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Install problems

ryan_w
Joining in

Starting to regret switching to Virgin Media, what I was expecting to be a straight forward install is becoming anything but! 

1st visit by Comex for the cabling failed because there was no access point and the team had to rebook to do more work, this was rebooked to today (sunday) as were on a busy road. Understandable

2nd visit, we was last job of the teams day and there permit has run out. So they cant do anything! Now needs to be rebooked for next Sunday first thing!

I asked the guys why they cant just send the cabling up in the BT duct which is already at the bottom of my drive and was told there not allowed when Virgin is already in the area!

There only allowed to do so on new build estates apparently! So instead of doing the sensible thing sounds like red tape means more holes in the pavement and delays!

Then the cabling will just be dragged up my neighbours wall afterwards….  This doesnt seem professional at all when theres a route directly to my office where the cabling needs to go and it cant be used!!

Why is this being made so difficult? It seems a complete failure to plan and follow common sense by Virgin!

11 REPLIES 11

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@ryan_w wrote:

Starting to regret switching to Virgin Media, what I was expecting to be a straight forward install is becoming anything but! 

1st visit by Comex for the cabling failed because there was no access point and the team had to rebook to do more work, this was rebooked to today (sunday) as were on a busy road. Understandable

2nd visit, we was last job of the teams day and there permit has run out. So they cant do anything! Now needs to be rebooked for next Sunday first thing!

I asked the guys why they cant just send the cabling up in the BT duct which is already at the bottom of my drive and was told there not allowed when Virgin is already in the area!

There only allowed to do so on new build estates apparently! So instead of doing the sensible thing sounds like red tape means more holes in the pavement and delays!

Then the cabling will just be dragged up my neighbours wall afterwards….  This doesnt seem professional at all when theres a route directly to my office where the cabling needs to go and it cant be used!!

Why is this being made so difficult? It seems a complete failure to plan and follow common sense by Virgin!


Sadly, your description is repeated over and over again by different customers on here waiting for installation.

Topics on here do now mention VM using BT ducts but the arrangement seems to be area-specific where VM has been granted permission and where VM is installing fibre connections to the home rather than coax cables.

If you live on a busy road, and traffic management is required to do the work, you may possibly be in for a long wait based on past topics on here.

One of VM's default excuses for installation delays is 'council permits'. If you keep getting further delays (which VM claim is 'council permit' related) do get in touch with your local highways authority (which may be your local council of county council). In past topics, customers have made their own enquiries with the council only to find that permits had never been applied for.

Familiarise yourself with the OFCOM compensation scheme

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0026/216962/Industry-Code-of-Practice-for-Automatic-...

and current rates

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/automat...

Capture a record of 'the date initially confirmed in writing' when VM first said they would activate your services after you ordered (para 9 of the OFCOM pdf). That would be the start date to count any compensation from. Keep detailed records as you go along to ensure you are paid the correct compensation once you are connected.

If you still have an existing provider, do not cancel that until VM is installed and working to your satisfaction. Some delayed VM installations can take a very long time to complete.

Thank you for the feedback!

I’ve already pushed back my cancellation with sky once, the team from Comex said there asking for it to be first job next Sunday. They seemed just a frustrated with it as me, they was nice guys to be honest and just wanted to get it done.

Theres no requirement for traffic lights etc im told, the council have approved the work in the pavements very quickly looking on there website each time.

I can understand somewhat the monopoly by open reach and there infrastructure, but what frustrates me is that once the box for Virgin is in the pavement at the bottom of my drive they will have to run the cable over my neighbours wall and I imagine then nailed to my gate…. 

The house is part of a small 5/6 house development with mine being a demolition of existing property and rebuild, there was a brand new junction put in on the opposite corner of my drive, which has the duct under my drive terminating in (or so the builder told me) Which now cant be used for Virgin apparently as its ‘BT’…

It baffles me how much effort, money and resources must be wasted on this.

I dont think its a unreasonable ask to use the same duct to deliver my virgin connection even if it has to be joined onto somewhere in the pavement if your digging the pavement already. Especially as its going to exact place on the property I need the connection…

 

 

Apologies I should point out this is just a fibre install, I already have BT fibre. Which is also part the reason I cant understand the issues reusing a safe route to deliver another connection…. 

Again thank you for your comments!

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@ryan_w wrote:

Apologies I should point out this is just a fibre install, I already have BT fibre. Which is also part the reason I cant understand the issues reusing a safe route to deliver another connection…. 

Again thank you for your comments!


Any permission for VM to use Openreach (which I should have typed earlier instead of BT) infrastructure seems to be based on geographical areas from the past topics on here. There have been a few past cases on here where it looked like VM was going to dig up driveways, only to find out at the 11th hour that they could use an Openreach duct. Those cases IIRC involved the customer making contact with an 'area manager' at VM who knew such permission existed.

However, the way VM has outsourced its cable installations, there seems to be little (no?) involvement from VM about how the cable contractors do their work and little (no?) project management of their activities by VM. Hence, seemingly obvious solutions to problems on site don't even get considered as the contractor is simply being paid to execute the task as quickly/cheaply as possible (and quickly/cheaply in the minds of the contractors may just be doing a conventional installation every time rather than adapting to anything else).

You may get one of the VM forum team on here to make an enquiry on your behalf about your options when they reply within a few days but you may equally be told just to wait for the installation next week.

Indeed, it does seem the process isn't collaborative and extremely inefficient. Id agree there doesn’t seem to be any project management on Virgins part.

Ive had no issues as a commercial customer of VMB or BT in the past where we have had fibre for both providers run into the building via the same root / duct to ultimately terminate in different racks, so struggle to see why its a issue here. 

Hopefully someone can look into it further, id like a tidy install without the need to drag conduit over the surface or around the property. Id expect this in a older property but not a house which only 5 years old. 

Kain_W
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Hi ryan_w,

Thanks for your post and welcome to the community.

Sincere apologies for the issues with the install, just regarding the work that needs to be completed, through the duct as advised where is the original VM collection in relation to that?

Also has this been raised on the account as a complaint to be assigned to the necessary team?

Regards,

Kain

-tony-
Alessandro Volta

@Kain_W wrote:

Hi ryan_w,

Thanks for your post and welcome to the community.

Sincere apologies for the issues with the install, just regarding the work that needs to be completed, through the duct as advised where is the original VM collection in relation to that?

Also has this been raised on the account as a complaint to be assigned to the necessary team?

Regards,


here we go again with a jump straight into a complaint - what is the point of that - it will have no effect what so ever - is this the new level of help - do nothing but lets start a complaint so i [the team] can be seen to do something however pointless

the OP never mentioned opening a complaint - thats not what he wants - just a sensible discussion about getting fibre to his house - why can you not do that - ok i know the answer - like account questions etc etc its not something the forum team can do

but you can open pointless complaints that will do nothing

____________________

Tony.
Sacked VIP

Hi Kain,

Thanks for coming back to me.

I believe the connection itself for my property cant be found where they expect it to be. My neighbours connection is one side of my drive and the team need to apparently dig back to the curb to find the duct to connect mine to this.

Which in itself is a problem due to the busy road and lack of foot path opposite, they will have to dig up the entire width of the path. Hence the Sunday last job problem recently where there permit run out…..

If they connect at this point they will install the cable along the side of my drive attached to my neighbours wall, my house is detached so they’ll then need to jump form my neighbours wall to the side of my house. Which unless there going root under the block pave or paving slabs means going across a wooden gate. Which frankly wont look very tidy…..

Running in parallel to the alleged virgin duct is a BT run with a junction box on the other side of my drive, this was put in when the house and the 5 houses behind was built 5 years ago, my current connection i believe is served from this box with a direct run into my property under the drive, to the exact same spot i wanted the virgin connection.

My question is if the duct under my drive is connected to this BT box then why cant, A virgin just send the cabling up the street in the same run to this box, or B connect to the duct under my drive after it exits the BT box so the cable can be delivered tidy?? It does involve digging the pavement but thats happening regardless, were talking potentially a couple meters.

Im also not impressed with your call centre, they dont really have any useful information and keep saying there sorry and have to wait for the third party. Some ownership and better comms would be nice instead of a couple texts moving your install dates…

Im not particularly interested in raising a complaint just after a nice tidy install without cables mounted over surfaces on a property that is 5 years old which was built with this sort of scenario in mind like I’m sure 90% of new build homes in the UK.

For some reason you also added a stream box on 30 day rolling to my contract when the original offer made on your partner offers made no mention of this!!! The original pre contract also made no mention of this! 

Thank you for reaching back out and I am so sorry to hear this.

I have also taken a look and I can see you've spoke to the team about this since posting this, did they manage to get this resolved for you? Thanks 

Matt - Forum Team


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