Virgin Media won't install Fibre at our house and refuse to compensate us for the 5 months of wasted time

[BatemanEdward]

Hi, 

We originally contacted Virgin Media in late September 2021 to install fibre at our home as we had just moved and we both work from home now. Our original install date was 03 October 2021. Since then, we've had an appointment that just rolls over every day but no one every comes. We have to spend hours on the phone with them trying to just get the wifi installed. It's now 01 March 2022 and we've had several 'installation appointments' since then, none of which have come through. According to their compensation scheme (outlined here: https://www.virginmedia.com/help/automatic-compensation) It is £5.04 per day if they don’t install your services on the promised day until installation’s completed and 25.18 if they don't show up during an appointment.

Our appointments have rolled over every day since November 2021 and no one shows up. The 5.04 per day of no installation from 03 October to 1 March (today), it comes to £2,971.24.

Every time we've tried to speak to someone about this, they say we need to speak to a different department and then transfer us. We wait on hold for 20-40 minutes and then they go through the same thing and transfer us to someone else until someone will transfer us to a dead line and it hangs up on us. It has been months of this and honestly, I'm so stunned that a company that provides wifi can get away with this? 

We have called so many times and made two formal complaints since October 2021. How can we get past this? It feels like they are just giving us the run around so we give up and at this point, we are so furious with how we've been treated. We've also been promised a dongle three times yet it has never come nor has anyone called us about it (they said they would the first two times and we're waiting to see if they call us in the next 24 hours about this the third time). What are our legal options for claiming our compensation as well as this has caused me to lose work as a freelancer and am soon going to have to pay to go into a co working space because we can't get wifi here?

[Andrew-G]

If you've got any relevant complaints that were submitted to VM more than eight weeks ago, and you are dissatisfied with the outcome, then you escalate the matter to CISAS.  Be clear on the outcomes you want, but be aware they can't force VM to connect you if the company decide they don't wish to, but that needn't stop you claiming compensation for the hassle and delays. 

[BatemanEdward]

It's only been six weeks and one day since our official complaint. What are they chances of them actually compensating us though? This is the worst service we've ever dealt with and the customer service assistants are always incredibly rude so it makes it difficult to get through to anyone. 

[Andrew-G]

Conversely, one week six days until you can take to CISAS.  You can request a deadlock letter from VM that avoids the need to wait eight weeks, in practical terms here, by the time you've wrangled that you'd probably be within hours of the eight weeks.

If you need to take the matter to CISAS, be clear on broken promises of installation dates, telephone callbacks, any instances of rudeness, unreasonable waits when calling and the like - these are aggravating factors if CISAS decide that compensation is due (conversely, if you went off on one at VM staff and stepped outside the boundaries of reasonable behaviour, they'd take that into account as a mitigating factor).

I'll flag this for forum staff to see if they can initiate some acceptable resolution - that's quicker than CISAS, but may or may not not have the outcome you want, if it doesn't then you still contact CISAS.

[Gareth_L]

Hi BatemanEdward

Thanks for your post 
Sorry to hear about the issue with your installation 
I can look into this for you 
If you don't mind, I will need to send you a private message to pass security 
If you can check the purple envelope top right of your screen that would be great 
Regards     
Gareth_L