Phone Installation

[ldavey]

Hi, i have had Broadband with NTL for about a year now... installation went as planned and smoothly. I live with my dad so we were already an existing customer and i convinced my dad into going with NTL phone with free TV ( on my account).

Anyway, we gave Virgin 2 dates as requested on the online order... within 2 days we recieved our digibox for the TV as self install, i set that up (with alot of hassle from NTL on the phone trying to get them to activiate it - another story)... anyway, same day while we was out the virgin engineer turns up, un-announced without an appointment and leaves a card in the door saying phone him, so we do three times without an answer, we leaves a message with him each time but he does not get back to us ... well anyway i thought he will come back on the day we actually organised with them which i booked off work specially (and lost money) but he did not phone or turn up ....

I tried phoning him again but no answer, i phones customer service but they were useless and just kept on saying you will have to rebook, redirecting our call to more people that did not help us rebook an appointment just saying you will need to rebook! - i says to them "whats the point in booking dates with virgin media anyway ? when they plainly ignore the dates i said i will be in, and instead arrive uninvited when im not home, costing me money in calls and days off on the days they were meant to be coming!"

Anyway i was also considering upgrading to the 3 for 30 package, it says on the site XL tv but when i select im already a customer then try to upgrade my services it says in the listing its only L tv .. is this XL special treatment for new customers only ? but selecting new customer does say its XL, are existing customer not equal in virgins eyes ? or is it an website error ?

Sorry for long nagging post, but i am getting depressed about this nothing but hassle... i do like branson and the virgin brand but this is ridiculous,he has alot of work to do!

Help anyone .. please.. as i think virgin will start charging me for a phoneline i don't even have...

[ldavey]

Just phoned customer care again (4:15pm) as soon as i got in from work, still got the same old thing "you will have to rebook" LMAO ... i know i have to rebook thats why i am phoning .... but yet they don't help me rebook at all .. puts me through to a different department even though the card they left us with says to phone the previous number to rebook ... other department is also no help yet again .... feel like i am hitting a brick wall here !

You would think it is in there interest to get customers up and running asap to keep them happy so they don't cancel! .. and the fact they are losing money as we could be using there service right now building up a virginmedia bill..

[colin-bennett]

with self install the TV and the phone are activated at the same time.
However if you are porting your number from BT then an engineer calls.
You will have been sent an e-mail confirming your on line order.
I find the post confusing but then it might just be me not reading it correctly.

[Nedkelly]

I would phone up and get them to check the account to make sure you are not paying for the phoneline .

[ldavey]

We ordered Phone with the Free TV and the website asked for an install date so the technician can come round and fit the phone. We did not sign up to port our old number or anything like that.

The TV digibox came in the post and was self install which is all up and running now, however the phone is to be done by an Engineer... if i ever get any sense out of them - not easy to phone them during the day when i am at work... by the time i get home most of the phone line staff left working seem useless.

[Nedkelly]

Wierd because to get the free tv you need a phone line Have you got a tech comming to check the line

[ldavey]

Hi, regarding my first post, maybe with me using the term phone line was not the best thing to do, as i was probs not very clear. I was fed up and typed it quite quickly and i think you might be confused and thinking that we are waiting for a virgin media cable to be fitted to our house.

We already have the virgin media cable entering our house and have since the old Nynex days ..... were just waiting for an engineer to visit and set up our phone service, activate the phone service and assign us a number or fit a filter or whatever he does.... as i said the TV was a self install pack and i did that and phoned them and thank god after a few phone calls i got someone with some sense and the TV was up and running, shame i not had the same luck with the phone install...

Thanks in advance for any guidance anyone can supply, i did have a virgin media guy on the virgin media feedback news room ask me to email him but as yet waiting to here back from him.

[Lucie from SW16]

Can you clarify for me whether the cable that runs the TV channels also doubles up as a phone line, or are these mananged by two separate cables.

[on in an hour!]

Originally Posted by Lucie from SW16

Can you clarify for me whether the cable that runs the TV channels also doubles up as a phone line, or are these mananged by two separate cables.

its joined together as a 'siamese cable' until the termination box on the outside of your property where its split,1 co-axial feeds set tops/modems,the other your telephone line.

[Lucie from SW16]

Pain to have to have two cables indoors, but thanks for the infor

[Druchii]

Originally Posted by Lucie from SW16

Pain to have to have two cables indoors, but thanks for the infor

Depends how close to the STB and modem your phone is as to how many cables you're going to have to plan for really. I know ours is split twice. But you'll only see one cable throughout the house. How they managed i do not know.

[ldavey]

Well this is ridiculous .... we still getting no luck....

My dad phoned virgin for me while i am at work and spoke to a person who said he will organise with the manager or something of our area to phone us within 24 hours to book a new appointment but no surprise that he didn't phone back !!

All these calls are getting expensive and no fault of our own as it is them who broke the original appointment !

This really is just a brick wall i am facing, i had heard but never would have believed NTL was such a dysfunctional company. There is also no headquarters in the south east to go to except in london which is a 3-4 hour drive away, even 6 hours in bad traffic LMAO.

[ldavey]

I have decided that i am giving Virgin Media one more attempt then if no joy I am canceling my Direct Debit with Virgin Media before they go charging me for something i have not had and cancel my services with them.

If they can not even do a simple task like come out on the correct scheduled day costing me a day off work, and then even rebook a simple appointment without countless calls that is costing myself money. Then well i don't really need to tell you the words I am thinking!

So if anyone from Virgin Media is actually reading this thread I am giving you one more opportunity to keep your customer, as i have found your broadband very good and would in honesty want to keep it.

[ldavey]

Direct Debit Cancelled, and will stay cancelled UNLESS virgin sorts this out ! sorry Virgin but you have just lost yourself a £48+
a month customer due to lack of decent support staff........

After Phoning, emailing, forums and now this News Group giving no result
what else is there left to try ? I have had enough, life at times is hard
enough with this added hassle... especially when all i wanted was a simple
Install date for my phone....

Sorry Richard Branson as i do like you and hope you achieve success in
turning this dysfunctional company around....

[NTLVictim]

How long before Branson walks away?

Seriously, this level of service (or rather, not) is asinine..