Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Hi,

As per the heading one of my neighbours had an installation team round yesterday to set them up for cable. About 2 pm I noticed all my cable services were down and went outside to check what was happening. The installers didn't even know they'd cut me off and promised to reconect me in 10 minutes or so. At 4.50 pm I still wasn't reconnected so i went outside to check on their progress - they now said there was a fault with the cable and another team would have to come out and investigate. I asked for a concrete time for this "investigation" and they said they'd knock on my door in 5 min with more info. Five minutes later they scarper without even trying to contact me...
I then 'phone virgin (using my mobile of cause as i now have no land line. internet or tv services) and get told that the earliest they can get someon out to LOOK at teh problem is next Monday "becuase all their technicians are busy with new installs". As a 20 year customer of cable (in many diff names as its been passed around between operators) I think this is shocking and insulting. I'm now waiting for someoen to contact me ref my complaint and I'm told that could take 24 hours as well....

Who do I contact to sort out this mess - and why isn't there a team out there fixing the mess Virgin have made right now ...

DinAlt

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Unfortunately the CSR who took your complaint probably won't have been empowered to recognise the serious customer service issue that has arisen here, nor to have taken initiative to fix it quickly. They were simply following processes. Sadly that doesn't help you much.

We have had similar issues here with BT - 2 or 3 times over the last 5 years when a network tech has been up one of the 2 poles nearest our house working on the lines, he has knackered ours in the process. I have got wise to this now. Whenever they're about, I regularly check my phone and internet. The last time they screwed it up I went up the lane with a torch (it being mid evening in mid winter) and found them nearby, and made them promise to fix it before they left. On occasions when they have left the scene having broken my services I, like you, was left in call centre hell and then with a wait of several days for a regular repair appointment to come up.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Well the same team are back on my road digging up more pavement for installations and they still won't fix my connection - still no contact from Virgin complaints or installation and teh indian call centres are a total waste of space.

They want to send and engineer round Monday afternoon to "check" the problem - wow that's going to be fun... especially as they've buried the damged cables so unless he comes with a team he wont be able to touch them - plus they want me to be in to make sure the repairs work ...
What an effing waste of time ..

gettign really fed up with goign round in circles with virgin customer service...

DinAlt

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

This does seem quite wrong, but unfortunately the install teams only get paid for installs. If something else breaks, they don't get money for sorting that so leave it for others. the question is whether they even di d bother to fess up to something else having gone wrong because if they did changes are they would get a chargeback for it.

I'd suggest you raise a complaint to the CEO office. Try emailing "neil.berkett at virginmedia.co.uk" . I'd have offered to assist you with this but don't have acess to my CableForum email system at the moment.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Took your advice and contacted neil berketts office - was contacted both by email and a 'phone call and promised a visit this afternoon - 3 pm now and noone from engineering has been on to me ...
Interestingly they DID manage to send an instllation team to the house where the damage to my service was done but not only did they not know about the problem caused by their coworkers they weren't bothered / allowed to even look at it despite presumably working in exactly the same spot...

DinAlt

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

They can only work on the booked fault nothing else.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Its not that black and white.
If this chaps problem is a direct result of the errors on the job they are on i would say it was their duty to assist.
I certainly would.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

We both know that many engineers will just do what is required, but the are also many that will go the extra yard and it is the same in the call centres.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Just wanted to add an update.

Thanks to KD from Neil Burketts office a team did turn up late yesterday afternoon and got me reconnected - I'm told it's a temporary fix but my services are all up and runing now.

DinAlt

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Nice One :tu:

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Update to my update.

had a 'phone call on my mobile this afternoon - from virgin engineer outside my house saying he couldn't find a problem. I expalined that they'd pulled a fresh cable fro me and conncted me up on Friday but that i was also told it was a temporary fix - he said he'd check the connection was up to standard before he left.

Got home and the landline is now no longer working (luckily the other services are OK currently)
Is this some osrt of work creation scheme ? everytime a virgin installer gets near my house they break something new..

oh and of cuase they want me to take a day of work to watch them work OUTSIDE my house...

DinAlt

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

oh dear.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

I've had a very similar problem. Last Thursday evening, I found that I had no TV and no broadband internet (TV had been working that morning), but the phone was working. No technician was available to visit until today. He got my services working again and said that there was no drop cable to my house (which is at the end of a cul-de-sac). When I had my TV/internet/phone installed six years ago, the installer used my neighbour's drop cable. Fast forward six years: my current neighbour decided to get cable service and the installer connected them but disconnected me!

My technician said that he'd put in a request to get a thicker cable pulled, so that it could be used in future if needed.

When I said that I should get compensation for five days of downtime, he said - to my amazement - that I won't get any. I hope he's wrong.

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

You will get, but you will have to ask. Time to phone India. ;)

Re: Neighbours installation fubars my cable!
 

Of course VM will compensate you for loss of services if it is not your fault. They wont however cover you losses if you have to take time off for tech visits as they never promise a fault free service.
Wait until it is all complete and back up and running before calling in. That way you will know for sure how long you have been off in total.