@newcustabc1 wrote:
I signed up to have Virgin Media provide service for a new flat that I moved into on 5th August.
I was given an installation date of 9th August.
OK you were given an firm installation date, remember that!
Shortly before this date I was told that there was a delay and I would now have to wait until 26th September. I was promised that a dongle would be sent out in the mean time.
No dongle has been sent out. I have spent hours on the customer service line. I have been on hold for long periods of time. I have been hung up on twice. I have twice been told that someone would phone me back but this has not happened.
The dongle thing is something that crops up from time to time, some users seem to get it while others don’t, does seem to be a bit of pot luck as to who is handling your installation.
It has cost me a fortune already as I am unable to work remotely. It seems that waiting another 6 weeks for someone to hopefully turn up is my only option?
Well yes and no, see below!
Is the dongle just something they pretend that you will receive to keep you happy?
Maybe, maybe not, who can say?
The sheer contempt that Virgin show towards their new customers is disgusting.
Well I’m not going to comment, I’ve gotten into trouble in the past doing so😀
OK then, you have been given an installation date, for every day that VM fail to deliver past that date, you are entitled to compensation of £5.25 per day until either they connect you up or you or they formally cancel - so whatever you do, don’t cancel!
In the meantime, forget about the imaginary dongle, see if you can’t get a 4G or 5G temporary connection on whichever supplier works the best in your area - remember the compensation as detailed above. If necessary sign up with another supplier if VM can’t get you connected sometime this millennia, but DO NOT cancel because you are still entitled to compensation for each day. Even if they do connect you up then you can immediately cancel at no cost to you but with the knowledge that the cables are there if you want to give them another go in the future - and still claim the compensation!
Now in reality they will try to wriggle out of the compo, ‘it wasn’t our fault gov’, ‘well as we cancelled anyway, you aren’t entitled to anything’ or variations on the above. This is actually all BS - there are no get out clauses, so if that does happen (and it probably will), make a formal complaint with a demand for the full compensation, it will be fobbed off or ignored or you be offered some insulting figure. Reject all of them and demand a ‘deadlock letter’ (which will probably also be ignored, but still) and escalate the whole thing to the industry arbitration service CISAS, this costs you nothing and their decision is binding on VM, you can also ask for extra compensation for the inconvenience, poor complaint handling etc. Post back here in that event and some of us can certainly advise you on your best course of action.
