Virgin Media discriminates against customers with disabilities
I have supplied this in DM to one of your colleagues, who will inevitably take about 10 hours to respond, but this may come in useful for another person who finds themselves dealing with this wretched company as a vulnerable user. I have spent seven hours of one day dealing with Virgin Media after OpenReach did not complete an install, which unfortunately has left me stuck with this clown car for another week. VM were informed that I was in treatment for pre-cancerous cells of the uterus. This is on the back of multiple hospital visits in a short space of time which I assumed to be a continuation of endometriosis (which meets the grounds for a disability under the Equality Act 2010, and may also be considered a form of sex discrimination as the condition impacts the female reproductive system). My first contact with VM, disclosing this, involved a call centre agent becoming hostile and aggressive with me before disconnecting the line. I subsequently began a move to Sky. Despite Open Reach's error, Sky resolved the error with booking a new appointment quicker than advertised online and with compensation for each day lost, all within 30 minutes. I am now entering Day 3 of trying to have services reinstated with Virgin. For some reason they are baffled as to why I loathe this company with every cell of my being. I have an outstanding bill with Virgin for the grand sum of circa £70. Over the space of two days I have been quoted three different amounts to reinstate the service. I have had a payment plan offer removed from me by a manager as soon as I mentioned the Equality Act 2010 and disability discrimination, where she hung up on me and wrote in notes I was not eligible for an extension. You are not allowed to know your legal rights with this company, but you can be verbally abused by their staff over your health, and you should take it because if you become frustrated or just flat out offended by how vile they are being, they will hang up on you. Therefore I would indicate to Virgin Media, and to anyone else who may need this in future, that they are bound by the Act, specifically s15 and s20. In specific relation to s20, this pertains to duties to make adjustments. I would also point you to s26(1) which pertains to harassment; their staff are extremely adept at dismissing and ignoring any mention of a disability and continuing to create a hostile, degrading environment for the person. Yes, your elderly parent who has dementia has a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and despite what their call centres protest, probably didn't understand how to add on a bunch of things that they don't even comprehend. Yes, your mental health issues can be considered disabilities under the Equality Act 2010, and yes you do have the right to be treated with dignity and respect by their staff if has caused your life to fall into chaos. Yes, if you are autistic and become overstimulated and overwhelmed by having to run around for hours after these idiots and it impacts your ability to communicate, they have a duty to consider this and not become aggressive/hostile. I do not like these people. I am sick to the back teeth of the way they treat customers. Their inability to have any duty of care toward their customers whilst racking up £2.7bn in revenue last quarter is not my concern. Other companies do this just fine complying with their obligations. They are nothing but a bunch of cowboys who appear to make it up as they go along. You can always explain how capitalism works anyway when your agents reply to this, if they bother. I'll ask the Communications Ombudsman what they think though as obviously I don't understand these kinds of meaty topics. Anyway, I did notice that it seemed to really annoy them when I mentioned this, probably the same way it annoyed me being patronised to about capitalism, so it may benefit someone else who needs it. Odds, favour et al.Promise to pay - still suspended acct
Posted last week saying I had been diagnosed with pre cancerous cells of the uterus and needed broadband due to extremely limited phone signal in my flat. Arranged a promise to pay on here. What happens at 1am? Virgin still suspends my service. I cannot wait to leave this company for Sky. I was originally open to cancelling the switch until I was out of contract but now I am absolutely done with you as a company. I truly hope you go bankrupt.Health issues - absolutely vile customer service agent
Hello I have just placed a switch to Sky Broadband due to the absolutely vile customer service agent I have had the misfortune of engaging with. I am in treatment for pre-cancerous cells of the uterus. My bill is overdue and I am paid at the start of the month. I called to enquire as to what I would need to pay in order to keep my services online until I am paid at the start of May, as my priorities have been elsewhere, and was greeted with a customer service agent who was hostile from the off. This was after I had to go around the houses on 5 separate calls as VM make it impossible to just speak to a human being. Your security screening is asinine - is it that difficult to just ask for a DOB like 95% of other companies? When I told your agent due to her attitude that I did not want to speak to her about my health issues and disclosed them, she ignored it and continued to be hostile. I do not think I am special due to the C word. I have looked at your forum and this appears to be a repeated theme for anyone with any kind of vulnerability - I have noted in very recent history a person having issues over homelessness and another experiencing issues with a very elderly parent. You are an absolutely wretched company that would clearly like to simply ride on the back of an established name but ensure it is impossible for any customer to contact you. In this case you should simply establish yourself as an online only service as that is clearly the avenue you wish to pursue. I would rather roll the die and take my chances on speaking to a UK based human at Sky. It is worth the early termination fees. In any case, it was pointless attempting to explain to this useless individual that suspending my services meant that I would be unreachable to medical contact. I have no mobile phone signal in my flat and rely on WiFi calling. The mobile phone provider means nothing. My flat is a conversion of a 200 year old building. The agent instead took great pleasure in, when again being reminded of my health status, that I was being "warned" for swearing once in the context of speaking (ie not AT her). Because again, what is more important is to become argumentative and not follow the slightest context clue. This I presume is rather easy when you have the attitude of someone who clearly despises their job. Or are just not very intelligent. She took great pleasure in being able to disconnect the call when I was asking when I would be called back the next day - again, when asking due to the nature of medical concerns. At every stage of the call - and I do mean from the point of her answering - I was clearly a nuisance. If she hates her job that much then get another one. If I appear hostile it is because I do not think I have ever had the misfortune of speaking to such a truly unlikeable human being in a customer service role. I have worked in a call centre many moons ago. I have dealt with very challenging people and I have dealt with straight up abusive callers. I have not, however, ever encountered a person who thinks it is normal business practice to become verbally abusive to a customer who discloses serious health issues then hang up on them. I knew it was a mistake to continue my service with VM after my landlord released the contract and bitterly regretted the decision instantly. You are a shell of the company you once were.