Phones, V+ and customer service

[rickygoo]

V+ box thinks I - what a good idea. Rang Virgin -turned out it was cheaper than my exisiting package, could be fitted within a week including 2nd set top box, brilliant thinks I.

That's when it started to go wrong. Firstly the men arrived and found the cable connections in the house weren't suitable for a 2nd set top box. Another man would have to come to fit that. He fitted V+ box. I got home and V+ working very slowly, no on screen info, no on demand, online light flashing constantly.

Rang Virgin they passed me round from faults, to sales, to customer service - all blaming the other. Apparently they have 3 separate accounts for me and that causes problems. One woman told me I didn't have TV or broadband just phone. She had difficulty explaining the big black box under my telly.

In the end they tell me the box is faulty and someone will need to fix/replace it. I set up an appointment for Saturday morning. Later that night unbeknown to me someone left a message on my voicemail saying the box wasn't faulty and they'd cancelled the appointment.

The next morning it still wasn't working so I rang them asking why they'd cancelled. They checked my records and said they hadn't cancelled. They couldn't explain their phone call.

A day later I'm fiddling round the back of the telly and notice the scart lead appears to be in the wrong socket. Switch that and the on screen info appears. A bit later V+ is working and online light stops flashing. I ring Virgin and tell them to cancel the appointment - they say they will.

Saturday morning - my lie in day - there's a knock on the door far too early for me. Guess what - it's the Virgin repair man. No-one had told him not to bother coming. One lie in ruined. He told me that was the second one that morning that should have been cancelled but wasn't.

The following Thursday another Virgin man arrives asking if we've got a problem. I tell him Virgin Central isn't working but other than that we haven't. He tests it and the whole box crashes and won't reboot. I said we hadn't called about that though. The only thing I could think is we hadn't got the 2nd set top box installed. He decides that must be why he's here - although no-one appears to have told him. Him and his man do some drilling and cable laying and install the second set top box. The V+ box actually does reboot. He says someone will ring me about Virgin central - they never do which is not a problem as shortly after he leaves it starts to work.

All happy? Er no. We don't realise until a bit later that the house phone line isn't working - I do a lot of work from home so this could be catastrophic. I ring them and after they tell me they'll charge me a call out fee if it's my phone that's faulty they'll send someone to fix it on Monday (this is Thursday remember). I tell them that's ridiculous they say it's the earliest time they've got. I stay calm but clearly angry that I'll have to go until Monday without a phone. They say I'll be put onto a cancellation list and can speak to a manager if I want. I want to but they're busy and will call me back. No-one does.

Friday morning I ring again to complain. I'm told I have an appointment for Monday and there are none sooner. I'm also told there's nothing on my notes to say a manager should call me. Do I want to speak to a manager? You bet I do. He's busy can he call me back? NO way Jose I'll hold. Still busy can he call me back? No! I wait for ages and finally speak to one. He's full of apologies but there are no appointments until Monday. My notes will make clear I should get some money off.

Monday the man arrives. He checks the fault. The men who fitted the 2nd set top box and cable connection the previous Thursday had done a botch job. A cable had been cut/severed/disconnected therefore the phone wouldn't work. This is something presumably they should have realised. Guess what - the man who they''ve sent can't fix this particular fault. He'll have to arrange another appointment. An emergency one for that day? Er no the people who fix this particular fault don't work on a Monday.

Tuesday - another man arrives. The man who fixes this particular fault? Er no. You see it needs someone with a drill and he doesn't have a drill. Apparently the man who came the day before has a drill but of course he said he couldn't fix it. The Tuesday man says the Monday man could and should have fixed it - he can do a quick botch up job so the phone will work but another man will have to come out and fix this particular fault. Later on Tuesday. Er no - how about Friday?

If you've stuck to the end of this story congratulations. Who knows what will happen this Friday. Why don't the different people/departments ever, ever, ever seem to talk to each other? We've had a succession of 'willy' ups partly through incompetence and partly through people not being told what's happened in the past and what they're meant to be doing. None of it has been our fault but we've been the ones having to stay in, rearrange our schedules, spend an age on the phone and have to resort to expensive mobiles. And I can't watch 24!!

Should I give up if Friday turns in to the usual fiasco?

[awibble]

IMO, next time someone comes to your house, dont let them leave until the problem is resolved. I'm sure if they had to, they could get someone to pop in with a drill.

I know they are only the front line, but make sure every channel, works before they go, if they dont ask why and get them to fix it there and then.

[rickygoo]

Unfortunately I haven't been there for most of it - they've exploited the fact that she's a technophobe.

[awibble]

been there, had that problem... i just left a list for her indoors to check.

Doesnt have to be hard things, ask her to call you before they leave, then you know the phone works... and then once your on the phone you can tell her what else to check

[rogerdraig]

Originally Posted by awibble

IMO, next time someone comes to your house, dont let them leave until the problem is resolved. I'm sure if they had to, they could get someone to pop in with a drill.

I know they are only the front line, but make sure every channel, works before they go, if they dont ask why and get them to fix it there and then.

don't take that too literally they arrested the last woman to try that lol

[NTLVictim]

Confucius say, no good painting vans red if same bodge artists inside them...