cut off after 2 hours in a queue

[twen_angst]

Like hundreds of thousands of others, I've been trying to call the Universal Credit line for over a week now, sadly to no avail. One of the problems is that after 2 hours - ON THE DOT - I get booted off the queue. I thought that was a problem with the helpline, but many of my friends were saying that they'd got through after four or five hours, so I started thinking that maybe it was Virgin cutting me off after two hours (and it is 2 hours EXACTLY), probably to prevent me from overspending or to avoid pocket calls. However, it's an 0800 number and free!!! And I really need to get through. It's important for my survival - literally!

When I spoke to a person on the Virgin Helpline on Friday, the person first tried to argue that the line had probably been cancelled, hoping I would hang up, to which I responded that if the line - an official government line that is on the official government website! - had been closed, I shouldn't be able to get into the queue in the first place, should I? This really flustered her, but still, all she really wanted to do was close the call (she tried really hard) and eventually, she said she would raise a ticket and I'd get a call back within 24 hours (48 at the momst). It is now 72 hours later and I haven't heard - obviously! .

This is really vital and Virgin is just hiding under the table like a 3-year-old, hoping it goes away.

Aside from the shoddy customer service, which after 16 years I should now be used to (mind you, that's a lie, it used to be great) I need to know how I can prevent the call from cutting off after 2 hours, otherwise I'll never get through!

Can somebody please deal with this? Or help in some way?

[enlli]

2 banks and Univesal Credit line all behaving the same from Virgin Mobile

How can people speak to them about getting cut off after 2 hours if they get cut off waiting to ask?

[GavinWrigley]

Yeah not the most logical answer was it? 

1. Advising we speak to the institutions we are unable to call for a start

2. We have one constant here - the phone company. The phone numbers being called are different each time but provide the same result, two different people at least (in this thread, but many more in online articles) but with the same result. Also, key factor is that some people are on hold for more than three hours to the same institutions so it is even more clear that it is not caused by their system. 

The replies show either a lack of care or interest in helping, or an inability to think logically or problem solve or maybe they just think their customers are stupid enough to buy anything

Paying for a phone service - it not working properly - and the phone company blaming the three numbers, two different people have called is like a hairdresser giving three bad haircuts to two different people and then blaming the hair. 

*Side note - I was also promised a call back from a manager within 24 hours that i didn't get and i knew it wouldn't even as the guy was telling me. Virgin's policy seems to be "Hey, we answered right?"

[dugdale]

perhaps the advice that it is the organisation that you're calling that cuts the call is correct 🤔

About 12 months ago I had an issue with my Virgin Media account which involved many, many phone calls before it was resolved. On two occasions my call was also cut off after exactly two hours- the company I was calling - Virgin Media.

Going by the guidance which suggests that the organisation that is being called is guilty of terminating the call in my case that would have been ……… Virgin Media 

[enlli]

Just did a Google search it seem people are complaining of this on O2, EE, and Three.

Wonder is it is EE doing the actual cutting off. Do you have the old red SIM cards or the new purple ones?

[Inferno]

Don't forget to report this to Ofcom as well - https://ofcomforms.secure.force.com/formentry/SitesFormCCTMonitoring - Virgin can't be allowed to continue this way.

[GavinWrigley]

old red one.

Yeah I saw a lot of articles from various phone companies so i thought it could be a network sharing thing. Even if that is the case, I pay for Virgin's service and they should be doing the legwork here. Obviously a legitimate call over two hours is intrinsically very important, it certainly is for me. Virgin never called me back or made any attempt to look into the issue, all responses were an instant knee jerk reaction to the apparent modus operandi of deny, deflect, get them off the phone and where possible try to get some money.

[GavinWrigley]

Will do, thanks!

[Palazzo]

I've been hit by the 2 hour cutoff waiting twice for TUI now (once after getting through and then being put on hold again) so looks like the limit is a Virgin thing. Anyone got any further updates?

[jb66]

I guess it's there to stop people forgetting to hang up the phone and being charged for a 15hour phonecall. I think it's there by design and not a fault

[Palazzo]

Possibly, but doesn't look like anyone got official confirmation that this was a Virgin Mobile thing (and whether there's a way round it for one-off calls).