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Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?
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Old 22-10-2017, 20:16   #61
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by Mythica View Post
Maybe stop telling people what to do, you don't own the forum.
Neither do you.

Those who do already said move on.
If you wish to continue posting, I suggest you follow those instructions.
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Old 22-10-2017, 20:25   #62
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by Raider999 View Post
I think you are missing my point - assuming the contract is crystal clear the supplying company should only take the amount of money it has said it would.

If it continues to take the original incorrect amount then it is clearly in the wrong as it is taking more than it said it would.

I will concede that it is prudent for the customer to check the amount taken has indeed reduced, but if they don't it doesn't make it ok (or legal) for the supplier to take more.
You have missed my point or I didn't make it clear enough. The recent news articles are implying the networks are duping people who continue to pay up after the end of the minimum term.

Phones are supplied with airtime contracts with minimum terms. The exception being o2 refresh where it's clear the phone and airtime are seperate.
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Old 22-10-2017, 20:46   #63
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

Richard,

Let's try this again.

Were you offered what was due under the Terms and Conditions?

The location of the call handler?

Why did you not approach Retentions to resolve the issue?

Now moving on to what you did say,

Terms & conditions rarely relate to the real world and if I find that any company is no longer meeting my needs or expectations, then I will sometimes remind them that other alternatives are available to me.

Why not just leave and find a better provider and avoid the stress? Or were you, as we say in Scotland, "chancing your arm"?

The call handler was repeating an incident that I had experienced by one of her colleagues in the recent past. This was especially disappointing as I'd been reassured that this incorrect behaviour would not happen again. In these circumstances, I felt it prudent to avail her of this information so that she could make an informed decision as to whether she was going to carry out my request or not. Fortunately, she changed her mind and took the correct action, so no formal complaint was actually made about her.


Thanks for clarifying the situation.

I quoted Mick's news item to demonstrate that what Mick had noted six months ago had shown no signs of improvement.


In your view perhaps, I have yet to experience any such issues.

Oh one additional question, why not contact the CEO team straight away when in your view an unacceptable offer was made initially?

Regards
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Old 22-10-2017, 21:06   #64
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by 007stuart View Post
Richard,

Let's try this again.

Were you offered what was due under the Terms and Conditions?

The location of the call handler?

Why did you not approach Retentions to resolve the issue?

Now moving on to what you did say,

Terms & conditions rarely relate to the real world and if I find that any company is no longer meeting my needs or expectations, then I will sometimes remind them that other alternatives are available to me.

Why not just leave and find a better provider and avoid the stress? Or were you, as we say in Scotland, "chancing your arm"?

The call handler was repeating an incident that I had experienced by one of her colleagues in the recent past. This was especially disappointing as I'd been reassured that this incorrect behaviour would not happen again. In these circumstances, I felt it prudent to avail her of this information so that she could make an informed decision as to whether she was going to carry out my request or not. Fortunately, she changed her mind and took the correct action, so no formal complaint was actually made about her.


Thanks for clarifying the situation.

I quoted Mick's news item to demonstrate that what Mick had noted six months ago had shown no signs of improvement.


In your view perhaps, I have yet to experience any such issues.

Oh one additional question, why not contact the CEO team straight away when in your view an unacceptable offer was made initially?

Regards
From what she said, the answer was yes. However, as i'm currently housebound, the internet and TV are my main forms of entertainment and contact with the outside world. She abruptly said that VM don't give anything over and above a refund equal to the cost of the service lost, which I found unacceptable. When I asked for the matter to be escelated, she initially tried to discourage me and then outright refused.

I do believe that extra is due for any inconvenience or problems that outages cause eg if my electricity went down for a day, I wouldn't be happy to receive only an amount equal to one days standing charge with the promise that I wouldn't be charged for the usual consumption that I hadn't used for that day, that wouldn't be the point!

NTL would offer a less insulting amount and I'm sure that this helped with customer care and retention.

After I insisted that she do as I asked, I was put through to a department calling themselves 'retentions & complaints', maybe they've merged??

At this time, I am happy with VM and what they are offering me and currently have no plans to leave.

I'm glad that you've had no issues yourself, but clearly customer service has deteriorated and has not improved since Micks article was published. The price rise that others will be being subjected to may be the last straw for many.

As inflation creeps up again and wages stagnate, disposable income is falling, this is at a time when pay TV customers have never had as much choice to choose from. Some OTT services are incredibe value. VM really need to up their game if they wish to attract customers and retain their current subscriber base.

Unless it's something really serious, I believe in going through the correct channels to pursue complaints rather than straight to the top and/or pulling any strings.

Last edited by RichardCoulter; 22-10-2017 at 21:16.
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Old 22-10-2017, 22:16   #65
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by Mad Max View Post
It's now extremely boring...
Not sure what you're talking about. I've posted about 5 times in here and that's all.
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Old 22-10-2017, 22:19   #66
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

Making progress now Richard

Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCoulter View Post
From what she said, the answer was yes. However, as i'm currently housebound, the internet and TV are my main forms of entertainment and contact with the outside world. She abruptly said that VM don't give anything over and above a refund equal to the cost of the service lost, which I found unacceptable. When I asked for the matter to be escelated, she initially tried to discourage me and then outright refused.
So you were offered the contractual amount but wanted more?

Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCoulter View Post
I do believe that extra is due for any inconvenience or problems that outages cause eg if my electricity went down for a day, I wouldn't be happy to receive only an amount equal to one days standing charge with the promise that I wouldn't be charged for the usual consumption that I hadn't used for that day, that wouldn't be the point!
Again it's all down to T&C's, many utility suppliers will offer additional compensation however VM doesn't. I don't understand what point you are trying to make re electricity usage.

Here's my take on it:

I can see no reason why this issue should have been escalated. it would not be unreasonable to draw the conclusion from reading your post that perhaps your attitude towards VM is already more negative than positive and you had some preconceived ideas about entitlement. When the correct level of compensation was offered you challenged the call handler who stuck to policy which you decided did not apply to you. Perhaps there was then a bit of "Do you know who I am?" here and when you didn't get your way it all kicked off.

Whilst VM services may be your main forms of entertainment and contact with the outside world, there's still radio, mobile phones, DVD and video players which would have been more than adequate I'm sure. By having these alternatives I see no reason why you think you are entitled to more than you are contractually due.

Regards
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Old 22-10-2017, 22:20   #67
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by Mythica View Post
Not sure what you're talking about. I've posted about 5 times in here and that's all.
Perhaps he is talking about carrying on something that you have been asked to stop. I have deleted several posts just now of you asking irrelevant questions. Stop this.
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Old 22-10-2017, 22:57   #68
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by Mick View Post
Perhaps he is talking about carrying on something that you have been asked to stop. I have deleted several posts just now of you asking irrelevant questions. Stop this.
Jesus I've stopped, not sure why all the attention is on me. He was the one doing silly smiles, I simply asked what was wrong.

Also I think you have wrong person, all my posts are still there?

Last edited by Mythica; 22-10-2017 at 23:28.
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Old 22-10-2017, 23:43   #69
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by Mythica View Post
Jesus I've stopped, not sure why all the attention is on me. He was the one doing silly smiles, I simply asked what was wrong.

Also I think you have wrong person, all my posts are still there?
Lose the attitude, no need to 'Jesus' me.

You say you have stopped this, no you haven't, as you have yet again posted another question and no, not all your posts are here, some have been deleted because they had nothing to do with the thread.

Now, when a team member instructs you to stop, this is not a debate, no more off-topic posts or questioning team instructions publicly.

If you want further clarification on this, PM me, we are not carrying on this issue, here.
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Old 23-10-2017, 02:39   #70
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by 007stuart View Post
Making progress now Richard

So you were offered the contractual amount but wanted more?

Again it's all down to T&C's, many utility suppliers will offer additional compensation however VM doesn't. I don't understand what point you are trying to make re electricity usage.

Here's my take on it:

I can see no reason why this issue should have been escalated. it would not be unreasonable to draw the conclusion from reading your post that perhaps your attitude towards VM is already more negative than positive and you had some preconceived ideas about entitlement. When the correct level of compensation was offered you challenged the call handler who stuck to policy which you decided did not apply to you. Perhaps there was then a bit of "Do you know who I am?" here and when you didn't get your way it all kicked off.

Whilst VM services may be your main forms of entertainment and contact with the outside world, there's still radio, mobile phones, DVD and video players which would have been more than adequate I'm sure. By having these alternatives I see no reason why you think you are entitled to more than you are contractually due.

Regards
You're making a lot of assumptions there, these are seldom correct & never helpful and, please, don't be so patronising.

As a domestic and business customer, I am entitled to decide what level of service that I want and what i'm prepared to pay for it. As a business in a commercial setting, VM are free to provide what I want at the prices i'm willing to pay (or not as the case may be). This is the very basis of the free market capitalist society in which we live.

Generally speaking, I like the V6, but want my satellite wiring to be replaced. Sky have offered to do it (along with many other sweeteners) completely free of charge if I use them instead.

I will be sticking with VM until the day comes that either of us doesn't want to do business with the other party and i'll get my satellite wiring replaced free of charge.

Nothing "kicked off ", I was simply unhappy that the call handler was not meeting my needs, lied to me and then refused to escelate the matter. If the new policy is to only offer the cost of the service lost to the penny, she wasn't wrong in stating this, but went on to exceed the scope of the authority bestowed upon her by her employer and was inappropriately rude. She seemed very reluctant to delegate the matter upwards as I also found the other month when I said that I didn't want to pay the forthcoming price rise. This is why I created this thread, as I was curious to know if VM staff are being discouraged or even penalised from letting the customer speak to a more senior member of staff. I've learnt some interesting information from some contributers with actual knowledge of how things work and am grateful to them for taking the time to post this information.

The next level up completely agreed with me, resolved matters to my satisfaction and said that they would put the mechanism in place to deal with the call handler.

Afterwards, I received a further apology in writing and a complimentary offer of all the Sky Movie channels in HD.

In essence, VM agreed that the matter was not dealt with appropriately and dealt with it accordingly. In return I will carry on using them and they'll get a lot of money/profit each month; it's simply good business practice if you think about it.

Far from putting prices up, I believe that this approach actually helps to keep prices down for everyone.

Last edited by RichardCoulter; 23-10-2017 at 02:51.
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Old 23-10-2017, 09:25   #71
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by RichardCoulter View Post
You're making a lot of assumptions there, these are seldom correct & never helpful and, please, don't be so patronising.
Given that you fail to answer questions that would allow other forum members to better understand your post, sometimes speculation is the only resort.

You have failed to explain why you wanted more compensation than you are contractually due, the closest you came to answering was "I was simply unhappy that the call handler was not meeting my needs". So go on define your needs and then perhaps we understand why the call handler failed meet them.
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Old 23-10-2017, 14:54   #72
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by 007stuart View Post
Given that you fail to answer questions that would allow other forum members to better understand your post, sometimes speculation is the only resort.

You have failed to explain why you wanted more compensation than you are contractually due, the closest you came to answering was "I was simply unhappy that the call handler was not meeting my needs". So go on define your needs and then perhaps we understand why the call handler failed meet them.
I believe that your question has been essentially answered by past posts but, nevertheless, i'll succinctly answer your question.

I expected more than just the amount of the cost of the service lost because of the inconvenience and problems it caused. She refused and/or couldn't meet my expectation, lied about not being able to escelate the matter and initially refused to do so whilst being rude.

VM agreed that this was inappropriate and not acceptable. After listening to the call, a further gesture of goodwill was offered by way of an apology.

Hope that now clears things up for you.

Last edited by RichardCoulter; 23-10-2017 at 15:08.
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Old 23-10-2017, 20:05   #73
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by RichardCoulter View Post
I expected more than just the amount of the cost of the service lost because of the inconvenience and problems it caused.
Well it took a while to get there, thanks for clearing that point up. I will leave it for others to decide if demanding more than what was due under the T&C's was reasonable.

Moving on

I believe that your question has been essentially answered by past posts but, nevertheless, i'll succinctly answer your question. Is this not a rather patronising response? I do hope you didn't adopt that attitude when you were speaking with the call handler, and that reminds me, can you now answer my second question. Was your initial contact made with an onshore or offshore call centre?

Regards
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Old 23-10-2017, 22:38   #74
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

I believe that you have been deliberately obtuse and are now being pedantic and vexatious.

I doubt that others care to the ridiculous extent that you do either. VM believed that I had a case and, in essence, that's all that matters.

Last edited by Paul M; 23-10-2017 at 23:51. Reason: Unnecessary comment removed.
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Old 24-10-2017, 09:22   #75
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Re: Are VM frontline staff now discouraged from escalating customer issues?

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Originally Posted by 007stuart View Post
Well it took a while to get there, thanks for clearing that point up. I will leave it for others to decide if demanding more than what was due under the T&C's was reasonable.

Moving on

I believe that your question has been essentially answered by past posts but, nevertheless, i'll succinctly answer your question. Is this not a rather patronising response? I do hope you didn't adopt that attitude when you were speaking with the call handler, and that reminds me, can you now answer my second question. Was your initial contact made with an onshore or offshore call centre?

Regards
Thank you, Stuart, for getting to the bottom of this. Clearly, the call centre person was refusing to escalate Richard's case because she had offered him the appropriate compensation for loss of service, as laid down by the terms and conditions of use.

Richard being Richard, he always wants more and he goes on and on and on until he gets what he wants. Then, in total exasperation with him, they give him more to get rid of him and then he claims VM 'agreed' with him. This encourages him to do the same again the next time he finds a reason to kick off.

I'm done with this thread now and I suggest we all walk away. A lot of us I think have been irritated by this and someone's going to say something inappropriate soon if it this discussion carries on.
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