Virgin have started their service with me in great style, not!

[TheWire]

After have my original delivery date put off, first by a day by the engineer who never turned up the second day as promised. I was told by Virgin that my order consisting of the 50mb cable and the M phone package(it actually worked out cheaper with the phone).

Well, Virgin said they had run out of 'connections' for the phones but were able to offer another appointment on the 13th of April(over two months after giving me my original install date).

The main thing for me, the broadband, the superfast 50meg broadband, well eventually that got installed, late by over a month, they could not tell me what had happened but I know that Broadband is new around this estate however they have inherited a lot from Telewest.

The original engineer that came around did a quick site survey, I live in a small block of flats, 3 flats on 3 levels. He did arrive late during the day and told me once he realised I was savy about things like this that there was an issue with the junction box RIGHT opposite the house, I am sure one of the many terminations originate here, as it happens the existing termination point he choose was the electric cupboard on the ground floor, my flat is on the ground floor. That point is little more than 6 feet from my front door.

What possessed him to use my aerial wire(the SMATV is in that electrical cupboard as well, that 'cupboard' is pretty common to most buildings when I was installing phone and satellite from the 90's(many motorised systems and or shared LNB SMATV systems, anyway). The SMATV system at this stage just is terrestrial simple UHF aerial but in the next week it is all being changed to all flat get Free-view, Free-sat, Sky, etc. and I think they will want that cable(it is rightly theirs not Virgins) to muliplex their channels down, so I should imagine they would disconnect Virgins pirate connection on this line(theirs a thought, is their no product where in his situation or the coming situation the signals could be multiplexed?).

Now first of all, the installer was just being lazy by doing this. I did protest at first and said that he could come in any number of other ways and they really would not have taken too much time, ok I would have tried to find some friendly located scenario but worst scenario I would have to have drilled through two thick walls, well I know it is not fun drilling with the long long masonry drill, especially twice(but I reckon he'd get lucky on some conduit, fusebox terminates above front door!) once in the flat I was not fussy about it being concealed as my house is being decorated anyway... I only wanted the internet termination box right next to the front door, VERY easy install that him and his assist made even more easy.

According to him, I did'nt know what I was talking about(really? The Master Aerial Fitters Association and my customers seemed to think I was ok?) their was no other way he could get broadband in my front room other than using the aerial wire as the connection wire and if I did not want it he would have to go and he did not know what would happen when I said I wanted to talk to someone in technical or a fitter about this job, he could not get me his superviser. I am disabled now and have great pain moving, I have just got this house back after some people decided to live here while I was in hospital last year so it is in a mess though getting into shape fast. I think he took the if state of the house and my state and felt I was a dosser/whatever and the job he did was a joke, even the last part, I said I wanted it at the back of the 20 foot front room, so he cut off 20 feet of cable and said now I'd be able to reach the other end, I would have least of clipped it.... I would not be involved in a job like this anyway.

I am greatly missing my TV aerial now, never thought I watched so much of it! I am certainly getting far less than 50mb in any speed test, max 40mb, once. I know nowadays cable modems and TV connections can use suppose both use RG62 but God knows what the 15 year old stuff is they have used.

I feel that Virgin should send out an engineer and sort this out, then sort out the 'engineers' that have made me put up with this second rate service. I really have missed DTS TV and streaming does not quite cut it I am afraid.

I hope for Virgins response, I will try and get photos of the whole thing, the path of the able from the cabinet to my the different locations.

My phone that was supposed to have been installed last week was not installed. Nobody called, I have got a new mobile phone but I am sure Virgin have it. In any case, no one came, called or whatever. This service is a joke and to make things worse I was speaking to one person about the costs and I was supposed to have a 12 month contract 6months, £27.99 for first 3 months £37.99 after that with £40 towards fitting. Now what happens I have no phone? I called Virgin a few times and the last time they promised everything was ok and ready to go, I understand I still have a few days left to cancel which I may. I really feel Virgin should come and do the job properly and professionally. Oh yes, the prices were way different when I spoke to Virgin.

I feel someone with some technical understanding and some power should look at my situation and call me. In case there are people on this forum who can do this, I am quite well right now so if you could give me their contact details, or I could PPM my contact details. I intend to post my problem and email it to people at Virgin. You have to understand sometimes I am bed bound for days so a/I need my TV aerial back b/I need to forward my cause as much as possible when I am well c/nobody else with Virgin has had this happen to them, they all got a separate cable. Sorry if I sound childish, I like the fast(most of the time) speeds but their are seperate issues, I knew of those and took them as part of doing business with Virgin.

This sort of install and treatment by installation staff, Virgin in general(you get cut off so many times calling them). Being later, so on - etc, is totally unacceptable, that they thought I would put up with this service the install team made a judgement, a rather ugly judgement.

My email is simon-bryant@hotmail.co.uk(probably best today/this week) or simonbryant@thetechnicalfrontier.com(this ones just been set up for my 'official role'.... got to set it up on my machine properly but I'm giving it out all the same for use in important business, it will be on my Android- I hope!).

Thanks for reading such a long thread!

[Bandit1.3]

Hi sorry to here you had a very bad install. Please remove your email address its not a good ideal to post it on any website. Ok here's what to do phone vm up select you want to leave you get a uk call centre tell them how crap the service is im sure they will sort it out give it a try good luck .

[lincsat]

Threatening to cancel will usually get something sorted.

I remember when NTL first came to this area, I arranged to switch to them. I had a survey and everything was arranged but nobody turned up on the install date. When I phoned to complain, I was told "Our service is not available in your area", when I questioned this and told them installation was arranged, they replied "How are we supposed to know it's not available at your address"

I told them to cancel everything and a few Hours later, a very apologetic manager phoned me and offered a discount on services and an installation 3 days later.

A few Years later, the phone just went dead. I phoned in a fault and was told that I had cancelled the service. I told them that I had not cancelled and requested a re-connection ASAP, I was told that "there is only one person in the company that can connect phone lines and he's on holiday for 2 weeks" - I really did cancel that time.

[Guy101]

Calling Virigin between 8am and 12am will go through to uk Call centres.

After 12 goes abroad

source: Living in swansea, Mates here work in virgin.

[jack08]

Ive just ****** virgin off they were billing me 118 pounds a month for 30meg and phone line, get 30 meg for 25 pounds with phone line 35 pounds kept getting bills for 120pounds other was 118 pounds some virgin media Indian women rang up i asked why they billing me so much it should be 35pounds
she said its charges you get money back at end of your contract lmfao
now i just rip there letters up there modem is in bin that was pile of **** anyway.

[cupid stunt]

"Thewire" - nice 1st post

I called VM a couple of weeks ago regarding a phone line fault, they make me laugh!
Dialling 150 there is a new option...... "if you have a problem with your installation press 4"

[nanochickin]

At the end of the day you will find that it would probably have been a sub-contractor that fitted your services.

Probably Kellys or McNicholls i'm guessing.

If your TV system is being upgraded it will probably be external cabling as the owners of the property will go for the cheapest option which will definately be external cabling.

Its doubtful they will use the existing cable as it will probably be the old low loss cable which doesn't work as its name suggests. They will more than likely install new WF100 cable and coil it up outside your living room window so the plater can install your socket at a later date.

If the cable is the old low loss cable that virgin have pinched thats probably what is causing your speed issues.

When mine was installed i just let the guy put it all in the living room next to the brown omnibox outside the house. I got him to leave me some outlet plates and some splitters with the intention of doing it myself.

Once the guy had gone i then put everything where i wanted it using WF100 cable. Everything works 100% fine

I would complain directly to Virgin stating the engineer has used old cabling and that you want it done correctly with the right cable.

The only other reason why your broadband could be slower than advertised is if the ubr is over subscribed.

Spud