Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I called VM on behalf of a severely disabled friend yesterday to get a replacement remote control for him (due to his disabilities, he is unable to get down to use the box manually).

After explaining the above, they ordered him a new one without any problem, stating that it would take up to 5 working days. It was when I asked for compensation for the fact that the TV was stuck on Radio 4, and would be for up to the next 5 days, that the bad attitude began.

First he stated that they do not offer compensation for issues that they are dealing with and were not the fault of VM.

I explained that the gentleman in question was not receiving a TV service that he was paying for and that, whatever the reason, this was unacceptable and that he hould be reimbursed.

In response he said that providing a new remote free of charge was enough compensation in itself.

I went on to explain to him that the box and remote were on hire and that VM were under an obligation to repair or replace them.

His response was to ask what was wrong with the remote, I explained that I had no idea as it was not one of my fields of expertise. We then got into a drawn out and protracted discussion about the remote and it's problems with functioning!

I believe that this was being done to try and place the blame on the customer, in an attempt to make the transaction chargeable.

The remote had not been misused and was simply down to wear and tear over the 10 years or so that he's had it.

When I realised that the employee was trying to be deliberstely vexatious and awkward, my patience ran out and I called a senior manager that I know in the organisation.

He was very apologetic, said that the agent would be dealt with, added a £10 credit to my friends account and made sure that the remote arrived today.

I fail to see what some people hope to achieve by antagonising customers and not showing empathy towards the disabled.

The conversation alone probably cost more than £10 in wasted staff time.

Don't these people realise that there is a recession on and that VM, in commom with other companies, are constantly having to look at ways to retain and attract new customers, whist making efficiency savings and improving customer care at the same time?

I should not have had to disturb my friend to get this simple matter sorted out and what about people who have no such contacts?

I urge any decent staff who come across colleagues who indulge in this sort of behaviour to report them, as it is these rogue employees who may cost decent staff their jobs.

Just to finish by saying that my friend rang me this afternoon to say that the remote had arrived as promised to enable him to watch something other than Radio 4 :D

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

seriously man I try things on but seriously? compo cuz he lost a remote? that is extracting the urine

you could have popped round and switched it over ;)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

What's wrong with Radio 4? :p:

I suspect it goes something like this:

- CSR clocked on at 8am and by lunchtime has already dealt with a dozen or more customers after refunds for one reason or another, many of them spurious.
- CSR doesn't know you from Adam. To him, you're just another voice on the phone looking for freebies.
- CSR is drilled to follow a script in any case, and lacks the authority or liberty to vary his responses, especially when it comes to giving money to customers.
- As in all walks of life, if you know someone in the right place at the right time, they can pull strings for you, because they are in a position to vouch for your truthfulness.

'twas ever thus, and ever will be.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Compensation? Jeez this country is getting worse every day.. What next? Suing Virginmedia for loss of missing out watching Jeremy Kyle

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

To be honest it's bit cheeky asking for compen because the remote is broke ,he is still receiving the service and they are providing a new one ,which in my experience only takes a couple of days to be delivered .Why not get a cheap all in one or a long stick

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Quality, made me laugh.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Is the OP serious? Surely he could have given his remote to his friend for a few days....

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

So your friend gets a new remote free of charge. He gets it within a day but the CSR had to say it might be a few days to cover any delays with the mail and you think that compensation is due even when the service itself is working perfectly OK?

I think you need to seriously lower your expectations.

Report them for doing their job? Back when I worked for NTL I wouldn't of offered compensation in a similar case.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Can i have compensation for the fact my tivo box is humming all the time ?

Mean while in the real world we all live in apart from some it seems there are much more serious and real problems to deal with. :)

I now await the standard threat and the addition of a flashing indicator at the top right of the forum. :rolleyes:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

The ridiculous thing is the fact your "friend" doesn't have his box up where he can reach it, that's what anyone else would do. Have the STB install on a shelf that makes reaching it possible.

What happens if it freezes or needs a reboot? Will VM be liable for that? This story is the biggest load of cock crap I have ever read. What if he drops his remote? I assume he has no friends and lives completely 100% alone and does not communicate with his neighbors, who I'm sure would of been happy to pop round an change the channel once or twice a day.

Sounds like someones batterys died and he didn't want to pay for new ones. I hope your friend is returning the faulty remote? An why didn't you pop round to change the channel for him OP?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Unfortunatley he is serious.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I agree with the replies to this post. The compensation culture in this country is out of control and the attack on the staff member at VM appears very unfair....

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

This sums up beautifully the kind of **** poor attitude that is dragging this country down the pan. Everyone seems to be looking for a blame element in everything, simply to try and exploit someone for financial gain.

The brass neck and attitude shown by the original poster is so embarrassing I'm literally cringing whilst I type this. There is one entity in this whole sorry story that has a real problem, and it isn't Virgin Media.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I'm shocked!!surely the least they should of done was give him a new TiVo free of charge,free 24 month contract (with Sports and Movies of course!),unlimited broadband,free anytime calls and phone line,but all they did was replace a broken remote control,and he had to wait a whole day!.....shame on you Virgin Media..........:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Great post. If we had awards on CF this could be up for saddest thread of this or many a year?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

His manager did not agree with your sentiments.

So if your beloved Box Nation goes off for a seek, you'll be happy to continue paying for it?

Facetiousness is not a useful contribution.

Well we don't, lets just hope that you don't become severally physically disabled.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Or more likely the manager decided to chuck £10 at an account to stop his time being wasted with someone who was clearly going to continue phoning until he either got what he wanted or was told to jog on.

Sometimes its easier just to give a token amount to placate a pest. :erm:

Except the box was fine and the remote wasn't off for a week. *IF* the remote hadn't arrived in a reasonable time then I think compensation would have been reasonable. To just expect it and then try to drop a CSR into the brown stuff just because he doesn't meet your, quite frankly barmy, standards is pretty low IMO.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I have worked with the severey mentally and physically handicapped. The majority are wonderful people who rise above their problems and certainly do not need compensation for absolutely nothing when VM pulled out all the stops to replace the remote within one day.

I stick to my point that your thread is sad and unworthy. Your crack about hoping I do not become disabled is, frankly, pathetic and you should be ashamed of such a gross comment.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

:tu:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

2 Excellent posts

I have to admit i hate this compensation culture and i hate it when people get compensation they should not be getting in the first place.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Thank you.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

His manager probably didn't really agree with yours either, but had to do something to get you off the phone.


If the problem was caused by an issue at my end I would have no problem paying. If the problem was from the end of Boxnation I would give them the chance to resolve the issue. I wouldn't be looking for compensation straight away, I'd give them the chance to rectify the problem first. If they then failed to deliver on their promise I'd raise a complaint and await their reply. I find that most companies will offer a token gesture if you deal with them on an amicable basis.


I don't agree. I think it's a witty take on the whole sorry saga.


Now this is not a useful contribution. Playing the disability card, not for the first time on Cable Forum, shame on you.

My Mum broke her neck 14 years ago after an accident at work. She suffers everyday. She had to fight long and hard for the compensation she was rightly due. She also has issues on and off regarding the benefits she receives. I will always fight my Mums corner to help her get what she needs. I know for a fact however my Mum would be disgusted at me should I try a similar compensation stunt as yours.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Exactly the sort of wonderful brave person I have encountered often in this land. Great post and best wishes to you and yours....

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I would have done this, but I live too far away and have disabilities myself.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I'd like to think not all disabled people would do things like this. I know I wouldn't, but those that do out by getting a 'friend' to help don't do the rest any favours.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Nothing lol, both he and I enjoy listening to Radio 4.

I suspect you are right, but it was the tone of voice that annoyed me more than anything.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I KNOW not all disabled people would do things like this. I believe the vast majority would not.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Did he call the BBC or ITV when remotes were not invented?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Yes, compensation for the loss of service. The remote is essential in his circumstances in order for him to avail himself of the service paid for. He doesn't watch Jeremy Vile :D

---------- Post added at 17:35 ---------- Previous post was at 17:30 ----------

He is only able to use the TV service by using the remote control. The agent said it would take 5 days, but after intervention by a manager, this was reduced to next day delivery.

I never thought about using an all in one, I could possibly have purchased one and took it up for him.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Richard,if you would care to read your original post surely you would have to agree that it is cringe worthy at least,and as for playing the disabled card!!,the whole sorry event was quite frankly not worth posting in the first place,lets put it into perspective ,the guy got a new remote FOC,delivered to his door the day after...job done!,oh by the way sorry for the delay in replying but the batteries in my mouse died and then I spent the next hour ringing Ever Ready trying to get some sort of compensation for it......you know how it is :D:rolleyes:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I couldn't have done as you suggested as I don't live near to him and have disabilities myself :)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Now I didn't hear the call, but knowing your antagonistic posting style I wouldn't be surprised if the vexatious and awkward shoes were actually on the other feet.

Oh and playing the disabled card is bad, and wishing ill on others is pretty much a low as you can get. If I was the 'senior manager' you know I'd be asking you not to waste my time with such calls again.

Cheers

Grim

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

The agent too thought that he was doing us a favour by sending out a free remote. I had to remind him that the equipment belonged to VM and that they were legally obliged to repair or replace faulty equipment in this scenario.

I was originally told that it would take 5 days to replace, so was working on that basis.

It was only reduced to next day delivery after intervention by a manager.

In the circumstances, the service was useless to my friend without the remote control.

---------- Post added at 17:47 ---------- Previous post was at 17:43 ----------

Of course there are worse problems in the world than a lonely disabled man losing his only source of entertainment and company.

Going by your attitude, anything less than a life and death situation should never be resolved:rolleyes:

I have never threatened you- do not say this again.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Of course there are worse problems in the world than a lonely disabled man losing his only source of entertainment and company.

Going by your attitude, anything less than a life and death situation should never be resolved:rolleyes:

I have never threatened you- do not say this again.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

*sigh*

If the CSR had initially tried to charge you for the remote then you might have a point, as it was your friend was getting one free of charge anyway and by the CSR telling you it was a goodwill gesture in most people it creates a little bit of empathy.

Similarly most people will say that something takes a couple of days to get delivered just in case there is a delay. If you are expecting something in 5 days and it comes in 1 then again you start to feel good about the company and might consider giving them positive word of mouth or decide to spend more money with them.

The manager won't have done anything different other than possibly checking the order for the remote had gone through.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

But was that the responsibility of VM? And if not, why would you request compensation?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Why did you feel you had post that twice and yes you have in a pm. One which i had to send to the admin of this forum.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Not good to hear....

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I deleted it after reporting as i have more important issues in my life. Nuff said.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Thank you for underlining this.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Going to stay out of this thread now before i burst a blood vessel.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

You start with a fair point. The reason that my friend has not had the box put onto a shelf is because the local authority have put their plug sockets halfway up the wall. They say this is to stop children from putting their fingers into live sockets, but this is also handy for the disabled.

Assumption are seldom helpful or true, but you are correct in that he lives alone and, apart from the odd visit by myself, his only visitors are NHS staff.

He does not speak to his neighbours as they cannot speak English and he has had to call the police after fighting in the communal hall.

Your comment about batteries is too puerile to respond to.

I live too far away to go round myself..

He will not be returning the faulty remote as the accompanying letter said not to, but advised him to recycle it.

He's going to keep it and I will take it with me next time I go up as I have a TV that I need to take to the recycling pant.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I believe he was asking to see if it was a simple fix ie flat or wrongly inserted batteries.The number of customers I go to where this is problem you wouldn't believe.

What I can't understand Is why you couldn't check this and if not the case at least manually put the box onto a channel he could watch.

I also think the high up friend at virgin will not be friend for long if you keep ringing him up with trivial complaints and demands for compensation.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I think Richard coulter is harmless, look at any forum he goes on you'll see you have to take him with a pinch of salt. From the stories of his many staff he employees an various companies.

I think ( and mean no disrespect) he is a fantasist but won't really harm anyone, at worst he is a harmless fool,

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

probably gobsmacked that anyone would have the brass neck to ask for compensation for a broken remote ,which may or may not have been the account holders fault .
Did the account holder ask you to ask for compen or was that something you took upon yourself ,if the latter then even more shame on you

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

What gave you that idea?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Is the op Carl in disguise?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

No. Carl wasn't half as sanctimonious.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Welcome to modern Britain... Idiots demanding compensation for a broken bloody remote!!! Your whole complaint is a joke, you were given £10 to shut you up it doesn't mean that the manager agreed with you.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I'm sorry after seeing the thread title and then reading the OP its totally incorrect and misleading.

So a customers remote is faulty through either wear and tear or other reasons and VM offer to send a new one out.

However due to the 'customer' not being able to reach the buttons on the STB its VMs fault and compensation is being sought?

Hahaha, sorry but thats just not ever going to happen no matter what company you called. If only there was a way to remotely change the channnel ;-)

At least the new remote arrived promptly. Would Sky have managed the same?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

That would be because that is what VM require the agents to do, so that it can be identified whether the replacement is due to general wear and tear, or whether it's customer damage which would mean it would be a chargeable replacement.

To be fair to Sky, you can get them them through places like Argos and Currys, so maybe a different scenario.

But then that's mainly down to the box ending up as yours, rather than being rented.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

So if it happened the way RC is claiming, the agent wasn't being obstructive or anything, merely following VM policy therefore doing his job?

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Obviously can't comment on the call as wasn't party to it, but it's standard diagnostic practice as defined by the business that the agents ask certain questions about the remote such as 'have you replaced the batteries' and whether/how it was damaged.

This then tells the agent whether the remote replacement should be chargeable or not

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Ben, regardless of what is standard procedure used by the Agent they had agreed to replace the remote with free postage and package I suspect,the main issue is the outrageous claim for compensation.....its a PVR and the lack of being able to use it properly is hardly life threatening and even worse is playing the disability card,shame on the OP in my opinion.:mad:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Just s quick comment to say that sky did indeed send me a replacement remote in the post when I needed it.

As it happens they also do a special one for people with some disabilities which is also free.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Agreed, the OP stated mid way through the post that the failure of the remote was down to wear and tear after 10 years of use. The fact the TV was on radio 4 is a customer choice prior to remote failure and TV service was still available so crazy to consider compensation is justified, that was the mistake of the OP to even think it was something which could be asked for.

There is a very simple answer to this problem for the future and I recommend the disabled person concerned should do this. They should simply buy an extra remote on top of the one provided so have 2 remotes and if one fails you can put the batteries in the other and you can continue to control your box!

Considering the level of disability and not intending to be disrespectful, I assume the person is claiming disability living allowance and that is meant to fund the extra costs a disabled person incurs to have a reasonable quality of living. So you can pay for the extra remote out of the £21 or £134.40 per week DLA provides.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I've yet to see anyone agree with the original posters point of view at all. Seems a fairly closed case to me. Virgin in the right, original poster on a different planet.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I think I read it in terms & conditions once that they can't guarantee an uninterrupted service

If they start caving in to compensation requests the proverbial floodgates would open


(I was with them when they were ntl and were giving out that dial up disk that allowed unlimited access - that pink one. There was a certain spec that you had to have - OS etc and I told this one guy the computer he had was not of sufficient spec - and blow me down if he didn't go out and buy a new computer and send the invoice for it in)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Haha! Gotta admire the balls. What a chancer! :)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Spot on, I got so sick of dealing with the general public and attitudes like this that after 20 years I decided enough was enough and moved to business to business.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Well I am since having a spinal injury and if my remote stops working I wouldn't be able to change channels. Would I expect compo? Er, no, especially if it's ten years old like you say. What do you think they should have done, scrambled a helicopter to get your friend a remote the same day?

Any reason why you couldn't lend him your remote? Or any other friend of his?

As for his manager, of course he's going to pull strings if he's a friend and tell you what you want to hear.

If a delayed lack of service if VMs fault then there may be an excuse for a claim, but not for wear and tear of a remote... you can't blame VM for that!


A.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

As stated before, the simple answer is to just buy a second remote as backup. Hardly a big ask!

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

True. It's much better for a company to say something will take 5 days to deliver, then deliver it in two (unless, as has happened to me, you have to take the day off to accept the delivery), than to say it will take two days, and deliver it in five.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Totally unacceptable response!!!


He reported the fault, they dealt with it immediately and didn't make him prove it wasn't misused, but replaced it anyway.

Compensation is then demanded for a set of circumstances that didn't then transpire (it arrived well in advance of 5 days).

Contacts are then used to extract £10 and a reprimand for the member of staff.

That £10 doesn't come out of nowhere it's added to all of our bills. One unjustified incident isn't significant, but if this is repeated on a large scale I find it abhorrent that I'm expected to fund this level of what (IMHO) amounts to nuisance compensation claims. ie Claim for trivia on the basis that it's cheaper for them to pay to make it go away rather than receive the bad press/grief of a determined complainer.

Nowhere does it state that your or my TV service is expected to function faultlessly 24/7 365. If access was such an issue, perhaps it would have been prudent for your friend to request that the box be installed at a height suitable for him; and no, I would not expect Virgin Media to stand the cost of this either!!!

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

The request of reprimanding staff is a common feature of the Op's posts in regard to VM staff

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Not to mention the often very thinly veiled threat of speaking to his 'contacts' in 'senior management' if he is unhappy with some CF'ers posts, if they happen to be VM employees....

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

You got it in one :tu:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I must remember to sue Sainsbury's tonight if one of their carrier bag handles break with my shopping in it

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

my good Sir,may I guide you through this process once the time comes?

http://WillShyster.co.uk

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Excellent idea :tu:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I ordered a new remote on Tuesday evening, offered foc, arrived Thursday satisfied customer.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Can you update this with details of the compensation you received for the Wednesday, please.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Richard Branson came round later Tuesday night with a titanium plated tivo

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

What only ONE, i hope it fitted it for you as well :)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Told him thanks but no thanks I'm off to BT ;)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Get your facts right before posting, he did not 'get' me to help, I offered it.

If capable, I would like to think that most disabled people WOULD excercise their consumer rights, in the same way as anybody else.

This post does not make any sort of sense- always read what you have written before hitting the "submit reply" button ;)

No, he didn't have to. His legs worked then.

As I said, I was initialy told that he would have to wait for up to five days. Going by what I was told, that meant he would have been unable to avail himself of the use of the TV service that he was paying for, for almost a week in total.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I didn't say HE did - learn to read.

Where it's appropriate yes. But this person didn't do that at all and neither did you.

edit as you posted

Anyway we shouldn't be talking at all Richy - that was YOUR idea remember.

So to save it all going wrong and derailing the thread perhaps it's best to stick to that policy.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I believe that it was the responsibility of VM, both morally and legally under their legal requirement to make 'reasonable adjustments in the provision of goods and services to disabled people'.

So you say that I sent you an abusive PM, but you then conveniently delete it :rolleyes:

I'll leave it for others to draw their own conclsions. I'll take what you say about staying out of this thread at face value, but going on your past statements of intent, you'll be reading this.

As previously stated, I don't employ any staff (apart from a couple in my own home).

From the nonsene you come out with, it is youthat is a fool.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

This thread is just going to degenerate into a slanging match again...

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

That IS usually Richy's intention sadly :(

Still he does grate my carrot so I am just as bad with him at times.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Beers all round to chill with... :beer:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Actually I'm off out to cream tea with the vicar in ten minutes so I'll be well chilled :)

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I alone decided to pursue the request for reimbursement for loss of service as I felt that it was in his 'best interests'. As his Power Of Attorney, I have a duty to do this.

Would you like to share with the rest of us what, exactly, the point is that you're trying to make. It is not clear by your reproductions of the previous posts that I have made...

It is you that is the idiot for putting up with poor service standards, but never mind, your (and others) reluctance to pursue recompense keeps prices down for customers and dividends up for shareholders.

I have no interest in the reason/s why I am offered recompense when the quality of goods and/or services falls below my standards. The fact that my requests are met is myonly concern.

As previously mentioned, it was not the line manager of the call handler that I spoke to in any case, but a contact that I have.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

In ordinary circumstances I would agree with you, but as the customer was disabled, VM have a legal (and moral) duty to make adjustments to the norm and be more helpful.

I fully expected to be taken through the stages of checking the batteries etc at the beginning of the call, but wasn't. The call handler more or less agreed to send out a replacement straight away. It was only when I asked for recompense for his inability to use the service for what was initially going to be nearly a week, that he suddenly started taking an interest in what had happened to the old remote.

It was this, along with his tone of voice, that led me to believe that he was doing this more out of a desire to be vexatious.

See above.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

As previously explained to Sirius, nobody is claiming that a lonely disabled man losing his only main contact with the outside world is life threatening, but it did need to be sorted out.

Many people try to silence minority groups by accusing them of playing the eg disability card.

The Lawrence family were initially accused of playing the 'race card' when their son was murdered.

Excellent news. Whilst I am no fan of Sky, credit must be given where it's due.

The fact that he could not change the box from Radio 4 is not relevant, this just happened to be the last channel tuned to before the remote failed.

In order to try and prevent any further confusion experienced by many contributors, I shall now begin to use the term 'refund' (for the service paid for that my friend was unable to avail himself of) rather than continue to use the word 'compensation'.

I do not agree that it was inappropriate to ask for a refund and neither did VM in the end as a credit was made to his account.

You do make a good point about having a spare remote on hand should something similar happen again. Would VM provide him with a spare remote in his circumstances, anybody??

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Don't forget we only have your word on what actually happened during the call and due to your abrasive nature when your perceive things to not go your way you'll understand if any of us are sceptical regarding your version of events.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I'm sure it will be in their terms and conditions somewhere, this is standard practice to cover themselves.

This does not absolve VM from their legal and moral duties towards their disabled customers.

I have heard a similar tale to the call you mentioned, one customer wanted VM to replace his TV when it stopped working!

Those critising me for helping a disabled friend should save it for situations like this.

In the circumstances I would have expected more than the usual "we'll put it inthe post and he'll get it when he gets it".

I'm not sure how it was achieved, but delivery of the new remote was expediated as I would have expected as a matter of course in a situation like this.

As I mentioned earlier, I couldn't have lent him mine as I live too far away and am disabled myself too.

I take your point about the manager that I contacted. The saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" is very true, but it should not have to be this way to get things done. Without this contact, my friend would have been left for a week with nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders from the customer services rep.

Wear and tear of supplied equipment is the responsibility of service providors.

How this is managed by VM is up to them. They could embark on a rolling program of replacement, but this would be wasteful and expensive.

Their policy of repair or replacement when problems arise seems to be the best policy in my view, but circumstances that require more of an intervention, such as this case, must be dealt with properly.

AFAIK one cannot legally buy a VM remote controll.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Seems reasonable to me. If an agent is going to credit an account, they have to be able to justify that credit, meaning they have to follow full process. So even though they agreed to skip that process initially, once you asked for credit, they then had to comply with it.

Generally the remotes get to customers quicker than the timescale quoted. I would expect that was true in this case.

Yes, you can quite easily from Virgin Media. I believe a V box remote is £12.50

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Virgin Media Remote controls for sale on Amazon :)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001RRN1T...e%3Dasn?oo=379

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

Those are older ones, so will be second hand

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

I can't believe you resurrected this thread just have a dig at everyone who disagrees with .
I also can't believe that someone like you has power of attorney for someone else

and just so you know VM's " legal and moral duties towards their disabled customers" are no different to the legal and moral duties for anyone else,everyone MUST be treated equally ,any "special treatment"by VM is purely goodwill by them

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

:sniper:

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

You have failed to grasp the true circumstances, allow me to recap:

I was initially told that the remote would take up to 5 days to arrive, making almost a week without television. As this is my friends only company/contact with the outside world, this was not acceptable. I asked for it to be delivered by some sort of special delivery to speed things up, or for a refund of charges to be made for an unuseable service. Both were refused and an innapropriate attitude developed.

Legally, it is for VM to prove that their equipment has been misused, not the other way round. However, for commercial reasons I expect that this is rarely pursued.

I believed that this was totally unacceptable and make no secret of the fact that I used a contact to correct matters. Whilst I acknowledge that this is unfair on those without contacts, it is a fact that this, in many cases, is what makes the world turn in areas of business as well as many others.

If the agent had used his time positively in making an attempt to resolve this quickly eg next day delivery, rather than developing a bad attitude, a request for reimbursement of charges would not have come into the equation.

A goodwill gesture of £10 was made after arrangements had been made by the management for next day delivery by way of an apology for the way I was treated. I insisted it went onto my friends account as opposed to mine.

Had this been dealt with properly from the onset, the goodwill payment would not have become neccessary.

I find the word 'reprimand' to be negative, but I am pleased to be able to say that I have been informed that steps have been taken to improve the performance and attitude of the member of staff in question. This will be for the benefit of everyone :)

Finally, it's not usually correct to view goodwill payments as a waste of money. It costs a lot more to attract a new customer than it does to reduce churn and keep an existing customer.

By dealing with this correcty, VM will enjoy the benefit of my friends subscription payments for the foreseeable future as opposed to me cancelling the service because of this incident- well worth a tenner I'd say :D



You said that you were withdrawing from this thread? :confused:

I knew you'd be back to make unfounded comments to try and stir things up.

Sounds like it was ordered Tue night, went out first class on the Wednesday and you received it on the Thur- just as I'd expect :)

If Dash were to be unable to use the box controls due to disabiity, I would expect at least a refund of 1/7 of the weekly charges for the appropriate TV pack, but s/he may not feel it to be worth their while.

Re: Call centre staff refusing to compensate disabled customer.
 

My god, is he still banging on about this?