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Original poster

VIRGIN BASTARD MEDIA.

62 replies

Justmuddlingalong · 14/12/2020 16:45

17 days and counting trying to sort out an upgrade order for TV BB and phone. Why do we have to chase up problems? Why do they never actually sort out the problem. Why is it impossible to escalate your complaint and speak to someone who will do something productive. Why do they advertise services when they can't fulfill them. Why are they so shite in general. Paranoia is setting in here, thinking they must just be taking the piss because surely nobody's so oblivious to how bad their service has been and yet they offer you a tenner off your bill as a "gesture of goodwill" rather that sorting it out or putting you in contact with someone who actually bastarding will. 🤯

OP posts:
FitterHappierMoreProductive · 14/12/2020 17:48

They are ABSOLUTELY SHITE. Won’t even go into the saga, but the major problem is the absolute absence of customer service. I feel for you. We ran screaming for another provider after only 3 months...

Eleganz · 14/12/2020 17:56

The other providers aren't much better sadly.

Huglikeabear · 14/12/2020 18:10

I finally left virgin after about 15years and went to Plusnet. When virgin cut my service off early, I spent half an hour on hold before getting through to an operator, explained the situation. She then cut me off, and even though she had my details on her screen and she knew I'd been waiting half an hour ,no call back came. So I had to call again and spend another half hour on hold. Then call again the next day because they still hadn't sorted it.

Plusnet had a problem with the installation- they called me, explained, told me how they were going to fix it, and then stuck to that. They apologized for the inconvenience. And I pay about 1/3 of what virgin charged for a much better service. I would never go back to them, they are hopeless.

ratspeaker · 14/12/2020 18:14

Try posting on the forum
community.virginmedia.com/t5/custom/page/page-id/CommunityHubForums

SomelikeitHoth · 14/12/2020 18:16

We have been with Sky for about 18 years . They are great

FitterHappierMoreProductive · 14/12/2020 18:17

I totally disagree @Eleganz

I’ve used BT and Sky, and whilst neither are cheap, I’ve never had any problems with them. Virgin on the other hand appear to have a policy to make it so difficult to speak to someone or complain, that you just give up and accept the shoddy service!

VicMackey · 14/12/2020 18:20

Virgin threatened us with legal action when we cancelled our fast fibre contract early as they couldn’t actually connect us to Fast Fibre as it turned out, so your thread title says it all. Talk Talk have zero customer service either, I switched to NOW (Sky Group) and they have been excellent. Hope you sort it out.

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 14/12/2020 18:21

Omgeeeeee I posted on Trust Pilot the other day the title of it was ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHH........Thats how exasperated they made me feel.......I joined them recently as have just moved house and it already had broadband here which was fine. Tried to add TV to the package, was given a date for the box to arrive, stayed in all day only it didn't come. I spent 55 minutes on the phone to customer service when they finally answered I was told she had a problem with her computer system and needed to end the call and she would ring me back.......she didn't. I have no tv now, if it wasn't so annoying it would actually be funny because they are so very very appalling. I simply cannot believe they stay in business with such terrible customer service.

Eleganz · 14/12/2020 18:22

I’ve used BT and Sky, and whilst neither are cheap, I’ve never had any problems with them.

You've been lucky, that's all. It is like a roll of a dice everytime with these companies, just like other utilities.

Petitmum · 14/12/2020 18:32

The way to get hold of a "person" is to ring up and cancel, you will get hold of a real person who's job is to keep you as a customer.
I speak from bitter experience.............but it was all sorted eventually,

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 14/12/2020 18:36

Recently called by a scammer pretending to be a Virgin Media rep. So be careful. They had a fake mock up website too and wanted to link into my PC.
I tried to ring Virgin to report this and was told the wait time was 1 hour. I tried to message. Couldn't find any help on their website despite searching.
We switched to Virgin after finding that Sky dish was affected by rainstorms and our BT connection must have been installed in 1930s but I must say I am considering switching back

x2boys · 14/12/2020 18:37

Yes they are crap but not as crap as sky imo

78percentLindt · 14/12/2020 18:43

They are appalling . Cstomer service is a joke.
We had our mobiles with them and it was one problem after another. Charged for calls we could not have made, issues with roaming, billing errors, and for some reason had a black mark on my credit fie because they claimed I owed them 38p, but could not explain where this sum had come from etc etc. Took a while to sort out.....
Went to Plus net who are fantastic.

thedaytodayyesterday · 14/12/2020 18:48

We had an awful, awful time with them too. Bt were fine but now we are with plus net, there was a problem when it was installed, then sent a technician out, apologised, kept us updated with progress, all fixed smoothly. I've been working from home for 7 years and every few weeks with virgin the Internet would completely go off for hours leaving me unable to work. It was usually every afternoon between 2and5, I rang every time and all they said was "there has been no problem reported in your area" very. Single. Time.
One problem with plus net : fixed immediately and apologies issued
Years and years of utter crap with virgin: nothing
Also! They charged us shit loads for the privilege. The price went up every few months, we started on £29.99 and ended up on £47! Increased the price by a few quid here and there every few months.
Someone rang me a few months after we left and asked if we'd like to come back, I very calmly but firmly explained why.
Oh and when I was leaving they basically laughed down the phone at me about how terrible the plus net Internet would be and how we would struggle all the time, but oh look its been fine.

LimaFoxtrotCharlie · 14/12/2020 18:48

I’ve been with virgin for years, mobile as well as broadband. Absolutely no issues whatsoever and a first rate service.
I have better mobile connectivity when out than DH on giffgaff

Wishihadanalgorithm · 14/12/2020 18:51

Virgin Media are THE worst company I have ever dealt with. I’ve complained to and about numerous companies before but not one has ever been near the ineptitude or lackadaisical attitude as VM. I ended up writing off about £40 as I Couldn’t bear to pursue my own money any longer. Awful company.

tinatsarina · 14/12/2020 18:58

Our contract has recently ended with virgin and we're looking in the new year for another provider. Any suggestions?

VicMackey · 14/12/2020 20:00

I can recommend NOW - from personal experience

MintyCedric · 14/12/2020 20:26

Do not even go there with Virgin.

81yo mum, 82 yo bedridden terminally ill dad a d their Virgin phone line went down the week before last. Their emergency call out works through the phone line so that was scuppered too.

Spent 4 hours trying to get through to someone Wednesday evening and another 2 hours the following morning. Eventually fixed by Thursday evening. Down again intermittently for 5/7 days over the course of the following week. I cannot even begin to describe my stress levels.

I've been with Plusnet for 2.5 years and will be getting The Olds transferred in the next year.

AndWhat · 14/12/2020 20:34

Tried to get virgin in my new home. After 2 failed visits by installation teams they offered me £50 credit to my account Hmm.
When I told them I didn’t even have it installed so how can I have £50 off nothing they finally agreed to cancel my order after I spoke to 6 different people over 3 days Angry!

Bizawit · 14/12/2020 20:58

YANBU. That’s all 😂

Rudolphian · 14/12/2020 21:03

Virgin is shite.
I cant go into the saga I had with them
But agree with everyone who says it is almost impossible to actually speak to someone u less you say you are cancelling your contract.
I had absolute disgusting customer service.
Then switched to Plusnet. I havyn had any issues so far.
I keep getting letters telling me about great deals Virgin Media have and why I should switch.
I would never go back to Virgin media again. They are crap.

FitterHappierMoreProductive · 14/12/2020 21:24

Well then I’ve been lucky for 20 years @Eleganz. And I have never known customer service as shite as Virgin across any business frankly

Original poster
Justmuddlingalong · 14/12/2020 21:40

I've been a customer with Virgin for years and years. I received a Black Friday special offers email back on the 27th of November. Silly me thought that upgrading would be easy, straightforward and painless. It's been stressful, frustrating and a fucking joke tbh. Oh well day 18 tomorrow. Same shit, different day, no doubt.

OP posts:
TrickorTreacle · 14/12/2020 21:43

The thing with Virgin is that they're a cable company - cable TV and cable internet. After they took over Telewest and NTL, they had a monopoly on the cable network. Service reliability was good, technical support was so-and-so, but what finally put me off them was the above-inflation price increases. Over 12 years, it nearly doubled from £20/month to £38/month. This was just for the internet and only the medium speed plan.

Cancelling Virgin? Give it a go but let me warn you, it was harder than cancelling AOL! It took me a couple of goes in the end and they relentlessly try to keep you as a customer. It also helps if you have already signed up to a new provider. They will try and barter with you but stand your ground.

Once you're off the cable network and back onto the more normal telephone (ADSL / fibre etc) network, then it's much easier to change providers if you need to. You can change once every 1 or 2 years depending on the contract and it's just a matter of filling in a form online e.g. Quidco or uSwitch. No phone calls needed.