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Multiple Failed Installations.... zero communication

JBe
On our wavelength

Hi all - desperate plea of help here 😢

Since ordering Broadband services on October 11th we are still without Internet.  Installation promised 4th November. Engineer turned up to set up in house.   No cables from street so couldn't.   November 24th - Engineer turned up to set up in house.  No cables from street so couldn't.  Today is Dec 7th.   No cables in street.   Next date set 10th Dec.   Guess what's going to happen on that day......

We have been without internet now for an unacceptable period of time due to continued failed installation attempts by Virgin Media or their contractors.   We also have a vunerable person staying with us and have relayed that to VM.   

The time we have wasted either taking time off work to be present for the installs and stuck in the system of their call centres trying to get any sensible information is truly shocking

The following complaint numbers refer and are all unresolved.   (Moderators please blank if more appropriate):

C-031221667

C-021221648
C-121121542

We're not normally 'complainers' and just want to understand what has gone wrong and for someone to take ownership of this and stop the generic rhetoric / fob-offs we get from all of our attempts to contact VM.   And urgently connect us to the internet.  That's all we ask.

In the absence of any sensible response could we refer a dispute to the European Online Dispute Resolution (“ODR”) platform at http://ec.europa.eu/odr.  or cisas@cedr.com?    I add this out of total desperation and zero communication from VM.  We feel trapped.

Additionally, should we be discussing compensation and breach of contract?   I'm sure if the shoe was on the other foot we'd be receiving letters of this type by now?

We have asked on multiple occasions for a manager or supervisor to explain to us what has gone wrong here, and why we have wasted so much time trying to extract information from Virgin Media.   But still no-one in a position of authority has contacted us.    We are totally stuck and deflated by the whole experience.   It's mentally draining.

I can't believe a company is allowed to operate like this in this day and age.  

Sorry for the rant, thanks for reading

Thank you in advance for any help or pointers....

 

 

65 REPLIES 65

goslow
Alessandro Volta

Sadly, identical copies of your story of a failed installation have been repeated over and over again from dozens (if not hundreds by now) of potential new customers who have been subjected to the same shambles of VM's failed installation processes. And you are quite correct, a company should not be allowed to operate in this way.

Unfortunately you will get no reliable answers from VM.

There are so many of these stories on here that if you browse through a few of those topics you will quickly gather the various suggestions that have been put forward in the past on how to deal with the problem. In regard to complaining, that won't speed the process up any, unfortunately.

You could submit a monitoring form to OFCOM

https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/SitesFormCCTMonitoring

and whilst it won't start any individual action for you, I can't help but think that if sufficient people in this situation started logging VM's failings it might possibly shame OFCOM into some kind of action.

JBe
On our wavelength

Another 3 hours on the phone to VM's "Customer Services" / preinstall team / construction teams.     Got cut off while on hold at least twice, and had to redial and start again several times due to the length on time being on hold whilst being passed around.

The issue seems to be that pre-pull work in my street is not being allocated to a work team - this is supposed to happen automatically 3 days before the go live. But for some reason, its not being done and no one knows why. I have also been told that this would be escalated to the Area Field sales manager on 2 previous occasions, but today it transpires that this also has not been done. I was assured that this has definitely been done today now

Place your bets on what going to happen tomorrow when the Engineer is scheduled to arrive and connect me (drum roll please....)

I was hoping someone on this Forum would take ownership and put their arm around me on this....how naive of me to think such a silly thing would happen.

 

PS - Thank you Goslow for your post above.   OFCOM link followed and actioned.  

jpeg1
Alessandro Volta

You said "I can't believe a company is allowed to operate like this in this day and age"

They are allowed to because they don't have a universal obligation to connect..  They can pick and choose their customers.

So if there's an existing cable in place they will connect you quickly to start getting your money.  If it's less than straightforward they will get round to it as and when it suits them.  It it's too difficult or expensive they will simply not connect - and in some cases shown on here they have cancelled the installation without bothering to tell the potential customer.  The US owners of this company seem content with the way it operates, so it is likely to stay this way until the fibre competition overtakes their areas.

Can you get a reasonable 4G/5G mobile broadband connection while Virgin makes up its mind what to do?  You can get unlimited data on a monthly contract for just £20.

- jpeg1
My name is NOT Alessandro. That's just a tag Virginmedia sticks on some contributors. Please ignore it.

JBe
On our wavelength

Thank you for your note jpeg1.  Totally agree with all comments.   But would add at sign-up (11th Oct) both parties entered into a contract for me to pay on time and for them to provide a service.   

I get the sales department would not care whether the service was easy to connect or not at the time.   Perhaps they should advise new customers not to leave their existing internet service provider before they've conducted a site survey.   

But it doesn't excuse the fact that - irrespective of whether they're a 'communications' company or not - the subsequent false dates on the online account and continued mis-information given by their call centre staff should be allowed in any circumstance.   At best it's frustrating for customers who may have taken time off work to be at home for these promised dates, at worst it's a breach of contract which again should not be allowed to take place

The online account still shows I'll be connected tomorrow, but still there's been zero works in the street (it's 11pm now) so yet another fake date and ensuing wasted day coming, with zero communication from any senior manger or installation department.

Very sad.

 

 

jpeg1
Alessandro Volta

" But would add at sign-up (11th Oct) both parties entered into a contract for me to pay on time and for them to provide a service"

Yes, but they have an easy get-out if they choose.  See 10.5 of their T's and C's

10. We do not have to connect the equipment at your home, or otherwise keep
to this agreement to the extent the following affects our ability to do so, if:
1. your home is outside our service area or in a part of our service area
where no cable has been laid, or we are unable to activate the services
on your line or at your home for any reason;
2. you do not qualify under our current credit policy;
3. you have previously misused our television service;
4. your computer or device (or its operating software) does not work
correctly or as reasonably expected for internet access; or
5. it is not practical to carry out the connection for health and safety
reasons or for any other reason.

- jpeg1
My name is NOT Alessandro. That's just a tag Virginmedia sticks on some contributors. Please ignore it.

JBe
On our wavelength

10. We do not have to connect the equipment at your home, or otherwise keep
to this agreement to the extent the following affects our ability to do so, if:
1. your home is outside our service area or in a part of our service area
where no cable has been laid, or we are unable to activate the services
on your line or at your home for any reason;
2. you do not qualify under our current credit policy;
3. you have previously misused our television service;
4. your computer or device (or its operating software) does not work
correctly or as reasonably expected for internet access; or
5. it is not practical to carry out the connection for health and safety
reasons or for any other reason.

They should add:

6. we are totally crap and don't have an effective method of communicating to customers or subcontractors

 

But it's Friday 10th today!!!    Go live date as promised !!!    3rd time lucky!!!

Virgin Media engineers turned up at 3pm ready to connect me!!  How exciting!!  

 

BUT

 

"Sorry Sir it seems there is no cable available for us to connect to"

What a total sh*tshow    😞

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there @JBe

 

Thank you so much for your post and I am so sorry to hear that this has happened! 

 

It sounds incredibly frustrating and I am so sorry that this has been repeatedly delayed. 

 

I'd be more than happy to take a look into this with you. I'm going to send you a PM over now so we can look over this.

 

Please keep an eye out for the purple envelope in the top right corner of your screen alerting you to a new message.

 

Thank you. 

JBe
On our wavelength

Appreciated @Ash.

PM replied to.

JBe
On our wavelength

In case anyone is following this thread by way of update I'm still no further on (despite Ash kindly offering to try and get precise and specific information to me).  I've been given more arbitrary dates towards the end of this month / beginning of next year but of course I have no reason to believe they are true given the previous experience.

There has been no work either in the street or on my property to date (17th Dec now).   Still no internet.

I've had no explanation why the previously promised installations did not happen, and zero response to my Open complaints.

Anyway Happy Christmas everyone....  🙂  Ho ho ho