TV channels pixelated

[Samantha78]

For the past two weeks I've had issues with channels being heavily pixelated and becoming unwatchable. Rebooting the box doesn't rectify the problem. 

All leads are in correctly and although there are known area faults, they don't correspond with my issue. 

This issue normally occurs in the summer when it is excessively hot but it's started now and shows no sign of improving. Has anyone got any suggestions?

[japitts]

Pixellated pictures on live TV are often the sign of a signal fault. If you've rebooted your box once, then there's likely a fault somewhere, so this will need VM to intervene. You're likely to need either an engineer visit or a replacement box, depending on what VM's remote diagnostics turn up.

First check the automated faults line for any existing issues in your area that could be the cause: 0800 5610061. If nothing's reported, assume VM don't know about your fault and ideally you'll need to call them.

150 from a VM phone, 0345 4541111 from any other phone - choose the options for "I have a fault with my TV service". Alternatively you can wait on here for staff to respond, which may take a day or so

[Samantha78]

I've tried ringing 150 but as there has been an ongoing fault in my area, it won't let me speak to an advisor. 

The fault that is in my area isn't the same as the fault I am trying to report but I can't get past the automated system. 

[Matthew_ML]

Hey Samantha78, thank you for reaching out and I am sorry to hear you are having some pixilation issues.

I understand this is very frustrating however I can see there has been an area outage happening since August 2022 and is due to last until 28th October.

In this time an outage can cause pixilation, freezing or even sound issues unfortunately. 

If this is still happening come the 28th, please do reach back and we will take a look into this. Thanks 

[Samantha78]

Thanks for letting me know.

When I ring 150 it says there is a complex issue but doesn't give a fix date. When I check the service status online it's coming up as no issues. 

Hopefully it will all be fixed by then. What are the rules regarding compensation for this? I can't watch many TV channels due to this issue and I've also had to delete recordings as they were unwatchable due to the pixelation.

[japitts]

The general rule is normally to wait until the fault is resolved, and then look at loss-of-service credits for the parts of your package that were affected.

[Samantha78]

As it is an ongoing area fault and has been present since August, is there any reason why it shouldn't be applied automatically? It takes hours to get through to speak to an operator and most of the time the credits are not applied. 

Surely in a situation like this it should be automatic. 

[japitts]

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@Samantha78 wrote:

Surely in a situation like this it should be automatic. 

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Read up on the rules of automatic compensation at https://www.virginmedia.com/help/billing-and-payments/automatic-compensation with particular attention to 2 points:

1: it doesn't cover TV, only broadband & landline

2: You need to register a complete loss of service, not just be affected by a degrade.

[Samantha78]

Two weeks ago, this outage caused me to be without internet for over 51 hours.

With respect to those rules, I pay for a TV, internet and telephone service. If one of those is not working correctly then it is only right and correct that I should be compensated for a service I can not use. I am not simply complaining that the picture is occasionally jumpy, it has literally been unwatchable on certain channels for weeks as it is completely pixelated and the visuals merge with the previous channel I was viewing. I have series recordings that are also unwatchable due to this and no way of recovering the picture and sound quality. Currently, the only channel on my TV package that has a normal picture and sound is BBC news. That is not acceptable and deserves to be compensated accordingly. 

[japitts]

Taking a step-back here.

The references in the last few posts have been to the "automatic" compensation scheme, and I've provided the links so you can read up on that yourself.

You are absolutely correct to say you shouldn't be paying for a service you're not receiving. In this case, you need to have reported the fault to VM to give them reasonable opportunity to rectify it. Once the fault is resolved, then do follow up loss-of-service credits for the parts of your package that were affected.