Complaints web form

[Dalg]

I have tried to raise a complaint about my broadband issues but I am being told the link is broken or I have entered the wrong address. I have now had 4 days of problems with my broadband and I just keep being fobbed of and now I can't even complain about the service (or lack of)

[newapollo]

Hi @emassey

You could try calling the pre-installs team on 0800 052 1734

They are open  8:00am to 9:00pm  Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to 6:00pm Saturday and Sunday

[goslow]

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@emassey wrote:

Haven't visited this site for a long time.  To tell you the truth it's so depressing.  Here's an update:

<snip>

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Certainly a depressing story of failure by VM. Sadly, it's been repeated many times over on here.

I don't know what the answer is but, from past topics, suggestions for the 'NaN' description have included 'rolling date', 'external work required' and 'order cancelled'.

When did you last speak to VM?

There have been several past topics where VM gave up on the installation and simply didn't tell the long-waiting customer. The customer only found out they had been 'cancelled' by calling VM for an update.

Has VM given you any indication what, specifically, the delay is due to?

If they are using the highly-elastic and catch-all 'council permits' excuse, have you made some enquiries with your local council/highways authority to see what (if any) permits have been applied for?

I hope you are keeping some detailed records of all VM's bungling so, come the time, you will have all of your evidence and info about the fiasco in place to claim some suitable compensation.

[Ayisha_B]

Hi @emassey, 

I have taken a look at our systems and can see that the reason for the delayed install is construction issues. 

We are awaiting updates from the Avonline with estimated time frames and as soon as we know more, you will of course be updated. 

Many thanks for your patience.

[Andrew-G]

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@Ayisha_B wrote:

Hi @emassey, 

I have taken a look at our systems and can see that the reason for the delayed install is construction issues. 

We are awaiting updates from the Avonline with estimated time frames and as soon as we know more, you will of course be updated. 

Many thanks for your patience.

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Construction issues that have lasted approaching five months?   This country's house builders aren't famed for their speed or efficiency, yet can still construct a house to legal completion from scratch in about eight weeks, involving around fifty tonnes of materials, multiple trades skills doing sequential work, and connection to water, sewers, electricity, gas, telecoms.  I'm politely intrigued to know what are VM hoping to do that involves two and half times as much work as constructing an entire house.

There was me thinking that this will be a blocked duct, all that's needed is a quick survey to confirm that, request a Section 50 permit (taking a few days), and then get the construction subcontractor to dig down and clear the blockage, followed by a re-pull of a cable.  A week, ten days work.  Or it would be if this were the gas or electricity networks, or BT.

[jem101]

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@goslow wrote:

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@emassey wrote:

Haven't visited this site for a long time.  To tell you the truth it's so depressing.  Here's an update:

<snip>

---

Certainly a depressing story of failure by VM. Sadly, it's been repeated many times over on here.

I don't know what the answer is but, from past topics, suggestions for the 'NaN' description have included 'rolling date', 'external work required' and 'order cancelled'.

…snip

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As an aside, NaN stands for ‘Not a Number’, it’s what a website front end often displays when it is expecting to have a number to display in, say a date field, where actually the backend system gives it some information which can’t be interpreted as a number.

What I suspect is that they don’t even have a date for giving it another go and the entry is simply blank, I’m afraid to say that this does hint that VM have simply abandoned the job - naturally, the paying (potentially) customer will be the last person to be informed!

[Ayisha_B]

@emassey, the construction work involves a bus stop suspension so we'd need permits and it's taken longer than we'd like but please be assured our team are doing everything they can for you. 

Best wishes

[Andrew-G]

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@Ayisha_B wrote:

@emassey, the construction work involves a bus stop suspension so we'd need permits and it's taken longer than we'd like but please be assured our team are doing everything they can for you. 

Best wishes

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Ahh, now we're getting somewhere.  Of course, the sceptical inquirer might wonder how long it takes to get a bus stop suspension.  Well, taking West Sussex County Council's web guidance purely as an example, the forms for a bus stop suspension take ten minutes to complete online, and are requested to be submitted three weeks in advance.  Presumably, as an efficient and proactive company, VM had identified the blockage in the couple of weeks between order and original install date, so let's say VM comply with the three weeks, but only submitted one week before the original install date, I'm sure emassey would be very understanding of a week or so's delay.  But we're in January now, and we've accounted only for two weeks and ten minutes of delay for a bus stop suspension, meaning there's about four months and one week of delays still unaccounted for, and with the clock still ticking.

I must say emassey, anything that's complicated (by VM standards) will increase the cost.  There's a fixed budget for new installs, and once you're into works permits (Section 50 permits, usually quick and easy to obtain, but with a fee that can be a few hundred quid), then there's the actual digging and mending work, there's signage, barriers, possibly traffic control - and in my example case, East Sussex charge an additional £200 for a bus stop suspension.  All this adds up and if it goes over the budget, then the install may never happen. 

As and when it gets round to Compo-o'clock, you'll find VM strangely reluctant to pay up for the full period of delays - all will be blamed on the council, and you'll probably have to contact the council directly to find out when VM asked for permits and when these were issued.  You'd then invoke VM's complaints process to claim your £5.25 a day for the whole period of time up until VM requested the necessary permits if there is a material delay in that request, and then from the date these permits were issued.  Chances are you'll have to take the matter to Ombudsman Services, as VM will insist that the compensation scheme says they don't have to pay until they have the permits, you would make the counter argument that VM could and should have applied for the requisite permits promptly, and that the bulk of delays sit with the company.  

[emassey]

Thank you Andrew for your response.

[emassey]

Hello goslow thank you for your response. I last spoke to them yesterday when I got cut-off after 47mins. VM have never given me a reason for the delay. Whatever the reason surely no person should wait this long (i.e. order placed in Jul for go-live on 23rd Aug 2022). We are now in Jan 2023 !!! I was taking print screens each time they changed the date (BTW each time no one called me and informed me of this, I had to find out myself by going to the "Orders and Appointments" section).

I really don't understand how this company is allowed to behave like this, why haven't they been fined and publicly called out.  This company has to be the worst I have ever come across.

[jem101]

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@emassey wrote:

Hello goslow thank you for your response. I last spoke to them yesterday when I got cut-off after 47mins. VM have never given me a reason for the delay. Whatever the reason surely no person should wait this long (i.e. order placed in Jul for go-live on 23rd Aug 2022). We are now in Jan 2023 !!! I was taking print screens each time they changed the date (BTW each time no one called me and informed me of this, I had to find out myself by going to the "Orders and Appointments" section).

I really don't understand how this company is allowed to behave like this, why haven't they been fined and publicly called out.  This company has to be the worst I have ever come across.

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Actually you have quite a way to go, the longest delay that we know of between the first promised install date and when the poor sap valued customer was connected up, was a little over 13 MONTHS. Assuming that they got the required compensation then they’ll probably be looking at free internet access for life!

I will give you the usual/same advice that I do in these situations. Mentally set yourself a deadline, ie ‘if I’m not connected up and working by 1st Feb, say, then I’m going elsewhere’! In the meantime start looking at alternative options, speeds, timescales etc. If the deadline arrives and passes with no VM connectivity then simply go elsewhere. But whatever DO NOT cancel the VM install, just think of the daily compensation racking up, which they are obliged to pay you even if you do cancel! VM may or may not connect you up at some point, but even if they do, you test the connection, immediately cancel under the 14 day cooling off period and claim the compensation owed - admittedly, you’ll probably have a slight fight to get it, you’ll be told you aren’t entitled to it because <insert rubbish and borderline illegal excuse here>, but luckily some of us on here know how to advise accordingly.

In this way, should you decide to give VM another chance in the future (and stranger things have happened), you’ll know that the cables are all in place and working.

In terms of ‘why haven’t they been fined and publicly called out’, well they haven’t actually done anything illegal - yet. VM don’t actually have to connect you up at all if they don’t want to - what they do have to do, is pay you the required level of compensation for the delays and that takes effect once either a) you get connected, b) you cancel or c) VM formally notify you that they aren’t going to do it, and even then they are required to pay an additional 30 days worth of compensation. It’s only when and if they fail to do this can action be taken against them.

Oh and the last point, if you do check (and there are sometimes posts on here from disgruntled customers threatening that unless xyz is done, they’ll post it all over social media, which always makes me smile slightly with the naivety of it), you will find that VM’s reputation for customer service is so low that Satan himself and all his demons have to look DOWN to spot it. Really nothing anyone can do will make it worse.