View Full Version : virginmedia help and support forum pointless
Hi all,
I had great support on there until recently but now have waited 3 days and still no reply to my issue? Is there any kind of sla or expected response time on there?
On the newsgroups there used to be a faster response I think.
Alternatively does anyone know how to contact tech support in the uk?
My new modem seems to keep going unresponsive during the night. It's happened 3 times in less than a week. I have to unplug it and reboot it to get online again. I noticed tonight there were loads of events at 3am. It's an ambit 256.
Many thanks
Please post the Upstream and Downstream stats from your modem just click http://192.168.100.1/CmOpConfig.asp or if that does not work click http://192.168.100.1/
Or try calling today from 0800 on 151 from a Virginmedia phone line or 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line and an agent will run some diagnostics with you.
Chrysalis
06-04-2011, 10:42
there is no SLA.
some people have asked why they are so slow. The official reason is they are very busy, but when I counted once, they had just 6 new queries in one day and took 5 days to respond to them. My theory is they not dedicated staff and are probably manning phones most of the time with just 5 minutes here and there to check the forums. They probably better than the phones for utilisation related issues, but something urgent like an outage I would ring up instead.
pip08456
06-04-2011, 10:54
If only people actually read the first page of the forum.
"Welcome to our Help & Support forum. This is where you can get help from our forum community, share your experiences and your own answers.
This forum is for community based support. If you’ve got a problem with one of our services and need to talk to us directly or it's an urgent problem, please contact us."
If only people actually read the first page of the forum.
"Welcome to our Help & Support forum. This is where you can get help from our forum community, share your experiences and your own answers.
This forum is for community based support. If you’ve got a problem with one of our services and need to talk to us directly or it's an urgent problem, please contact us."
That's fair enough but I used to get good support using the newsgroup before it was closed down and people were referred to the forum. I find that when I do get help they understand you better and respond better than calling 151 and trying to understand some bloke in a foreign call centre who doesn't really understand you either. I've wasted so much time trying to explain technical things to people abroad reading from scripts who give you useless help so really wanted to find any means possible of contacting someone in the UK who can provide a far better level of support.
---------- Post added at 18:15 ---------- Previous post was at 18:13 ----------
Please post the Upstream and Downstream stats from your modem just click http://192.168.100.1/CmOpConfig.asp or if that does not work click http://192.168.100.1/
Or try calling today from 0800 on 151 from a Virginmedia phone line or 0845 454 1111 from any other phone line and an agent will run some diagnostics with you.
many thanks Masque, they are as follows:
Network Access : Allowed Maximum Downstream Data Rate : 10240000 Maximum Upstream Data Rate : 1072000 Maximum Upstream Channel Burst : 8160 Maximum Number of CPEs : 1 Modem Capability : Concatenation Enabled, Fragametation Enabled, PHS Enabled
---------- Post added at 18:20 ---------- Previous post was at 18:15 ----------
there is no SLA.
some people have asked why they are so slow. The official reason is they are very busy, but when I counted once, they had just 6 new queries in one day and took 5 days to respond to them. My theory is they not dedicated staff and are probably manning phones most of the time with just 5 minutes here and there to check the forums. They probably better than the phones for utilisation related issues, but something urgent like an outage I would ring up instead.
I suppose I can see if something happens in 5 days. I work on an IT helpdesk too and take a call every 20 seconds all day but also have to respond to e-mails the same day if possible so I can understand that situation. I guess that when I had quick responses previously they may have been quieter on the phones.
The forums are monitored by the same people that used to look after the groups, the traffic in the forums is a lot more and people reply to others posts, so fighting your way through the opinions to find the problem takes time.
The newsgroups were a close community, a lot more so than the forums.
pip08456
06-04-2011, 19:39
The forums are monitored by the same people that used to look after the groups, the traffic in the forums is a lot more and people reply to others posts, so fighting your way through the opinions to find the problem takes time.
The newsgroups were a close community, a lot more so than the forums.
Also a much better form of support.
Chrysalis
06-04-2011, 20:35
The forums are monitored by the same people that used to look after the groups, the traffic in the forums is a lot more and people reply to others posts, so fighting your way through the opinions to find the problem takes time.
The newsgroups were a close community, a lot more so than the forums.
not 5 days tho.
I am ill with eye issues and can probably go through last 24 hours of posts within an hour quite easily. Plus there is 4 or 5 of them not just 1 person.
With the newsgroups the staff would actually help you, too. With the forums, they just tell you to phone up half the time because of a vague mention of the DPA.
With the newsgroups the staff would actually help you, too. With the forums, they just tell you to phone up half the time because of a vague mention of the DPA.
Wierd that they can apparently get away with DPA violations on a newsgroup, but not on forum running on a server they own.
Unless there has been a change in the management and the new management is a little stricter.
Chrysalis
06-04-2011, 21:20
why are VM hosting their forums in america and on very odd forum software that blocks words like 'if'.
Tracing route to virgin.lithium.com [208.74.204.158]
over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 <1 ms <1 ms <1 ms home.gateway4 [192.168.1.253]
2 132 ms 141 ms 109 ms cpc14-leic14-2-0-gw.8-1.cable.virginmedia.com [8
2.30.112.1]
3 9 ms 10 ms 7 ms leic-core-1a-ae3-3495.network.virginmedia.net [8
2.3.33.101]
4 13 ms 18 ms 22 ms leed-bb-1a-as8-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.10
5.172.17]
5 18 ms 26 ms 19 ms tcl3-ic-1-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [212.43.
163.198]
6 32 ms 41 ms 24 ms 10gigabitethernet1-1.core1.lon1.he.net [195.66.2
24.21]
7 102 ms 102 ms 114 ms 10gigabitethernet7-4.core1.nyc4.he.net [72.52.92
.77]
8 177 ms * 179 ms 10gigabitethernet3-1.core1.sjc2.he.net [72.52.92
.25]
9 170 ms 167 ms 182 ms ed-pri-rtr-c3-43.lithium.com [206.51.38.77]
10 * * * Request timed out.
why are VM hosting their forums in america and on very odd forum software that blocks words like 'if'.
Because they set up community using a bought in service from a company called Lithium. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_Technologies
Lithium specialise in (amongst other things) hosting forums for enterprises.
Chrysalis
06-04-2011, 21:32
in which case they dont own the server is part of that rented package :)
why are VM hosting their forums in america and on very odd forum software that blocks words like 'if'.
Are you also aware that Virgin Security is hosted in Canada by Radial Point a company that many other ISP's also have hosting their security packages as well.
Chrysalis
06-04-2011, 21:38
I dont care where its hosted as long as it doesnt affect my ability to use the service, however I made that comment in response to the server been owned comment.
Lithium however have affected my ability to use the forum service, I have multiple times had posts rejected because of things like the word 'if'. Issues with getting new lines to post properly as well as it often reformatted my posts to one paragraph only.
in which case they dont own the server is part of that rented package :)
I have to admit, I have never really looked at community and assumed that VM did host it themselves. It's only you saying it's US hosted that made me look a little further into it.
I suspect our current DPA would have certain requirements for outsourcing storage of personal details.
pip08456
06-04-2011, 21:51
And guess who hosts BT's community forum?
Companies tend to over emphasise on the DPA when it is convenient for them (ie, to excuse them from providing support via a method that dosent involve cheap offshore call centres) but ignorant of it when it can be an inconvenience to their business.
And guess who hosts BT's community forum?
Talk Talk.:D
pip08456
06-04-2011, 21:56
In fairness, it is a public forum and without DPA there is no way for support staff to know if it is the account holder who is posting just from the IP or their son/daughter, disgruntled partner etc.
With the newsgroups the staff would actually help you, too. With the forums, they just tell you to phone up half the time because of a vague mention of the DPA.
Same people ..
Wierd that they can apparently get away with DPA violations on a newsgroup, but not on forum running on a server they own.
Unless there has been a change in the management and the new management is a little stricter.
Nope, nothing new, same people with the same rules. In fact the person who manages the forums from a technical support POV is the same person who did the newsgroups.
carlwaring
08-04-2011, 09:30
Wierd that they can apparently get away with DPA violations on a newsgroup...
When did they ever do that? It was a while ago, I admit, but I don't remember anyone being asked for their personal details in the newsgroups.
When did they ever do that? It was a while ago, I admit, but I don't remember anyone being asked for their personal details in the newsgroups.
Mr Waring is very much correct. The closest thing to a DPA breech in the groups was someone from Support calling a customer Mark by mistake (having read a post from another user with Mark in his name), which turned out to actually be his real name and he kicked off lol ..
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