Does Virgin have the worst customer service in the History of the World? How to I make a formal complaint

[Reluctantly]

Every time I get ready to call virgin media the muscles in my back get tight with stress and I feel a panic attack is not far away. This seems like a system designed only to torment you. 

I am leaving the country in one month and I simply want to register my leaving date with virgin and cancel my broadband. This should be a simple enough process, 5 minutes? Ten minutes at most?

I called virgin customer services at 6pm this evening and got into a queue with music playing, after 20 minutes the line went dead. I repeated this three times, so that's an hour of waiting listening to music plus the time it takes to go through the menu/enter your details. The fourth time I tried a different route through the process (I selected the option of wanting to "discuss leaving" instead of "wanting to leave") - this time after 20 minutes I got through to someone who told me that they could not do it for me but that they would transfer me to their disconnection department that could help me. After another 20 minute wait listening to music another person answered, she said she would have to get someone to do it and that it wouldn't be long - I was put on hold for another ten minutes then she came back to tell me she was still there and that it wouldn't be long - after another ten minutes the music stopped and the line went completely quiet although I was still connected - I stayed on the line hoping that someone would eventually take my call, after five minutes or so of silence I heard some keyboard typing on the other end of the line just before the line went completely dead. I tried to call again but was met with an automated response saying that the lines were now closed for the evening. 

My first call was made at 6pm and it's now 9:18 pm and I am no better than I was when I started more than three hours ago. 

Can anyone tell me where to direct a formal complaint?

I also wondered if anyone knew what the implications would be of just cancelling my direct debit immediately? I have after all committed over three hours this evening trying to inform virgin of my leaving date. Am I to assume from their response to my calls this evening that they do not need to know????

[AngryAl]

Absolutely

I have never had to deal with such a woeful, sanctimonious group in my entire life.

4 complaints raised in the past three weeks, three of those simply ignored and not tracked.

Promise of an engineer visit that did not happen.  Sent a replacement TiVO box that took three attempts to configure and set up only for it to lose signal today, three times.  Now it is only a handful of stations showing the no signal error and the agent I am currently speaking to tells me there is an issue in my area.  Funny, the website does not match that I would not have have expected only certain channels to be affected.

I am not sure I am dealing with an agent or just a more sophisticated BOT.

By the way Virgin, lose the Terri Triage bot, it is condescending and unnecessarily long winded and often the data has to be input again for the agent.

Incredibly poor customer service and yet no easy recourse of action.  I will be leaving as soon as my contract is up

[David_Bn]

Sorry to hear of the issues with the services @AngryAl,

Can you tell me if you now have access to all the TV channels you're subscribing to?

Kindest regards,

David_Bn

[Æthelstan]

Without a shadow of a doubt. Years ago they were known as awful. Now they're plain evil. I have had one support tell me in the middle of a support ticket that he was going on a 15-minute break and he promises not to be longer than that. Yes...it actually happened. And Virgin know it

As I type this, I am awaiting a support "agent" after waiting already for just over an hour. Not a jot. And all I want is to order a new remote control for my TV. You couldn't make this up, could you? Not just a button click to order one. I am forced to contact a support "team" who will never answer my call or text.

I have first-hand knowledge of the support team on Coventry Road in Birmingham. Their behaviour to and from work was appalling. Their attitude to the people around them, negligible. Their respect for their lanyard - zilch. Whenever I looked at them I saw not a single example of meritocracy and a whole exercise in PC box-ticking. That's why you get lousy support and why Virgin cannot do anything about it

Quite literally, the ONLY thing good about Virgin is their broadband speed. Beyond that, they are a bunch of cowboys. I should never have left SKY for this rubbish

My final note is I have just passed the one hour of waiting and not a single thing. I sign off with the same sense of rage and frustration I have increasingly had since day one.

[newapollo]

Hi @Æthelstan 

You should be able to order a replacement TIVO or V6 remote by logging into My Virgin Media at the top of the page, or by using this direct link  Order new remote 

If the links aren't working either clear your cache and cookies or try a different browser.

A member of the Forum team may pick this up  for you in a day or two and order a replacement.

In the meantime you can download the TV Control app using the link below to act as a temporary remote for TIVO and V6 boxes,  or the TV Go app for the 360 box.

https://www.virginmedia.com/tv/go-control 

[Paul_DN]

Hi Æthelstan,

Thank you for reaching out to us in our community and welcome, we are sorry for the frustration caused when trying to order a new remote control, and for your experience in general, I have tried to locate your account with the details we have for you.

Were you able to order a replacement remote with the details provided by newappollo? If not, I will be more than happy to help further.

Regards

Paul.