on 05-08-2021 16:17
Moving House Issue
Moved house on the 25th June, having ordered my Virgin Broadband move previously. Installation team turned up on the Saturday as advised, only to be told there were pavement issues and the construction team were required.
Since then we have had multiple dates provided and nobody has ever turned up, many excuses from customer service, staff shortages, council permits required, cable needs replacing etc etc. how does anybody know his when they haven't been to the property. Even had the council turned up to confirm NO permit was required!
6 weeks later we still don't have broadband and as a homeworker I have been forced to go to friends house to work. Completely unacceptable!!.
Does anybody know who i can escalate too? Any local UK offices I can call as Im getting nowhere!!
05-08-2021 16:34 - edited 05-08-2021 16:41
If the install requires the road or pavement to be dug to remove a blockage from the duct - then a council permit is required to get that done. You say none is required though - how do you know that ?
Councils will post advance details of the digging and dates - to inform neighbours - on their website. Have you looked on your council's site to see if that has been posted?
on 05-08-2021 16:52
on 05-08-2021 17:17
on 08-08-2021 08:57
Thanks for your post @mulroys and a very warm welcome to you!
We're sorry to hear of the frustration the delayed installation may have caused you
Are you able to provide answers to the questions that @jbrennand has posted?
This information and a picture of the tube that's blocked by tarmac would be most helpful
Kindest regards,
David_Bn
on 11-08-2021 22:02
The t was marked by the internal escalation team on the first date of install, nobody seen since.
on 12-08-2021 07:05
Some bloke from the council might say a permit is not required, but if this is the public pavement then the law is quite clear that VM will have to apply for a S171 permit, and failure to do so can incur significant penalties that are easily issued via fixed penalty notices. Every council will have a team to process permits, and permits for minor works would be issued in a couple of days. Any excuses of "waiting weeks for the council to issue a permit" are usually claptrap by people trying to hide their own bungling and sloth. If it is a private pavement (eg on housing association land) then VM would need the owner's formal permission to dig, that can sometimes take a long while, and if the landowner wants a full method statement, detailed plans and H&S statements then VM may simply give up (we have seen this before). Dealing with either councils or landowners would be normal for ALL minor repair works like this, and ought to be bread-and-butter stuff for VM's pre-installation team, but given the random way that VM work, there's no way of knowing if the installation will get done tomorrow, drag on for another three months, or even get cancelled by VM after dragging on for weeks and weeks.
So.....if VM are miring a simple new installation in long delays without accurate information (a) how long are you going to let this go on for? (b) what's the impact on you and your friend? and (c) imagine what the remainder of VM's customer service is like for the sort of minor service faults that occasionally crop up when you are connected? Give it some thought, but I think you need to consider whether you're going to let this rumble on, or whether reconnecting an Openreach line is the best outcome for you. I have advised others in similar situations to consider ordering an Openreach ISP connection, and go with whoever installs a working connection first, cancelling the one that hasn't yet been done, but you need to do what works best for you.
on 14-08-2021 09:24
Hi mulroys
Thanks for coming back to us.
I can see from checking the system that you've spoke to the team since posting. I do hope this has made things clearer for you but if you do need further assistance let us know.
Kind regards,
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on 17-08-2021 17:34
Further help would be much appreciated. Another promised installation date been and gone and still nobody shows up to do any work. No communication at all.
I don’t understand how virgin media have any customers!!
I will be contacting BT in the morning.
10+ year customer going elsewhere!!
on 17-08-2021 18:15
So talking to customer service team about my 15th failed installation and the care and support I was provided is outstanding!! Why does anybody ever use virgin media? Atrocious service. Customers don’t seem to matter, just profits!!! Shocking!!