My first encounter with the VM customer service

[schamael]

Hi everyone,

I just joined the VM Broadband service yesterday, took the size L. And to be honest with you the impression was not as pleasant as I expected.:erm:

There was nothing wrong with the cable modem installation. I did it myself, and everything was okay.

When it came to the wireless router (I got the NETGEAR WGR614v6 from VM), I struggled quite badly. My laptops couldn't sustain the signal. It came on and off every 15 minutes!! Can you imagine that? And that's without any obvious reason. Cos everything was in place!

So today I rang the customer service about the problem. Guess what he said in the first instance: "Well, it seems your built-in wireless adapter is not compatible to NETGEAR's security mode". And he went on, "I would suggest you to buy one of our compatible adapters."

That's pretty patronising to me. I mean before this I took O2 Broadband; and had to terminate it because of moving in to this property; and I wasn't going to be bothered getting a BT line for 125 quid. O2 wireless box used WPA too, and both my laptops were doing great with it (FYI, it's Thomson SpeedTouch router).

So I hung up and thought it's a complete waste of time and airtime to rely on these people. And I tried to fix it myself. Turned out, after I changed the router's channel; it's up and running ever since!!!! No on-off incidents anymore at all since the last 6 hours

The reason why it got cocked-up seems to be because there were too many wireless networks around here in the neighbourhood. Maybe I used the same channel with another wireless point, that they interfered each other.

I imagine this would happen to people who just buy what these CSOs are banging on about 'buying compatible adapters'. That would be a daylight robbery really.

I will definitely write to the VM's customer relation manager regarding this matter!

Anyone having similar experience?

[moaningmags]

Why did you ring customer service?
Surely tech support would have been a better option?
Plus they wouldn't have said it's incompatible they would have said sorry it's a 3rd party adaptor and we don't support it, but this is what you need to do.

[joglynne]

Hi schamael, Welcome to the forum.

Whilst you don't appear to have a good experience joining Virgin Media there has been a silver lining as you ended up finding our forum. :D

Why did you ring customer service?
Surely tech support would have been a better option?
Plus they wouldn't have said it's incompatible they would have said sorry it's a 3rd party adaptor and we don't support it, but this is what you need to do.
Mags Whilst I understand your comments, and I respect the advice you give to many forum members, what I find disturbing is that he wasn't passed on to the right section for his enquiry.

I'm not at all tech savvy and if by chance, as a new customer, I phoned 150 instead of 151 and the VM employee gave me technical advise I would assume he/she knew what they were talking about.

It was a good job in this case that the OP had the knowledge to sort out his own problem but someone like me would have been in a right mess.

[Ernie_C]

It was a good job in this case that the OP had the knowledge to sort out his own problem but someone like me would have been in a right mess.
I don't know if I agree with you. If the OP had the knowledge to fix the problem, why did he need to speak to anyone from Virgin Media?

Anyone with basic knowledge of wireless routers would know that changing channels if you have a flaky connection is the first thing to try. I personally use channel 13 which is incompatible with some laptop adapters (as I found out when my daughter's laptop couldn't see my wireless network).

[joglynne]

I don't know if I agree with you. If the OP had the knowledge to fix the problem, why did he need to speak to anyone from Virgin Media?

Anyone with basic knowledge of wireless routers would know that changing channels if you have a flaky connection is the first thing to try. I personally use channel 13 which is incompatible with some laptop adapters (as I found out when my daughter's laptop couldn't see my wireless network).

Regardless of the technical knowledge that the OP has, he did need at the time to speak to someone at Virgin Media and was either given incorrect information by Technical Support, or, was given duff technical advise by a VM employee who should have redirected him to the right department.

It could easily have been a customer who had no technical knowledge which is what concerns me.

[whydoIneedatech]

Hi everyone,

I just joined the VM Broadband service yesterday, took the size L. And to be honest with you the impression was not as pleasant as I expected.:erm:

There was nothing wrong with the cable modem installation. I did it myself, and everything was okay.

When it came to the wireless router (I got the NETGEAR WGR614v6 from VM), I struggled quite badly. My laptops couldn't sustain the signal. It came on and off every 15 minutes!! Can you imagine that? And that's without any obvious reason. Cos everything was in place!

So today I rang the customer service about the problem. Guess what he said in the first instance: "Well, it seems your built-in wireless adapter is not compatible to NETGEAR's security mode". And he went on, "I would suggest you to buy one of our compatible adapters."

That's pretty patronising to me. I mean before this I took O2 Broadband; and had to terminate it because of moving in to this property; and I wasn't going to be bothered getting a BT line for 125 quid. O2 wireless box used WPA too, and both my laptops were doing great with it (FYI, it's Thomson SpeedTouch router).

So I hung up and thought it's a complete waste of time and airtime to rely on these people. And I tried to fix it myself. Turned out, after I changed the router's channel; it's up and running ever since!!!! No on-off incidents anymore at all since the last 6 hours

The reason why it got cocked-up seems to be because there were too many wireless networks around here in the neighbourhood. Maybe I used the same channel with another wireless point, that they interfered each other.

I imagine this would happen to people who just buy what these CSOs are banging on about 'buying compatible adapters'. That would be a daylight robbery really.

I will definitely write to the VM's customer relation manager regarding this matter!

Anyone having similar experience?

I can see from the wording of the post that he must have spoke to Tech Support and not Customer Services as no one in CS would give any such advice they would look on it as being a Hot Potato and immediately transfer it to Tech Support telling the caller that they are unable to deal with it and that they will put them through to Tech Support.

I would say the real issue is the Agent he spoke to, who is either reading from a script or truly does not have a clue about the subject and gives Tech Support a bad name.

[hilfiger]

u have 30 day to cancel ur service

what ur waiting for

[moaningmags]

he must have spoke to Tech Support and not Customer Services as no one in CS would give any such advice they would look on it as being a Hot Potato and immediately transfer it to Tech Support telling the caller that they are unable to deal with it and that they will put them through to Tech Support.

I would say the real issue is the Agent he spoke to, who is either reading from a script or truly does not have a clue about the subject and gives Tech Support a bad name.

I know a few people on customer services who think they know more than 2nd line nevermind 1st line.

[whydoIneedatech]

I know a few people on customer services who think they know more than 2nd line nevermind 1st line.

And we both know they are supposed to transfer all Tech Support calls.

[schamael]

Thanks for your replies, guys!

Actually, I got the advice from the Tech Support; I think so. Because the call centre is centralised. I had to choose the options on the phone. So I chose "fault with the broadband service". I guess that meant I was directed to tech support people.

Well for the last 2 days, the cable modem + router have been working really well. No complaints for anything at all, basically.
So yeah, it seemed the channel problem was the only problem. I have basic knowledge in wireless router; but it doesn't necessarily mean I would conclude that the channel was the problem.

And of course as a consumer you would expect such guidance and information came from the tech support! Tech support shouldn't make a sale for 'compatible wireless adapter' before thoroughly identifying other possibilities to fix the problem.