Lies and Incompetence at every turn. VM are the WORST.

[VM_R_Useless]

In May of this year I was first tempted to contact Virgin Media after a friend of mine said they had been with them for years and were happy enough with it for the price. I phoned up and was lied to about the availability in my area basically leading me to believe that it was unavailable.

In July I discovered from my neighbours a couple of doors away from me that it's definitely available here and has been for years, so I went online and used USwitch to see what is actually available and sure enough Virgin Media comes up, and there was an offer on at the time for the same service my friend is on, the "200" package for some 30-something a month, so I went through the online application thing and got an install date for August 22nd.

When the emails arrived with the information for the install and billing, it listed my name and the account holders the wrong way round, so I phoned up to make sure nothing had gone wrong and was assured it was just a visual error.

Later on I rang back to ask more about the install, specifically about how the cable would be run from the street to inside my home and was told I would have full control over the install process when the installers get there. I wanted to make sure of this as the cable had to be put in a place where it would not need to be moved in future and would be right next to where the cable needs to enter the house. I was told this would all be done on the day of install as per my request.

During idle chit chat with this customer support agent while waiting for their system to do something I mentioned the error with the names in the email again and was informed it happens to everyone who has the VM account in one name but payment from another name - just no-one has ever bothered to fix it.

At this point I was still being lead to believe I only required one installation and that everything from the street to my new hub/router would be accomplished on the same day, I even specifically asked as much as obviously I have friends and neighbours with VM and they told me how their install went, having one wire from the street to the exterior of their property and then another from there into their house being done seperately.

August 22nd came, I waited around all day for my "services to be installed" but no-one turned up, so I phoned VM that evening after giving up waiting and was told that external work needed to be done, I asked about the external work and as was told that they needed to run a cable, I asked which cable and was told they needed to install a "Drop cable" in order to "install my services", I asked what a "drop cable" was and got told it's "what connects your property to the network" which is about as vague as you can get.

Later that night I got a message telling me that VM wouldn't be coming that day. I remember it being about 9-10pm and fully 3 hours after I had phoned to ask why no-one had shown up.

I got another date for install, I don't remember when at this point all the dates bleed together. I waited around and this time someone actually showed up, only to tell me that they cannot install anything as there is nothing to connect anything to, they needed "external works" to be done. I told the guy that showed up that this was the second time I had been told this and he assured me this never happens and it would be escalated and resolved as quickly as possible.

Again I rang up, again I was given a date, again my install never materialized on that date, I was then told that date had been changed.

It was at this point I started trying to use the online support chat, as sitting on hold with that awful music was too much.This too was a complete waste of time as you get passed between so many idiots with no reading comprehension whatsoever that it rapidly becomes a test of the customers patience and not a method of resolving issues.

To give you an example, I asked simple questions about my installation and was met with demands to purchase a "dongle" in order to "use my services", after futher prying for information I discovered I was being instructed to sign up to a 12 month vigin mobile contract at my own expense and buy a USB GSM dongle to connect to VM, and that although I would be recompensed for the dongle, the 12 months contract would be at my own expense.

When I said I was not willing to do such a thing I was put through to the Virgin Mobile dept who again did not read anything I said, asked me what phone I wanted, how much data I wanted, and I had to actually get rude about the agents level of reading comprehension in order for them to finally get the idea that they were not understanding anything I was telling them.

Again sent through the gauntlet before I FINALLY got through to someone with half a clue, who apologized for the previous agents inability to read or form a coherent sentence but didn't tell me anything I didn't already know - basically that I had to wait for the next date.

I was told that the cable from the street to the front of my house would be installed on the 14th of October, and that my "services" would be installed on the 15th. Remember how I asked to be there for the install of the wire so I could make sure it goes in the right place?

Week before last, when only my elderly parents were at home, someone came to our house who did not knock or ask permission for entry to the premises, ran a cable through our garden, THROUGH THE BRANCHES OF A TREE and to entirely the wrong side of the property.

My mother attempted to ask what was happening while I was on the phone to her after she rang me to say there was a strange man drilling a hole in the front of the house - damaging our property in the process - and I listened while she tried to get an answer out of someone who could only say the words "Virgin Media! Is Good is good!" like some kind of comedic stereotype.

So now we have a big green tube stuck in our tree and the other end is screwed to our house.

Not to mention the abomination they have left on the pavement outside, a black plastic manhole that won't close, sticks out of the ground over an inch and a mole hill of tarmac piled up over the wire to hide it between the hole in the ground and where the green plastic sheath starts.

So I tried to ring up to find out what was happening. I couldn't really get an adequate answer and was cut off, I rang again this time with the intent of completely cancelling the install, and after explaining the situation to a lovely man who was very knowledgable and understanding, he told me that I needed to go to the cancellation dept to cancel the order and put me through to them.

This department told me It had not been installed yet so I had to cancel the install through another dept, they put me through, again, wrong dept, try this one. No wait this one. Finally through the someone who says they can cancel it, they asked me some redundant and pointless questions, told me I failed the security questions previously even though I had answered them so many times I am sick of being asked.

Then she put me on hold for a bit, came back and cut me off before I could put the phone back to my ear. I tried again, again round the houses, only 3 different depts this time, but again I got cut off when I get through to the "real" cancellation dept.. you know you've got through to them when the audio/connection quality goes to sh*t and you can barely hear the person on the other end over the noise and shouting in the background and then the line goes dead.

One last attempt I thought. This time I was told that if I waited until AFTER it had been installed, I could cancel it much easier as it would just be the normal cancellation dept and I wouldn't be sent around in circles. Fine. Whatever.

So I asked about getting the wire removed from my tree. I was told that the installer coming on the 14th would be the one to install it, I told them no, it's been done and it's in the wrong place because you didn't listen and installed it without our permission. They said to wait until the appointment and it will all be sorted out.

The 14 has come and gone, no-one showed up. I did have someone from VM phone me to make sure I would be in tomorrow... I asked them if they were going to move the wire and he said that yes it will be done, but am sure he did not even understand the question as I said "I though the installers did not touch the outside wires" and he said he didn't know as it was not his department.


This isn't even all of it, this is just the main plot points. I have spent DAYS sat on the online chat, 12+ hours on the phone according to my call record thingy, and all we have to show for it so far is no internet for months and a dirty great big green cable in our sodding tree!

So, Today, as of 3 minutes ago it's the 15th.

I am going to sit up all damn night again, like I have done out of stress every date I've been given throughout this whole farce of a situation for weeks on end. Just typing this whole rant out has my eye twitching in anger.

When the installer turns up, I will let them do whatever it is they are going to do, and then I will again attempt to cancel the service.

What I want to know is how to claim the £336.22 of compensation I am currently due, as no-one I have spoken to on the phone will give me a single word of an answer about compensation.

And If Virgin Media don't move the cable they threaded through my tree, If I cut it with bolt croppers on my side of the property line and take the box off the wall will I get in trouble?

Thank you for reading my rant. VM are the worst company I have EVER had to deal with, I am sorry I ever tried to become a customer.

[VM_R_Useless]

I'm still up at 5:30am, unable to sleep so I've been reading other posts on this forum.

All i can say is WOW.

How do VM have any customers left at all at this point?

[mpmc]

Wow what a read; seems the subcontractors VM have serving your area are complete cowboys. Most things/people VM use are subcontractors. Sadly your story is quite common around here.

The VM forum staff will get around to your post soon, in the mean time Andrew-G has some good advice you may find helpful here.

[Andrew-G]

They ran the cable through a tree?  Hahhahahahahaha!  I won't say what I really think, because those sort of posts get rapidly deleted.  Regulars here will at this point remember the washing line installation incident.

All I can offer is that I agree with the strategy of let them install, and immediately cancel under cooling off rights.  To get the late installation compensation paid after that you'll almost certainly need to raise a formal written complaint to VM by post (see the complaints page, ignore any phone, Whatsapp, or online webform options).  There's a high probability that complaint will be fobbed off, or an inadequate resolution offered.  If so, then you reply rejecting the resolution and asking for a deadlock letter.  With the deadlock letter you involve CISAS.  You should seek both compensation for the delayed installation, but also for the appalling customer service, and for CISAS to instruct VM to remove the mess and remediate any damage.  It's such a long and sorry tale you may need to put this as a Word or text document as an attachment if complaining to CISAS - the CISAS web form looks to be limited to around 1,800 characters.

In terms of removing their comedy installation, make that part of the resolution (either that VM agree before you go to CISAS, or by asking CISAS to require this of VM).  You can legally remove and dispose their equipment if you're not in contract to them, but to do that properly there's a need to notify the company of the requirement to remove their property by a given date, failing which you will remove it and dispose of it.  Why bother, make them do it.

And finally, for the forum staff: I know you won't be too impressed with the efforts of the business here, and you're looking for the best outcome for the company.  This is a real Cat in the Hat mess, you know how it will play out at CISAS, and you know how much that will add to VM's costs.  Surely it's better to be very proactive in cancelling the installation, removing and remediating the poor quality install, and agreeing terms of settlement with the OP that are sufficient that they won't drag you off to CISAS?

[Matthew_ML]

Hey VM_R_Useless, thank you for reaching out and I am sorry to hear about your install issues.

I understand this is very frustrating, I am going to send you a PM so we can look into this and get to the bottom of it.

Please can you look out for the purple envelope. Thanks 

[happywithmy350]

Welcome to VM - where nothing works, apart from the ability to remove ££££ from your bank account - that works PERFECTLY