TiVo Why can't Virgin Media ever get their customer service right??

Tim Deegan · 20-12-2011, 22:26

I would like to start by saying that VM have an excellent product. However for some reason they just fall flat on their face when it comes to customer service.

For all those VM employees on here, I'm not talking about individuals, but VM as a whole.

I have been with VM (or Cabletel, and then NTL, as they were), for 20 or so years now for my internet and telephones. Although they never used to match up to Sky for their TV service, so I had my TV with Sky.

My package with VM has gradually grown for business reasons, and extra incentives, over the years, until I had 3 phone lines, 100mb BB, and TV in my bedroom. Then recently I decided to see if I could save money by going 100% with either VM or Sky. So I called VM and told them that I wanted a Tivo box in my living room to replace my Sky+ HD box. I told her that I had everything except the sports package (obviously excluding specialist channels), with HD. Well the very nice lady suggested ways that I could change my phone packages, and get the Tivo for my living room, and would save a minimum of Â£50 per month. So as Sky couldn't come close, then I decided to go 100% with VM.

Now I know how unreliable VM can be with sticking to dates, so I didn't cancel my Sky until today.

My Tivo box was installed last Friday (2 hours before my time slot, but that wasn't a problem). Then after playing around with it for a while, I realised that I didn't have any movie channels. So I called VM, and explained what I was supposed to have, and the lady on the phone said that I would have the movie channels within 2 hours (which I did).

Then on Saturday I realised that I didn't have the movie channels in HD. So I called VM again. The gentleman told me that the HD movie channels would be activated within 24 hours, and that they would send me a new box for my bedroom, that would work with HD, and it would arrive today (Tuesday). I received a text within an hour of the call, telling me that the HD would be activated within one hour.

On Sunday I still didn't have HD movies, so I called again. I was then told that they wouldn't be activating my HD until Tuesday. I explained what I had been told the previous day, and about the text message. To which he answered that it was impossible to activate the HD before Tuesday. As you can imagine I was getting rather annoyed with being messed about. So I told him that if it wasn't sorted then I would take my whole account to Sky. At this he put me on hold for a while, then came back to say that he had now activated the HD. By now I was furious. Not because he had activated the HD, but because he had blatantly lied to me.

So my question is: why can't VM give consistent good customer service. And why can't they be honest with customers???? If they built up a good reputation, then far more people would use them due to their excellent product.

jb66 · 20-12-2011, 22:32

To activate the hd before Tuesday involved cancelling your new box adding the hd channels, rebooking your box for a random date then pulling the job forward to when your due to getting the box, involves a lot of messing around.

Would you not e cheaper on vip100?

Digital Fanatic · 20-12-2011, 23:12

As jb66 says, the rep would have had to cancel the new box order to get the channels booked on the system as it only allows 1 open order on the system at any one time... he actually went the extra mile to sort it as that's a lot of messing around on the system.

Tim Deegan · 20-12-2011, 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by jb66

To activate the hd before Tuesday involved cancelling your new box adding the hd channels, rebooking your box for a random date then pulling the job forward to when your due to getting the box, involves a lot of messing around.

Thankyou for explaining the process. But that's no excuse for poor customer service and lies.

They could have got the order right the first time, as I explained quite clearly exactly what I wanted.
They could have corrected the error on Friday when I called and explained that they had got it wrong.
They could have corrected the problem on Saturday, when I called and explained that they had got it wrong again.
They didn't need to lie to me on Sunday because they were too lazy to correct the error. But instead they just lied and said that it wasn't possible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jb66

Would you not e cheaper on vip100?

How would I know? That's what the VM staff should have told me. I don't work for VM, and I don't know which is the best package.

Lew · 20-12-2011, 23:46

Sounds like good customer service to me.

Tim Deegan · 20-12-2011, 23:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digital Fanatic

As jb66 says, the rep would have had to cancel the new box order to get the channels booked on the system as it only allows 1 open order on the system at any one time... he actually went the extra mile to sort it as that's a lot of messing around on the system.

So he was just being lazy then. And lied to try and cover this up!

It would be nice if VM staff actually showed some concern when customers experience bad CS, rather than making excuses for them.

---------- Post added at 22:49 ---------- Previous post was at 22:48 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew

Sounds like good customer service to me.

I presume you are being sarcastic??

HD Boy · 20-12-2011, 23:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

So he was just being lazy then. And lied to try and cover this up!

It would be nice if VM staff actually showed some concern when customers experience bad CS, rather than making excuses for them.

100% agree.

---------- Post added at 22:51 ---------- Previous post was at 22:50 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

I presume you are being sarcastic??

I would hope he was.

**Chris** · 20-12-2011, 23:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

So he was just being lazy then. And lied to try and cover this up!

Obviously you're going to read the situation the way you want to read it and nothing anyone on here says to you is going to make any difference.

However, FWIW, it sounds to me like you were lucky enough to be on the phone with a very experienced customer service agent who was skilled and able enough to use the ordering system in a way it clearly wasn't designed for, in order to get you your HD channels a couple of days sooner than is possible when correct procedures are followed.

Well done you for crapping on his goodwill from a great height on a public Internet forum. That should help dissuade him and his colleagues from departing from their training and proper procedures in future.

HD Boy · 21-12-2011, 00:02

All i will say is Virgin Media customer service is woeful at times.

**Chris** · 21-12-2011, 00:05

Yes, it can be. But it's strange how a very obvious example of extremely good service, going way beyond what training and procedure required, is being portrayed here as lies and laziness.

Tim Deegan · 21-12-2011, 00:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Obviously you're going to read the situation the way you want to read it and nothing anyone on here says to you is going to make any difference.

However, FWIW, it sounds to me like you were lucky enough to be on the phone with a very experienced customer service agent who was skilled and able enough to use the ordering system in a way it clearly wasn't designed for, in order to get you your HD channels a couple of days sooner than is possible when correct procedures are followed.

Well done you for crapping on his goodwill from a great height on a public Internet forum. That should help dissuade him and his colleagues from departing from their training and proper procedures in future.

Actually I don't think it was him who sorted it. When he put me on hold he said that he needed to speak to someone else.

As for 'goodwill', where do you get that from? He lied to me!

A customer shouldn't have to rely on so called goodwill. They should be able to get things right the first, second, or third time.

Do you think it is right that a customer has to call 4 times before they get it right?

Lew · 21-12-2011, 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

I presume you are being sarcastic??

Nope. He could have left things as they were, but he went out of his way to make it so that you could actually get what you wanted there and then.

Tim Deegan · 21-12-2011, 00:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

Yes, it can be. But it's strange how a very obvious example of extremely good service, going way beyond what training and procedure required, is being portrayed here as lies and laziness.

Because all he did was his job.....after he had already lied to me. These are facts Chris.

If he had just apologised for the fact that I had been messed about, and then put himself out to sort the problem. Then that would have been good customer service. It's the fact that first of all he lied, saying that it was impossible to give me what I had already had confirmed (4 times) that I would get. Andit was only when I said that I was going to change my mind, and move to Sky, that he actually bothered to do anything.

Now I don't know about you, but I give good customer service to the best of my ability. And I also expect to receive good service. There is no excuse for poor CS.

**Chris** · 21-12-2011, 00:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Deegan

As for 'goodwill', where do you get that from? He lied to me!

No, he didn't. He clearly gave you the answer that is correct when proper training and procedures are followed.

When you complained further he went and found a way to get you what you wanted in spite of proper procedures.

It's disappointing that you can't tell the difference.

Tim Deegan · 21-12-2011, 00:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lew

Nope. He could have left things as they were, but he went out of his way to make it so that you could actually get what you wanted there and then.

So I presume you work for VM then?

You obviously didn't read this line in my first post: "For all those VM employees on here, I'm not talking about individuals, but VM as a whole.
"