Incompetent call centre agents

[Quietlee]

I spent the last two days trying to sign up for Virgin broadband and I've become increasingly frustrated at how shockingly bad the call centre agents are.

The first two (non English speaking) I encountered via the online chat couldn't string together a legible sentence between them. First I was told that all I needed was a self install kit sending to me, then they changed their mind and told me I would need to pay for an engineer to come out and drill a hole in the wall, then they changed their mind again and told me that the property was classed as a business address and I would have to be transferred to tech support for them to swap it to a residential address. I got transferred and then completely ignored until the next morning where the agent had no idea what was going on and was unable to get past the "account name and number" part of his script because I wasn't yet a customer. The messages made literally no sense whatsoever, they don't understand English at all and they refuse to transfer you to someone who stands a chance at understanding what you're saying to them.

Earlier today I tried to call and sign up as a new customer and it took me 30 minutes to get through to someone as the automated system doesn't let you proceed without an account number (which I don't have as I'm not a customer) When I finally got through to someone (who thankfully spoke and understood English) they signed me up under the agreement that they would send my self install kit to my current address as I don't move into my new apartment until 25th April. I've just received an email telling me that the kit is being sent to my new address (which currently belongs to someone else) instead of my current address as promised so now my entire order has been messed up.

The incompetence on display here is astonishing - I've not even started paying for your "services" and I've had the worst customer experience I think I've ever had in my life. THREE separate agents between themselves have contradicted themselves multiple times, sent me messages that literally make no sense at all with barely any grasp of the English language and the one thing the English speaking agent had to do, which was to post my kit to my actual address, has been completely botched and mishandled. 

I'm starting to think that Virgin has been turned into some kind of Indian scam centre and if they somehow fumble their way into getting you to sign up that all you have to look forward to is some of the lowest tier customer service known to man. If someone can recommend a company that even vaguely knows what they're doing I'm happy to cancel my newly made order, not that I'm going to get online any time soon seeing as all of my gear has been sent to a complete stranger at this point. 

[Anonymous]

Here you go.

[newapollo]

Hi @Quietlee 

You could try calling the pre-installs team on 0800 052 1734 - they should be able to correct the delivery address for your equipment.

They are open  8:00am to 9:00pm  Monday to Friday, and 8:00am to 6:00pm Saturday and Sunday

[jem101]

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@Quietlee wrote:

I spent the last two days trying to sign up for Virgin broadband and I've become increasingly frustrated at how shockingly bad the call centre agents are.

The first two (non English speaking) I encountered via the online chat couldn't string together a legible sentence between them. First I was told that all I needed was a self install kit sending to me, then they changed their mind and told me I would need to pay for an engineer to come out and drill a hole in the wall, then they changed their mind again and told me that the property was classed as a business address and I would have to be transferred to tech support for them to swap it to a residential address. I got transferred and then completely ignored until the next morning where the agent had no idea what was going on and was unable to get past the "account name and number" part of his script because I wasn't yet a customer. The messages made literally no sense whatsoever, they don't understand English at all and they refuse to transfer you to someone who stands a chance at understanding what you're saying to them.

Earlier today I tried to call and sign up as a new customer and it took me 30 minutes to get through to someone as the automated system doesn't let you proceed without an account number (which I don't have as I'm not a customer) When I finally got through to someone (who thankfully spoke and understood English) they signed me up under the agreement that they would send my self install kit to my current address as I don't move into my new apartment until 25th April. I've just received an email telling me that the kit is being sent to my new address (which currently belongs to someone else) instead of my current address as promised so now my entire order has been messed up.

The incompetence on display here is astonishing - I've not even started paying for your "services" and I've had the worst customer experience I think I've ever had in my life. THREE separate agents between themselves have contradicted themselves multiple times, sent me messages that literally make no sense at all with barely any grasp of the English language and the one thing the English speaking agent had to do, which was to post my kit to my actual address, has been completely botched and mishandled. 

I'm starting to think that Virgin has been turned into some kind of Indian scam centre and if they somehow fumble their way into getting you to sign up that all you have to look forward to is some of the lowest tier customer service known to man. If someone can recommend a company that even vaguely knows what they're doing I'm happy to cancel my newly made order, not that I'm going to get online any time soon seeing as all of my gear has been sent to a complete stranger at this point. 

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Now what ‘newapollo’ has posted above is fair enough, however it does not address the ‘issues’ with VM’s customer service provision, or, indeed lack thereof.

You have experienced, first hand, the quality of VM’s customer services and you aren’t even a paying customer yet! So how bad do you think it will be when you are a customer and locked into a minimum 18 month contract? Does it, in any way, make you wonder if VM are a good company to be doing business with? Now, I know, there are whole areas of the country where VM are the one and only provider giving better than 60-80 Mb/s speed, so you may feel that you need fact speed so they are the ‘only provider’ and you have no choice!

And that’s absolutely fine, but please do go into a contract with them with your eyes fully open!

[jpeg1]

Virginmedia are doing you a favour.

They are letting you have a free sample of their customer service before you are even a customer.  🙂 

[jem101]

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@jpeg1 wrote:

Virginmedia are doing you a favour.

They are letting you have a free sample of their customer service before you are even a customer.  🙂 

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And if I could kudo this more than once I would!

Well played sir!

[Steven_L]

Hey Quietlee,

Welcome to the community and thanks for taking the time to post here on the forums.
I’m sorry to hear of the issues that you’re having trying to get your services setup with us, this is far from the experience that we would like any of our customers to have when setting up their services. 

Have you been able to speak to an agent to get your kit sent out to a different address since your last post?

Have you or would you like to raise a complaint about all of the experience that you've had?

I will also be sure to pass on your feedback to the concerned teams to help improve the services that we offer for all of our customers. 

Kind Regards,

Steven_L

[-tony-]

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@Steven_L wrote:

Hey Quietlee,

Welcome to the community and thanks for taking the time to post here on the forums.
I’m sorry to hear of the issues that you’re having trying to get your services setup with us, this is far from the experience that we would like any of our customers to have when setting up their services. 

no reaching out - surely thats the start of the BS - its not far from the experience as you know but cannot admit to - its normal - its how senior management have set it up - its cheap

Have you been able to speak to an agent to get your kit sent out to a different address since your last post?

surely a better question/help/reaching out would be to use the pm system to actually help the potential customer by YOU sorting out the address change rather than sending him/her back to the world class CS that is VM

Have you or would you like to raise a complaint about all of the experience that you've had?

what good do you hope will come of that - it will be ignored/lost or fobbed off with a letter/email in the same incomprehensible language the OP has encountered already

I will also be sure to pass on your feedback to the concerned teams to help improve the services that we offer for all of our customers. 

and thats the final joke - really - that will do as much good as the complaint you offer to open

Kind Regards,

Steven_L

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[Marcios]

Try cancelling I was repeatedly told I couldnt cancel for hours passed through 7 differrent agents as I could only cancel ( even though out of contract ),,,if it was on price or a move in the end was screaming I hate virgin and thats why I want to leave no other reason ...at one point I said look can drive up the rd throw it through sunderlands virgin media centre media window with a letter of dont want this phone call centre torture and cancel my direct debit as this seemed only way they get idea I want to cancel. Was first in northeast to get broadband fibre with ntl then virgin took over was great then overseas call centres.....it goes down you ring them passed around no use then eventually uk answers problem sorted then I got to point where had to ring virgin mobile to sort my broadband issues as no luck with offshore call centres...but then they gone same way so after god knows how many years with virgin mobile ie from my first phone I cancelled that and now cancelled my virgin broadband, just do not ever use them without expecting the worst customer service on earth. Oh they also from the call centres then pass you onto someone basically in his front room you can hear his kids n tuktuks going by outside asking you for exact anmount in your bank accounts and passwords etc do not trust them, they used to be great but am talking nearly twenty years ago now terrible. If a company uses offshore companies expect terrible service and to be robbed, british gas are the same now.

[Marcios]

To add to the above am in my 50's gives you an idea how long i have been with them they think only from 2007 because i changed address its actually many years before that, honestly other than fact they have fastest broadband monoply in britain they shouldnt be used by anyone who doesnt want a heart attack dealing with their insane call centre staff.