Replacement 360 noisy fan or HDD

[dalodge]

I’m now on my third 360 unit.
The first one had an issue where the recordings just disappeared.
The second one had an issue where playing back a recording started from the end of the recording.
This third unit has not shown any issues other than it has a noisy fan or HDD.
This is especially noticeable on an evening when the volume is usually lower on the TV.
There are not necessarily any recordings happening which might suggest a fan.

Ive had engineer visits for each previous issue and from their information I know that:
Box 1: recordings disappeared. - Arris make
Box 2: playback jumped to the end - Humax make
Box 3: noisy fan or HDD - new Arris make

If there is no way if reducing the noise on the new Arris units I would rather revert back to the Humax unit that had an intermittent playback issue but at least was quiet.

Should I ring customer service to arrange this?

[roy247]

Arris made boxes were originally V6 boxes and could be updated to 360 software, Humax made boxes are the newer version of the box made for 360 software.

Sounds like you have been unlucky with your boxes, if it's a high pitched noise it's more than likely the fan on an refurbished Arris box that now needs replacing. Hard drive noise's are usually clicking.

Either case it sounds like you need to call Virgin or wait for one of the forum team to respond which might be 2 to 3 days.

[Ayisha_B]

Hi @dalodge 👋

Welcome back to our Community Forums and thanks for your post.

Sorry to hear you are having some issues with the noise levels of the fan on your box.

Is it out in the open and well ventilated?

If so, then please respond to my PM to confirm a few details so we can check things on the box from our end and book a technician out to you if we identify this is needed. 

Thanks!

[Ayisha_B]

Thanks for confirming the requested details via PM 

I've booked a technician for you to come out. You can find confirmation of the visit via your 👉 online account.

Please let me know if there are any problems with the date or time and I can look to reschedule this for you. In regards to the appointment there are some details you need to know about. There will be no charge for this visit unless:

•The technician diagnoses the faults as not being caused by our network/equipment 
•The technician discovers that the fault or problem relates to your equipment
•The technician discovers that the fault or problem relates to any system that we are not responsible for

The technician will confirm during their visit if any of these instances apply, and if so, a £25 charge will be applied to your account.

Please ensure there is someone over the age of 18 present at the time of the visit. If you need to change or cancel your appointment you can also do this online or via the MyVM app by 4pm the day before the appointment.

If you do miss an agreed appointment for any reason, a £25 missed appointment charge will be applied to your account on the day of the appointment.

Let us know how the visit goes!

[dalodge]

Update: The engineer came round and said it’s the fan. He replaced the unit and now it’s as noisy if not more so.
He suggested changing the rubber feet, trying it out of the shelf but I shouldn’t have to do that. Out of the shelf it’s even noisier.
I’m sure I didn’t have this issue before on the other units but the engineer assured that they have always had fans.
My living room is not particularly small but I can hear the fan over the TV even on normal volume.
I can’t fault the customer service with any of the issues I’ve had, the response on here has been great and the engineers very helpful, but, if this is just how the “new?” units are now I’m not sure I can stay with VM TV. 
I’m only here for the broadband so maybe I’ll downgrade to just that and go back to the dark side with their quiet boxes that seem to work.

[roy247]

If the engineer thought the fan was faulty (noisy) why didn't he think the replacement box was faulty if it was just as loud. If he decided it was now normal because didn't have another one to try then he should have at least offered you the chance to keep the 'faulty' box with any recordings unless it was too late to do that with the way the 360 software works with the servers.

Is your replacement box an Arris box or Humax box, both the V6 and 360 boxes have had fans and I have never had a problem with one making a noise, (having workied as an IT engineer I thought I would have noticed). You also didn't have a problem with your first 2 boxes.

Replacing the feet would only absorb vibration on your shelf and would be different to a noisy fan especially if it's a high pitched noise.

Maybe whoever is refurbishing the units should turn down the background music or ban using ear pods so they can hear the fan on the box.

If you are not happy I would contact Virgin or wait to see if the forum team can help.

[dalodge]

Hi mate, thanks for your response again.
The engineer could hear the fan noise, said the only thing he could do was swap out the box. Then we tried the new one and it sounded the same. I thought, well if that’s the way the new boxes are I’ll have to try and get used to it, but the more I’ve used it, this new one is even noisier, it has an additional buzzing sound to it as well as the original whirring noise.
I see on some other posts that a replacement did improve it for one customer so maybe I’ve just been unlucky…. Again. 🙄
The engineer said they only give out Arris boxes now as they are having issues with the Humax ones. I’d rather have a flakey Humax box and put up with the issues than have to listen to this though. It is on the verge of unusable.

[roy247]

Hi,

I wonder what the issues are with the Humax box, I've had mine for 3 years with no problems.

Maybe they are in short supply because they are replacing faulty or poorly refurbished Arris boxes.

[Beth_G]

Hi dalodge

I am very sorry to hear that this new box is still making strange noises. I can imagine how frustrating this must be when trying to relax and watch TV.

I'm more than happy to arrange for another replacement to be sent out to you as a delivery or arrange for another engineer to visit. I'm afraid that's all we can do. I appreciate at this point it may feel like it won't help, however these noises aren't normal for our boxes and we want to ensure you have working equipment. 

Let us know

[dalodge]

Hi, I’m happy to keep trying boxes until I find a quiet one.
I think an engineer visit makes more sense as they would have multiple units to try?
Please start the process for arranging another appointment.
Thank you