Superhub free replacement to cost £35?

[JohnROrange]

Greetings:

I have a Superhub 1 that has increasingly poor wi-fi performance.  It drops in and out, and frequently tells us there is no internet service.

Using the online service checker, I was intrigued to see that I was entitled to a free upgrade to Superhub 3.  Since I couldn't get the online ordering process to work - it kept reporting an unspecified broadband technical error - I rang Virgin this evening to arrange it.

Imagine my surprise when I was told that there would be a £35 Activation charge for my free upgrade!

I pointed out the website describes the upgrade as free, but the operator insisted that any new equipment had an activation fee.  I objected, more than a little annoyed, and the operator put me on hold while he consulted.  A few minutes later, the hold music came back, then the line went silent: a few more minutes later, I decided I'd been hung up on.  Not the service I expect from Virgin!

Having read the Legal Stuff on the Hub upgrade page, I see that I might get charged £5 for home delivery, which seems fair, but no sign of any Activation fee.

I can see in past forum posts that others have encountered the same issue, and it has eventually been resolved, and I would be delighted if that is the result of this post. 

Since some of the posts are quite old, why is this still an issue?  Is there a training problem for the operators, or does their support software not handle the options correctly?

I have been a Virgin customer since 1999 (when they were Eurobell here in the South West), and generally been pleased with them, I am really disappointed by this.

John  Orange
Plymouth, UK

[Andrew-G · Accepted solution]

If VM have to replace an antique Superhub that's failed (or indeed a newer one that has failed), you shouldn't have to pay for activation, or delivery.  You pay VM for a working internet connection, they have to provide and maintain that.  Be aware that somebody's messed up big time, and there's a shortage of hubs, so you will probably get one that's already been used and returned.  It should work OK, but keep your eyes open for any oddities, as the quality control on these returns is poor.

[Steven_L]

Hey @JohnROrange,

Welcome back to the community and thanks for taking the time to post this issue on our forum pages.

I'm really sorry to hear of the issues that you've had trying to arrange your new hub, this should be a free replacement for your hub as we aren't providing the service that you're paying for.

I can arrange for a new hub to be sent out to you but would need to confirm a few details via a private message, so I can get this done. I will pop the message over in a moment. 

Regards,

Steven_L

[Steven_L]

Thanks for confirming your details via a private message @JohnROrange.

I have to raise a technician visit to replace the hub for you and all the information that you need about your appointment can be found on your online account and clicking My Account and Track Your Order.

Regards,

Steven_L

[JohnROrange]

Steven_L:

My wife has already had an automated phone message telling us there will be an engineer on site tomorrow, although we shall have to change that, since none of us are in tomorrow!

I'll wait for it to show up on the My Account page later today, and see if I can re-arrange it.

Thanks for all your help

John

[Steven_L]

Thanks for coming back to me @JohnROrange, I did arrange this for the first available date that we had for you, I'm sorry that nobody will be at home for this.

As the appointment is imminent, I can re-arrange this for you, if you'd like me to do so.

If you would like me to change this now, please send me a private message with the dates that you are available and I will change the appointment.

Regards,

Steven_L

[pfshepherd]

Hello.

I'm in exactly this predicament!

Please can someone help me to get a replacement for my faulty hub without having to pay a fee?

Thanks,

Paul

[pfshepherd]

Hello. I'm in exactly this predicament, with the telephone support people telling me I can't have a free replacement for my faulty hub.

Would you be able to help me please?

Many thanks,

Paul

[John_GS]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for posting.

Please in future make your own thread 🙂

Sorry about the hub, can you expand on what's happening with it? As I've not been able to locate your account via the forum details. 

Best,

[pfshepherd]

Thanks for responding so quickly John.

The hub has been fine for years, but just this week the wi-fi has started dropping out and coming back all the time, sometimes more frequently than once a minute.

I've been through all the tests and resets & reboots, several times, but each time I'm told there's nothing wrong with it.

Swapping it over to 5G helps, and ethernet cable connexions still work.

I read on various virgin media web pages that as it's both faulty and an old device it would be replaced without any charges, but each time I've chatted or spoken to support people they tell me I have to pay extra.

If you can help please, I will be very grateful!

Kind regards,

Paul