Virgin Central where R U?

[plutosmate]

It's Friday night......nothing on TV.....Lets select Virgin Central (I've lost sky 1) oh....shock horror.....It dont work.

2nd night into the missing channel problem and now the magical Virgin Central dont work........I wont hold my breath.....

Looks like this could the story of things to come.?....time to dig out the good old DVD player .....or even go back to the pub

[AndyCambs]

what STB do you have?
Have you tried rebooting?

[plutosmate]

Re-booted twice now just for good luck.

Now it runs like a 486 dx2 66 trying to load windows ME.......It just wont work. Where's my big hammer.
STB - I assume you want to know : It's a Tvdrive

---------- Post added at 21:54 ---------- Previous post was at 21:50 ----------

I to ......"You program is about to play".......but it lies.

Any one for a Pint Of Carling......I'll get the first round in

[virginmedia]

Phone up faults on 151 and they will send a tech out.


John

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

Mine works, dont worry theres only 7 series on there so hardly worth the bother

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Wicked_and_Crazy

Mine works, dont worry theres only 7 series on there so hardly worth the bother

Exactly! VM are all "ooh, look, our shiny new on demand channel!" except everything on it is stuff I've either seen on other channels or don't want to see. They've also made a point of "don't worry, you'll still get to see Lost a bit later in the year" - but what about the programmes other people want to watch. Contrary to what VM may think, not everyone who liked Sky 1 watched Lost. There's 5 shows I was watching, plus another 2 that are currently between seasons. Can I make alternative arrangements to see those shows? Well, yeah, sure, but I shouldn't have to!

Before anyone starts defending 1 company or the other, I'm mad at both - Sky for their greed & bullying tactics, & VM for not giving those of us who actually wanted Sky 1 & 2 [2 came in handy when there were scheduling conflicts or I missed an episode of something] the option to pay the extra £1 a month or whatever it would have been to continue receving them.

Also, before anyone starts criticising my taste in TV channels or programmes, it's exactly that - my taste. Nobody says you have to like it too, just like I may not like some of the channels you might like, which is why I deliberately didn't mention the numerous channels I get even though I don't want them. When the last channel reshuffle was done I gave up counting after I'd moved over 70 to the bottom of my list, out of the way.

Sorry about the last 2 paragraphs, but I felt I needed to add them having seen some of the stuff in the main thread on the whole topic.

[AndyCambs]

Fair comment Alien, but there have been so-called Sky fans ramming that down cable users throats all week.
I appreciate you like some programmes on Sky - that I wouldn't bother with.

I think that VOD is steadily increasing. I'm wondering if they might have a separate channel on - it's tedious to scroll through lots of menus to get to the selection you want. Also, there's some news about free film deals, which I guess will be on the VOD as well.

I have two STB, one PACE and one Samsung. I do have problems with the PACE, as I think its now at the end of its life and can't cope with the current demands. If I hadn't been having a V+ box next week, then I would have called customer service and had a replacement box.

Going back to your first point, and you may not agree with me, but I believe that Sky deliberately engineered the problem in the first place with the over inflated prices. I think at the end of the day, it's going to backfire on them. But then, we'll just have to wait and see.

[Alien]

Originally Posted by AndyCambs

Fair comment Alien, but there have been so-called Sky fans ramming that down cable users throats all week.
I appreciate you like some programmes on Sky - that I wouldn't bother with.

Hell, there are some progs on Sky1 you couldn't pay me to watch [see below], but then there are also shows I thoroughly enjoy.

IMO, the point where Sky1 started to decline was when they stopped buying so much of the type of TV that most people who like[d] Sky1 watched it for, namely US dramas, sci-fi, & action. The thing that attracted me to Sky1 in the 1st place was that it wasn't just more of the same stuff seen on terrestral TV. But then [for whatever reason] they started showing a load of British crap.

I'm not saying all British TV is crap, nor that all US TV is good - far from it, but Sky seemed to get this idea into its head that they had to show more British TV. Quality didn't seem to matter, just as long as it was British, or at least British made.

Just a sample:
Sport Uncovered
Street Wars
Uncut! Naked in Westminster
Uncut! Best Unseen Ads
Dream Team
Project Catwalk
Australia Uncovered
Sunrise With Eamon Holmes
Road Wars
Las Vegas Uncovered

And that's just what's running in the next week, there's been plenty of other stuff.

Originally Posted by AndyCambs

I think that VOD is steadily increasing. I'm wondering if they might have a separate channel on - it's tedious to scroll through lots of menus to get to the selection you want.

Well, there's [slightly] less scrolling & menus involved with Virgin Central than the normal On Demand, but I do take your point.

Originally Posted by AndyCambs

I have two STB, one PACE and one Samsung. I do have problems with the PACE, as I think its now at the end of its life and can't cope with the current demands.

I've got a PACE, a 4010 I think [can't be bothered to check], but it seems to be behaving itself.

Originally Posted by AndyCambs

Going back to your first point, and you may not agree with me, but I believe that Sky deliberately engineered the problem in the first place with the over inflated prices. I think at the end of the day, it's going to backfire on them. But then, we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm not arguing, Sky may well have done it deliberately, but as I said, VM could have limited/avoided the damage by giving those of us who like[d] Sky1 the option to continue receiving it for a modest extra fee.

[info4u]

Originally Posted by Alien

Exactly! VM are all "ooh, look, our shiny new on demand channel!" except everything on it is stuff I've either seen on other channels or don't want to see. They've also made a point of "don't worry, you'll still get to see Lost a bit later in the year" - but what about the programmes other people want to watch. Contrary to what VM may think, not everyone who liked Sky 1 watched Lost. There's 5 shows I was watching, plus another 2 that are currently between seasons. Can I make alternative arrangements to see those shows? Well, yeah, sure, but I shouldn't have to!

Before anyone starts defending 1 company or the other, I'm mad at both - Sky for their greed & bullying tactics, & VM for not giving those of us who actually wanted Sky 1 & 2 [2 came in handy when there were scheduling conflicts or I missed an episode of something] the option to pay the extra £1 a month or whatever it would have been to continue receving them.

Also, before anyone starts criticising my taste in TV channels or programmes, it's exactly that - my taste. Nobody says you have to like it too, just like I may not like some of the channels you might like, which is why I deliberately didn't mention the numerous channels I get even though I don't want them. When the last channel reshuffle was done I gave up counting after I'd moved over 70 to the bottom of my list, out of the way.

Sorry about the last 2 paragraphs, but I felt I needed to add them having seen some of the stuff in the main thread on the whole topic.

1) Alien I see your more against the service than pro the service
This may be because you was a NTL customer (Just a guess might be wrong) but NTL had a poorer reputation to Telewest and it was both forces that joined up and a lot of reshaping has gone thought to make a better company
A lot of negativity is coming from reading your posts.

2) The Merge with NTL and Telewest was going on since Oct-Nov 2004 and it was only properly announce summer 2005, it was during this period the merge to Virgin Mobile was agreed and as you can see things dont change overnight
The new brand only started on the 8th Feb
Give it time, New systems internally needs to be changed (to which I hear they will be introducing a system that records ALL calls not just the odd one when the person is due for training, which will help cut down agents with poor attitutes)

3) alternative arrangements
I agree you shouldnt have to, but dont you think VM think that too. It works in the favour of the company to help its customers than to ignore them
However somethings are beyond their control and they cant just screen it dispite Sky's authorisation since copyright laws exist and contracts
and as for the poll sugestion on obtaining customers permission

1) Sending out paper forms to send back (Administration collected)
2) TV polls (Web edited and collected)
3) Website polls (Web edited and collected)
4) Call tree recordings and polls (Software based and collected)

Too time consuming and therefore costly to the company and would it make a difference to what Sky really are trying to do?
If you do pay more this time then next time it comes to renew they will highten their prices more, if they are willing to pay 3 times the price why not 9 times next time the renewal comes of their contract?
not to mention then they would have to have meetings on what course of action and to deside if its in the best interest of the future of the company and the customers as a whole.
if VM say no (which they have done) then the channels are gone and were back to square 1


4)
Telewest Side
Disney Channels - 2004
Nat Geo - 2005
Movies
Its happened before where sky have done this and the channels have come back on and dare say the same to NTL

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Alien

Just a sample:

Don't forget "Ross Kemp on Gangs"

[Alien]

Originally Posted by info4u

1) Alien I see your more against the service than pro the service
This may be because you was a NTL customer (Just a guess might be wrong) but NTL had a poorer reputation to Telewest and it was both forces that joined up and a lot of reshaping has gone thought to make a better company

I was an NTL customer, but I don't see what that has to do with anything, I've never really had a problem with NTL/VM's service... until now.

The reason I'm more against the service than for it is because I had something that I wanted, & now instead I have something that is [at the present & in the foreseeable future] no use to me, & it feels like I'm expected to say "oh, joy! how wonderful this is!".

Originally Posted by info4u

A lot of negativity is coming from reading your posts.

I just had the channel I watched the most cut off without warning, of course I'm negative!

Originally Posted by info4u

2) The Merge with NTL and Telewest was going on since Oct-Nov 2004 and it was only properly announce summer 2005, it was during this period the merge to Virgin Mobile was agreed and as you can see things dont change overnight
The new brand only started on the 8th Feb
Give it time, New systems internally needs to be changed

They could have done what I've described below without much change at all.

Originally Posted by info4u

(to which I hear they will be introducing a system that records ALL calls not just the odd one when the person is due for training, which will help cut down agents with poor attitutes)

As I've said, I haven't really had a problem with NTL/VM before now.

Originally Posted by info4u

3) alternative arrangements
I agree you shouldnt have to, but dont you think VM think that too. It works in the favour of the company to help its customers than to ignore them

It might have also helped to generate some good will if they'd actually let us know what was going to happen. As I understand it, the STBs are set up such that they can give out messages to the customers from the cable supplier. They could have let us know, but didn't.

The only thing I saw in any way about it was an advert by Sky, saying that we might lose some channels, but they didn't say which ones, so I thought they might be some premium channels or something.

Originally Posted by info4u

However somethings are beyond their control and they cant just screen it dispite Sky's authorisation since copyright laws exist and contracts
and as for the poll sugestion on obtaining customers permission

1) Sending out paper forms to send back (Administration collected)
2) TV polls (Web edited and collected)
3) Website polls (Web edited and collected)
4) Call tree recordings and polls (Software based and collected)

What's the point in having an interactive cable TV network if they don't make use of the interactive side of it? The simplest thing they could have done, even if they didn't give out notice, would be to simply convert it to a "premium" channel, along with a note to explain, similar to the 1 that's on the former Sky2. That way a customer could read what had happened, & decide whether or not they wanted to spend the oh-so-terrible £1/month, & then just enter their pin number if they decided they wanted it.

Originally Posted by info4u

Too time consuming and therefore costly to the company and would it make a difference to what Sky really are trying to do?
If you do pay more this time then next time it comes to renew they will highten their prices more, if they are willing to pay 3 times the price why not 9 times next time the renewal comes of their contract?

It might not have made a difference to what Sky wanted to do, but it would have given us an extra year [or however long the contract is] with the channel we want, & in which time VM would have plenty of time to organise a proper alternative.

Originally Posted by info4u

Its happened before where sky have done this and the channels have come back on and dare say the same to NTL

I hope you're right.

Originally Posted by Matt D

Don't forget "Ross Kemp on Gangs"

LOL, yeah. As I said, it was just a sample, those were just the ones I spotted when flicking through the next week in DigiGuide.

If I was to include older stuff...
The Villa
Flying High [I think that's what it was called - something about the cabin crew of an airliner or whatever]
shows about holiday club reps - there was a fictional 1, & some "real life documentaries", IIRC.