I need to post my current experience with Virgin Media and make the strongest of warnings about anyone thinking of using them ... basically, be severely warned that these people are the worst company I have ever dealt with bar none.
I was using Tesco broadband quite happily when I spotted an offer from Virgin saying I could get fast connection for a tenner a month. "Hmm this sounds good" I thought, and respected the Virgin brand name because Mr Branson appeared to be a nice guy."
So, hang on to your seats, this is my story ...
I took the bait and switched from Tesco to VM on 17th October 2007. I was told a modem would be sent to me.
[Activation +3] 20th October: I had heard/received nothing so I made a courtesy call to VM enquiring when they thought activation would happen. I was told, to my surprise that I was already enabled but I had not received, and neither was I given over the phone any login or account details. (Question to self ... " how do I login then without login details?").
[Activation +5] 22nd October: Tesco service ceased. Am now without any internet at all.
[Activation +7] 24th October: VM rang me to see if I had received anything yet. I said no. She said she'd send me a "start up disc" and would re-order a modem and was advised it'd be received within 48 hours. She a;so said I'd receive £10 refund because of lack of service.
I asked if someone from their technical dept could speak with me to help set my account up over the phone but she said they were all busy and it was "unlikely" anyone would ring me. She was accurate because nobody did ring me.
[Acivation +9] [still no service...] 26th October: Spoke to the woman from VM again. She did send me a disc, but it was not a "start up disc" as promised; it was a modem driver. Great - totally useless! I re-requested an engineer speak with me because this was getting beyond a joke and I know it could be done manually over the phone. She arranged for an engineer to ring me, which he did, and I managed to get my internet working.
However, I was not informed how to get email working, so the Virgin address they gave me was worthless.
Later in the evening of the 26th October as I tested the connection I was pleased to note that it indicated in had a 7.2 meg connection. My Tesco one had been showing as 2.2 so this was quite good. However ... I don't know what the problem was but latency was literally ten times worse than Tesco. In addition to this I kept getting dropped off-line and it was maddening! With Tesco I had only ever been disconnected two or three times in 2 years!!!
I wasn't able to play any games online, pages were SLOWER than dialup and I finally broke ... the service had been rubbish and I realised I had made a big mistake changing from my old reliable ISP so I rang Virgin and said I was most unhappy and wanted to cancel.
The man I spoke to stated the cancellation would take 30 days but there'd be no charge because I was within a 7 day cool off period. This was correct because they said I was activated on 20th Oct and I was cancelling within 7 days of this time.
But...
On Moday 29th October [Activation +12] I received a call from VM to ask if I had received a modem yet and I said no. I also stated I was very unhappy with their service and had already cancelled. Nobody had told me how to use my email, the lag was not even up to dial up speed, I kept getting disconnected, I hadn't received any details how to use my email and basically it wasn't good enough.
She then said there would be a cancellation charge but I said this was unreasonable, and besides which I was already informed there was to be NO charge. She said I could not cancel without a fee because I was outside the 7 day cool-off period but I countered this by stating it was totally meaningless to give a 7 day cool-off period if, during that time, no service had been received. If the connection date was the 20th and I rang to cancel on the 26th it WAS within the cool-ff period. If the connection date was sooner, then I was technically outside the 7 day cool-off BUT how unreasonable to excpect me to pay for a service I had not actually received!
I asked for a contact name from their complaints department. I was not given one so I asked for a senior person from her office and she said there was no senior person I could speak to, I had to contact their complaints dept ... argh .... so am I to assume Virgin Media have no team leaders or supervisors at their offices where we speak to their staff? She kept on talking over me and wouldn't even give me a name from their head office to complain to, and not even the company's most senior manager or director. She then put the phone down on me as I argued with her why I felt this was unreasonable.
I subsequently rang VM again to ask for a MAC number and was told that I owed them £114.33 for non-payment of account. What! I briefly explained why this was not the case and she said I'd be emailed a MAC anyway within a few days.
TWO WEEKS later I still had received no MAC so I rang again and asked why not. The chap I spoke to admitted no such request had been made to email me a MAC but he'd give me one over the phone. Great ...
Not ...
It was invalid. I spoke to BT about getting internet with them and they needed a MAC. I gave them the MAC but they said it was invalid and that Virgin had blocked my line so I was unable to get ANY internet provider until it was removed. I was by now VERY unhappy with things and had to revert to dial up with Waitrose because BB was now unavailable. BT informed me I could ring VM for a new MAC.
I rang VM for a new MAC. VM said they cannot give me a MAC because they don't supply my internet service ... I asked them why they had blocked my line and they said they'd arrange for it to be done.
They didn't.
Today is 23rd December and I am still using dial up. I have arranged for Tesco to resupply BB for me because now the line is unblocked.
But ...
I wrote a long letter to Virgin about my experiences. They never replied. Yesterday, Saturday 22nd December 2007, I received a FINAL NOTICE from Garlands Debt Collectors which said they have been instructed by Virgin Media to "issue legal proceedings to collect the outstanding balance on your account".
They are also after interest on that amount!!!
How can this be a final notice when it is the first notice from this agency, who I have never of and have had no dealings with. VM never replied to that letter of mine and have dropped this on me out of the blue.
I have mailed Garlands this morning, Sunday23rd, to say please do not preceeed because I am going to get back to VM and ask them what the hell is going on. I shall also seek advice from the Ombudsman and Citizens Advice and a lawyer, if able.
If anyone reading this is in any doubt as to what sort of service they can expect from Virgin Media, then you can reasonably expect a very very frustrating time. Now I am threatened with a debt collector I am seriously displeased and am prepared now to lock swords with this awful company in court if necessary because I will NOT be bullied.
If anyone is able to advise me how to proceed or who to speak to next them I shall be delighted to hear from you, please email me on GuyChapman777@googlemail.com. Anyone with legal knowledge or any help whatsoever .. please help me, I am in a bad situation and not sure how to get out of it.
I have never ever had dealings with a debt collector, it makes me feel like a criminal and I want to make sure Virgin Media are exposed for the company they are ... truly unprofessional and rude and bullies to boot. I am prepared to speak to BBC's Watchdog program about this.
Be warned people ...
Help and advice badly needed.
Thanks for reading this far ...
Guy |
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