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View Full Version : Trying to leave Virgin Media after 7 months of pain.


Natastna2
01-06-2010, 16:27
Hello, I live in Sheffield and had no problems with Virgin Media until November when I extended the contract and switched to 50MB. The speed varied from 0.1MB to 50MB constantly and to cut a long story short, we had a lot of engineers around. Eventually I was told incorrectly that switching to 20MB would help so I have done. Now for the last 5 or so months, the internet speed is 20MB when it works but the internet disconnected every night at around 9pm and comes back on at about lunchtime the next day. As someone who earns their living online, this is unacceptable. I wrote a letter complaining and was expecting to be able to leave as they were not fulfilling their contract. I was told that as we were receiving a television and telephone service and a partial broadband service we woudl not be able to leave without paying 150 pounds. My liason then gave us 3 months free and assured us the problem would be fixed. This was around 5 months ago and every time I ring him he assures me it will be fixed tomorrow/next week/in a month etc. I have contacted Ofcom and Cisas, waiting for the CISAS application form and am trying to get a deadlock letter from Virgin Media. The only information that 9 engineers and "my liason" have come up with is that there is a problem with too much upstream on the server and this knocks the internet off. I'm fed up with being lied to and will, if necessary, take it to small claims court. I was hoping to get some responses from people who have had similar problems and also advice on whether or not they can say that I'm receiving a service and so I cannot leave without paying. I'm sorry for the length of this message but I'm not sure what to do now and any advice would be very helpful. Thanks, Ant.

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 16:33
firstly if you earn your living online you would need a business account for that to have any effect on the outcome of this

Chrysalis
01-06-2010, 17:17
as zing said if you on a consumer account you wont get anywhere legally, no form of SLA covers this on it.

Natastna2
01-06-2010, 17:32
Regardless of whether or not I make my living online, it is still unacceptable that my internet goes off every night from 9pm. If I was to take them to small claims court, could they legitimately say that they are fulfilling the contract as I am receiving phone and TV service even though I only ever wanted the internet and they forced me to take a bundle?

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 17:35
I fully understand your plight and you of course are correct and if they can not provide the service then they are in breach of contract and you do have a right to cancel. I was merely pointing out if you say you use it to earn a living then you will be on a road to nowhere as you also will be in breach

Chrysalis
01-06-2010, 17:40
Regardless of whether or not I make my living online, it is still unacceptable that my internet goes off every night from 9pm. If I was to take them to small claims court, could they legitimately say that they are fulfilling the contract as I am receiving phone and TV service even though I only ever wanted the internet and they forced me to take a bundle?

I would suggest you can use that as a get out clause so you dont have to honour the full length of your contract, but thats as far as it would probably go.

VM are likely to offer you reimbursement tho if you get in tough with either the CEO office or retentions. Likely a better route then the small claims court.

Kymmy
01-06-2010, 17:46
Before you do try small claims try reading the terms of services especially the section on liability (section N) and also the restrictions as to usage (which seems to have changed recently as you could use VM residential for working from home as long as your business wasn;t registered at home)

1.You are responsible for the way the services are used. You must not use the services to do any of the following acts or allow anyone else to use the services to do such acts:
h.Use any services (including, but not limited to, phone services) for commercial or business purposes;

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/legal/oncable/terms.html

As for forcing you to take the bundle you're the one who signed the contract for a full package even though they do Broadband only packages

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 17:55
Forgetting the business thing as thats not really the point, if you are unable to get a connection from 9pm till the following day and you have tried getting them to rectify it then they are unable to provide you with the service. I think its already been said but they are your grounds for being released from any contract. Good luck. Agree with Kymmy though, nobody can "force" you to take the bundle unless of course thats how they made it seem to get you to sign up. Id just forget the small claims thing, if they cant provide it just get out and move on

Peter_
01-06-2010, 18:08
If your letter of complaint mentioned that you were running a business on a residential connection then you will have already shot yourself in the foot as that breaches the Terms and Conditions of your contract.

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 18:09
If your letter of complaint mentioned that you were running a business on a residential connection then you will have already shot yourself in the foot as that breaches the Terms and Conditions of your contract.

What happens with that though? If VM know you are using it for business would they terminate the contract?

Peter_
01-06-2010, 18:13
What happens with that though? If VM know you are using it for business would they terminate the contract?
I expect it would be used if he tried to sue them in this instance, the are other ways to sort this out and possibly with help from the Cableforum's Virginmedia contacts via a moderator.

Kymmy
01-06-2010, 18:16
As I said I'm sure it's only recetnly changed and the TOS used to say that it was OK to use the services from home (for example working from home to your normal place of business)

It's been posted somewhere before on here not sure where though

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 18:20
I expect it would be used if he tried to sue them in this instance, the are other ways to sort this out and possibly with help from the Cableforum's Virginmedia contacts via a moderator.

Reading the OPs post though it sounds like the CEO's office has already been involved but Im guessing, Out of interest though, exactly what would VM do if they knew it was being used for business purposes? Wouldnt they terminate the contract?

Peter_
01-06-2010, 18:30
As I said I'm sure it's only recetnly changed and the TOS used to say that it was OK to use the services from home (for example working from home to your normal place of business)

It's been posted somewhere before on here not sure where though
In the Terms and Conditions section D Using the services, section 1 paragraph H it says

You are responsible for the way the services are used. You must not use the services to do any of the following acts or allow anyone else to use the services to do such acts:

Use any services (including, but not limited to, phone services) for commercial or business purposes; http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/legal/oncable/terms.html#d

If you are running a business as your sole means of employment from your home which is your primary place of work then that would be in breach of the T&C's.


Working from home if it is not your primary place of work should be OK, as many people do work occasionally from home.

Natastna2
01-06-2010, 18:31
I'm not running a business from home. I work for 63336 previously AQA. So I think the whole working from home thing is inconsequential. I've sent them a letter and been given the direct line to a man whos job it is to lie to me until I give up. I've had 3 months free and now they say they'll cut my bill in half but all I really want is working internet. I'm awaiting a call back today so I can get a deadlock letter to complain through CISAS. We've had 9 engineers so far, all completely useless as the problem apparently is their server. I'm getting the strong impression that the lying man has no idea when it will be fixed. It seems odd to me that they won't just let me go as I'm so annoyed with them now that I'll go out fo my way to recommend other ISPs than Virgin Media.

Peter_
01-06-2010, 18:31
Reading the OPs post though it sounds like the CEO's office has already been involved but Im guessing, Out of interest though, exactly what would VM do if they knew it was being used for business purposes? Wouldnt they terminate the contract?
No idea about them terminating the contract as I am just reading the T&C's.

Peter_
01-06-2010, 18:33
I'm not running a business from home. I work for 63336 previously AQA. So I think the whole working from home thing is inconsequential. I've sent them a letter and been given the direct line to a man whos job it is to lie to me until I give up. I've had 3 months free and now they say they'll cut my bill in half but all I really want is working internet. I'm awaiting a call back today so I can get a deadlock letter to complain through CISAS. We've had 9 engineers so far, all completely useless as the problem apparently is their server. I'm getting the strong impression that the lying man has no idea when it will be fixed. It seems odd to me that they won't just let me go as I'm so annoyed with them now that I'll go out fo my way to recommend other ISPs than Virgin Media.
That should be fine then as the T&C's would not apply, as I said maybe the moderating team can help.

Natastna2
01-06-2010, 19:14
Thanks for the replies. What exactly do you mean by the moderating team might be able to help?

Peter_
01-06-2010, 19:17
Thanks for the replies. What exactly do you mean by the moderating team might be able to help?
If you pm a moderator about this issue they may be able to get you some help if they think the is a case.

They are the guys with Cableforum team as their avatar.

Natastna2
01-06-2010, 19:23
OK, thanks for the help. I'll send a couple of PMs :-)

MovedGoalPosts
01-06-2010, 19:37
Before sending any PM's kindly note the sticky thread at the top of each of the Virgin Media Forum areas "Requesting Help on Cable Forum".

If a Cable Forum Team member, or a VM staff member considers they can assist in a matter they will volunteer their services. We request that forum members do not volunteer us just as we would not volunteer VM staffers.

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 19:44
In which case may I suggest the OP posts over on the Virgin media forum as its no way near as busy as this web site and more likely to be noticed by someone who can help than on this forum imo

I must admit Rob I had never read them rules

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 20:07
I must admit Rob I had never read them rules

You can understand it though, otherwise the CF team would be inundated with requests and then have to figure out who needs it! Anyone viewing this thread will read the above and start pm'ing for help rather than posting

Natastna2
01-06-2010, 20:26
Oops, sorry I didn't see that sticky. The thing that aggravates me the most is their willingness to send out engineers who cannot possibly help with the issue and after 7 months, no one seems be able to tell my why I'm having the issues I'm having. Maybe if a moderator sees this post, they'll be able to explain why the internet only works 50 percent of the time. Every time I get through to someone who tells me that maybe my ethernet cable is in back to front I die a little inside.

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 20:37
The thing that aggravates me the most is their willingness to send out engineers who cannot possibly help with the issue .

You can join my club :D Maybe we offer too many cups of tea?!


The annoying thing is I get the impression you are just like me and would love to stick with VM if only they would sort you're issues. Im guessing you want to stick with them otherwise much like me you wouldnt go to the trouble of posting and complaining. Again, good luck :)

pip08456
01-06-2010, 20:42
Every time I get through to someone who tells me that maybe my ethernet cable is in back to front I die a little inside.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D Never had that one before!!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Mick
01-06-2010, 20:45
Oops, sorry I didn't see that sticky. The thing that aggravates me the most is their willingness to send out engineers who cannot possibly help with the issue and after 7 months, no one seems be able to tell my why I'm having the issues I'm having. Maybe if a moderator sees this post, they'll be able to explain why the internet only works 50 percent of the time. Every time I get through to someone who tells me that maybe my ethernet cable is in back to front I die a little inside.

Please send us a name and contact number via the following form please:

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/sendmessage.php?do=mailmember&u=1

And I will forward this on to Virgin Media to investigate - Thanks.

Natastna2
01-06-2010, 21:06
OK, sent name and number. Thanks for the interest. In reply to Speedfreak, I would like to stick with Virgin Media as the service was fine before November of last year. However, I need the internet to work and I'm getting progressively more angry about being fobbed off with it will DEFINITELY be fixed on Monday/ next week etc. It's been 7 months now and I've given them plenty of time to fix my problems.

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 21:25
At least you have a chance, if they are saying things will definitely be fixed by whatever date then they must know what the problem is and have at least acknowledged your problem , hopefully with some help from this forums contacts it will get pushed more quickly. Like I said before, good luck :)

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 21:33
You can understand it though, otherwise the CF team would be inundated with requests and then have to figure out who needs it! Anyone viewing this thread will read the above and start pm'ing for help rather than posting

on the reverse side of that of course posters who do not get their problems sorted in a thread and then do not get an offer of help from either VM Staff or forum team could be left thinking that their problem has been ignored or they are not worthy of an offer of help

A possible revision to the rules could be a single post thread where members who have VM issues that have not been sorted after a certain amount of time could post a single post requesting escalation? this Mick is just a suggestion and me trying to make this place a friendlier place and in no way is me stepping out of line trying to tread on any toes as I know its nothing to do with me

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 21:38
on the reverse side of that of course posters who do not get their problems sorted in a thread and then do not get an offer of help from either VM Staff or forum team could be left thinking that their problem has been ignored or they are not worthy of an offer of help

Zing, Im sure anyone with an ongoing problem think they are "deserving" of it be referred. The facts are most probs can be sorted through the proper channels, theres only a team of 12 I think in the CEO's office. Not to mention the amount of PM's that the CF team would get on here if people think it automatically gets to the CEO's office. Its a last resort and posts of pm the CF team would ruin the system, Im not saying the OP shouldnt be referred, anything but. Me for example, I tried the newsgroups, VM's forum and the phone, after none of that worked CF stepped in without me asking. All I meant is if some random person with a problem reads masques post you can see where it would end up :)

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 21:40
Zing, Im sure anyone with an ongoing problem think they are "deserving" of it be referred. The facts are most probs can be sorted through the proper channels, theres only a team of 12 I think in the CEO's office. Not to mention the amount of PM's that the CF team would get on here if people think it automatically gets to the CEO's office. Its a last resort and posts of pm the CF team would ruin the system, Im not saying the OP shouldnt be referred, anything but. Me for example, I tried the newsgroups, VM's forum and the phone, after none of that worked CF stepped in. All I meant is if some random person with a problem reads masques post you can see where it would end up :)


yes I realise this but its not beyond the realms of possibility that some posts get missed and some threads/problems do go unsorted

I am only going on empathy . I know how I would feel if I had a problem and the forum didnt sort it. I then went onto read that ruling and waited to be asked if I wanted help and the pm didnt ever arrive.

Kymmy
01-06-2010, 21:43
If companies could help 100% of the people 100% of the time then they'd never be any problems..

As they can't then why should a voluntary group of people on a forum be expected to do that??

speedfreak
01-06-2010, 21:44
yes I realise this but its not beyond the realms of possibility that some posts get missed and some threads/problems do go unsorted

Im not after an arguement :D You are right I give in, I just didnt think it should be posted about but Ive realised Im a hypocrite as I did the same for pabs not long ago :p: My corn on the cob in my chimnea is burning so I'll leave it there :D

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 21:45
as I said I am only going from an empathetic level and an understanding of how people would feel in certain situations.

Wast having a pop or anything all I am interested in in this instance is helping forum members which is what this place is for isnt it??

---------- Post added at 20:45 ---------- Previous post was at 20:45 ----------

Im not after an arguement :D You are right I give in, I just didnt think it should be posted about but Ive realised Im a hypocrite as I did the same for pabs not long ago :p: My corn on the cob in my chimnea is burning so I'll leave it there :D

neither am I see above post

Kymmy
01-06-2010, 21:49
as I said I am only going from an empathetic level and an understanding of how people would feel in certain situations.

Wast having a pop or anything all I am interested in in this instance is helping forum members which is what this place is for isnt it??

Didn't think you were, but was just pointing out that if a multinational company earning millions a day can't do it then should a simple forum be expected to do it..

I'd like to think that many forums like this one does help a lot more people than the companies ever could, but with any scenario you're always gonna get people with faults that are either simply missed, haven't provide enough info or people simply just don't know the answer too..

zing_deleted
01-06-2010, 21:51
I think the main difference with VM support is the fact half the guys you speak to simply do not understand what you are saying or what your problem is either by language barrier or lack of training. There are some class members on this forum who can really sort out this issues. IMO the support offered here ( and the inside support I have recieved ) totally urinates over the support offered after dialling 151

danlufan
02-06-2010, 17:36
I think the main difference with VM support is the fact half the guys you speak to simply do not understand what you are saying or what your problem is either by language barrier or lack of training. There are some class members on this forum who can really sort out this issues. IMO the support offered here ( and the inside support I have recieved ) totally urinates over the support offered after dialling 151

You must understand a lot of the support staff at VM are using a script. You are right most don't truly understand, that is why they book engineers (who they believe will always be able to fix it). As for the language barrier, that is always something that really frustrates me and i am sure many other people.

One couldnt even spell my name...it is Dan :)

Chrysalis
02-06-2010, 18:29
Zing, Im sure anyone with an ongoing problem think they are "deserving" of it be referred. The facts are most probs can be sorted through the proper channels, theres only a team of 12 I think in the CEO's office. Not to mention the amount of PM's that the CF team would get on here if people think it automatically gets to the CEO's office. Its a last resort and posts of pm the CF team would ruin the system, Im not saying the OP shouldnt be referred, anything but. Me for example, I tried the newsgroups, VM's forum and the phone, after none of that worked CF stepped in without me asking. All I meant is if some random person with a problem reads masques post you can see where it would end up :)

The CEO office may well be a small team but VM have the blame for having such a poor basic tech support service. If they get that right then people wont need to use the CEO office.

Peter_
02-06-2010, 20:55
You must understand a lot of the support staff at VM are using a script
No UK Broadband Technical Support staff use a script on a call as it is impossible to script the various scenarios we are faced with everyday, plus many of us would actually leave as they would have to cutback on what was in the Support Scope to use a script tool.

Natastna2
02-06-2010, 21:02
My liason has failed to call me back for the second day running now. All I want to do is get a deadlock letter so I can take this further. The internet seems to be going off earlier as time goes by. It used to be midnight, now it is 9pm. Today will probably be soon. Eventually I'll be left paying for a service that I can use between 12pm and 12.01pm. Is no one having similar problems? It seems unlikely as I've been told the problem is their server which I assume must be "serving" more people than just me.

Natastna2
11-06-2010, 16:15
Hello again. We've finally got through to my useless liason. He is refusing to give us a deadlock letter as he says that they are currently trying to fix the problem. He has had 8 months now to fix it and I'm getting sick of the constant lies. He can't tell us what the problem is, what is being done to fix it or when it is likely to be fixed. This is completely unacceptable. Does anyone have any idea of anything I could do?

pip08456
11-06-2010, 19:26
Bite the bullet and get refunds from November, also do the "no brainer" thing and do what anyone who relies on the internet to earn a living-get an ADSL back-up.

There is no ISP anywhere who will guarantee 24/7connection, problems do happen and sometimes it can take month to resolve especially if the problem is intermittant. Normally they can be solved quickly but that is not the real world.

Have a look here
http://www.ispa.org.uk/complaints/page_40.htm

as VM are members of the association and use them as a go-between to end your contract.

http://www.ispa.org.uk/cgi-bin/member_list.cgi



"8.3.7 Deadlock will automatically be considered to have been reached when a complaint has not been resolved within 2 months from the date of the original complaint from the Complainant to the Member, as described in 8.3.1. However, Complainants should not be made to wait 2 months as a matter of course and Members should declare deadlock under 8.3.6 as soon as appropriate."

caph
13-06-2010, 22:07
As Pip says, you don't need a deadlock letter if you have already waited the specified number of months since you first reported it.

I would advise that you skip ISPA and go straight to CISAS because when ISPA get no joy they just tell you to lodge it with CISAS anyway!

You can file your complaint online with CISAS and my experience was that VM take a lot of notice when you do.

Dan290792
25-03-2011, 22:12
Hello, I live in Sheffield and had no problems with Virgin Media until November when I extended the contract and switched to 50MB. The speed varied from 0.1MB to 50MB constantly and to cut a long story short, we had a lot of engineers around. Eventually I was told incorrectly that switching to 20MB would help so I have done. Now for the last 5 or so months, the internet speed is 20MB when it works but the internet disconnected every night at around 9pm and comes back on at about lunchtime the next day. As someone who earns their living online, this is unacceptable. I wrote a letter complaining and was expecting to be able to leave as they were not fulfilling their contract. I was told that as we were receiving a television and telephone service and a partial broadband service we woudl not be able to leave without paying 150 pounds. My liason then gave us 3 months free and assured us the problem would be fixed. This was around 5 months ago and every time I ring him he assures me it will be fixed tomorrow/next week/in a month etc. I have contacted Ofcom and Cisas, waiting for the CISAS application form and am trying to get a deadlock letter from Virgin Media. The only information that 9 engineers and "my liason" have come up with is that there is a problem with too much upstream on the server and this knocks the internet off. I'm fed up with being lied to and will, if necessary, take it to small claims court. I was hoping to get some responses from people who have had similar problems and also advice on whether or not they can say that I'm receiving a service and so I cannot leave without paying. I'm sorry for the length of this message but I'm not sure what to do now and any advice would be very helpful. Thanks, Ant.

Hi, I currently work for Virgin Media Customer Service. If i was to take a call from you what i would advise is obviously the business situation that everyone seems to be taking interest in instead of your problem. Although it is irrelivant that this moment in time. If you are having problems with the broadband it is the company that is breaching the contract in saying you cannot cancel. You agreed to services TV, Line rental and Broadband if all services are not in full working order there is no valid contract. They will also continue to try solve the problem with giving credits, which in my opinion is not solving any problem its covering up problems. If you are still having problems send a letter to Head Office if you have already or not. address -
NCLC
Virgin Media Ltd
Matrix Court
Swansea
SA7 9BB
Sorry if i was no help at all.

Peter_
25-03-2011, 23:08
Hi, I currently work for Virgin Media Customer Service. If i was to take a call from you what i would advise is obviously the business situation that everyone seems to be taking interest in instead of your problem. Although it is irrelivant that this moment in time. If you are having problems with the broadband it is the company that is breaching the contract in saying you cannot cancel. You agreed to services TV, Line rental and Broadband if all services are not in full working order there is no valid contract. They will also continue to try solve the problem with giving credits, which in my opinion is not solving any problem its covering up problems. If you are still having problems send a letter to Head Office if you have already or not. address -
NCLC
Virgin Media Ltd
Matrix Court
Swansea
SA7 9BB
Sorry if i was no help at all.
This post is rather pointless because the OP last posted about this issue over 9 months ago so hopefully they would have sorted it out during that time and secondly the OP's status is inactive which means that they are extremely unlikely to ever come on this forum and read your post.

The contact address is a valid point though.

Nopanic
26-03-2011, 00:07
Hi, I currently work for Virgin Media Customer Service. If i was to take a call from you what i would advise is obviously the business situation that everyone seems to be taking interest in instead of your problem. Although it is irrelivant that this moment in time. If you are having problems with the broadband it is the company that is breaching the contract in saying you cannot cancel. You agreed to services TV, Line rental and Broadband if all services are not in full working order there is no valid contract. They will also continue to try solve the problem with giving credits, which in my opinion is not solving any problem its covering up problems. If you are still having problems send a letter to Head Office if you have already or not. address -
NCLC
Virgin Media Ltd
Matrix Court
Swansea
SA7 9BB
Sorry if i was no help at all.

You searched for a thread from last year ?

Plenty of new complaint to look at.

Mods can you lock this ?