@Cardiffman282 wrote:
It does seem particularly prevalent at VM unfortunately. VM appear to have very poor systems, processes and communication internally so you can only guess what it is like when third party contractors become involved.
By ‘poor systems’ probably best to read ‘non existent’!
@stevenjt365, just so you are aware, this oddball idea of a ‘provisional’ installation date does crop up from time to time. Now the truth is that the OFCOM code of practice, which VM willing signed up for, and which mandates the level of and criteria for compensation, makes no mention of provisional dates. Indeed it clearly states that compensation is payable after the first, confirmed in writing installation date. Anything regarding this that may or may not appear on the contract is irrelevant.
Now a more cynical person than I, might think that VM have ‘invented’ this provisional date business as a way of discouraging customers from claiming their due. It may well be a tacit admission that they accept that their installation processes are fundamentally broken, but rather than fix them, feel it is far cheaper to run a damage limitation exercise and try to avoid paying out the compensation.
Maybe they feel that if they repeat this line enough, then it becomes the ‘truth’ as far as customers are concerned. In reality until and unless this claim is tested in Law, then it is irrelevant and can be ignored.
Of course if it were to be upheld, then VM could presumably claim that any and all appointments or dates were ‘provisional’ and hence never have to pay out any compensation at all - which does rather defeat the spirit of the OFCOM requirements.
‘Sign up with Virgin Media now and we guarantee an engineer will have you all connected up within the hour! Oh no sorry, that hour was just a provisional date, it’ll be sometime in the next six months, sorry about that’!
Yes, an extreme example, and one that would actually fall foul of all sorts of other consumer protection laws, but you see where it all might lead!
