Complaints to Virgin Media. How not to do it.

**Derek** · 02-12-2009, 08:05

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/8389297.stm

Quote:

A man who sent a bomb threat to Virgin Media staff over a service dispute has been placed on probation for two years.

Sending a bomb threat via your STB, obviously there is no way it could ever be traced back to you.

**Russ** · 02-12-2009, 08:44

Whereas what the guy did was totally stupid and deserved punishing, you have to think how bad VM's service must have been for a customer to react that way.

Anyway it happened to me when I worked for 'NTL' on tech support. Some guy called up ranting and raving that his webspace was down and was losing money by the hour because of NTL etc.

When I reminded him he only had a personal account and was not permitted to to use his webspace for business unless he changed to a business account he started screaming and shouting down the phone at me and told me he'd "bomb the NTL building". What didn't help was this happened about 3 weeks after 9/11 and his name was very middle-eastern sounding. I pressed the Emergency button which alerted the callcentre manager who recorded the call and he was reported to the police.

I don't know if he was prosecuted but I had a written apology from him.

---------- Post added at 09:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 ----------

edit: just read it again, he sent the message after they banned him for misuse, not because of any faults.

**Stuart** · 02-12-2009, 12:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ

Whereas what the guy did was totally stupid and deserved punishing, you have to think how bad VM's service must have been for a customer to react that way.

Anyway it happened to me when I worked for 'NTL' on tech support. Some guy called up ranting and raving that his webspace was down and was losing money by the hour because of NTL etc.

When I reminded him he only had a personal account and was not permitted to to use his webspace for business unless he changed to a business account he started screaming and shouting down the phone at me and told me he'd "bomb the NTL building". What didn't help was this happened about 3 weeks after 9/11 and his name was very middle-eastern sounding. I pressed the Emergency button which alerted the callcentre manager who recorded the call and he was reported to the police.

Although I haven't personally had any bomb threats, we did receive one at a Leisure Centre where I worked. It was serious as well. As a Local Authority building, all our receptionists had received training on dealing with Bomb threats. They had also been updated on the "code" the IRA used. This mesage fitted in with the code. IIRC, the bomb was found on a train stopped at the nearest station (although the media were told that the train was late and the bomb intended for victoria) 100 meters down the road. She notified the Police who located the bomb, and arranged for it to be disarmed..

The nearest I experienced was years later when I worked part time for Blockbuster.

A customer returned a tape late. He had a £2 fine to pay.. I told him this. He responded by saying that he would bide his time, then return with a bat and beat the **** out of me.. I said "Fine. Do that, then watch as I sue both you and Blockbuster for my injuries". I have no idea if he was actually planning to do it, or was just threatening, but at that point I didn't care. He didn't do it though..

Pauls9 · 02-12-2009, 14:23

He's still biding his time, Stuart...

Peter_ · 02-12-2009, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek S

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/8389297.stm

Sending a bomb threat via your STB, obviously there is no way it could ever be traced back to you.

He should have been jailed as probation is meaningless.

Welshchris · 03-12-2009, 13:49

i remember a guy in cardiff many years ago was having problems with his bills and NTL at the time was promising to refund on the next bill and it went on and on for months and one day he had his bill and had a bad day and went to the main office in Cardiff and grabbed an employee by his throat and dragged him over the desk and said he wasnt leaving till it was sorted lol...

What Virgin doesnt realise that the lack of customer service and support can cause people to snap mentally in an already stressful life and some members of staff just dont want to help or do their jobs.

**Chris** · 03-12-2009, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

grabbed an employee by his throat and dragged him over the desk and said he wasnt leaving till it was sorted lol....

Yes, and I'm sure the employee being held by the throat was LOLing along with the prank the entire time he was in fear of his life.

**Kymmy** · 03-12-2009, 14:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

What Virgin doesnt realise that the lack of customer service and support can cause people to snap mentally in an already stressful life and some members of staff just dont want to help or do their jobs.

A normal person doesn't snap mentally because a company is slow on a refund.. For someone to grab another by the throat due to a bit of money he must have been mentally unhinged to begin with

**Stuart** · 03-12-2009, 14:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

i remember a guy in cardiff many years ago was having problems with his bills and NTL at the time was promising to refund on the next bill and it went on and on for months and one day he had his bill and had a bad day and went to the main office in Cardiff and grabbed an employee by his throat and dragged him over the desk and said he wasnt leaving till it was sorted lol...

What Virgin doesnt realise that the lack of customer service and support can cause people to snap mentally in an already stressful life and some members of staff just dont want to help or do their jobs.

Sorry, but bad internet access or some company stuffing up your bill is NOT an adequate reason for threatening someone like that. No matter how bad the service offered by the company, no one should be physically threatened over their job.

I hope that guy got a prison sentence for his effort..

Peter_ · 03-12-2009, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

i remember a guy in cardiff many years ago was having problems with his bills and NTL at the time was promising to refund on the next bill and it went on and on for months and one day he had his bill and had a bad day and went to the main office in Cardiff and grabbed an employee by his throat and dragged him over the desk and said he wasnt leaving till it was sorted lol...

What Virgin doesnt realise that the lack of customer service and support can cause people to snap mentally in an already stressful life and some members of staff just dont want to help or do their jobs.

A rather strange and worrying attitude towards a person being assaulted just for working for a company, all I can think of is that all the issues you have been having with Virgin has resulted in some sort of deep seated resentment that makes you want to laugh at this unfortunate incident.

I hope that this person was duly arrested and prosecuted for assault.

Welshchris · 03-12-2009, 19:01

Trust me ive come close to doing it myself to a few VM Employees and even told VM Chief execs office and one guy was even disiplined over the way he spoke to me and because of this i reacted in the way he did.

I was called a liar, told i was a nusance caller for reporting fault logs to them even though i was asked to do so by this persons collegue and he couldnt be bothered to check and wouldnt give me time to explain myself and started shouting at me and i told him if he has spoken to me like that to my face id break his nose and i would have done.

The next day not only had the problem i had supposingly lied about surfaced and loads are suffering still from it, but notes on the computer he claimed didnt exist came to light showing i was calling to report the logs and why and even who i was to contact.

So as i said some people just dont want to do their jobs and make it difficult and this is why people do snap.

Peter_ · 03-12-2009, 19:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

The next day not only had the problem i had supposingly lied about surfaced and loads are suffering still from it, but notes on the computer he claimed didnt exist came to light showing i was calling to report the logs and why and even who i was to contact.

You are allowed to request a copy of the notes from your account if you feel that is necessary.

Welshchris · 03-12-2009, 19:06

i didnt need a copy all i wanted for him to do was his job, listen to why i had rang and to why i was doing what i was doing...

All he was interested in doing was saying that Chief execs wasnt for faults and i was a nusence by calling and asking for this person and the problem didnt exist and he wouldnt even let me talk to the person, he said the notes didnt exist on the system for the problem and i had lied and he just didnt want to do his job.

Peter_ · 03-12-2009, 19:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

i didnt need a copy all i wanted for him to do was his job, listen to why i had rang and to why i was doing what i was doing...

All he was interested in doing was saying that Chief execs wasnt for faults and i was a nusence by calling and asking for this person and the problem didnt exist and he wouldnt even let me talk to the person, he said the notes didnt exist on the system for the problem and i had lied and he just didnt want to do his job.

No what I mean is that you can demand a copy of the notes which can then prove that you are correct as to what you have stated, which can be quite useful when calling about a similar issue in the future.

cookie_365 · 03-12-2009, 19:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welshchris

Trust me ive come close to doing it myself to a few VM Employees and even told VM Chief execs office and one guy was even disiplined over the way he spoke to me and because of this i reacted in the way he did.

I was called a liar, told i was a nusance caller for reporting fault logs to them even though i was asked to do so by this persons collegue and he couldnt be bothered to check and wouldnt give me time to explain myself and started shouting at me and i told him if he has spoken to me like that to my face id break his nose and i would have done.

The next day not only had the problem i had supposingly lied about surfaced and loads are suffering still from it, but notes on the computer he claimed didnt exist came to light showing i was calling to report the logs and why and even who i was to contact.

So as i said some people just dont want to do their jobs and make it difficult and this is why people do snap.

Normal people don't 'come close' to making bomb threats.

Normal people don't threaten to break peoples' noses.

Normal people don't snap because 'some people just don't want to do their jobs'.