More installation Woes

[anarchi]

This is my first attempt to deal with Virgin Media and, after my current experience with the installs team and customer care, is very close to being my last.

I ordered the 50Mb broadband package (with TV and phone) on May 12 and arranged for an installation date of June 1 between 8:30 and 1:00. The installer arrived mid morning on that day, but seemed unprepared for the installation. He didn't know what package was to be installed and was surprised that there was no cabling in place. (This is a new install, so it is unclear why he expected to find any.) He said that he wouldn't be able to complete the installation that day as he needed a two-man crew to install the cables. He then looked for and eventually found the "T Box" (cable junction?) outside my property, but discovered that it was full of earth. He said that it would need to be dug up and a new box installed and that he would arrange to have that done as soon as possible. After talking to someone on his phone, he said that VM would try to get someone out that day or, if that was not possible, early the next.

Nobody came.

The next day I called customer care and was told that the T Box replacement had been scheduled for June 17. I objected to this and was eventually put through to Ryan, who sympathised, but was unable to actually do anything other than contact the installs manager (Hazel). He called me back and left a message saying that he had been unable to talk to Hazel (the Managers were all in a meeting), but that he had left a message with Hazel's PA and had been told that Hazel would call me.

Wednesday morning and I have received no call from either Ryan or Hazel. I talked to a Scots woman in customer care who was friendly and sympathetic, but utterly unable to actually do anything.

50Mb broadband is supposed to be Virgin Media's flagship package, but it is spoiled by the lack of care and apparent incompetence of the installs team. The 'procedures' that they claim to be bound by and their unresponsiveness to customers' needs demonstrate the most appalling lack of understanding of the basics of customer care.

I expect installation to be carried out in a timely and professional manner. A delay of two and an half weeks for the T Box to be dug up and replaced is out of the question. I am prepared for the installation to be delayed by a day or two, but I expect the whole installation to be completed by this Friday at the very latest.

I have posted a complaint to this effect via the contact section of VM's website, but I doubt that there will be any response.

My current feeling is that the best move to make would probably be to dump VM and go elsewhere for broadband (slower, but possibly with less hassle). I cancelled my current broadband (with Pipex) when I signed up for Virgin Media. Fortunately I didn't arrange for it to end on June 1, but it will be cut off in a day or two.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to the most sensible move? Should I cut my losses and cancel now or hold out for a sensible installation plan?

Thanks

[MovedGoalPosts]

The problem is that once it's been identified that the pavement duct has a problem there is a need for a completely different team of people, often referred as "construction", rather than just the cable installers. The construction bods are needed to physically start digging into the pavement to repair and clear the duct. Only once that is clear can the intallation teams pull the cables throough.

The ratio of consruction crews to installers is very small. It seems that the construction crews do have a much longer lead in time due to their few numbers. It wouldn't matter what broadband speed you were after, or if it was a problem with TV or phone, these construction teams can only do so much.

The fundamental issue here though is not the time taken to install, it's the inability of Virgin Media to be able to properly co-ordinate the information process to the customer. Year on Year it seems that VM are unable to make improvements in this area, despite being a company that is in the business of communication.

[fireman328]

As a communication company VM are not very good at it

[anarchi]

Another couple of fruitless phone calls to VM Customer Care yesterday. As I got nowhere I insisted on talking to the Manager (Scots, name beginning with an M -- it didn't stick) and also got nowhere. It is clear that the sole purpose of that department is to provide a (pseudo) sympathetic buffer to stop customers from talking to anyone who could actually make a decision about their problem.

The conversation with M was a complete waste of time as it was clear that her job was to block, block, block (with a little deflect as well). She did manage to suggest that the problem was my fault as I had signed up online and she offered me free installation, which was additional salt in the wound as free installation is part of the package deal I signed up for (if she had bothered to look at my details she would surely have seen this). She claimed that there was nothing anyone anywhere in the World could do to change their imposed installation date of June 17 and she said that the reason the install team had not called me back was that they "didn't want to give me bad news."

I told her I was going to cancel my installation and she offered to do it for me (which was the first and only thing she appeared capable of doing). I told her I would do it myself as I didn't trust her. Afterwards I talked to my wife and she convinced me to stick with the installation and ride out the incompetence and stupidity in the hope that the 50Mb Broadband service, when it finally arrives, will be worth it.

I had to call Customer Care again to find out when the installation will take place as VM have not actually contacted me with any official notification. I was told that the whole thing would take place between 1 and 6 on June 17. Assuming that this actually happens, this delay will leave me without Broadband of any kind for seven days (my 15 year old daughter will be traumatised!).

I understand from the forums that I should expect compensation for this situation from VM (and Ryan from the Installs team said as much in his voicemail). What, in your opinions, should I expect to get from VM? What should I ask for and how should I go about it?

[anarchi]

Well, gosh, what a surprise. The installer has just been and gone and I still have no service.

It appears that the construction crew came on Monday (according to my neighbour, I was out all day) and dug a hole in the pavement (I noticed the chopped up tarmac this morning). The installer appeared in his van at about 2:45 this afternoon, lifted up the cover in the pavement, looked in and said "there's no cable." Several telephone calls followed; nobody knows anything; can't do anything without a cable; the installer's manager will call me directly (yeah... right).

Well, amazing, the manager called -- blockage in road... apply to Council... 28 days. He'll pass my details on to the area field manager and she will call within 48 hours (yeah.. right). Actually, he did then give me his number and told me to call him if I hadn't heard.

There doesn't seem to be any point in calling VM customer care, they appear to be totally useless (unless their job is to frustrate and annoy customers, in which case they are brilliant!).

[fireman328]

As Winston Chuchill once said, I can offer you nothing but blood,sweat and tears.

[MovedGoalPosts]

Customer Services rarely seem to know anything about status of installation problems. You have the phone number of the installation manager. He'll be the one to contact if you don;t get updates after a couple of days.

If the ducting has a problem in the road, it could be some time before that get's resolved, if it get's resolved.

[Albert Fish]

I sympathise. My new install seems to be going ok.

Arranged for a spotter to come round first week of June, spotter comes round second week of June, okays install and gives date of 19th

16th June - 2 bods arrive and pull 100m+ of cable from green box to small hole in front of property (incidentally, the small junction box was full of soil and ants but the guys just got on with it) and were done within the hour.

Final install due this Friday pm. Fingers crossed.

[anarchi]

Well, the area field manager did manage to get things going. I talked to her last Friday and she said that she frankly didn't believe that there was a blockage in the road and that she would be back on Tuesday with a construction crew to deal with it. Sure enough I got back home yesterday lunchtime to find a loop of cable sticking out of the ground and wrapped around a bush.

So far, so good. It appears that individuals in the company can actually get things done.

But before you get your hopes up, they have managed to spoil the whole thing again. Later yesterday afternoon I got a call saying that as the cable was now pulled, they would proceed with installation on July 8. What kind of incompetent moron would think that that was a reasonable time scale. They really don't appear to have any concept of customer needs.

Customer care means making room in the schedule for customers that you have let down, not adding them to the end of the list!

[Raistlin]

Customer care means making room in the schedule for customers that you have let down, not adding them to the end of the list!

It's entirely possible that the list of people that they've let down is sooooo long it will take until that date to clear the ones they let down before you ;)