Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

So are some of you saying that Cableforum sprang full formed into existance?

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Of course not.....Cable Forum has always been here.

In fact, it's turtles all the way to the bottom :)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

You can't compare the 2 sites. Within reason we allow bitching and complaining of VM to stand. Is a corporate site going to do that? Vodafone have their own e-forum but if you post anything derogatory about them the post gets deleted and you're lucky to survive with a warning. I'm not saying VM will be as harsh as that but it's still their own site.

VM's forum will have an overall purpose and that's to promote VM. That's the direction they'll be going in. We have a purpose - to help others regarding cable services, with other sub-forums along the way. As we're not corporate we have a community aimed at life in general, perhaps with a slant towards the technical. We have no problem with people posting about the colour of their socks or what they ate last night.

VM have a totally different purpose for their community. I'm not slagging it off, I'm sure it will service their and the customer's needs. But to compare it with CF? Impossible IMO.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

perhaps with a slant towards the technical that says it all lol lol

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

The size of the basement speaks for itself and not all VM topics are 'technical'.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Nowhere in the mission statement does it say "to give members the chance to talk about the BNP " or " to tell the world you have toothache" lmao :)

Not having a pop just saying thats all :)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I'm guessing most people are going to realise what the basement area is for....

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

The forum is a success partly because of the basement of course . Thats what keeps the membership here. Also interaction in the basement between those who offer tech and those who come here for the community is also a reason for its population. The members of this site make it a success and thats for sure

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I agree with most things that has been said since my last post. The two forums are different with the new VM Forum needing time to evolve and grow before it is judged to be successful or not. I just hope that it has the legs to be able to do so.

As I said before I'm going to keep going back to see how I can offer my very limited help. At the moment I am not comfortable over there for several reasons but hope that given time it will grow to be a useful resource for VM customers and not just a PR exercise.

I'm not going to make any more comments about the other site here as I would rather address my concerns directly to the people running that site rather than posting them publicly on this forum.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Personally, that forum is really getting on my nerves. It's so slow, digging into it, they seem to have it hosted on a shared box on the states.. with shoddy software and generally a big disapointment..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Black.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Care to share a little more on that? lol

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

You forgot one

Media Boy's posts

:D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

My socks, they're black.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

lol was waiting for someone to act on the post about colour of socks. Was even going to start a thread about it with poll, but didnt bother in the end

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

yeah man this place would be lost without you ;)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Cableforum/nthellworld.co.uk had a distinct advantage over the new forum when it started.

The fact that it's predecessor nthellworld.com already had a thriving membership, a lot of whom came here when ntl closed nthellworld.com.

Nthellworld.com had the advantage that when Frank (then an irate customer) set a forum up basically to provide some help, and vent his own frustrations, he found a lot of NTL customers in the same position.

Then, with the intention of seeking help from within NTL (something we still do) and recouping some of the costs of running the site, he sold it to NTL. This generated a lot of news articles and, I suspect, meant a lot of people joined.

VM Community has had none of these. As such, it's not really fair to compare the two sites.

---------- Post added at 17:44 ---------- Previous post was at 17:43 ----------

I've registered, but I think the forum is going to take time to build up.

It will be interesting to see how Virgin handle it. I suspect that they won't allow criticism of Virgin to the extent we do, but, then NTL did allow it when nthellworld.com was owned by them. Ok, so there is one major difference with (I assume) the admin team for vm community being employed by VM, whereas IIRC the bulk of the admin team for nthellworld.com were (as most of us are here) volunteers employed by other companys, so Virgin are not in a position to directly control us.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Well from some of what I have been reading on there they are gonna be in trouble . I can not believe some of the crap some of them are coming out with

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Whats going on over there fella, it was really annoying me - so havn't been there in a few days..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

That jaffacake member really annoys me on some of his sarcy posts :mad:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yep - thus the reason, why I aint been there in a few days - I didn think about taking his head off and making him look a fool but then decided I couldn't be bothered..

Correct... That forum is really getting my pent up - people swaying "ADSL" Is not always on.. really getting me pent up..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

The last few days ive been informed that ADSL is the same as dial up and is not an always on connection lol lol

---------- Post added at 15:42 ---------- Previous post was at 15:42 ----------

he is a real plank

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yep - just seen it dude.. jesus christ, that place is full of "I think I know what I'm doing but really I dont!"

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

They are going to have trouble solving problems for members if that is the quality of some of the posters

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yep, i;'m just gonna hound that bloke everytime he says something.. :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Ok, 2 things.

1) In the ADSL settings on my router I have the option to have it "Connect on Demand" where I can specifiy an idle time, and to "Keep Alive". If I select the first then the router goes through its dialing routine and connects me to my ISP, if I select the latter option then it keeps me connected all the time. This would suggest that the ADSL connection isn't 'up' (or indeed 'on') unless my router has dialled in and authenticated. Whereas a Cable connection always has a connection to the ISP at the other end when there's a modem connected to it and the account is provisioned. This suggests to me that ADSL therefore is not in fact 'always on', but that to all intents and purposed it is because that's how most people either perceive it or have their equipment set up.

2) It would probably be best to refrain from having a dig at Members on VM's official forum via this site. If you have an issue with a Member over there then it's best to address it through that forum, I would hate to see the good relationship that Cable Forum has built up with VM over the years spoiled by silly feuds between Members on the various forums. Thanks :)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Haha. Did you see the reply jaffacake posted after my post about "Negative Kudos" in the feed back section :mad:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yep - I see the slight "hint" there... :D

---------- Post added at 15:56 ---------- Previous post was at 15:55 ----------

ADSL is always on - no matter what, unless theres some "issue"

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

So if it's 'always on' why do ADSL routers have to 'dial' and then provide authentication credentials each time you turn them on?

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

why is the MAC address of a cable modem used to log onto the system then?

The signal is always present on the line it does not switch off when you turn your router off . Dial up creates its own connection when it dials and connects

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Thats the point - just there dude, when turned on - the same is said on VM modems, just in a different way with the MAC address - if you leave your modem on 24/7 then it's always on - if you turn it off, then it can't ever be always on, can it?

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Me to, I am on the end of a number of them from him. :mad: :mad:

Woops My Username on there is: Midnight_Caller

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Dunno :shrug:

Just know that if I take my router out of 'keep alive' mode my ISP drops the connections if I've been idle for a while. I know that BT do the same thing. Obviously there's nothing to stop me re-connecting whenever I like.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Well it's common sense really dude? If the modem is on - it's "always on" if it's turned off, of course, it's not always on..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Surely the signal's always there though with Cable, regardless of whether the modem's on or off. The only thing that's there with ADSL when the modem's off is the standard telephone signal.

TBH I don't really care, and we're way off topic, I guess there are merits to both arguments - probably best to agree to disagree and get back to the purpose of the thread :)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Once a ADSL line is activated thats it till its deactivated ( if it all works properly)

All ISPs use some kind of authentication or another or no one would be paying and we would all just be using the net free

Ive never seen the keep alive settings on ADSL routers in the field mind you I have not looked ive just set them up and left and often a year or so later they are still working the only time there isnt a connection is when its off or there is a problem

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Well the same is with ADSL - It's there on the line.. just needs the kit to access it..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I do not believe you are right there mate. IIRC the line is active until you tell BT or your ISP to turn it off

Connect an old USB modem there will be 2 lights on it when you boot the pc. The connection is made but you need to use a sign in process to gain access to the net you are not establising a connection just authenticating your right to use it

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

The signal is there on any line - whether it's ADSL / or cable - it just needs the hardware to authenticate and access - et etc..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Anyway I hope they open an Computers and IT section in the future over there so I can offer support :) I do hope it succeeds it will be good for the consumer :)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I hope it succeeds.. it's just a shame some idiots on there are turning it in to a VM bashing tool :(

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

That's the nature of a 'support' forum though. People only tend to find them for the first time when they have a problem and when they feel like having a 'bash'.

The amount of bashing that goes on here is probably every bit as bad as there.

We've got some right bashers on this forum ;) :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Who needs bashing? I'll do it :bsmack:

Beats trying to source 2 servers and using the nightmare dell website :mad:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

ha ha :D very true Rob!

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Me to. :td:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I must be spending too much time over there. I just went straight to my unread posts without thinking how to do it. <jo goes to get a stiff drink to get over the shock>

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

ha ha :D oh dear :)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Been watching it....seen a few peoples posts get deleted. Seems like you can't have a different opinion on there.

I'll stick to here :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Back to the forum design .
Commercial companies are moving forums over to lithium, away from PHP3 and vbulletin.
They provide the one stop, support and Moderators package if needed.
Ive learnt most of the HTML code thats needed instead BB code allready.

Safari and Chrome users are normaly stuck with having to write and edit HTML manually Lithium rejects webkit HTML coding. Opera 9 has problems with the java scripts they use.
Mozilla gecko engine and IE only web browsers will have 100% use of the posting features.

O and it thinks Im using windows and firefox
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1) Gecko/20090612 Firefox/3.5
but Im not, Im spoofing the browser ID it enables features to work better.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

In the end Lithium is just a more professional version of something like proboards...

Not suprising that VM set up the forum as in the end a forum helps thier customer database without them having to put in major resources, it also is a form of screening with simple answers being passed from member to member and with technical answers being told to call TS/CS. In the end you're all doing VM's 1st line support job for them ;)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I can not see it being much help . Ive looked at a couple of issues where billing or something is concerned and all you get is dial this number dial that number imo a forum tied to VM and part of the VM website should be staffed by people with access to accounts etc and abel to actually do something rather than just say call CS or TS. I know its not busy enough to be manned 24/7 but it should be linked to the offices with staff access or its just pointless

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

:tu: WHich goes back to my post.. Most help will be from member to member the same as it is here with the support number given out to anyone who needs real VM help. So in the end it's not a VM support forum as VM themselves are not providing any direct help. It's really though in a vicious circle... The forum can't help until it's membership gets a lot higher and until it's membership gets higher people will forsake it for established forums like CF..

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Billing issues can't be handled through a forum because they need to verify they are dealing with the account holder.

There's no reason for VM not to provide technical support though, exactly as happens with the newsgroups.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

:LOL:

Glad i did not bother registering over there now looking at the comments here.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

According to the staffers on the Newsgroups, the forum is intended to be for 'self help', the newsgroups are still the 'official' VM support route.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

so it is a total waste of time then? all they needed to do was a link to here and job done

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I think that was done in the first few days :D:D:D

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...-also/td-p/157

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

yeah I seen and replied in that thread;) but the whole thing is just a waste of time they should have just had a page with contact numbers advice on how to use the newsgroups and a link here

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I'm actually very suprised that they've bothered to open up a forum like this... All they're doing is diluting the knowledge already out there on already established sites. I wonder how many simple support calls are avoided (and hence the costs of them calls) by people on this and other sites giving simple but effective answers in relation to people with VM problems...

I think in this case it's a step backwards and not forwards :(

---------- Post added at 10:58 ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 ----------

Agreed :clap:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I suspect that they're reluctant to offer official help through their forum because they know that so many people hate having to deal with (some of) the telephone support agents, most of whom (I say most, not all) seem to give an extremely poor level of service, that the forum would soon become overwhelmed and the 'phone lines would all go quiet.

I'm guessing that if they chose to provide proper support through their forum they wouldn't be able to off-shore it, so that would also put additional stress on the UK agents.

In short, they can't win - they're spending money providing a service that can't possibly have any tangible benefits either for the company or its customers. They'd have been better spending the money improving the services they offer, or the infrastructure they use to provide them, and leaving the 'support' to sites like CF.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I have decided that, as it is not really the done thing to keep plugging this site over there, I will start plugging Newsgroups. At least that directs customers to a UK based site for help if they have problems sorting out their problems on the phone. (no disrespect intended to our extremely competent VM staffers)

If someone can come up with reasons why I shouldn't do this please speak up now as doing this is probably going to be the only reason I will continue visiting that forum in the future.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

And in your final paragraph there lies the problem.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Should be interesting to see how long http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/.../m-p/1151#M314 lasts for.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Blimey I have to say there are some fine works of fiction there masquerading as help. Good to see people who clearly have no idea how cable or any of its' associated support systems work pontificating on it. Good imaginations indeed.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yeah I blame that Ignition character on there.. He's a right one he is ;)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

:D I wondered when your curiosity would have you joining up and dipping your toe into the murky waters over there.

:erm: I think one of the scariest things is seeing some of the really dodgy posts getting reps and so implying that the unwary customers are believing some of the less than accurate information being posted.

I am not including any of us lot in that comment. :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

The problem with thier rep system is that it's just an ICON to single click on.. I wonder how many reps have been given out without the repper knowing what they've actually done

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Couldn't agree with you more!

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Hmmmmm maybe the fibre optic cable system VM use are actually little hamster runs, with the hamsters carrying little rucksacks with customers requests on them. We have all seen the ducting in the streets. As for the green cabs these must be sorting offices for said hamster messengers. would this get rep over there? dont want to register :D

P.S the only reason VM are bandwidth constrained and STM is because after dinner some of the larger hamsters fatten up and partially block the tunnels, causing slow downs and in some cases no service whatsoever

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2016/10/1.gif I've only managed to give one rep in error, early on when I was playing around with the forums bits and pieces. It was to an <cringe> admin who hadn't said anything warranting a rep.

At least it wasn't to the orange peril. :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I wonder if it will get better? :confused:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

It depends on the quality of the posters, Having not been on there personally i am not sure as to how good or bad the forum over there is.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

:erm: To give you an idea Sirius,one of the the liveliest threads has been about what to call the section that deals with cable BB problems with the forum manager conceding that it would be called 'Fibre Optic Broadband (cable)' as opposed to it's original title 'Fibre Optic Broadband'. Riveting reading.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Why don't you just go and have a look?

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Sorry but no.

They have access to the ip of a poster. They are also the isp of the target audience and therefor it does not take a lot for them to cross reference IP's against account information if they want to. I dont trust them not to do that.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

You could Tor or use a free proxy, I will set you one up to go via my modem if you wish.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

What is it that you are afraid of? What's the worse thing they can do?

Hi everybody
 

Hi everybody,
I am new to this site.I hope this site will help me to understand quickly.
I would like to say "hi" to all members,Welcome to the forum.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

As a member of staff for VM i do not want the chance that if i say the wrong thing at some point on that forum they can discover who i am and then you can work out the rest. If i dont post there i cannot make that mistake

---------- Post added at 15:08 ---------- Previous post was at 15:06 ----------

Tor is insecure. Thanks for the offer of a proxy but I have stated my position and i don't intend to change it.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

But you don't have to post anything to read other members posts. :confused:

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

If i am not getting involved why should i go there ???

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I see they've opened a 'Computers and Hardware' section just for Zing!

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

You don't have to get involved.... oh forget it. :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

All i can say is lmfao.. Its good to see that even VM employees dont trust VM to be mmmm whats the words, trusted of VM's approach to the data protection act :P

It was you... It was, your fired... I know it was you it was YOUR IP :P

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

The reason being is below for non involvement in this forum and rather obvious.

---------- Post added at 06:32 ---------- Previous post was at 06:31 ----------

I the same as Sirius would not trust them as far as I could throw the Isle of Wight.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

*Watches VM Bod fly across the Isle of wright thrown by moldova*

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

They easy solution is as has been said do not use the forum or just offer tech support. I know Virgin sometimes do stupid things and is a mismanaged company with often poor un understandable foreign tech support but its still no so bad as you just have to say negative things about them ;)

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Just being frank and honest because you would have certain people trying to match posting styles from this and other forums to what they would see as recognized staff posters on the Virgin forum by virtue of reading your IP, and then those people would in the true nature of the "Jobsworth" then gleefully report their findings to the management in the usual sycophantic forelock tugging way that makes other normal people cringe.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yes it did...

The ntl owned site: nthellworld.com closed it's doors - having forseen what was going to happen the team from nthellworld.com (That was me and Neil at the time) created nthellworld.co.uk, this domain was kept for insurance purposes and it caused a lot of red faces within ntl's Hook offices when it suddenly appeared one evening on the 20th June 2003. The community.ntl.com project was shelved shortly after, along with nthellworld.com.

In 2004 nthellworld.co.uk, which was an already fully flourised forum renamed itself to cableforum.co.uk - the rest is history.

Getting back to this new VM community - I am curious as to why they have decided to do this now - I have been several times to Virgin Media / ntl meetings with top directors and once a former Chief Executive and asked them to stop harassing staff who post on sites such as our own - VM have told me several times at these meetings that they could never have official staff posting because of the legal ramifications if any staff member was to post something the company didn't agree with nor support.

I am sure the VM community support forum will do well but I share my fellow team members views that you cannot compare the two and nor do I want to go back to the old days where we have a 'them' and 'us' situation.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I wont be using it, CF all the way.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I would never post anything on here that is not in the public domain which is also readily available to the public.

Any advice given is my own and is not intended to reflect the views of my employers.

l would also never take details of anyones account on here to run checks on Virgins own equipment as the legal ramifications of that can lead to dismissal and even prosecution by OFCOM, as the is no way to prove that the details are from the actual customer.

I do state that I work for Virgin and any moderator on here can verify that I do as well.

I am also aware as I posted above that we also have members on here that are not all they seem and are actually here to try and put a spanner in the works regarding the likes of myself and others posting on here.

As for why they are no running their own forum it is pretty obvious as they have seen these self help forums grow and feel that a similar forum will give the company a better image and put them in a positive light. If it is going to be a success depends on how hard they moderate it and if they allow any real criticism of Virgin or just delete and ban the offenders which will very quickly give it a negative image.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

That's the thing, they're not looking at using it for official support..but instead as posted a few times in this thread "SELF HELP SUPPORT" the newsgroups or call centres are the only officially VM staffed support contacts.

So in simple terms it's taken them over 5 years to realise that they need to help of a community... pity they threw away thier established forum and now have to fight to build up thier own community...

Thier lose, our gain :D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

They are not going to get many staff posters on there that post elsewhere regardless of the term SELF HELP SUPPORT as we could never trust them to be honest with ourselves and not to use our posting on other forums against us once they can in their eyes prove that we do.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I don;t think they actually expect thier staffers to go on there purely as they've not asked them too... If they did expect thier staffers to go on there then they'd be officially asked and it would then be part of thier job.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

No what I mean are the likes of myself and others who already post on this forum and others which they would like to stop, which is the reason I would never post on their Self Help Forum.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

:wavey:

It is kinda ironic as it's what I wasted the better part of two years of my life trying to do, and it could have been so good...but it was a train wreck.

Corporate culture doesn't change that much in 5 years. The only way it's going to succeed is if the executive team is fully bought in and it has a strong sponsor driving it throughout the organisation. Part of the problem when I was there was that it had a strong sponsor to begin with, but execs come and go. Then I was left to the wolves, who abused the crap out of my before I quit.

All I have to say is good luck to Mark Wilkin, he's going to need it.

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

That forum is seriously getting on whitts - it's full of rude, clueless idiots - i beg of you all, help me out over here - it's just suicide!

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

That is how it should be over there:D

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

Yeah it should but it's getting me really pent up - I know it's "my" choice to go to the forum but a little help from techies would be welcome ^_^

Re: Virgin launch Customer Forum
 

I and many others would not go there as we know they would use our foolhardiness against us and identify us via IP ( illegally ) and then some management toady would compare posting styles to try and identify who posts on here and other forums.