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View Full Version : Virgin media! Grrrrrr!


jayxv
30-12-2010, 00:13
I have been waiting over 6 weeks now for virgin media to come out and install services at my new flat,the first time round they came out and said they wouldnt go out on the flat roof for h+s reasons,the second time they canceled for weather reasons and today they leave it until quater to 6 in the evening to come out and say they wont install it because of the flat roof,so my dad said he would go out on the flat roof and feed the cable down to the other worked outside,they said no,they apaz rang there manager and he hasnt turned up! so i rang the man who signed the contracts for me for my services he said they were talking **** and he would get them out asap! also he has offered me £80 for the problems that have happened! but still no services! why will they no go out on a bloody roof?!

martyh
30-12-2010, 00:17
I have been waiting over 6 weeks now for virgin media to come out and install services at my new flat,the first time round they came out and said they wouldnt go out on the flat roof for h+s reasons,the second time they canceled for weather reasons and today they leave it until quater to 6 in the evening to come out and say they wont install it because of the flat roof,so my dad said he would go out on the flat roof and feed the cable down to the other worked outside,they said no,they apaz rang there manager and he hasnt turned up! so i rang the man who signed the contracts for me for my services he said they were talking **** and he would get them out asap! also he has offered me £80 for the problems that have happened! but still no services! why will they no go out on a bloody roof?!

because they would be liable for any damage to the felt ,and they have no idea what condition the roof is in .

jayxv
30-12-2010, 00:19
but its made of steel and concrete!

martyh
30-12-2010, 00:24
but its made of steel and concrete!

should be ok to walk on then ,do the installers know that .what work has to be carried out up there ? and how high is it ?

jayxv
30-12-2010, 00:29
yer we have told them many times but they dont seem to listen tbh,litrally all that needs to be done is to drill a hole through the roof and push the cable through it,and its only about ten foot high if that!

martyh
30-12-2010, 00:39
yer we have told them many times but they dont seem to listen tbh,litrally all that needs to be done is to drill a hole through the roof and push the cable through it,and its only about ten foot high if that!


That may be the reason why they aren't keen on doing it .It's not the best place to put a cable ,drilling through a flat roof ,there is a potential for leaks and they would be responsible .What reason have they given for not doing the work .

should probably note that technically for H&S purposes there will have to be a safety barrier around the perimeter of the roof ,rarely done unless on a building site

jayxv
30-12-2010, 00:48
my dad has said he will go out and drill lol they r just lazy tbh

martyh
30-12-2010, 00:52
my dad has said he will go out and drill lol they r just lazy tbh


that may be the case ,but i strongly suspect that there is more to it

jayxv
30-12-2010, 00:57
its the third time now thou!!!!!!!!!!!

WooLLsterQ
30-12-2010, 09:37
They are not allowed to go on any flat roofs at all, some do at their own risk but policy is not to do it. Is there absolutely no other cable route?

I just want to make you realise that the installers are correct, officially they don't have to go on the roof.

They are not being lazy, if it's a choice of your install going in or possible disciplinary action against them I know what I would choose TBH.

As for drilling a hole and pushing a cable in, they have to drill inside out at all times no excuses. And they have to seal the hole with a plastic bushing on the outside and tack the cable down, it can not be left loose across a roof (Officially) I know people will say, "well they didn't do that on mine" but I'm just stating the official procedures.

Hope this explains a little :)

martyh
30-12-2010, 11:29
They are not allowed to go on any flat roofs at all, some do at their own risk but policy is not to do it. Is there absolutely no other cable route?

I just want to make you realise that the installers are correct, officially they don't have to go on the roof.

They are not being lazy, if it's a choice of your install going in or possible disciplinary action against them I know what I would choose TBH.

As for drilling a hole and pushing a cable in, they have to drill inside out at all times no excuses. And they have to seal the hole with a plastic bushing on the outside and tack the cable down, it can not be left loose across a roof (Officially) I know people will say, "well they didn't do that on mine" but I'm just stating the official procedures.

Hope this explains a little :)

I thought there was more to it than "lazy installers" ;)

One question for any VM engineer,are you self employed or employed by VM ?

JayJay
30-12-2010, 15:06
We are mostly contractors martyh, working for companies such as Kellys, MAP, Avonline and a few others.

Me personally, I wouldnt do what you wanted me to do either, and I dont blame them. Ive said many times on this forum, any damages caused by us come out of our own pockets. Regardless it being a solid roof, customers tell me all sorts of crap, I tend to find out myself.

Your sales rep will have no enforcement on what we will do so with him saying were talking bull, tell him to put his High Viz jacket on and get out and do what we do, careful not to scuff his shoes aswell.

What would I do in your situation? I would do one of two things,
Option 1: Drill the hole, run string along the route you want the cable to do along (that way all the engineer has to do is to tape the cable on the end and it can easily be pulled through) Job Done!

Option 2: Ask the engineers for the cable, run it yourselves and then get us back out so we can put ends on and get it all working.

Good luck!

martyh
30-12-2010, 15:20
We are mostly contractors martyh, working for companies such as Kellys, MAP, Avonline and a few others.

Me personally, I wouldnt do what you wanted me to do either, and I dont blame them. Ive said many times on this forum, any damages caused by us come out of our own pockets. Regardless it being a solid roof, customers tell me all sorts of crap, I tend to find out myself.

Your sales rep will have no enforcement on what we will do so with him saying were talking bull, tell him to put his High Viz jacket on and get out and do what we do, careful not to scuff his shoes aswell.

What would I do in your situation? I would do one of two things,
Option 1: Drill the hole, run string along the route you want the cable to do along (that way all the engineer has to do is to tape the cable on the end and it can easily be pulled through) Job Done!

Option 2: Ask the engineers for the cable, run it yourselves and then get us back out so we can put ends on and get it all working.

Good luck!

erm ,i'm not the OP ;), it's not my problem it's jayxv's thread .I was asking if you are self employed because the same restrictions that apply to you also apply to me ,i'm not a VM engineer but do work in other peoples houses on a selfemployed basis and can sympathise to some extent with the engineer .If they aren't carefull they can make themselves liable to repair pre-existing faults if they aren't very carefull .I find camera phones invaluable in my line of work as many customers have tried to get pre-existing faults fixed ,blaming me

JayJay
30-12-2010, 15:32
Sorry martyh, i knew it was his thread, I just never made it clear i was speaking to him after you :D

Customers can be a nightmare, we've caught out a few people who have tried blaming tv faults on us.

martyh
30-12-2010, 15:39
Sorry martyh, i knew it was his thread, I just never made it clear i was speaking to him after you :D

Customers can be a nightmare, we've caught out a few people who have tried blaming tv faults on us.

you know they are trying it on when they come with "well it was ok before you came"

Nedkelly
30-12-2010, 21:13
Do we have any pics of the areas ?

chris123
30-12-2010, 22:19
i worked for bham cable in the 90s. installers are not lazy,but have to put up with difficult customers on a daily basis.i understand why they wont do it,flat roofs are notorious for leaking,and the chances are if it is already doing so,then a claim could be sought against them. call virgin media and ask for a survey to be done,to determine the route of the cable.there is possibly a far better route than has already been discussed. however the problem of H&S will still be there,so if no alternative route is available,no install.

gondalio
01-01-2011, 22:36
i work for vm directly as an engineer and to be honest "i think" we have different rules. if any install gets messed up, ie pipes blown or bricks blown or any damaged caused to customers property then the company pays for it. as for flat roofs like the guys are saying officially its a no no going on any type of roof, flat or slanted or tiled. but i have done it sometimes only to make life easier for everyone and to try and get the customer on with minimum hassle. i guess working for vm directly you get a bit more time and support on the role compared to contracters which i dont think is fair because they get treated a lot differently by their managers and that were they have to pay for damamges etc. but that is how its done. but depending on the weather me and my pt have gone through hell and back to get customers on and installed on the same day.

jb66
02-01-2011, 00:05
Contractors have to pay for damages out there own pocket, personally I'd hold the ladder and let your dad do the work but even that is against h + s. It really annoys me when folk think it's laziness, far from it, it's easier doing the job rather than explain to your manager why you can't do it

Nopanic
02-01-2011, 11:02
As anyone who has spent time on the phones to customers will tell you, the techs get blamed for everything .. Listen to the guys posting in this thread, they are giving you some excellent advice.

I know it must be really annoying for you and by the sounds of it, the sales guy isn't helping things, maybe try to get hold of the contact details for the area manager ? ask him to come out and assess the situation ?

JayJay
03-01-2011, 15:22
When I worked in wales for a week, I had a job where the customer wanted broadband in his office which was on the first floor. Now the only way to get the cable into that room was drilling out the side, which went onto a side roof. 3 engineers had been to this job, all refused. I thought sod it, ill do it, climbed onto the side roof, ran the cable the way he wanted it, and then slipped. I fell about 10-15 feet into his garden. Got up and carried on. Luckily I wasnt hurt.

I knew fully well what I was doing was stupid, but I done it anyway.

Would I do it again? No.

We are not being lazy, we are taking care of ourselves.

Nopanic
03-01-2011, 16:03
When I worked in wales for a week, I had a job where the customer wanted broadband in his office which was on the first floor. Now the only way to get the cable into that room was drilling out the side, which went onto a side roof. 3 engineers had been to this job, all refused. I thought sod it, ill do it, climbed onto the side roof, ran the cable the way he wanted it, and then slipped. I fell about 10-15 feet into his garden. Got up and carried on. Luckily I wasnt hurt.

I knew fully well what I was doing was stupid, but I done it anyway.

Would I do it again? No.

We are not being lazy, we are taking care of ourselves.


They don't make techs like they used to :cool: