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Old 27-02-2007, 17:52   #48
Davos119
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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Re: Virgin Media Customer Service- Your Personal Experience

I called to subscribe to the 3 for £30 deal. Previously I was just an NTL Broadband customer. Call was dealt with efficiently and pleasantly from a UK call centre and an appointment was made. Engineer came and installed the phone and TV service no problems. He said 'NTL' when I answered the door though, but we both had a laugh about that.

Then I read a bit more about V+ and decided I'd made the wrong decision. I decided that paying the extra £15 per month for the V+ box might be worth it. So I called them back. Again the call was handled well. Technically, as my install was now already complete, I should have been subject to the £75 "swap out" fee for having them come round a second time to put in the V+. I pleaded that I'd made an honest mistake when I chose my services. The guy said "If I tell you you have to pay the £75, will you cancel all your services with Virgin and leave us?” I said "..errrrrrr, yes.” He said, ”Okay, we'll waive the charge, and we can get an engineer out to you again on Monday.” Excellent.

So top marks then, firstly on so readily waiving the charge (it was my fault after all, not theirs. And secondly for getting someone out again so quick).

When someone did come out, there were two of them, and they had no information about the appointment. They assumed it was for broadband. They didn't have a V+ box with them. However, they got on the phone and arranged for someone who did have a V+ box to come to me within 15 minutes. It was more like half an hour, but sure enough, someone turned up with a V+ box in his van. Then, 5 minutes later, another person turned up who knew how to install the V+box. They installed it fine between them.

Okay, so it took them 4 separate engineers in 4 separate vans to get it done, but to be fair to them, they did it, and when there was a hitch, they sorted it.

Unfortunately, when I went to use the box, I found that the volume and mute controls were not functioning. I called technical support. Not in the UK (yet?). I explained the problem and the guy seemed very confused. We re-booted the box (I'd done this already, but he absolutely insisted). I drew a blank. He offered to send me a new remote. Then he put me on hold for a spectacular amount of time. Then he came back to me and said that there was nothing wrong with the remote, or the V+ box, but that it was a problem at the Virgin end, affecting all V+ boxes, which they were aware of, but working on. One day, it would just work. I was dubious. A little searching on this forum has lead me to information about codes that need to be entered into the remote to get it to actually control the volume on the TV. I'm still not sure if this is correct? It's fine, but firstly, I don't think it's something I should be having to do myself (surely it should be part of the set up) and secondly, the guy in technical support was clearly fobbing me off, because he didn't have a clue how to resolve the issue.

So overall, I'd say it's good. Definitely better. But it has a long way to go. Virgin is a very powerful brand, but in these early stages at least, the guys are still wearing NTL sweatshirts under those shiny new Virgin Media jackets.
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