Virgin Broadband!!!!!!!!!
 

Just before Xmas I telephoned Virgin Broadband’s Customer Service number and requested a MAC No so that I could change my supplier. This was acknowledged and I were promised a MAC in five working days. Around the 10th Jan I queried were the MAC No was and I was left holding for 10 minutes before I gave up. I tried on other occasions to get through but gave up as there was no reply.

On the 26th January I again contacted their support staff and this time I got an email saying that the MAC No was on its way.

On the 10th February I phoned again to find out where the MAC No was. I received the most preposterous explanation that I have ever heard.
‘Your line is too old. to require a MAC No.’
I immediately telephoned BT who confirmed that it was a recent installation with a capability of 20 Mgs and it definitely needed a MAC No which was not surprising as Virgin required one 18 months ago.
I telephoned again and a different operator said he would sort it out and behold, another email promising a MAC No.

The telephone bills, as a result of calling their Customer service number were getting ridiculous so I sent a letter to Virgin Media, Great Portland Street on the 4th March by RECORDED DELIVERY , detailing the above problems and asking for my MAC No by the fastest possible means. I also included copies of both the MAC No emails that they had sent.

They would have got the latter, at the latest, by the 7th March.

It is now the 15th March. Not a Dickie Bird.

Has anybody any ideas of what I should do next. As far as I can see they are wilfully denying me my MAC No so that they can continue charging me for a broadband service I do not want. I could stop the direct debit but that would probably cut off my internet. Writing to an ombudsman would take months. I am not going through the pantomime of calling their Customer Service No any more because they are useless.

Anybody know Richard Branson’s telephone number?

Ofcom | Contacting Ofcom


Alternatively :
Mr Neil Berkett
Chief Operating Officer
Virgin Media
Bartley Wood Business Park
Bartley Way
Hook
RG27 9UP

+44 (0)1256 752000 (UK HQ Reception).

A quick Google will enlighten you as to a suitable email address format.

See also :

Requested MAC Code SIX Weeks Ago...Still Waiting..... - Help & Support Forum

I take it you are talking to retentions and not just the call center customer service. They don't usually mess about. More likely to give you a better deal before letting you go.

I have carried out both your suggestions. I am now a proud member of the Virgin Media Help & Support Forum. I banged in my complaint on the 15th. On the 18th I got a reply:

YIPPPEEE!!!!!!!

On the 19th another one.

BOOOOOO!!!!!

I have already told them that I have spent three months on this telphone number with no success. All they are doing is sending me back to the beginning.

I'll give Mr Neil Berkett another couple of days to reply to my recorded delivery letter.

Has anybody any other ideas?

Tell them you are getting another provider, that they couldn't organise an orgy in a brothel, and their services are not needed any more.

Or, of course, the MAC from a previous provider is the issue then you have to take it up with them

Refer the matter to the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) of which VM are a member.

CISAS

Hate to ask an obvious question but are you on a copper wire connection? If you're cable then you won't/can't get a MAC number.

BD

BDiONU,

That question came to my mind too, but I thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt ! :ok:

I am on a straightforward good old fashioned telephone connection.
How can I refer it to an adjudication scheme when one side refuses to enter a discussion?

Easily, you'll win and they'll be forced to comply.

Erm.... that's the very reason such a scheme exists.

It gives you, the consumer, an additional form of recourse that is a lot cheaper than taking them to Court.

I quote from the CISAS website :

That's the problem. On that basis I have got to sit aound for another six weeks.

Not many more options left then, see here : Virgin Media Consumer Complaint Resolution Code of Practice

Have you tried the "Senior Manager" route ?

I have not dealt with VM so don't know if this will work. Try ringing Neil Berkett's office and asking them to fix the problem, apologise that you have to involve them but tell you have exhausted every other avenue to get the matter resolved. The person given the matter by the CEO's office will place it high on his action list!! This has worked for me with other companies.

Fareastdriver,

No doubt you've already seen this, but if not, hopefully it will bring at least a small smile to your face whilst you consider your next steps...

NTL Complaint Letter

Fareastdriver,

There is also an interesting post on this site


It's the one by "Lynsey" on March 26th, 2008 at 2:14 pm which starts with the following words.....
There might be a couple of tips in there worth following up.

Virgin Media (previously Telewest)

Neil Berkett, Chief Executive [email protected]

from a great website called ceoemail.com

I once had a problem with my gas bill - threatening me with disconnection, etc when I was overpaid.

Sent a letter to the Managing Director marked Private & Personal. Immmmmmmmmediate response and problem solved very quickly plus £20 for inconvenience.

Please educate me. Why cant you get a Mac number if your on cable?

Because it doesn't work like DSL broadband.

Cable broadband is inherently monopolistic because the cable goes back to the operator's local headend.

On the other hand, DSL broadband goes back to your local incumbent telco's exchange. From there, various fancy things can be done to either put you onto an LLU provider, a DSL provider buying wholesale from the incumbent, or indeed the incumbent's own DSL product.

My reaction to this question when it appeared yesterday was 'Because you don't need one; you aren't served by BT / copper / etc, thus you don't have a broadband connection to migrate.' But then, I thought... 'too obvious'.

So was I right?

Confused Jim of London.

jimtherev,

Yes.

My post just un-necessarily provided the background technical reason.

Mixture, thanks for taking the trouble to give a decent answer. Have to say, probably due to the drugs I'm on, I didn't understand a word of it, BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD AND I'M CONVINCED! :ok:

I understood AOL and Virgin could be got on cable, and if two why not others? And wouldn't you use a MAC number then to transfer to another supplier? Isn't the cable network like the gas pipes and National Grid or train tracks as opposed to the Train company's? (Or was that the sensible option when they started and thus too Socialistic and not profit making enough :()?

stumpey,

Thanks.

In answer to the second half of your post, it's all a bit complicated but I'll try to help.

Until LLU (Local Loop Unbundling) was introduced in 2004, all copper cabling was monopolised by BT. Technically, now post-2004, the cables remain under the BT monopoly (although supposedly under their "independent" BTOpenreach division). But what has happened is that other operators have now been permitted to place their equipment in the local BT exchanges (at a cost, of course !) and hence be able to provide "independent" services. Due to rise in automation in the BT exchanges, the MAC code therefore speeds up various automated processes.

There's no LLU on cable plant.

Now, if you're a VMB (Virgin Media Business) customer there are a few extra tricks you can use to get your internet connection through another provider over the Virgin system. But then you also get the benefit of an account manager, access to the lovely "complex provide" team and a contractually guaranteed 4 hour fix time... :cool:

Feel free to fire away if you've got more questions or if I have not answered your question .....and I'll do my best to clarify.

Hurrahhh!!!!!!
Today I got a telephone call from Virgin saying that they were in receipt of my letter, (recorded delivery, sent on the 18th), and they would send me a MAC number once again. Judging by the time scale from letter to phone call Virgin may boast of the fastest broadband in the country but their internal office system resembles a forked stick.
This time I have a MAC No email and ALSO an office number to telephone if it does not arrive.
I'll keep you posted.

Nice one Fareastdriver ! :ok:

Keep us posted.

Big Roll of Drums.
Bigger Blast of Trumpets.

VIRGIN HAVE COUGHED UP A MAC NUMBER.

Not bad after three months trying. I now have to see if it actually works.

Thanks for the support; especially to mixture for that critical name and address.

Isn't it a pity that, with Virgin, such extreme lengths have had to be used to get some information which is a customenr's legal right - but of course divulging it means that Virgin can now loose a customer. I have never needed to ask my ISP, Plusnet, for my MAC number as I have never had a reason to change to another ISP. I know which ISP I will now never touch with a bargepole should I ever wish to change.

P.P.

Fareastdriver

Glad you're sorted. I was going to suggest that Anne Robinson on BBC's Watchdog would have been a good course of action, but as you're OK not worth pursuing.

With Anne back on Watchdog from next week (7th April) almost certainly more complaints of sloppy service will get sorted out PDQ.

Running well with BT internet now. With the telephone included twice the speed, half the cost. Virgin would run at anything between 700ks to 3 mgs. BT is consistant at 5 mgs +.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but wait until something goes wrong, your problems will start all over again with BT!

Just with a simple phone line a few years ago I had major problems with them trying to get an engineer to fix my line.

Some alternative numbers for 0845 Virgin ones:-

Company Name0870 / 08710844 / 084501 / 02 / 03FreephoneOther Information
virgin 0845 454 2222 / 0800 0520870 Retentions
Virgin Media 0845 454 2222 / 0800 0522312 Broadband Tech support
Also / 0800 0520942
Virgin Media 0845 454 2222 / 0800 9522044 Customer Relations - Cancellations
Virgin Media 0845 454 2222 / 0800 0520137 Broadband Tech support
Virgin Media 0845 454 2222 / 0800 0520089 Billing problems. Better call handler than the usual 0845 number advertised too.

All available from SAYNOTO0870.COM - Non-Geographical Alternative Telephone Numbers

With respect as far as I know whoever you have as a broadband supplier they have to get BT to fix the telephone line if it goes wrong. Logic would suggest the BT would prioritise their customers first.

Tha Saga continous. Today. out of the blue, was a debit in my bank account iniated by Virgin Media. The one that was paid last month was the last one on my old contract and had, as had the previous payments, been forwarned by an email. There was no warning email this time; they just took the money.

On the blower to Virgin. I explained in words of one syllible that I was on BT broadband as from 7th April and also with the telephone. "You have not taken up your Mac No, so the account is still running. BT could not have told us that they were taking it over."
That seemed a strange statement to me as the line is owned by BT and I cannot see how they could charge me for a service when they have been disconnected from my telephone line by BT.

On the blower to BT. Lots of to-ing and fro-ing between operators but eventually it got too difficult and that they would phone me back before 17.00 hrs. It is now 17.10hrs.

Watch this space.

Maybe Virgin would like to explain how you're using BT broadband on the same line WITHOUT them having used the MAC code.

This is still Virgin's issue, IMHO.

Logic and BT are phrases that should never be used in the same sentence.

Firstly, BT is not just one company, but a bunch of separate companies that cross-charge. Oftel (or whoever they call themselves now) forbid BT Retail (the idiots with call centres) from getting priority service from BT Wholesale (the company that looks after the wires themselves).

On paper. I think the chinese walls have some holes in practice..... a leopard can't change its spots.

As for Oftel. Well, having read the news about their dodgy IT department, you can't help thinking what else is going on there.

And anyway, you're wrong... it's three main companies..... Retail, Wholesale and Openreach. The latter are the ones who do the access and backhaul. Wholesale provide structured products (e.g. IPStream a.k.a. ADSL) using Openreach assets to Retail and others (assuming those others are not building their own structured products from scratch LLU style and hence buying from Openreach). Hence it still remains one big trough for BT Plc to stick their greedy snout into.

You can't polish a turd as they say.... it's win win win for the BT Plc monopoly, no matter what Ofcom say as they've got no teeth having left their dentures at home.

I always wondered where OpenRetch fitted in (so omitted them for fear of cocking it up.....smartass! ;) )

Yup, I reckon BT only have about two things going for them :

1/ Good core stock to have in your share portfolio, nice and safe !
2/ At least you get a prompt reply from the CEO when you email him. Of course it's BT so there's still no guarantee your problem will be resolved, but I think they do deserve some kudos for forcing the big cheese to reply to emails from the punters and not just send automated trash back.


(Disclaimer: please don't go buying stock because I said so, do your own research, stocks may go up as well as down etc. etc.)

So far I have got BT to blame Virgin and Virgin to blame BT.

After another thirty minutes on the blower to BT they gave me a date and a reference when they notified Virgin that they were taking over. Back to Virgin.
Their reason for billing me is that BT did not transfer using the MAC No facility. Apparantly they did not replace Virgin with their service but added it on as the default. To quote Virgin,

"We acted correctly by giving you a MAC No, you acted correctly by giving BT that number but BT acted incorrectly by not using it when they transfered the service."

I closed my service with Virgin but it will still be about six days before it ceases. Reading previous posts it is possible that BT assumed I was a cable customer and did not use the MAC No.

However a letter to a Mr Buckley, Customer Services Manager of BT is on its way as I am fed up of telephone calls. When I took on BT they stated that everything would be taken care of; it hasn't, so the ball is now in their court.

Watch this space.