Virgin Media Ireland

Read my story and see if you can spot a pattern.

I signed up for a year contract. Only two days later we decided to cancel. However they delivered the TV/broadband equipment to my house a day earlier than expected, so now we're stuck with equipment we don't need. But no problem, we can send them back.

Two days later (after getting a poor deal with Sky) we decided to stick with Virgin. You'd think they'd be eager to have more customers?

I called them to reactivate the account. I gave serial numbers of the equipment we have.
No problem, they said, it's just an office activation - not a new account and no new equipment will be sent out.
* Got an email with a new account number.
* New equipment was sent out the next day.
* The service activation actually never happen and they never informed me.

Broadband was obviously not working so called them three days later.
The office activation didn't work and they didn't understand why.

I gave serial numbers of the equipment we have AGAIN.
No problem, they said AGAIN, it's just an office activation AGAIN - not a new account and no new equipment will be sent out.
* Got an email with a new account number AGAIN.
* New equipment was sent out the next day AGAIN.
* The service activation actually never happen and they never informed me AGAIN.

Still no TV/broadband. Waited a couple of days, so called them back.
The office activation didn't work AGAIN.

As I write this it's 10 days since I first tried to get setup.
Just called the technical support. The office activation didn't work and they didn't understand why AGAIN.

They said they would transfer me to sales team AGAIN - and specifically said that there were Sales people working on a Saturday.
* Got transferred - then got answer machine saying no sales team on a Saturday.

I called back 10 minutes later.
They said they would transfer me to sales team AGAIN - and specifically said AGAIN that there were Sales people working on a Saturday.
* Got transferred - then got answer machine AGAIN saying no sales team on a Saturday.

Their website says that the sales number is open Saturdays.
Tried calling it - got answer machine saying closed on Saturdays.

To sum up:
If they try to fix something and it goes wrong - they won't contact you to tell you. You'll have to figure that out for yourself.
One person won't handle your issues - it will get passed around to several people. So expect to repeat the same issue to many people.
Their support team don't know what the working hours of their sales team are.
During the week, every phone call will require you to wait 30 minutes.

Honestly the hassle I'm getting is not worth the offer they're giving.
I'll give at most two stars only because the people on the phone are nice to talk to.

Where do i start, first customer service is very poor, it seems operators are answering from scripts same answers for different question.
And on top of that i could hardly understand them then asked how is the weather in ireland.
Then mis sold a price for 80 bit my bill was 98 then following mnth was 100 and thats on digital because i downgraded from horizon then charged 2 xtra multi viewing 3months in a row which i dont have i had a stressfull time with this co.
How i wish we can get our upc back.
I can go on on with this company
Arrived home only to find they disconnected me because of 50 balance with out a warning which upset my 5 yr old boys
1 wk now no telly and they hv refused to realise my line for me to connect to another company as iam still on contract but i refuse to pay their 200 euro fee
THIS VIRGIN MEDIA IS A RIPE OFF ONLY CARE ABOUT THEMSELVES AND FANCY HOLIDAYS

I have been a customer of Virgin Media for 10 months, using their 250Mb Broadband service.

I (foolishly) decided to upgrade to 1Gb + TV360 ("The Beast Bundle") las Thursday. New router and TV box arrived on Friday. This is when my living hell started.

Before I proceed, it's important to point out that I run a tech company and am extremely experienced in setting up broadband routers and WiFi connections.

I followed the simple instructions to install new router (effectively unplug old router, plugin in new one) and wait "up to 30 minutes".

Hours later, nothing.

I phoned Virgin Media 1908 - I was left holding for 2 hours, without being connected to a customer care agent.

Later, I was directed to their "customer support" (it's a WhatsApp number). Each question/message I posted took (on average) 15-30 minutes for a response.

I asked support why the slow response, only to be told that the support person "was simultaneously working on 6 other support requests"!

Yesterday morning (Saturday), I spent over 5 hours on their useless WhatsApp support trying to get the connection issue resolved. No joy, whatsoever.

WhatsApp support person was next to useless (check for loose cables, etc.). I then establised, via connecting to the router's ip (control panel) that yes indeed, a broadband signal was been fed to it), clearly indicating a faulty router (new, black Hub 2). After some online research, it would appear that many other customers have experienced faulty routers, so I suggested to support person a new router be sent out. No.

I was then told that an engineer visit was required. I asked when would this happen, only to be reminded that "there will be a €50 engineer fee".

I then requested for my existing white router to be re-enabled, until a non-faulty new router would be sent, only to be told that this was not possible, and that my white router "was no longer on their system".

I have no intention of paying for an engineer fee.

I now have no internet connection.

In my 54 years on this planet, I have never, ever, ever experienced such atrocious support from ANY service provider.

I would not recommend Virgin Media to my worst enemy, and rue the day I ever decided to contact them.

Broadband keeps cutting out. Customer service is absolutely horrendous. Sign you up for contracts without your knowledge. Currently being served a lot of penalties by Consumer Rights associations for illegal contracts. Link http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/consumer-protection-law-enforcement-actions-*******-Feb2016/ Even a simple cancellation of contract involves filling out complaints form online, emails from customer service team and then call 1908 to be put forward to loyalty team and then cancellation team which ultimately tells you to write to *******@virginmedia.ie. Acquiring the email address *******@virginmedia.ie involves all the aforementioned departments, incredibly long wait times and to top it they hang up on you as well as ask you to call back due to technical difficulties. Finally your contract will only be cancelled 30 days after you write to *******@virginmedia.ie. Procuring this email address took me 2 weeks during which time i kept telling them time and again to cancel my account. Yet your 30 days notice doesn't start until you write to *******@virginmedia.ie. When i asked on Virgin Media facebook page why *******@virginmedia.ie info was not provided in the first instance they simply deleted my comment after making some lame excuse. Best to email them instead of talk as conflicting info given every time you call. But emails still may not work. Had written confirmation that they would review a call but after 4 months of silence they simply said they will not. Lost patience at this point and just gave up. Never ever going back to them ever again. Signing up, installations, upgrades are all as smooth as butter with them. Well lifes good until you hit a bump like devices not compatible with modem, you're under a contract suddenly, want to cancel your account, waiting for someone to talk to for 2 hrs, being told to call back or hung up.

Back in December I decided to move to Virgin Mobile for my teenager dayghter and myself. Called Virgin and had a long process through an asian call centre (painful already). Managed to get it sorted and I received the SIM 3 weeks later. Went on the website to activate the SIM as told (very hard functionality to find) and was told that I needed to call to activate that it could not be done through the site. Tried to call them 3 times... "your call is important to us... you are number 24 on the list. Blah blah blah" I had this experience 3 times at 3 different time of the day and eventually gave up wrongly assuming that it won't be a problem.
Since I haven't activated the SIM.

The offer was for 3 months free and I have broadband, TV and Phone with them so I did not notice at first but on the 4th month they charged me for the mobile that I never activated or used.

I canceled the service and the direct debit and wanted my money back. The mobile agent assured me he'll pass on my complain to the refund team and I never heard back until yesterday when they called me to "settle" the due amount! I refused and explained the issue and asked for a commercial gesture of some sort. They refused!

Now I have been a customer of theirs for more than 2 years and was planing on staying with them... this is all going to change my boardband, TV, phone services are going to another provider next month.

Regardless of the legal terms and conditions that I did not know about (obviously) I can't believe that virgin customer service manager believes the best way to gain customer is to make it really hard for them to sign up then to cahrge them for something they haven't managed to do!

Disgraceful

It is very sad as I admire Richard Branson and all he's done but his company is not living up to the standards and lost themselves along the way...

Stay away they will realise one day that customer experience is key to profitable business!

Right were do I start customer service right, ring them up to cancel my account they first claimed I was one day over my 14 day cooling of period when I new I was not so there started the hard sale warning me that my tv and internet was going of and kept refairing back to what I had talked about previously in the early stage of contract could not have said it more clearly I want to cancel it took me all of 1 hour to cancel with theses people god never again 70e for freeview CHANNELS please do not go near these. Hard sale you I would have hated to been an older person and not understood what was been said to me very misleading there customer service and dont no what cancel means. And I all so during the conversation ask to speak to supervisors or managers I was put on hold then came back to me stating all management was in a "meeting" then because he just would not cancel me let me go on my way for second time I ask to speak to management then I got one were his first words was sorry it was a human error I replied wot he went on to say I was sat here listening to the hole thing going and you are with in your 14 day cooling of period. Yes I got right the manager was there all along and told the guy to say he was in a meeting lie after lie then he said look you were not charged anything. Ok but think out loud how many human errors have you done if I was outside by one day of my cooling of period I would have had to paid for a years subscription to break free of contract. Very dangerous water virgin media. I sure your not allowed to do hard sales nor give faults information about management and certainly not about the contract I was on my 14th day today and i did make the comment so someone don't know how to count to 14 well for that reason you have lost a customer and would advise people to be careful of there terms and conditions because they will turn them to there advantage when it suits.