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techguy
02-08-2009, 15:02
I'm trying to get cable for a family member.. so far without much success.

He's in Hendon North London... on a road which is cabled up and has customers. The problem is that his house is at the very start of the road.. and the detached property was built after the main cable network was laid.

Several years later, (it's thought NTL days as the ground manholes say "NTL") a team arrived with some other people in yellow jackets and hats.. and started doodling on the pavement right outside his house with green spray paint. They marked out an arrow against the boundary of his front yard and the pavement... and then green arrows heading all they way towards a rectangle shaped NTL manhole.. on the pavement about 30ft away on the same side of the road as the house.

They never returned. Years later and the green markings are still there!

So got in touch with Virgin Media and they put the order for tv phoen and broadband through as the address is on the database already.

Few days later, a VM Sales Consultant called up saying he would pop round (9pm at night) to check whether it was possible to have cable installed. He knocked on the door after looking outside and just said "nope.,., not possible i'm afraid" and left.

He then called on the phone and said If we could get the neighbour interested in having cable, they could probably do it... but not just for 1 property! The principle of this sucks bigtime - why should potential customers have to do the job of the field sales consultants in order to get installed? Shouldn't he be going to that trouble - he's obviously going to get commission for his sales?

Anyone else been 'asked to recruit neighbours' for Virgin Media.. just to get installed themselves?

surfer100
02-08-2009, 22:41
They would have to put ducting in up to his house. The cost of doing this probably does not justify the income from 1 property who may disconnect after his deal runs out.

techguy
02-08-2009, 23:17
They would have to put ducting in up to his house. The cost of doing this probably does not justify the income from 1 property who may disconnect after his deal runs out.

Sure the cost is understandable.. but the field sales guy asking the potential customer to do his job to find out if the neighbour wants it.. isn't that taking the mickey? Am I the only one who finds that insulting? It's not as if we're ordering just one service - want the lot!

To add some more info to the original story.. the house is almost the first on it's road.. and to make matters a little more interesting.. a new build of mixed apartments and townhouses has sprung up in the last 4 years or so.. annexed into a new close directly off his road. Now that would potentially be worth any field sales persons endeavours to check if people want the service. But to provide service to them.. they would have to pass him.. Is there a specific team within virgin media that look at new builds? Anyone have any contacts we could try?

Many thanks