Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

I decided today to try the VM customer services and ask yet again about the availability of caller display in my area, Bromley. I was not surprised to be told, no. What is more interesting is what followed. When I asked when it would be available, the person said he did not know. When I pressed on this he explained that VM did not tell customer service these sorts of things. When I expressed surprise at this and asked if there was anyone in VM that i could discuss the matter with I was told that he did not know of anyone. When I pressed even further (politely, I might add) he suggested contacting VM headquarters. Without any useful name to contact this, of course, was a total cop out. At this point I gave up in disgust.

Now, over the years, a couple of points have become crystal clear to me.

Firstly, from posts on this forum, it would seem that I am unlikely to ever get caller display.

Secondly, as a result over the years of speaking to ntl and VM customer services, it is quite clear that VM have a deliberate policy of not allowing their customer services staff to provide any information, beyond current availability, about caller display, which I must say shows a pretty disgraceful attitude of VM to their customers. If VM do not intend to provide customer display in any particular area why are they afraid to say so?

So, the question is, as customer services are not allowed to discuss the issue, is there any specific department in VM that I could write to and ask for an authoritative statement on whether I am ever likely, with any available timescale, to have caller display in my area and if not, why not?

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

They have said so, and it's 'No'. Seems clear enough to me

Customer Services are there to deal with existing products, not to speculate on future services. So if you want something they can say 'yes' or 'no' and that's it. It's the same with any other company.

I would say personally, if you can't get Caller Display now, you are not going to get Caller Display.

As to why, I would expect the cost of upgrading the hardware to support it in those areas that don't have it is more than the money Virgin would get back from doing so.

If Virgin decide to replace their phone network at some point in the future it may well change, but until then it's 'No'

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Customer Services are there to deal with existing products, not to speculate on future services. So if you want something they can say 'yes' or 'no' and that's it. It's the same with any other company.

Unless VM have removed it, CLI is an existing product, not a future one. Asking when it might become available in my area is a perfectly reasonable request and deserves an answer from VM. And I'm not asking for customer services to speculate, I am asking for VM to be honest and above board and say whether or not CLI is likely to become available in the future - if they do not have a fair idea about this then management is not doing its job properly.

As for saying that it is the same with any other company, that is simply ridiculous. If after going into a shop and being told that a particular item is not in stock and then, when I asked when it would be in stock, being told that they refuse to answer that question, which is exactly what VM are doing, I would never deal with them again. Unfortunately, because I'm quite happy with their cable broadband, it means that walking away from VM is rather more difficult.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Not where you live as it has never been introduced. So it is a future product

That's understandable

Yes you are

As I've already said, the only chance you have of caller display is if/when Virgin replace the entire phone system.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

I would imagine a phone feature, such as caller display, isn't a great priority for any telecoms company.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

That line has been quoted for the last 4-5 years though, yet if you search through this forum you will find instances (not many) in the last 1-2 years where areas have suddenly gained this facility, so if some can magically acquire it - it is not unreasonable to expect all of them to be able to acquire it ( I know they have different equipment etc so some are easier than others)

I have called many times regarding this facility being available in Derby and the response always varies from within the next 6 months to never!

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

As has been said if Customer Services do give you a date, then they are guessing as there is no plan to upgrade areas to support it

As for people being told they couldn't get it in the past and that now can I would say that is more likely down to more accurate information for Customer Services about where it is avaliable

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

At the end of the day VM are only going to invest in providing this feature if they think it's going to attract new customers, or at least not put off potential new customers and lose existing ones. People do have options; they can either switch to BT, or to using a VoIP service over their broadband (as I have done, mainly for cost, but features such as caller id are a nice bonus).

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Where would we be today if there were still stone wheels? ;)
But to the OP, I would agree, you are entitled to an answer, and they,VM,Should give you that answer.
Having got that answer the next step is up to you, you say that you cannot move it's not that simple, I only take cable broadband from VM but my phone line is with BT, but now it seems by replies here that VM do not see caller display as a priority I know where I will be staying for the forthcoming future with regards my landline.
Why is Caller Display not a priority to VM?
I'm sure there are people who find it invaluable when they can see on the display the wording " witheld "
But as far as I see there are options, and one is going to a company that gives you caller display.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

With some modern home telephones if you have caller display as an option you can receive text messages. So it seems somewhat short-sighted to be so behind the technology.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

after looking at this thread i rang to chack if we can get C/D and was told yes and its for £2 a month

so looks ok for the install next week

sc00terx

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Don't fall for that sc00terx. They have told two of my friends in Portsmouth that they can have Caller Display, promptly started billing them £2/month for something BT provides for free, and then a few months later eventually realised that they can't provide it and had to do a refund.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

BT charge £2.50 a month for caller display.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

BT now provide caller display free provided you make 2 chargable calls per month through BT. You also get free evening and weekend calls if you sign up for a 12 month renewable contract.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

It's free with the free BT Privacy Service. I pay nothing for it.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

I'm on that! They don't tell you these things do they? Anyway I don't have a caller display telephone, just an old 746 with a dial ;)

---------- Post added at 14:32 ---------- Previous post was at 14:16 ----------

Thanks for that, they did ask If I wanted the privacy service quite a while back, I said yes but they never put me on it! ;)

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Money Saving Expert :)

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Just a technical point which someone might clear up.

I used to be with BT before switching to NTL/Virgin Media. I retained my number which was ported across from BT equipment.

As NTL equipment clearly won't do caller display in some regions & Virgin Media have no policy to provide it, I just wondered if it was possible to re-jig the porting connection in such a way that BT's free caller display service could be provided?

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

No it's not

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

No it's the street muxes that are the problem in some areas, they can't do the FSK (frequency shift keying) without a hardware upgrade, which ain't going to happen!

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

I suspect it won't be provided on it's own because it would bring Virgin little or no financial benefit and would cost an awful lot on hardware.

It may come as a result of other upgrades though (such as if VM decide to switch to VOIP) where Virgin would have to change the hardware anyway.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

The thing is, Virgin don't seem to see what all the fuss is about with CLI whereas many many many customers do.

To give you an example, see this thread here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...html?t=1976229

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

It's not about not caring it's whether it is cost effective to do (which as business Virgin have to look at) - which at the moment it isn't

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Fair enough but I know many people who will not have a Virgin phone simply because they do want CLI.

Including the person in the link I posted in my earlier post. If you've never had it then you may well not miss it, but if you come from BT, it's something your used to and it does make you feel like you are getting a downgraded service.

Presuming this person I linked to tells all his friends not to go to Virgin as their phone service is sub par, how much could Virgin be loosing? Multiply this by everyone else that is disappointed by the lack of CLI and I would say it's about time Virgin seriously addressed this.

Especially as often, customers are being told they can get it when they sign up then once in contract find out they cant really.

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Losing line rental has nothing do with CLI - as line rental covers the cost of physically running the line!

So when you are talking about the cost/benefit ratio you are talking about £2 a month per customer compared with however much it will cost to upgrade an area for CLI

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

True.

But if customers aren't switching to Virgin because of the lack of CLI, how much are Virgin loosing out from call revenue?

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

Again that is mostly irrelevant as call revenue mostly covers the cost of making the calls in the first place

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

I was always led to believe that the phone service was Virgins cash cow hence they go out of their way to try to get you to take it (no obvious way to take TV without a phone line on their web, although you can do so)?

Re: Is it possible to get an authoritative answer from VM about caller display?
 

as an aside, a few months ago we couldn't get caller display, then our phone was off for about half a day while virgin did some work somewhere (we got a letter warning us about this).
After this I gave a call to customer services asking about caller display and found that we now have it. (although nothing was mentioned about this in any letter virgin sent).
BTW I am in the Harrow area.

now if only we could have selective incoming call barring..