guy sorted it in about half an hour with no problem. They have already sent me a message to say how did they do, I gave them a big fat ZERO for all of it. You would think that the money they charge they would employ English staff who knew what they were doing.

I never got the chance to ask for a reduction of my plan, as you only can get a link sent to your mobile and it then cuts you off with a message saying thanks you for calling, so it’s a job to get through to talk to someone. I am now seriously thinking of going with someone else, as it’s so hopeless. Still have the same problem with the low output of volume of the V6, Freeview is fine so it’s their system at fault, but do I get any discount no they just don’t care. Thanks again for the really lovely letter.

Take care regards Barry

[Graham_A]

@Bazzamer There was a fault yesterday, acknowledged by VM on their service status page, that caused issues with accessing emails via VM webmail and third party email clients.  This was resolved late yesterday.  This will be why your email address came back online.  Nothing to do with password changes or any other remote activity on your account.

As polly43 mentioned the future of VM Mail is uncertain.  They stopped issuing new email addresses two years ago and now require a third party email username to be set in order to make any changes to current VM email addresses.

If you do decide to leave VM and go to a different broadband supplier you will need a new email address in any case.  Your VM address will be deleted 90 days after the broadband account ceases.

VM 

[polly43]

NEVER  change your user name or make any other drastic changes that people who work for Virgin suggest.  They are usually unaware of any current problems straightaway.  They make these suggestions because sometimes they think people have made mistakes and brought this on themselves.  From experience, I have found it pays just to watch and wait.  Usually things just get back to normal on their own.  So no knee-jerk reactions!  Give it time.  Apart from, say, the V6 box, as when they play up, it doesn't do any harm to re-boot (unplug it)  and wait for five minutes, which usually clears any problems, but if it doesn't, it's usually them (Virgin) so it's a case of watch and wait again.  I certainly wouldn't rely on Virgin e-mail though.  Why not try Google? I've used them from around 2016 and found them very reliable.  Otherwise, Hotmail, but I find their e-mail site very cluttered.  I like the clean, uncluttered mail site of Google myself.  😊

[Zach_R]

Hi @Bazzamer,

Thank you for your posts and welcome back to our community forums. We're here to help.

I'm so sorry to hear of your recent email access issues, and that you've also not had a good experience when raising your concerns with the team. Are your email access issues ongoing today, or have they been resolved since your posts?

Thanks,
 

[Bazzamer]

Hi, They are now completely hopeless, can’t change any passwords, some of them have been reset to the normal one you use, but none work. Why do they reset passwords we don’t know there is a fault, it happens so many times as it must be a password problem, esp when it’s reset to their standard password reset, done by them. I will have to phone them again but if i get India it is a complete waste of time, but can’t get any worse cause I can’t get in any emails now and can’t send any, such a unreliable service.

[polly43]

This is the trouble with Virgin now.  Too many Indian call centres and even if you have a very important query, it's impossible to follow what they are talking about.  I am getting calls (that my instinct tells me are scam calls) ostensibly from Virgin saying things like they are aware I am "Having probems with my internet connection, etc. etc."  It is invariably someone with an Indian accent, as so many scam calls are.  So I have to hang up just in case. But...I have to go online to check my service status just to be on the safe side.  It's just not good enough.  You would think that with all the money that Virgin makes, they could provide a better customer service that this!  It used to be so good.  Now it's like 'NTL Hell' all over again!  Yes I have been with NTL/Virgin for all that time!  In your shoes, the very least I would do is to re-negotiate my contract with Virgin.  It sounds as if you have just accepted every price increase for your standard service without doing this.  If you don't, Virgin will just go on putting up your price, instead of offering you a better contract to reward you for your loyalty!  I would switch to Googlemail for your e-mail though.  I still have Virgin mail, but only as as a sort of back-up.  Never try and get help immediately with the many glitches and problems with Virgin Mail though.  That  invariably makes things worse!  Better to just wait and see if things get sorted on their own.  It's well-known that Virgin are looking to ditch their e-mail service eventually anyway.  I have heard that they are not offering an e-mail service to new customers.

[Bazzamer]

Hi Polly43, Nice to hear from you again. It’s so amazing that some of the staff tell you things, somebody said no passwords were changed, but amazing how generic passwords have been put in some of my email accounts, but if you try to access with their password it don’t work. Part of my problems I have sorted myself, have gone back to all my original passwords, some work some don’t, but I can get to my main emails so who cares.

The problem with the prices are a nightmare, in August 23 they sent me an email saying my price would be £57 until August 24, now they have put it up 3 times to £87 and in August this year it will go upto £89. I am not going to pay that I just can’t afford it, will have a few probs with tv etc, but will be sorted out. A neighbour of mine has a basic package for £33 has had it for 5yrs, all he does is say he is leaving, and gets to the day before they are due to cut him off, hey presto they offer him a deal, even talktalk are offering the same package for around £34 so Virgin are just profiteering at our expense. The TV is very much better, when I got through to Portugal the guy said there is new software out with a new remote, it is really good, they sent me a new remote control, which you log on and download the software to your V6 box, and away you go, really good picture and sound is a lot better, pity I had to find out from someone abroad, why don’t they keep their customers informed.

i will wait till August and if I don’t get a really good deal then I will ditch them, lovely talking to you, hopefully one day it will all get sorted out, we can only live in hope, I have reported them to the Ombudsman as they are gaining evidence, give it a try.

Best Regards

Barry

[polly43]

Well at the moment I am on a deal; due to end in a couple of months (I think.) I am only on a basic package, so I don't think I should be paying much more than I am already.  Besides, I'm a pensioner and I just can't afford it.  Yet circumstances in this country have made it impossible for us to live our lives without the Internet now.  Bank branches have closed everywhere so how on earth are we able to pay our bills?  Especially when one is housebound like me!   Or order grocery deiveries for that matter?  A computer and telephone are basic essentials, as is a TV subscription for stay-at-home entertainment!  Virgin seem to be really charging people through the nose now for what isn't a particularly good service!  A neighbour of mine recently switched to one of the new cable companies that have sprung up in our area.  I always used to think that staying with Virgin was worth it because of their 'Excellent' Customer Service!  Alas, no long the case I'm afraid!  🙄