tribalangel
23-01-2010, 23:28
I live in Manchester in the M14 area. I have been having problems with my 10Mb cable connection for months now since October. The complaint email I sent VM reflects the problems I have been having (sorry for how long it is):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:mad:
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to complain about the unacceptable level of service I have been getting in every aspect, and the lack of action by your staff to resolve it. I have been having problems with my broadband internet since the end of September. I have phoned up numerous times requesting something to be done with the technical fault and yet your staff seems unwilling, unsympathetic and sometimes even rude.
INTERNET CONNECTION PROBLEMS:
The problem with my internet itself is that everyday there are hours (sometimes the whole day) when I cannot connect to the internet, and half the time when it connects, it is at a crawling speed that it takes about 3 minutes to load up a normal webpage (with several time-outs in between). I now treasure the precious occasions when my internet is working as it should. Switching the modem on and off or any of the suggestions your staff have repeatedly asked me to carry out do not help at all. A few times they have tried to run a line test on my connection and found that 'something is blocking the line'.
CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE SYSTEM PROBLEMS:
I have been phoning your customer service about the problem since as early as 12/10/2009 (problems started late September) and many times after that. The phone calls themselves are filled with problems. Sometimes the calls don't connect and I can't reach your customer service at all (during opening times). Sometimes in the call, I listen to and choose all the options on the automated menu for a few minutes, only to be disconnected from the call at the end before I can speak to anyone (I attempted to call up again several times on the same days, same thing happened). Once, after I went through all the options and waited in the queue to speak to someone, I was even told that I have been connected to the wrong department (even though I chose my options correctly) and that I needed to phone up and go through the whole process again because they could not put me through to the right department, due to a 'technical problem' with your system.
SERVICE UPDATE PROBLEMS:
Half the times I phoned up, your staff would tell me that there is a maintenance in the area and this was why I could not connect. They insisted on this even when I explained that I have phoned up previously about the same ongoing problem, and they did not have maintenance work back then. The so-called maintenance work they talked about, I could never find on the service status updates or maintenance updates on your website. So either your staff were mistaken (whether on purpose or not) or your company fails to maintain service updates.
CUSTOMER SERVICE/TECHNICIAN PROBLEMS:
So after all the denials that anything was wrong with my connection despite all the evidence pointing to it (the lack of maintenances in the area on occasions when I phoned up, the failed line tests when there is no maintenance, etc), I was finally scheduled an appointment with a technician at the end of November/Early December. However, the technical phoned me on the day and told me there was no point in him coming as the servers in my areas have been having problems and they were trying to fix it, and that even if he came to my home to check, he would only tell me the same thing anyway. He said that it should be fixed by the end of the week (it was not). Then when I finally managed to get another technician appointment on the 6th January, I phoned your customer service to confirm it due to severe weather conditions. Imagine my shock at the disgraceful quality of your company's service when I was told that my appointment has been automatically canceled due to a maintenance in the area, and that I could not reschedule another one due to that same maintenance. I was not contacted about this and I was still at home waiting for the technician to come. The customer service advisor refused to reschedule another appointment despite my explanation that I have had this problem for months regardless of whether there was a maintenance in the area at the time.
FAILURE TO UPDATE MY DETAILS:
From the very first time the technicians came to my home to install the broadband services in July, they had the wrong address. I have updated that same address on the phone no less than 4 times. Yet, when the technican tried to come at the end of November, he had to phone me up for directions because he had the same wrong address. I have stressed this problem with your customer service on numerous occasions and asked them to update it, which they assure me they have finally done it everytime. Yet when I phoned up on the 6th January, you still have the wrong address.
In conclusion, despite having been a loyal customer to Virgin Media at other addresses and under my parent's name, and having been a loyal advocate of your company for many years, recommending your services to others, since the problems started I have been utterly disappointed and disgusted with your service. I have now switched the service at my parents' house to one of your competitors, and actively advises everyone I know against using your services. I regret putting myself in a position where I cannot switch to another provider. In addition, your attempts to pacify my by crediting my account with amounts such as ￡5 do not solve anything or make me feel any better since it costs me nearly that much to phone your customer service from my mobile anyway.
Regardless of my already established disappointment and low expectations of your service, I am still expecting your company to resolve my technical fault. I am NOT getting the service that I am paying for every month.
Completely dissatisfied customer,
(my name)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After my email on the 6th, I finally got a call back on the 13th (nowhere near within the 3 days they say it would take to reply to complaints). They offered me compensation in the form of 2 months free TV service (to which I said I don't own a TV) and then they tried to offer me 6 months free line rental service (to which I said I don't own a landline - I am a student living in a rented flat). I asked if they could give me free service in broadband instead (the only thing relevant to me) and they said they didn't have any offers in that area. I said to them that they are not giving me 'offers' but compensation for their poor service, but the guy still wouldn't give me anything, and said he'll pass my details onto another department who could deal with that and that i will get a call back. All this while it seems like the guy hadnt even read my complaint letter, as everything he said was very vague and general.
Finally, on the 22th I get another call back regarding the complaint. The chap this time was much better, mentioning specific details from my letter and stating that my address has finally been changed. He then passed me onto the technical team who arranged an appointment with an engineer for me. When I mentioned the compensation they keep promising me, the technical department said that customer services could help me with that - and patched me through. I then found out that the customer services couldn't help me with that either, and said someone will call me back about it - and I'm still waiting for that call.
Meanwhile, this week i'm still having terrible connection problems:
16th - no connection at all for a few hours in late afternoon
17th - no connection for about 3 hours from 3:40pm
19th - no connection from 7:50pm - 10:09pm
20th - no connection from 7:45pm - 10:08, then again from 12:17am til the next day (i stayed awake til 5am, and still no connection then)
21th - slow service all evening and night
23th - slow service since late evening til right now
This is absolutely ridiculous, is anyone in my area having the same experience and frustration? (If you managed to get this far into my post, again I apologise for the length)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:mad:
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to complain about the unacceptable level of service I have been getting in every aspect, and the lack of action by your staff to resolve it. I have been having problems with my broadband internet since the end of September. I have phoned up numerous times requesting something to be done with the technical fault and yet your staff seems unwilling, unsympathetic and sometimes even rude.
INTERNET CONNECTION PROBLEMS:
The problem with my internet itself is that everyday there are hours (sometimes the whole day) when I cannot connect to the internet, and half the time when it connects, it is at a crawling speed that it takes about 3 minutes to load up a normal webpage (with several time-outs in between). I now treasure the precious occasions when my internet is working as it should. Switching the modem on and off or any of the suggestions your staff have repeatedly asked me to carry out do not help at all. A few times they have tried to run a line test on my connection and found that 'something is blocking the line'.
CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE SYSTEM PROBLEMS:
I have been phoning your customer service about the problem since as early as 12/10/2009 (problems started late September) and many times after that. The phone calls themselves are filled with problems. Sometimes the calls don't connect and I can't reach your customer service at all (during opening times). Sometimes in the call, I listen to and choose all the options on the automated menu for a few minutes, only to be disconnected from the call at the end before I can speak to anyone (I attempted to call up again several times on the same days, same thing happened). Once, after I went through all the options and waited in the queue to speak to someone, I was even told that I have been connected to the wrong department (even though I chose my options correctly) and that I needed to phone up and go through the whole process again because they could not put me through to the right department, due to a 'technical problem' with your system.
SERVICE UPDATE PROBLEMS:
Half the times I phoned up, your staff would tell me that there is a maintenance in the area and this was why I could not connect. They insisted on this even when I explained that I have phoned up previously about the same ongoing problem, and they did not have maintenance work back then. The so-called maintenance work they talked about, I could never find on the service status updates or maintenance updates on your website. So either your staff were mistaken (whether on purpose or not) or your company fails to maintain service updates.
CUSTOMER SERVICE/TECHNICIAN PROBLEMS:
So after all the denials that anything was wrong with my connection despite all the evidence pointing to it (the lack of maintenances in the area on occasions when I phoned up, the failed line tests when there is no maintenance, etc), I was finally scheduled an appointment with a technician at the end of November/Early December. However, the technical phoned me on the day and told me there was no point in him coming as the servers in my areas have been having problems and they were trying to fix it, and that even if he came to my home to check, he would only tell me the same thing anyway. He said that it should be fixed by the end of the week (it was not). Then when I finally managed to get another technician appointment on the 6th January, I phoned your customer service to confirm it due to severe weather conditions. Imagine my shock at the disgraceful quality of your company's service when I was told that my appointment has been automatically canceled due to a maintenance in the area, and that I could not reschedule another one due to that same maintenance. I was not contacted about this and I was still at home waiting for the technician to come. The customer service advisor refused to reschedule another appointment despite my explanation that I have had this problem for months regardless of whether there was a maintenance in the area at the time.
FAILURE TO UPDATE MY DETAILS:
From the very first time the technicians came to my home to install the broadband services in July, they had the wrong address. I have updated that same address on the phone no less than 4 times. Yet, when the technican tried to come at the end of November, he had to phone me up for directions because he had the same wrong address. I have stressed this problem with your customer service on numerous occasions and asked them to update it, which they assure me they have finally done it everytime. Yet when I phoned up on the 6th January, you still have the wrong address.
In conclusion, despite having been a loyal customer to Virgin Media at other addresses and under my parent's name, and having been a loyal advocate of your company for many years, recommending your services to others, since the problems started I have been utterly disappointed and disgusted with your service. I have now switched the service at my parents' house to one of your competitors, and actively advises everyone I know against using your services. I regret putting myself in a position where I cannot switch to another provider. In addition, your attempts to pacify my by crediting my account with amounts such as ￡5 do not solve anything or make me feel any better since it costs me nearly that much to phone your customer service from my mobile anyway.
Regardless of my already established disappointment and low expectations of your service, I am still expecting your company to resolve my technical fault. I am NOT getting the service that I am paying for every month.
Completely dissatisfied customer,
(my name)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After my email on the 6th, I finally got a call back on the 13th (nowhere near within the 3 days they say it would take to reply to complaints). They offered me compensation in the form of 2 months free TV service (to which I said I don't own a TV) and then they tried to offer me 6 months free line rental service (to which I said I don't own a landline - I am a student living in a rented flat). I asked if they could give me free service in broadband instead (the only thing relevant to me) and they said they didn't have any offers in that area. I said to them that they are not giving me 'offers' but compensation for their poor service, but the guy still wouldn't give me anything, and said he'll pass my details onto another department who could deal with that and that i will get a call back. All this while it seems like the guy hadnt even read my complaint letter, as everything he said was very vague and general.
Finally, on the 22th I get another call back regarding the complaint. The chap this time was much better, mentioning specific details from my letter and stating that my address has finally been changed. He then passed me onto the technical team who arranged an appointment with an engineer for me. When I mentioned the compensation they keep promising me, the technical department said that customer services could help me with that - and patched me through. I then found out that the customer services couldn't help me with that either, and said someone will call me back about it - and I'm still waiting for that call.
Meanwhile, this week i'm still having terrible connection problems:
16th - no connection at all for a few hours in late afternoon
17th - no connection for about 3 hours from 3:40pm
19th - no connection from 7:50pm - 10:09pm
20th - no connection from 7:45pm - 10:08, then again from 12:17am til the next day (i stayed awake til 5am, and still no connection then)
21th - slow service all evening and night
23th - slow service since late evening til right now
This is absolutely ridiculous, is anyone in my area having the same experience and frustration? (If you managed to get this far into my post, again I apologise for the length)