Are Virgin Media the most incompetent company ever?

[woodstock]

Last year we tried to get Virgin Media cable installed. Just before installation they told us that there would be a delay of around 6 weeks, possibly more, because a site survey had identified a ?construction problem? (for which read about 12 inches of crushed cable outside our property), despite an earlier survey confirming that everything was in order. We therefore went to BT.

The same thing has now happened again. Attracted by their alleged 200Mbps speed and cheaper cost I tried again. I explained the previous issue and they promised that it had all been fixed. I insisted on a survey and a so-called engineer came out to investigate. I explained the issue to him. I didn?t see him again during the visit but Virgin later told me that there was no problem. About 3 weeks ago, I called to double check. I was again assured that the problem had been solved and that there had been not one but two surveys. So far so good.

Installation day is tomorrow and I get called late this afternoon to say that, guess what, a ?construction issue? had been identified and therefore the installation cannot take place until the issue is resolved at some unknown date. I have therefore cancelled the order and have tried to reinstate the BT service. I won?t know until tomorrow whether that has been successful.

How can a company be so incompetent? It sends out an engineer to investigate a very specific and simple problem and he fails to find it. It gives me less than 24 hours notice to say that it cannot complete an order which was placed two months ago. I will NEVER try Virgin again. I recommend that no-one else does either.

[Robert Poste's Child]

Try opening a bank account with Santander or Ulster Bank. It won't solve your problem but it'll put it into perspective.

[Tractorlad]

This story sounds so familiar. Not only are they incompetent they're also dishonest especially concerning signing up people to a service they know they can't deliver. They're modern day highway men!

[JohnL]

If your internet is slow - make sure you claim credits back.

[KidKruger]

And that's just it, isn't it ?

If they don't deliver the service but you have to actually point out to them that they didn't deliver the service before getting a refund, they'll always be making money on a service they don't provide because many people just don't have time to continually chase the provider.

It's a numbers game and Virgin ain't gonna lose !

[malumbu]

Maybe it would be better to list competent companies.

Umhhh. I am struggling.

Eurostar are great and have brilliant customer service face to face.

Easyjet are superior to Ryanair, and nowadays BA - who did me absolute fabulous customer service in the 90s and 00s

I've had a whinge at banks on a separate thread, Santander are certainly up there as pretty dreadful.

And a snipe at poor in store service at a nearby carpet shop, and a cafe/garden centre a few miles away - neither seemed to want my money, but others on this site have different opinions. Garden centre in Nunhead is fab by the way,

only companies I really want to have a go at are EE/T-mobile shop in Peckham. Sucks. Most of my over the phone with T-Mobile and Orange fine. And Dixons whatever they go under nowadays. Pile them high, sell it cheap. As with original posting I expect most of the time it's fine until things go wrong.

I worked in fair trading (oh here I go again) and knowledge on consumer law seems to get you nowhere. No I don't care about the manufacturer's warranty, my contract is with you the retailer. Then get me someone who does know about my rights. Occasionally you just have to give up, my letter to the Head Lawyer of Dixons with notice of legal action got no response. I have taken companies to court before and won, but it is still hassle.

In the past it was worth quoting Gerald Ratner https://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/aug/22/gerald-ratner-jewellery-total-crap-1992-archive. Well he was honest! (you get what you pay for). On this matter I sometime read the Gruaniad letters page in the consumer bit and think you silly sausage. No such thing as a free lunch, if it is too good to be true then it is too good to be true. Used to have a bit of discussion with one of the journos there but probably started to bore them too - this post finishes soon, honest, dear reader. The recent one about the lack of warranty on the stuff that gets used heavily on the Henry vacuum cleaner, well made sense to me. Sit down and shut up Grauniad.

Oh and two tips. Letters seem to get a better response than other means. Yes the things you get in the post. Good as you can reread and edit them so they are not a rant (the dangers of ranting by electronic means and the angry e-mail) Amd do the positive - as a reputable company that I want to trade with I am sure that you want to maintain your good reputation etc without being sarccy.

[bobbsy]

Get on Virgins twitter and make some comments - might get some resolution

[miga]

The refunds are a bit of a joke really - the amount of time you need to spend on the phone to even get there is certainly not justified by the payback you get, and most definitely won't cover the true cost of inconvenience for not having internet available. I guess they're justified in the sense that they're refunding you for undelivered service, but is a few days without internet really n/30*monthly fee worth of inconvenience?

[JohnL]

If DownDetector is anything to go by Virgin Media have had a bad week (or maybe it's normal)

http://downdetector.co.uk/problems/virgin-media

[uncleglen]

And I've just been informed they are putting my tariff up ?3.99 as from 1st November.

[Seabag]

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And I've just been informed they are putting my

> tariff up ?3.99 as from 1st November.

That's what you voted for, it's the thin end of the wedge 🧀<- (English Cheddar wedge that'll be)

#Brexit

[rendelharris]

As a Virgin customer I'm not unhappy - in fact quite impressed - with their service, not happy about the big Dick lying about things though: https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/virgin-release-traingate-footage-proves-corbyn-told-truth-traingate/23/08/

[Loz]

uncleglen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> And I've just been informed they are putting my

> tariff up ?3.99 as from 1st November.

Ring them up, tell them you are unhappy about the cost, vaguely mention BT and you will end up paying less than you are now. They don't even put up a fight. I think they work on the fact that a vast majority don't complain and just pay up.

[uncleglen]

Yes, thanks Loz, I fully intend to.

[Maria Sews]

Don't talk to me about Virgin! I signed up with them 4 months prior to opening my shop Really Maria in Lordship Lane. Their engineers came, sprayed some green paint on the floor infront of the shop and left me to wait for the installation. I delayed opening the shop in the hope that we'd have wifi to enable us to use our EPOS system and take card payments. In the end I was so fed up of their pathetic excuses for the on going delays, that I cancelled and opted for talk talk who were absolutely brilliant and only took a month to complete everything.

So yes, they are indeed the most incompetent!

[johnoliversmith2452]

They are not good IMO. I stopped with them after a year.