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

[djbenson]

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...

[LycraLout]

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.

[qasdfdsaq]

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

[djbenson]

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

[thenry]

then book for when your available.

[djbenson]

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.

[thenry]

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 ?

[djbenson]

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.

[Skie]

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.

[jb66]

Originally Posted by thenry

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 ?

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 ----------

Originally Posted by djbenson

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.

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

[thenry]

Originally Posted by jb66

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

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

[RB2004]

Originally Posted by jb66

but you wont get a dongle if you do

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

[jb66]

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

[djbenson]

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

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

[thenry]

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

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