All recordings from over two years deleted and no, the recently deleted folder is completely empty.
No recent change in service, no recent power failure and I'm the only one in the house who manages the recordings. There's no recording hiccups and the box records new additions just fine but everything from before last Wednesday (4th) has been removed leaving usage at 2% when it was at around 70% before. The recordings have always been set to delete only when I choose and not when space is needed. Series links seem intact not that there were that many anyway and favourite apps and their respective login details are also all intact along with the pin number.
Reset, unplugged/plugged in again, connected to virgin network, tested network connection etc. All the usual standard approaches taken. Called the faults line Friday 6th and also today and it's the differences in operator's statements over these two days of calling where the info seems to get, confusing.
Initially told on first call to go through all the standard basic checks, then had confirmation of a programme, that had been in the recordings, being listed for the operator to see. Was told to wait three working days and my recordings should be reinstated.
Nothing after Wednesday so called again and now told no detailed notes on system about previous call and had to jump through all the same basic hoops again to check the box. This time the box apparently isn't switched on even though it is and also have gone through the connect to virgin and network test.
On top of this, the operator doesn't know anything about reinstating my deleted recordings, in fact, she can't access any details on recordings that have ever been on this box because now that's something Virgin Media can't do! Despite the fact on Friday, I was given specific information about a TV show (now no longer on my V6) I had recorded and the channel it was recorded from.
She was going to escalate this to another team then the line went dead, so here we go, called back again! "If you'd like to learn more about passwords........." aaargghhh!
Now on the third operator, he tells me they CAN access my recordings but only after asking my permission. However, he can't see anything for this box because even though it is switched on and connected..... it isn't switched on or connected. He did, after requested and given permission, confirm the two most recent recordings on another V6 box in the house though, including names, dates and channels.
Next I spoke to another operator in a different department. After going through all the same basic procedurals, this time I was told I must have deleted them myself, maybe by accident because it's not possible for them to access and delete recordings. That's right, I accidentally deleted around 200 recordings, then accidentally went into the recently deleted folder and accidentally permanently deleted those as well. Even though to do this you have to individually select and delete each one.
After a back and forth of asking how my recordings went missing and being given the patronising response of it must've been me, she finally settled on the response of "I don't know". A more honest response but equally as useless considering this is a department set up to have technical knowledge and expertise to solve these types of issues.
She passed me on to her supervisor who said he would look into the original call from Friday to find out how or why I was told Virgin Media would be capable of restoring my recordings from a supposed log of them in the system.
So now I have to wait for a response from the escalation within 72 hours, so that'll be next week. The issue now though, isn't so much the missing recordings, annoying as that is, they're just a build up of things kept to eventually get round to. My main gripe now is the weird feeling of control over what I record.
With such mixed messages from the start of this "technical issue", I just find it very difficult to believe Virgin aren't in a position to over-monitor and micro manage their customers "data". I know that removing the movie channels from your package can stop access to films you may have recorded, at any time in the past, from those channels. So deletion wouldn't be a huge stretch to control remotely.
I also don't hold Virgin as the only company to have such control, Amazon for example have deleted digital copies of books people have paid for and stored in their account and everyone knows about the cookies controlling targeted advertising on social media.
I'm not saying I've been specifically chosen to have my recordings deleted but the deletion is too clean and complete for it to be down to some bad sectors on a dying hard drive. It looks more like an all too viable option within the system, mistakenly initiated, accidentally revealed during the first call and then poorly denied at every stage following, be it through a genuine ignorance of the full functionality or an adherence to internal company policy.
Hoping this does get resolved as some older recordings can't be replaced easily.
Has anyone else had their recordings deleted in a similar fashion? Be interesting to know if anyone managed to get their shows restored.
