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Loss of internet/very poor customer service

Cfrancis
Tuning in

Problems started in mid January when I was having intermittent Internet connection. 

Engineer came out on 26th January and tried to fix the cable and made it worse, causing complete loss of internet. I have been without the Internet since then.

Virgin arranged for technicians to come out on 10th February, which isn't great as I work from home, so I put in a complaint to resolution team and waited. 

On 8th February I got an email saying the resolution team tried to contact me, which is not true as I received no call text or email and neither did my wife, who they have contact details for. They then put a link in the email for me to claim compensation, even though a customer rep said it will be automatically applied, when I called them on the 26th. I clicked the link and it said that page can't be found. I replied to inform the resolution team of this and then got on the phone again to confirm with a rep that compensation will be applied automatically which they said yes it will. I have yet to hear back from the resolution team. 

Yesterday when the technicians were meant to come between 8am and 1pm, no one did and no one contacted me in any manner to update me. I phoned a rep again who cut me off. Phoned Again and a rep said someone will update me and they will be coming later that day as the previous job was taking longer.

I waited until 16:45 and phoned again as I needed to leave and pick up my child. The rep said I didn't need to be home when the work is being done, which is the 1st time I was told this! He also said they would be round before 6pm. I went out came back at 7pm and my Internet was still not working. I phoned another rep who couldn't tell me if engineers had actually been out to my address. She then gave a recall date of 23rd March, which is completely unacceptable. She also said the fix would take 2 people to complete, which virgin should know anyway and book accordingly. She then gave me a number of 02037065275 to call, which I called and is no longer in use and when I tried to phone back they office had closed. Showing she just wanted to get off the call and go home.

I phoned early this morning to get some answers and the rep said they would get a manager to call me back with some answers on why no one had updated me from virgin about anything and when the work is getting done. She said the manager would phone between 11 and 4.

15 mins later engineers turned up at my door to do the work. No one contacted me about them coming. Unfortunately because of the weather they couldn't do the work as the access they needed was frozen and they have to leave it to defrost and better weather then return but didn't give me a date when that would be as their contracted out be virgin. 

At 4:30 I. Rang back AGAIN and the rep saw my account was updated with a note saying a manager should ring me back. They tried to pass me to the field team to see what was happening and then cut me off AGAIN. I phoned back and the next rep passed me through to the construction team, who's office is closed at the moment so the automated service told me to ring back and hung up. 

So as I write this I'm on hold again trying to talk to someone who knows what's going on. I have spent hours on the phone waiting and explaining my situation multiple times. I trust no one to contact me from any team, especially the resolution team or a manager. 

For a communication company, no department actually seems to communicate with each other or their customers. I've never received a call text or email, it's always me contacting virgin. Virgin are happy to pass me links that don't work and numbers no longer in use. 

I've had enough of apologies, I want an actual person to update me who knows what's happening but I've given up on that happening as promises of contact never happen.

Even if I'm compensated the £8 a day for the loss of internet, it won't be enough to satisfy my displeasure at virgin

77 REPLIES 77

The engineer hasn't been able to fix it, like I thought he couldn't, he just diagnosed the issue, which I already know, the cable was broken by the previous engineer. 

He's given me his managers number who is hopefully coming out this week, but I haven't been told a date. 

I'm expecting huge compensation for the amount of time that has passed, lack of communication and now incompetence by virgin staff to resolve my issue. 

As always I can be contacted any time but I doubt CS or the resolution team will

Just to add, that now my virgin box can't find any channels, so now I'm without TV as well! 

This is day 21 without Internet and it may be 2 more days without Internet and TV. Just to add insult to injury I get an email informing about my bill. 

Maybe I'll make them wait for payment as long as I've had to to see how frustrating it can be

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
@Zak_M can you help the OP here - they seem to have been left behind in their own thread

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John
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I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

So my compensation at the moment should SO FAR tally to;

21 x £8 = £168 for days since the total loss of internet

1x £25 for an engineer not turning up for arranged appointment which was 8th but came 9th

7 x £5 = £35 for not fixing my service on the promised date being the 8th

Maybe seeing the money this is costing them will get some kind of response 

@Cfrancis Maybe I'll make them wait for payment as long as I've had to to see how frustrating it can be

I suspect you're jesting, but in case you're not, don't withhold payment:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/Abysmal-amp-Non-Existent-Customer-S...

If you want to hit them where it hurts, keep paying but raise a formal complaint, if you don't get a handsome resolution (and I'll bet you won't), then reject it and request a deadlock letter, and then escalate to the arbitration service CISAS.  CISAS will do a good job of expert and impartial resolution, and the case fees (probably a LOT more than you'll get in compensation) are always paid by the company.  Slow, bureaucratic, but effective to "stick it to the man".  Whether that actually results in VM fixing your problem could be a completely separate matter. 

So I still haven't had a reply from the resolution team or the community admon about my most recent setbacks. 

To update you, I now have to wait 7-10 days for a council order to be produced so they can dig up the pavement and finally resolve the issue. 

I know this won't be the end of it as after it gets fixed I will have to spend hours more on the phone to get any compensation. 

Just to add insult to injury, I've received 2 emails recently, saying virgin have added channels, to a TV a don't have access too. Also updated my WiFi, where they will analyse my usage over the last few days to upgrade the performance. They're in for a surprise when they see my usage as zero since the 26th January. 

Will someone at virgin contact me for an update? As I'm paying for a service I cant use

So sorry to read that 'Cfrancis' lets hope that it does get sorted for you. By way of an update on my situation, I had texts come through stating they had found & fixed a 'Network Problem' in my area and on checking things looked fine and stable.

I monitored the speeds for the next day and up until the day before the Engineer call was due to call. On that day I received further texts asking if things were still alright and if so to reply 'Fixed'. I hesitated to reply too soon (just in case) continually checking throughout the day and the Download speeds were acceptable.

But unfortunately shortly after replying with the requested 'Fixed' at 18:14 hrs the speeds began to drop once more. So at 20:56 I added a note to the previous reply and sent it again. It was responded to almost immediately stating they will get one of their agents to review it and contact me. Next morning at 10:31 another text came through stating they have 'fixed the Network Issue affecting my service' and to please restart my equipment and wait 30 mins. This I duly did and replied to the text that all was running spot on again once more. But by 20:36 I was getting download speeds as low as 212 until at 23:05 they slowly began creeping up again.

That day I also received an E-mail from VM stating they have 'Upgraded my Wi-Fi at no extra cost' which although is very nice of them, it hasn't made any difference whatever that 'Upgrade' was. I am actually left wondering if they realise that my PC's are connected direct via Ethernet Cable when I am doing Speed Checks as its common knowledge that it will indeed vary greatly over Wi-Fi.

I'm waiting on an update on when workmen will be able to dig up the path outside my house to fix the cable. 

I haven't received any update from Virgin on when this will be. I don't want to be phoning again but I'm sure I will have to. Unless the admins on here feel like checking and responding, which they have only done once for me. 

The admins have answered another member more times on my thread than myself. 

I've got the same problems. Been happening since October 2020. I actually read someone's post on here saying there all having problems but my dads on bt and to this day has had no problems. He even got a call from bt and a letter saying there would be interruption on his line for one day as they were updating his line and would compensate him accordingly. I'd just say this to anyone that wants to leave but are being told you'll have to pay an exit fee, you dont. If you are having problems and they are doing very little to fix your problems you can leave because they are failing to provide you with what is stated in you're contract. I'm giving them till the 26th Feb 2021 then I'm going to some one else. I have also refused to pay the bill until its sorted. If your still not happy ask them for there alternate dispute email for the ombudsmen they use which can be found on there web page. Dont just lie down and take it fight back.

Ps. Dont forget to try claim for lose of earnings, make a log of calls made, times you lost the internet and put them in letter format to virgin giving them chance to counter you if you are not satisfied let them know you'll be going to the ombudsmen which will give them a final chance to make things right if you're still not happy then go to the ombudsmen. 

If they do phone you ask to phone them back I know it's a bit of a ball ache but last 2 times I've been contacted by some one from vm it's been a hacker trying to get my details. At least if you phone them you know you are safe.