Comments on: Virgin Media: Incompetent, hypocritical and downright rude

By: Michael Turner

Michael Turner — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:37:59 +0000

I have had cable TV for a few years now, since 25th October 1999, well it was Cable & Wireless then.
On my first ‘bill’ , I had ‘1 Digital Upgrade Paid’ on it, it was free, when we got digital TV in my area, I would get the upgrade for free, by the time my area got it, it was NTL & they wanted me to pay for it, which I refused, that was the first time I found out the bad side of NTL.

I canceled Analogue TV & phone latter & the direct debit (was still paying NTL Broadband by Direct Debit, the only service I had then), they still senting me a invoice for TV & phone, with only one thing, non direct debit charge each month ? every time I phone & they credit me the charge again ? that happen a few months, I then got 3 for £30 digital TV & phone service, with the broadband I had, since then, they stop senting me the invoice ?
For about year and half, I phoned, email and they have told me to contact Royal Mail, see my postman (who would steal a invoice ? but nothing else ? ), told me they fixed it, many times.
Last time, I emailed them I got this reply.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused.
It appears your account was set not to print bills. I am sorry about
this, and have now corrected it. I have also ordered a copy of March’s
bill. This is normally £2.00 but I have applied that £2.00 credit back
onto your account so it is free of charge.

But I am still waiting for that invoice still, this email was sent on 11th April 2008, may be too soon ? I had phoned them about two weeks before, when they told me they fix it on the phone, but never said what was wrong ? he told me, they will sent me a copy of last month, nothing came.
It a pain to deal with Virgin NTL customer Service, as mostly it very bad & nothing has changed with the name change to virgin, or going with Telewest (I wonder if Telewest customer service has got as bad as Virgin NTL ? ).

Some of the thing about Virgin NTL I like, like Video on Demand, Penny Movies (not much choice, but not bad at the price), BBC 1 & Radio Ulster / Scotland / Wales, but the good things about NTL, are overshadow by Virgin NTL awful Customer Service.
The only reason I am still with them, is that I live in a Council flat, which is a listed building, so can not have Sky or Freeview (aerial not very good, only can get two channel & that not very good picture or sound ? ), the only way I can watch TV, is with Virgin NTL.

By: Jem

Jem — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:45:11 +0000

Hi all me and my partner have had a fair few issues with Vigin ourselves, some relating to them taking payments that had either been made already, or in the case of my partner, he had payments tried to be taken for £70 odd twice and no such amount was due! Others being about customer service and how these idiots thatr are employed by Virgin either do not know the answers to questions, or, downright lie to us.
We even had an incident where irgin came to our new home to sort out our package, but the “DONKEY” that was doing it actually broke a peice of equiptment only for us to be sat waiting for a week for them to sort it out!
My latest issue is that they claim we owe from our last bill, but in fact my partner payed using the barcode at our local post paypoint! Shame Virgin are so S&*T!

By: Suw

Suw — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:43:03 +0000

Thanks for all the comments. So far Virgin Media’s PR people have entirely failed to get in touch. But I think Kev and I have decided that as soon as Christmas is over, we’ll be looking for a new ISP. Suggestions welcome.

It’s sad, mostly because it doesn’t need to be like this. There’s no reason that their processes have to be so bad. *sigh*

By: Libby Davy

Libby Davy — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:43:23 +0000

As an ex-PR type I used to say I will be issuing a press statement with a summary of my concerns along with those of anyone else I can find unless my (reasonable) demand is met by 12pm the next day.

Hopefully the blogosphere and google alerts can ensure such heavy handed tactics are no longer so necessary. “Hyperlinks subvert hierarchy” – loving it!

I’m going to RSS this thread as I am a dying to know what happens. Wish I had recorded the conversation between myself and the secretary of the surgeon who was going to excavate my ear canal. When I asked for references and basic metrics for this rather important procedure, she spluttered with indignation and simply spat: “I can ASSURE you MR So-and-so’s work is of the highest standard.” Straight out of Jane Austen! Now THAT is an “industry” in need of reform. Wait until you have a baby. Then you’ll know all about it. Would really love to see some blogger-led action around birth, medicine and other such matters of relative importance.

Good luck Suw. My partner/husband Graeme Sutherland (early Electronic Frontier Foundation guy) has been telling me to look you up for years. Now I can see what all the fuss is about. Really keen to rap about the wider conceptual space of blogging and taking forward a positive agenda. Seeing Andy you-know-who and the Blog * Council emerging (jamming alerts there – hmm question to self about ethics) has got me a tad concerned, to say the least. More on our site (early days). Bestest – Libby

By: Leisa Reichelt

Leisa Reichelt — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:25:31 +0000

so, did I tell you about the time when Virgin Media randomly showed up and said they needed to collect our set top box … then when I called them to ask why and when we’d be getting it back, claimed to have no record of having collected it, implied that it was stolen by a set top box scammer and told me that I’d have to go to the local police, report it stolen, and then claim back the £250 they were going to charge me from a new box from my home and contents insurance? that was a hoot.

I was with ntl before they were eaten by Virgin Media and had no problems then. Since then, have had nothing but problems… most of which are apparently due to the fact that they have about six separate customer databases, and quite a few different ‘customer teams’ and if you happen to move house and end up with records in more than one database… god help you.

but.. we don’t have a BT phone line, so as far as I know, we have pretty limited choice when it comes to alternative providers. *sigh*

By: Jackie Danicki » I wouldn't touch Virgin Media with a barge pole

Jackie Danicki » I wouldn't touch Virgin Media with a barge pole — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 21:49:12 +0000

[...] Charman’s experience with them has been quite hideous, so much so that it has made me consider trading in my Virgin mobile (which I use when in the UK) [...]

By: Simon McGarr

Simon McGarr — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:06:22 +0000

I had a similar run in with a collection agency after a disagreement with O2 over the definition of a contract.
In the end the collection agency sent me a letter asking me never to phone them again.

I would suggest you print this off, enclose a covering letter explaining that this is the situation as you currently understand it and requesting that if there is any inaccuracy therein that they ought to get back to you within, say seven days.

There will be a further error.

By: Michael Randall

Michael Randall — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:33:52 +0000

I had similar experiences back in the ntl days – received a letter threatening legal action for three months of unpaid account. It turned out they’d just stopped taking the direct debit for one part of the account (we had phone, TV and Internet accounts). A while later, they did the same thing again.

It took quite a few phone calls to sort it out – at least a couple of people I spoke to never actually bothered to put the payments through or set up direct debits I was trying to set up – presumably they were just being pushed to get onto the next call, regardless of actually helping anyone.

Oh, and both times they claimed it was a one-off problem, and that this sort of thing never normally happens. Didn’t fool me, though – they did the same thing to my parents a couple of months before they did it to me.

By: David Phillips

David Phillips — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:01:51 +0000

Hi Suw.
I just love your post. Of course, Virgin now have a recording of your conversation which you can ask for and they are legally bound to provide. Which on the basis of ‘if you ruin my day – I will ruin yours is quite nice.
The interesting thing now is how fast the Virgin PR team get in on the act and start to react to the online reputation damage that is being done.
We shall see….

By: Neville Hobson

Neville Hobson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 16:18:32 +0000

Wow, Suw! Makes my negative experiences with Virgin Media – about which I’ve commented a lot on my blog – look like a Sunday school picnic by comparison.

There is a huge disconnect at Virgin Media between what they trumpet as offering “amazing customer service” and what too many people actually experience.

Can their business model change in terms how they see customers and how they want to really engage with people? Of course it can if they want it to. Do they, though? Little evidence that they do.