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?

[eeks1599]

Is there a way of preventing this? I’m on virgin mobile and it always cuts off outgoing calls at 2 hours. My mum is the main receiver of this but understands because she’s also on virgin mobile and I’ll just call her back without too much issue. Today I’m trying to call kcom and as predicted after 2 hours of their bloody hold music (made it to second in the queue!) virgin have cut me off. So annoying!

[GavinWrigley]

Change provider 

[emmalunt1]

This is happening to me. Trying to ring Butlins, placed in a queue and mobile cuts off after exactly 2 hours. 

Can't just be a coincidence, definitely something Virgin mobile have done!

[jameshewitt68]

I can throw in my experience of the same issue using Virgin Mobile, getting cut off mid-conversation, exactly on the 2 hour mark, while talking to yet another end client, this time HM Passport Office.

If it hasn't already been addressed in the responses, we need to know if this is a conscious decision by Virgin Mobile/Media, or a coding oversight that needs rectifying.

Either way, removing this unwelcome restriction is imperative.

[Robert_P]

Hello Jameshewitt68

As mentioned earlier in the thread, this is put in place to help prevent high call charges but if you press a key during the call when getting closer to the 2 hour mark this will prevent the call from ending.

Rob

[jameshewitt68]

For you maybe, but not for your paying customer, especially when on an unlimited contract as many of us are.  If you really can't stop looking after yourself in preference to the paying customer then at least provide a clear warning so the customer can make an informed decision before the event. It's too late for me now!

As a side note the cut-off was precisely 2 hours after the original connection although I was pressing numbers to get through menus for a good couple of minutes into the call, so clearly those didn't extend the life of the connection to, even by the 2 minutes they took to complete.  So if the after-the-event advice you gave is meaningful, how far into the call would I need to start stabbing my number-pad with my finger for it to be recognized and reset the 2 hour timer ? Is this a coded interval as well ? 

[GaelRose]

Hi Robert,

I’ve just found this thread after searching online for a solution to the problem outlined. 

I have a holiday booked which I need to modify and the Travel Company, what with COVID and ever changing situations, is clearly overwhelmed and has very long queue times.

Yesterday I was on hold for two hours, and as many have said, my call cut out with three beeps, as if the connection timed out.

I wondered if it may be an error on their part or I was hung up in, so have tried calling back this morning. Another two hours later, my call has timed out again.

4 of my last 24 hours have been spent on hold, which is not your problem, but you can understand why, now I have just started calling back for a third time and faced with the prospect of the call timing out after another two hours, I would like some more assurance that your proposed solution to ‘press a key near to the two hour mark’ is a *real*, tested solution, and not just a sound byte from Virgin to pacify.

As the gentleman who has posted last on this thread points out, at the beginning of the call I had to press a number of buttons to make choices, and this does not have seemed to effect the length of the call (past two hours). So I echo his question - how long into the call will my pressing of buttons make a difference to the limit?

Because if there is no real solution, there is no way for me to contact the travel company in the timely manner that I need to.

Many thanks.

[GavinWrigley]

for sure it's Virgin but I tried for weeks to get help with it. They have clearly been briefed not to admit any blame or they have been told it's definitely not them. Either way - I wouldn't bother looking for help from Virgin. They're entirely too comfortable to p*ss in your face and tell you it's raining. borrow a phone or change companies

[Ryan_N]

Hi GaelRose, 

Thank you for your post and welcome to the forums. 

Upon reading your post and the attached thread - I can only sound like I am repeating what has already been advised on the post. Are you using a mobile or landline in this case? 

I would recommend if you are on hold for a long period of time to press a key at any time before the 2 hour mark. I can see you have mentioned about pressing the keys when selecting options, as this would be before the call is routed I wouldn't imagine it would register in the same way. 

Please let me know how you get on. 

Cheers, 

Ryan. 

[enlli]

A quick search shows at least ID Mobile, (so presumably Three), EE, O2 and Giffgaff cut off after 2 hours. As far as I can ascertain Vodafone after 90 minutes