not in a quick-start kind of way either, it's been over 4 months and i still don't have service..
I originally signed up Mid-March but my address wasn't listed so a virgin media tech texted me (quite late on a friday night strangely enough) to set up a time to come by to verify if i should be able to get it since the shop below me was listed as able to get service but my flat above wasn't.
He came by another evening the following week, said it looks fine to set up an order, so he did so, with the promo rate i found online (which was kind of him to offer me that flexibility).
Got an install date of April 6th. A week or two before that when the contract arrived in the mail, it told me i'd be charged a different (higher rate) than what i agreed on. Had to speak to a few people to get them to honor the original price i told i'd get. Pre-paid the yearly line rental fee at that time too (end of March).
On the evening of April 5th, i got a voicemail stating that they would not be able to do install the next day, that some construction was required and because of the busy street i live on, it'd have to be done on sundays and it would require council permission. When i called mid-April to follow up, they told me the same thing and that it would take 6 weeks.
I called again in early May to follow up and was told it was only two weeks (which i thought was strange since i first learned of this in early April).
Around mid June i start getting anxious and very frustrated since i've heard nothing about an installation date still (thinking the work must have been done by now and my install date isn't showing up), so i call around the 15th to ask for a follow up. Regular customer service first told me they are waiting on the construction department still and nothing can be done, but eventually they thought ok maybe we should connect you directly to the construction department. When i was FINALLY connected (20+ minute hold times w/ the same crappy 3-4 top40 songs played over and over) they didn't know their **bleep** from their heads and told me they'd look into and call me back within 48 hours.
24 hours goes by, nothing.. 48 hours goes by, nothing.. a whole week and a half goes by and the crickets are chirping, so i call back on the 28th and i am told something about the work being scheduled for the following monday or previous monday or something about a monday some time (their accent was a bit heavy so i couldn't understand them fully), and that they be telling me a new install date soon.
Another 2 weeks goes by and still i hear nothing, so i called them just last Friday, the 15th of July and now they're telling me it takes 6 weeks and the request was only entered/made on June 30th so it's only been two weeks. At this point i really start to flip out, i ask what the hell were they doing since april? what did they do in May?? June?? it's been well over 8 weeks even.. They said they'd look into it and call me back within 48 hours.
Sounding familiar? Guess what, i once again didn't hear back..
My question, what kind of incompetent idiots do virgin media employ by their construction department for contractors ? The fact that they re-started the 6 week clock and when i just called (since i was on hold while i wrote this entire post), i was informed that due to scaffolding they found just on Monday at the neighborhood property (where their equipment cabinet is in front of) they were unable to proceed again. If that scaffolding is up there a year will i be waiting another year? JFC!
Sounds like this is finally getting some attention/progress, but i just don't understand why i always have to be the one to chase them down and never hear any updates from them. The lady i spoke with on the phone was actually really nice about it, and sees the original request for the construction work was made on the 4th of april, but sees no updates in her system until end of june.. and told me she'd keep an eye if any updates come in but maybe she just said that because she heard the desperation and loss of hope in my voice ?
Unbelievable.. I'm this close to asking BT if they can give me their Infinity fibre service instead (but guess what, they don't have my address listed as elligible but once again the shop beneath me does, already inquired but they said i'd need to get a BT phone line first to check for elligibility, hmm starting to sound like not that crazy an idea sadly with the way VM has been handling this….)
