Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

I paid the £30 fee a couple of months ago to upgrade our 20meg service to 30meg so have the superhub which reports suggest is capable of well over 100meg - so imagine my surprise when I called today to upgrade my 30meg service to 50meg and was told I'd need an engineer visit.

When I quizzed the agent I was told I'd need a "new hub" and for the engineer to check the wiring.

This seems nonsensical to me as I would have thought it was something they could turn on at their end.

Can anybody confirm the need for an engineer visit? I have no problems with my wiring - my 30meg connection is a steady 29.5meg 99% of the time...

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

I'm pretty sure they can switch it on their end. I called to complain that I though I was getting 30Mb when I though I would be getting 50Mb (long story). She was able to do it over the phone if I'd wanted it. I didn't go for it in the end. Didn't want to cough up the extra.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Engineer visit is policy (and usually free - so what's the problem?), new hub is a lie.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

The "problem" is VM seem to be oblivious to people in this country having jobs (I know a lot of people don't :lol:) and their appointment slots are stupid!

I'm not sure of the technicalities of needing to visit but they have lost an increase in revenue because of it :D

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

then book for when your available.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

I'm not being funny but if it was that easy wouldn't I have booked an appointment?!

The closest they can offer is 4pm-7pm or something like that and I get home at 6 - no weekend appointments offered.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

which gives the tech under an hour to his thing. ask vm, the tech to give you a call before he comes after six, the tech should accommodate his last visit to you no? also I've heard on here that they work weekends too ?

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Like I said the best the could offer was the 4-7 slot and when I asked them to "put a note on" saying I won't be home until around 6pm they were very arsey with me.

I'll try again with a different agent and see if I can wangle a weekend appointment.

Still confused what "thing" the engineer needs to do? Check the signals, put some filters/attenuators (of whatever they're called), get the upgrade signal sent then off he pops - the initial install only took 10 minutes (cos I was already cabled-up) and I installed my own SuperHub - can't imagine what it costs to send out an engineer when there is no good reason.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Its one of virgins silly policies. Some agents will do the hit over the phone, just mention you already have a hub and feel its a bit of a pain in the backside to have someone come around and spend 20 seconds on a PDA when they can just do it over the phone.

Heck, try going via retentions.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Call retentions, they see sense and can close the job down as office only, its an outdated pointless policy, there is no difference in 30 or 50 in regards to signal, but you wont get a dongle if you do that

---------- Post added at 07:23 ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 ----------

There arsey because the computer routes us, we have no flexibility of when we can come and in most cases if it says after 6pm etc I dont turn up as it takes me off route

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

can they not send it out via post when upgrading over the phone? mention it OP, they should do.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

most engineers, well a large number do not appear to be handing them out anyway?

which is wrong considering a lot of customers are entitled to them but completely unaware they should be recieving one, so never persue it.

I didnt get one when i had my 100mbit installed.

In the end I had to persue it on the community forums and phone.

But on the community forums it seems a lot of users arent recieving them, either lack of communication meaning engineers arent being told to hand them out, or engineers just cant be bothered I have no idea.

Do you get asked to hand them out JB66?

If you do, then I dont know why engineers arent handing them out lol

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

I got told about a year ago, sounds like we need a refresher. Why don't 30meg get a dongle, wireless g can't manage 30

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

OMG they are so infuriating! Spoke to two more people tonight (India and America??) and got nowhere - when quizzed on the technicalities of why an engineer must visit I could almost hear their heads exploding!

Anyhow, got put through to customer services and a lovely chap has booked me a Saturday slot (these were previously withheld from me) for the engineer to come and "install" my service.

Might as well get them to sort out the dodgy wiring they did when the originally installed it :D

p.s. What dongles are you on about? EDIT: Found it - USB Wireless N dongle.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

good stuff, don't forget to double check power levels before the tech goes :D

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/34896851-post3.html

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

In my view it cant, at least not consistently.

My sister has a G laptop and it maxes out at about 18mbit. I told her to ask VM for a dongle and they just gave it her, she is on 30mbit.

My laptop is N so I never made a fuss, but it would be nice to have one I guess so I may ring up for one.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

So I decided to have another go today after VM messed up my bill (was fired up so ready for a fight).

The call went something like this;

Me: I have just spoken to an engineer (who called me on a different matter) and he told me that you could upgrade me without a visit
Person 1: Do you have his mobile number
Me: No - it was blocked
Person 1: The engineer is wrong. You will need a visit
Me: (Getting bored of this) Can I speak to your manager?

/gets put on hold for ages

Person 1: I've just spoken to my manager...
Me: I said "can I speak to your manager" not "will you speak to your manager". Please put me through to your manager
Person 1: "Hold on..."

/on hold again

Person 2 ("Manager"): How can I help you...
Me: (explains situation, how I am hearing different things from different people and that the engineer who would have attended told me he doesn't need to.
Person 2: So what would you like me to do?
Me: Upgrade my broadband, without a visit, or cancel the service!
Person 2: So you are directly threatening me?
Me: (after a brief pause due to the attitude of this guy) Well...yeah, I guess so...
Person 2: I'll put you through to cancel your broadband...

/put on hold - at least I'm getting somewhere now

Person 3: (Finally, a UK agent) How can I help you...
Me: (explains full details and what I want)
Person 3: Let me see what I can do...OK that's done!
Me: Thank you!!!

So - VM, after all these years, are still working on the "do nothing until the customer threatens to cancel" philosophy - not good. Was absolutely astounded by the attitude of the so-called manager!

Anywho - all sorted now...

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2011/09/1.png

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Unbelievable!
I can't decide if it's a case of 'f**k the customer', poor (lack of) communication between departments or what but I think very top management should be told about such disgraceful customer non-service. There again they probably couldn't care less as long as their over inflated salaries and pensions are secure.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Should've just let you cancel to be honest, you were aggressive and handed out an ultimatum, his attitude was spot on, he was just doing what his employer tells him to which is to require an engineer visit for the upgrade.

I'm so glad I deal with business to business stuff rather than personal customers, I wouldn't last long. :)

---------- Post added at 19:59 ---------- Previous post was at 19:58 ----------

Yes, of course, they're just faceless voices at the other end of the phone to be talked down to in whatever manner the customer sees fit, after all the customer is always right.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

You can tell I was "aggressive" just from a forum posting? :p:

When a company fails to provide a sufficient level of customer service (and I'm not talking about getting my own way here - I mean somebody actually giving me a reason without reverting to "because we have to") then the customer has a right to be aggrieved (in fact this was the third issue I've had with VM in a single week, one of the others being them messing up my bill and applying a late payment charge despite the DD being in place).

The number of pieces of ill-informed information (I'll refrain from using the word "lie") with regards to the need for an engineer was staggering; I need a new modem...I need the signal levels checking...I need new cables...

I was firm but fair - the "managers" attitude stank and he couldn't be bothered dealing with me and to be blunt - I'd rather not waste my time talking to the offshore call centers - they are damaging the brand.

I was offered an engineer-free visit on several occasions but was pushed to accept an engineer - if they have the flexibility in some departments to do a remote upgrade then it's hardly "policy" to send an engineer - if one department has the ability to do what the customer asks - and there is no detriment to the customer or company then why force the customer down a route they do not want to go - it's not rocket science?!

There is more "aggression" in the above post than the entire conversation with VM :D I did offer them an ultimatum - I have better things to do than spend my time (and money!) on the phone to them trying to sort problems and worst of all asking them to upgrade my services so that I can give them more of my heard earned every month. I've left VM before due to their incompetent standards in some departments and I'm more than happy to do it again.

EDIT: I actually come from a contact center background (thankfully out of that game now and work in the IT department for the same company :D) so I do show restraint where possible because I've been on the end of customers demanding the world.

---------- Post added at 20:19 ---------- Previous post was at 20:04 ----------

Anyway - I have put my concerns in a letter to Virgin asking them to look in to why a perfectly happy customer ended the week disgruntled.

I cannot praise the member of the retentions team enough - he actually seemed to care, empathised with the issues that I'd had with the previous agents and resolved the original upgrade request efficiently - that's all I was asking.

I look forward to Virgin's response...

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Yeah everyone loves retentions when they give them what they want.

The retentions guy gets a commission for keeping you, they get paid to be sycophantic. I'm far more impressed by the guys who stuck to what they were told to do even though you were 'Up for a fight'.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

So there's a direct correlation between a paraphrased version on a discussion forum and the actual conversation on the phone which led you to the assumption that I was "aggressive" with the agent?

I don't really care for your opinion to be honest - assuming you do work for Virgin, your entire business is service oriented and it's simply not acceptable to talk to a customer the way I was spoken to - yes I was annoyed about them messing my bill up (but again, the UK-based agent sorted this with no qualms) but as I said, I was calm but assertive - if you expect your customers to be indifferent then they will eventually walk...

You are in the minority on this (and the official Virgin) forum if you are defending this sort of attitude :rolleyes:

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

No I don't work for Virgin, fun though it would be, and of course I'm in the minority, which is just fine for me.

I imagine the people at the other end of the calls, apart from the one who gave you what you wanted, will present a different story. Doesn't change that they were doing as they've been told.

Be pretty funny if an engineer arrives today to install your upgrade though.

I don't find this as good service, it undermines confidence in the company as a whole if retentions undermine everyone else to keep customers by giving them what they want and it doesn't fix the underlying problem, that the policy is stupid and unnecessary.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

At least we agree on one thing, an engineer turning up would be funny, but not for the reasons you're thinking of :D

Being talked down too by a call centre agent is not just bad customer service, it is BAD. You take the risk that working in a customer facing role that you will get somebody who won't just take your script as gospel and some will know better than the agent with regards technical aspects and will challenge what they are told - that's exactly what I did.

Does strike me as odd that you are defending them so much despite not working for them, did some nasty man say bad things to you? Ahhh bless. :cry:

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Nah I deal with people who talk down to me and think they know better than me occasionally and I really don't mind in the slightest, sanctimonious and rude people are a fact of life. You didn't know better than them, you just found someone in retentions who could avoid the service call that's automatically arranged when the upgrade is put through on their systems.

Yes they don't arrange the engineer visit separately just to waste their time and yours, when one of the minions in India / Manilla does the necessary they get that as part of the work flow.

Struggling to see where you were talked down to in the post where you detailed the call, which is surprising given I'd expect to see you put the worst spin possible on it. No sign of anything out of place until you handed the 'upgrade me or I leave' ultimatum.

Anyway arguing on the Internet, Special Olympics and all that - hope the new service works well for you!

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

You are very judgemental aren't you?! As I commented on before, I posted an "abridged" version if you like, of the conversation held between me and VM, I wish I could post a transcript as it'd be a damn sight easier to "defend" myself against you and this monstrous, obnoxious picture of a customer you have labelled me as :(

They lied to me, were rude and I stood my ground. The comment on leaving was hardly an ultimatum, and they'd have seen why had they checked my account before bottling it.

I haven't embellished anything about this incident, it would not benefit me in the slightest to do so.

And yes, I'm loving the service :thumbs:

---------- Post added at 17:30 ---------- Previous post was at 17:26 ----------

p.s. I like your blog!

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

Thanks! Next time I take a break from judging people on here I'll update it.

Fair point on the judging - sorry.

I expect a full transcript and recording of it please.

Re: Upgrade 30meg > 50meg - Engineer Visit Required?
 

you would think the guy has to come from 20-30 jump when they change you to the docsis 3 network but not even then did he come they just send the new hub to do it yourself... so from 30-50 when you are already on the correct network AND have the right hub why would one need to come over? it would be nice if you could just use the online upgrading thing on the VM website