Virgin Media Community

[Myloes]

Hi,

I made a post here before detailing the multiple delayed installs, useless customer support etc.

I've made peace with Virgin Media delaying the install, technician turned up a few days ago and again, had to be delayed because the Outside Works have no been completed.

It has now been delayed 3 times, and been exactly a month since it was originally meant to be installed.

So a few question about this: https://www.virginmedia.com/help/billing-and-payments/automatic-compensation

I'm assuming this is paid in "Credit" for whenever I finally get the Broadband installed.

My calculation being.

1st Missed visit £25.18 | 2nd Missed visit £25.18 | 3rd Missed Visit £25.18

As of writing this, 30 days delayed from first installation - 30 x £5.04 = £151.20

All together being £226.74 so far.

Now trying to explain this to Virgin Media awful phone-line support has gotten me nowhere. As I'm sure you can imagine.

I was informed by one of the reps that my account was credited for 3 months. Which is nowhere near enough. 3 Months of my agreed Virgin bill would be £96 (Pretty far away from £226.74)

So my questions:

1. What happens to this compensation if Virgin never install my Broadband?

2. How exactly do I get anywhere with getting the correct compensation when Virgins support engineers via the phone are as helpful as a chocolate teapot?

Last time all I got was an unhelpful automated response on this forum too, so hoping one of the forum team can actually make an effort this time.

Kind Regards.

[Andrew-G]

1. What happens to this compensation if Virgin never install my Broadband?

VM are still liable to pay this under Ofcom's rules on auto compensation, between the date they first promised and the date that they inform you they are not going to connect you, or you cancel.  However, staff insist (wrongly) that compensation is only paid as a credit against a live customer account.  If you end up in this situation, you raise a formal written complaint asking for the compo (plus an extra goodwill gesture of say £70), wait for that to be fobbed off, reject the fob off resolution by replying and asking for a deadlock letter, and when you get the deadlock letter you take the matter to CISAS, the industry complaints scheme, who will sort it out.

2. How exactly do I get anywhere with getting the correct compensation when Virgins support engineers via the phone are as helpful as a chocolate teapot?

To be fair, field staff wouldn't know much about the rules here, so you work it out yourself.  Ofcom's website shows the compensation rate as £5.25 a day currently, plus £26.24 for each of any missed appointments that you had to wait in for.

[Myloes]

Thanks Andrew, very helpful post. 

What is best/most effective way of filing this formally written complaint? (preferably an email address?) - Its very helpful to know my next steps though, thank you.

I had no idea about Ofcoms rulings as well, actually bumps the total they owe currently up by £10 compared to Virgins description... 

Currently Im in a state where Virgin haven't even rescheduled the appointment. Upon phoning I was informed I'd be compensated £30 total (lol) and I'm on the "priority list" for installation and will be contact by Virgin "at some point". I'm sure you can tell how convinced I am of all of this. So this compensation bill they're racking up is getting pretty large...

[Andrew-G]

There's no direct email route for complaints; If you're setup on My Virgin Media then there's an online complaints form buried in there.  If your account isn't active then you might not be able to get on MVM, and in that case you'd need to search, read and follow VM's Consumer Complaints Code of Practice, focusing on the route for postal complaints.

Bear in mind that complaining about installation delays probably won't have any bearing on bring forward an installation - last year, some poor blighter had to wait 365 days for a new connection, and this year somebody's over a year and still counting.  In last years' case, despite the regulations VM tried to evade their obligations for compensation, as a result of which the matter went through complaints, got fobbed off, and escalated to CISAS, who I'm confident made a very generous settlement in the customer's favour.

[-tony-]

just to add a bit - the £25 missed appointment compensation is one they seem to play with - the rule is that it has to be an appointment where you or someone over 18 has to be there - so an internal install would cover that but a cable pull or external work would not - you MIGHT want to be there for [say] the laying of the cable across your garden but the MIGHT is the key they do not require you to be - so that may affect your figures

the £5 a day may be subject to a couple of days reduction - on a repair they are allowed 48 hours to do that so if you are off line 7 days then they would only pay 5 - add to that a day is 24 hours - yes we all know that but if you go offline at 1minute past midnight that day does not count - same at the other end - so again if it was a repair you need to knock 4 days off the offline time so 7 days becomes 3 days payable - all that said i dont know if the same logic is applied to installs

they will - from other examples on here try to lower whatever they have to pay and make stupid offers - your example of £30 being typical so taking the above into account especially on the rules about missed visits have non of their BS - afaik if they refuse the full amount then take it to CISAS and add a couple of hundred for compensation for whatever reason fits

they will try and add it as a credit - thats up to you but if you want it as as a cash settlement ask/demand it like that

[Myloes]

Aye, the fact they've made the stay in for hours multiple times just for the technician to go "I dont know why Im here, they haven't done the external work" has got to count right?

Funnily enough, after two days of nothing - A mere hour after I post this suddenly I have a rescheduled technician appointment. We'll see if it actually goes ahead or another £25 🙄

[-tony-]

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@Myloes wrote:

Aye, the fact they've made the stay in for hours multiple times just for the technician to go "I dont know why Im here, they haven't done the external work" has got to count right?

Funnily enough, after two days of nothing - A mere hour after I post this suddenly I have a rescheduled technician appointment. We'll see if it actually goes ahead or another £25 🙄

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that sounds like internal work so - yes that should kick in £25 each time its missed 

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @Myloes,

Welcome back to our Community Forums! Thank you for your post and I'm very sorry to hear that you're still experiencing some issues with your install and you're waiting for your services to be set up. 

I do apologise that you're waiting on external works to be complete. If construction is needed, our team will need to gain permits from the local council before any external construction can be carried out.

I can see that you've been in touch with our team recently. Have you been able to raise a complaint for this issue? Our team will get back to you as soon as they can in regards to this and provide further updates on the install.

Keep us updated if you can. 

Thank you,

[-tony-]

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@Paulina_Z wrote:

Hi @Myloes,

Welcome back to our Community Forums! Thank you for your post and I'm very sorry to hear that you're still experiencing some issues with your install and you're waiting for your services to be set up. 

I do apologise that you're waiting on external works to be complete. If construction is needed, our team will need to gain permits from the local council before any external construction can be carried out.

I can see that you've been in touch with our team recently. Have you been able to raise a complaint for this issue? Our team will get back to you as soon as they can in regards to this and provide further updates on the install.

Keep us updated if you can. 

Thank you,

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2 apologies in the same post @Paulina_Z but with respect how does that help the op - maybe you could address some of the points as well - the OP asks about compensation - whist other can advise what they think will happen could you be specific - pointing the finger at the local council is not what it used to be we all know most councils in the UK grant permits within 48 hours - but thats little comfort if VM take weeks to apply and more weeks to do the work so can you confirm a permit is actually needed or is the comment about it a red herring

and what will a complaint do - it adds to the misery that OFCOM can inflict but will not help the OP - i suggest you raise it as that is what the rules say must happen but not to progress the misery the OP is suffering