Compensation for service disruption
 

Hi. I'm fairly new to this forum and have a question about the compensation I could expect to receive from VM for service disruption without being told.
Basically what has happened was about 2 weeks ago an engineer came round to fix a fault with my tv service but he took lots of things out of my brown box on the outside of my house and he moved our cable to a higher frequency/power level on the cabinet. Since then our broadband speed has been wildly fluctuating between 5Mb and 12Mb throughout the day (i'm paying for 20Mb). After many phone calls I managed to get an engineer to come and look at the problem today. He came here for 5 mins, checked the power levels on my router and I explained to him my story to date. He said that the analogue signal had been switched off in my area recently and it has caused a lot of problems hence my fluctuating speeds.
So for now I'm left with an internet service that isn't stable. The engineer told me to moniter my speeds and if it doesn't improve in a week then I can give him a call on his mobile (the guy was very good and explained the situation well :))
I feel I have bored you now after writing so much :dunce:
Is there anything I can do?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Nothing much, except do as the good man told you. He didn't have to give you his mobile number, most techs wouldn't. I'd take that as a sign you're getting top-rate service from him.

And you won't get any compo, I'm sure of that.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Ahhh. I thought they had to warn you about service disruptions. I checked on their website but there isn't any service outages/ disruptions in my area according to the service status page on VM's website.

Yes, I knew he was doing more then he should when he gave me his number! If only VM had more tech's like this dude!

That was a very prompt reply by the way! I'm impressed :D

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I really can't see how the analogue signal can affect the broadband signal, I maybe wrong, the tech shouldn't give out there numbers to customers, but a lot do to stop a repeat call.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

The only time i have ever got a refund is when there has been a total loss of a service ,this did happen over the christmas period for about 3 hours but we did get a £2 reduction in the bill .If you still have a service albeit not the full 20meg they will only say you still have a service just slower because of a fault

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

That's what I was confused about as well! I let it go anyway as it wouldn't have made a difference what I said! Hopefully they'll get it sorted soon.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I received compensation once when my internet had been down for 6 weeks, they gave me 2 months free

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Isn't there an overlap on the RF spectrum between cable broadband upstream and Analogue TV?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I always throught it was a different delievery type which doesn't overlap

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

So should I ring up virgin and ask for compensation for the degraded service?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Which area are you in ? Not heared of the analouge signal affecting broadband can you get digital tv from VM ?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Can't hurt to try, that`s all i did and rightly so, if you are paying for a service and not getting it then you legally should be entitled to compensation

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I'm in Leicester I got TV phone and BB from VM. I'm not saying that the analogue signal is affecting the B/B, all I am saying is that the tech that came told me they switched it of and they are having problems!

---------- Post added at 20:03 ---------- Previous post was at 20:02 ----------

Sounds like a plan. I'm going to do that tomorrow morning... fingers crossed I get a uk call center ;) Which department did you ring and what did you say btw?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Leicester is having a lot of work done on the network getting rid off the old analogue network and building a new one along side off it .Have you got digital tv ? Also what are the levels like on your modem ?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I know, the tech told me about the work. What do you mean a new one along side it? You mean they're going to add extra capacity or they are going to have another node or something (my knowledge is limited there =P). As far as my TV goes it is crystal clear with everything working. The tech said my power levels are fine on my modem but here they are anyway:

Downstream Lock : Locked
Downstream Channel Id : 48
Downstream Frequency : 299000000 Hz
Downstream Modulation : QAM256
Downstream Symbol Rate : 6952 Ksym/sec
Downstream Interleave Depth : taps12Increment17
Downstream Receive Power Level : 1.5 dBmV
Downstream SNR : 37.0 dB

Upstream Lock : Locked
Upstream Channel ID : 4
Upstream Frequency : 47000000 Hz
Upstream Modulation : QAM16
Upstream Symbol Rate : 2560 Ksym/sec
Upstream transmit Power Level : 46.5 dBmV
Upstream Mini-Slot Size : 2

---------- Post added at 20:17 ---------- Previous post was at 20:15 ----------

Also, I thought work and scheduled maintenance was shown on the service status page. That was the first place I looked before ringing VM and it's not even up there!!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Yes the levels are spot on do you know of anyone else in your street with the same problems 50 meg or 20 meg as these will be on the same bsr as you .As for the network parts of Leicesters network where from metro cable the Leicester cable and had not been upgraded no VM want all these old networks upgrading :)

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Nope, but the tech that came to "fix" my problem said that he had a lot of service calls in my areas all with the same problem so it doesn't look like it's just me!
Ahh, where I am is an ex-ntl area so they must be upgrading it all! Hopefully that will equate to a better service and perhaps better upload speeds (just been looking at the huddersfield and coventry trails!)

---------- Post added at 20:33 ---------- Previous post was at 20:32 ----------

I see your a VMtech so you know what your talking about!

PS, I got a samsung v+ :D:angel:

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Since i upgraded to 50 meg, Virgin have refunded me over £100.If you are not happy with your service ring or email virgin to complain.My personal favorite is, ask to cancel.Then explain what your problem is to them.Like the old saying, the customer is always right.;)

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

The problem is I just recently negotiated a new 12 month with VM retentions and am currently in month 1 so threatening to cancel isn't going to get me anywhere!!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Try here.
https://help2.virginmedia.com/assets...intformCZ.html.
Iam still in a 12 month contract.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Remember this when you ring your on a upto 20Mb service not 20Mb all the time service.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

True but the whoel point of me going to VM is that they get very close to their advertised speeds. Up untill a few weeks ago that was fine but recently it's varied between 5-12Mb like i've said and I'm paying for a 20Mb connection. So I think I have a case against them :)

Sorry if it sounds like a bit of a rant it wasn't meant to!
Hey Lowei, what does that forum do and where does it go?
Thanks everyone for your help if I've forgotten to mention it :D

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

After i complained about the quality off my broadband i got a refund.Some people are so biast on this forum.

Hi arj12
The link i sent you is virgins own.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Yup, I've checked it out and found the link through virgin as well :)
Did you fill the form out and they just gave you a refund?
I wonder how long it will be before they respond!
Just in two minds about ringing 150 or filling the form out!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Do both.Ring and email them.It was about 2 week after i emailed they rung me on my mobile to sort out compensation

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Will do! Almost finished filling out the form now but I'm just wondering which department to go through for compensation. Eg, customer retentions or faults.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I am not baist I was merely pointing out for the pennys we pay for broadband you can't expect 20Mb all the time, if you want that you need a leased line which is 1:1 ratio, then you'll see how much you'll have to pay.

Don't think for one moment that I think getting 5-12Mb is right just don't think he will get alot of money as Virgin sell a upto service.

The best situation for the op would be to complain to get the service working correctly not just to keep getting money back as this will not solve the issue.

---------- Post added at 21:46 ---------- Previous post was at 21:45 ----------

Faults or customer services, customer relations are for disconnections only not to get money back.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Try and ring on a week day between 8:00 and 17:00 i think,So you get to speak to someone with a English accent,and not there Indian call center.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Ah thank you for the clarification broadbandking. How do you get to customer services?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

150 they are the ones who deal with billing and upgrade/downgrades

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Iam trying to help the op. Its just great you are lol

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Ok, so I'll just choose the option for billing when I ring 150 tomorrow. I need to ring them anyway as they told me they would charge me £35 for my v+ install on the phone but they have charged me for £49.

---------- Post added at 21:57 ---------- Previous post was at 21:57 ----------

I just finished filling out the form now, hopefully they'll get back to me soon!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Thats your best bet, that strange why they have done that with the V+, I can see they have added install charge when really the £49 is the install fee, simple mistake which should take 2 minutes to sort out.

Normally VM will refund once the fault has been sorted, however as this is a on going issue I am not sure what they will do, make sure you are calling faults and logging these calls, or post on the newsgroup as they are second line techs and they are really helpful, as I see the faults needs to be sorted A.S.A.P.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Phew, at least I know one thing will be sorted out for definite tomorrow!
Ideally if the fault was fixed very quickly I wouldn't have said anything but they are taking a long time! I've called faults a few times already regarding this issue but I don't know what you mean by logging the calls. Do you mean I keep a log of when I called them? I've never used the newsgroup before, I'll have to have a look into it. I just hope it gets sorted soon!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

By logging I meant contacting them about the fault (phone or newsgroups)

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

okay. I'll give you an update when I get any more information or news.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Ok thank you

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

OK, here's the latest news. Apparently there is an outage in the Leicester hub that has been confirmed now so they are looking on fixing it. It was supposed to be fixed at 9:48 this morning (exact time or what!) today but the tech said the there was no ETA now as they hadn't fixed it yet. The customer service dude I spoke to told me to ring them back when everything was fixed and they would compensate me with how many days of disrupted service I've had (IE £37/30 x number of days outage) and the guy also said depending on who I spoke to I would get more compensation as I have been left with very poor services that has affected my day to day life. The guy also told me to ring back in a few days to check on any updates on the situation.
I just hope they sort the problem out soon!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Did they refund the £35 for the V+ install?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

It was already credited in the bill. It was under some other name. It's just virgin media with it's confusing billing system again lol!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Ok cool glad its sorted.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

PM sent.
Hope you get things sorted

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Hey, yes I've been complaining to them about ti today.... I've been getting 0.5mb down today and the day before! It's ridiculous when I'm paying for a service with up to 20mb BB, you can even get faster speeds on copper wires!!! Seriously not happy! It looks like I'm going to be calling virgin media a lot in the next few days! They said they would only refund me after everything was sorted but all i want is my internet to work! gr...

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Did you post on the newsgroups?

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I don't know how to! Again today I'm getting 0.5Mb!!! Browsing is a nightmare now, let alone doing anything else internet based!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Try here this may help you set up newsgroup.
http://www.virginmedia.com/myvirginm...ress-exntl.php

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

I'm on Windows Live Mail so I'm not too sure where to start.
I've also forgot to mention I've been having really bad ping for the last 2-3 months as well, making games lagg a lot. Could this be a problem with VM service for the last few months? I mean ping now is at an all time high (>1000ms) but it keeps fluctuating a lot!

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

OK, here's an update: nothing has changed! I'm still getting well below sub par speeds and awful ping!! I've been on the phone to virgin media many times but they keep putting the ETA of the Leicester UBR "upgrade" forward and now they're telling me they don't know when it'll be finished but they keep telling me to ring back in a few days. I just rung up and they just told me to ring up in a week! When are virgin going to fix this problem! They keep telling me to wait but it's kind of getting silly now.

Re: Compensation for service disruption
 

Well, then you need to contact the VM CEO by email and get his ofice to get you sorted. A number of people have done this and some report success because thy get a call from his office and matters are followed up. They don't allow email addresses (personal details) to be posted on the forum but various people's details can be obtained from the public domain http://www.ceoemail.com/