Absolutely. I've have colleagues who have worked for VS ex MAN (and LGW) and they always comment on the difference onboard when compared with LHR. Certainly ex MAN this is compounded by the very high expectations that those who have saved one or two years to see Mickey Mouse, have.
These high expectations are driven by the VA/VH marketing team. All those lovely TV adverts showing the premium service, the real hyping in the brochures of a premier service which the LGW/MAN fleet is just not capable of delivering.
When you are promised a wide selection of films and games and then find you are on a bird with the Nova system - especially when it fails - is not what you were sold. Most people will (understandably) think that they are not getting the product they signed up to whereas we all know that the ticket you buy is to transport you from A-B, anything else is just a bonus.
Of course, people then talk about the old planes on the LGW/MAN routes which isn't actually true - the planes aren't that old but the fittings are tired and the IFE is now outdated. However, if you have booked a trip of a lifetime to Florida, Vegas or the Caribbean then the fact that the physical plane is fine isn't going to cut much ice.