Bob gets Virgin Media broadband & TV but is less than impressed with the installation

[Bob Crabtree]

Originally Posted by Xtanto

I was with pipex for internet and BT for phone.

Cost ~ £25 per month for 2M internet and £11 + call charges for phone.

Pipex then had a new offer of £29.95 per month for 8M internet (412kbit up) + line rental and unlimited land line phone calls.

It was quite a hassle to get on to this as it was actually pipexhomecall who had the offer and had just be taken over by pipex.

They told me I would have to change my internet as pipexhomecall actually used tiscally broadband.

I said you have to be joking your add says 'powered by pipex' and after many a long call I now have the deal but still have my pipex internet account.

Is this the offer you also wanted? - cos with a fight you probably could have got it anyway.

I think it is quite possible that this was indeed the package I was after but the following internal HEXUS email (sent on Nov 7) may put things in a context, though suggest that Pipex was either BSing me or BSing you.

Pipex unable to upgrade me to 8MB - is this BS or what?

I sent an email to Pipex support over the weekend, asking them how I can switch from my present Pipex service (which is 1Mb with 3000 minutes of free calls to 01/02 numbers) to Pipex Max+Anytime (8Mb with unlimited 01/02 calls).

The cost of each package is much the same.

There's no way on God's earth I'd ever use more than 3K minutes of 01/02 calls but I would appreciate having faster internet downloads, even though I think the most I'd be getting right now is 5Mb or 6Mb.

Customer services replied by email on Nov 7 saying,

Unfortunately, we cannot upgrade you via email in this case, you will need to call our customer service telephone line.

So, today I called and was told that there is a technical fault that makes it impossible to transfer from one type of account to another at the moment and that software engineers are working to sort it out.

I was told it is possible to switch to faster broadband alone but not to have a phone service, too.

The guy I was speaking to said he'd take details of my request and get a supervisor to call when this becomes possible (I made sure he gave me a reference number relating to this request) but he said there was no known timescale of when this transfer might be possible.

As a consequence, I switched to that three-for-£30 deal from Virgin Media and will, hopefully, save a packet - not least because I've also knocked Sky on the head.

[dave87]

Originally Posted by chis

You MUST install the connection using the software CD, if you are doing it for the first time, or have moved house.

Trust me, I've had to install NTL broadband for many clients now, and it's the same deal every time.

I think that was in reference to the router, not the modem...

[JimmyBoy]

arghh reading all this takes me back to when my ntl broadband was installed..

the engineer did a flawless job with the cabling, very neat and tidy surprisingly

but when it came to setting up the broadband the setup process wouldnt get past a certain stage for days.

i finally gave in and rung the helpline and the engineer talked me through a few 'solutions'

nothing fixed it so he got me to delete a file from the C:\windows directory

i did what he told me and rebooted apon request to which i was greeted with a bluescreen and when i told him what had happened he couldnt get off the phone quick enough he told me i should call a friend with a "deep knowledge in operating systems"

a loss of everything and a re-format later it all worked but i'll never forget that guy who single handedly destroyed all my college work / music collection at the time >:-( damn u ntl!!!!

[mercyground]

Originally Posted by chis

You MUST install the connection using the software CD, if you are doing it for the first time, or have moved house.

Trust me, I've had to install NTL broadband for many clients now, and it's the same deal every time.

No you dont.

You only need to goto the website to register it.

autoreg.autoregister.net


serial : ntl-ct8-cj486

and run throu it like that.

[mercyground]

Originally Posted by Bob Crabtree

<snippage!>

1) Modem CD instead of broadband CD... I'm wondering if someone setup your account as a modem account given the email u recieved as well...

2) NTL fitters are a pain in the ass and very hit and miss. Some good. some VERY bad. Be firm and insist.

3) The bill system should be 1 bill now. It's taken them 9 months to sort my bill into just one but they have now managed it. One would ASS-U-ME ;-) That new customers would go straight onto the new system... but hey. Thats CS for u. (not just NTL... CS everywhere appears to be crap. I spent 4hrs on phone with dell... and then the stupid woman phones me back to say ok. i'll do the paperwork and then confirm with u... and puts me on hold for 40 frackign minutes!)

[DragonStar]

Originally Posted by mercyground

and puts me on hold for 40 frackign minutes!)

do i detect a Battlestar Galactica fan? \o/ love that show. As i said though, they are just getting things started, we can only hope they overhaul the whole system and make improvements.

[mercyground]

Originally Posted by DragonStar

do i detect a Battlestar Galactica fan? \o/ love that show. As i said though, they are just getting things started, we can only hope they overhaul the whole system and make improvements.

Yes

And that was Dell. not NTL.

I mean seriously... if you have paperwork to fill in for the customer. Fill it in before you phone them!

I thought she'd just be like couple of minutes. At the time i was driving home and had pulled into a layby. 40mins later i'm pissed off and i should have really just hung up and said **** it.

so mental note... NEVER give them your personal mobile to sort out a work job. even if it is the boss's pc you are getting prioirty rushed. Never got a thanks for it either.

NTL's CS has been hit and miss for me. Some good ones. Some who "put you on hold" and hang up. (good way to piss me off)

Billing department is sadly the worse. I'd got a discount because i was going to drop my package down as funds were tight, and i've ended up having to ring them every month to get the bill sorted right. Hopefully now with the new one bill it will be ok. If not... then Ear burning will continue ;-)

[Dareos]

Time for a small rant of my own then.

First of all, let me state that until recently I have been very happy with NTL, had an excellent installation 2 years ago, and during that time have suffered very little loss of service, certainly no downtime worth talking about.

I live in Partick, Glasgow, as is stated in my details on the left, and the NTL call center is in Clydebank, a mere 3-4 miles away, so I was always greeted with a friendly and familiar accent when i called, or a cheeky manc/geordie if i managed to get redirected, all was good.

Since the change to Virgin, i have been getting regularly disconnected from World of Warcraft, huge lag spikes making the game damn near unplayable, which is a real pita for me, as i'm a little bit of an addict. Now, this problem appears to have been resolved last night after a week or more of trouble, but it wasnt just me. Every NTL user i spoke to was getting lagged out or DCing at exactly the same time, whether in Northern Ireland or in Surrey etc. Telewest users however suffered no problems.

So, on to tech support after having my bill sorted out by a lovely lass who recognised Teamspeak *new player* announcements (someone joined channel while i was on the phone), turns out she was a Counterstrike: Source player and a very helpful one to boot., great stuff. OK, so on to tech support then...


and my rant starts.

First of all, greeted by a strong indian accent, this doesnt mean anything of itself, i have plenty of *ethnic* friends ( lets be PC here), but it immediately flags up the warning signs, although I have been proven wrong before with a wireless set up i have. After describing the problem, telling the guy on more than one occasion that the fault isnt at my end, and all i want is some information as to when it will be fixed, he insists on taking me through some ridiculous checklist during which i have to check flashing lights on the modem. When i tell him I cant discern any issues, he starts to run through an internet connection checklist, at which point i tell him that i'm running Vista.

Shock Horror, they dont support Vista

anyways, thats not the issue, i booted up XP, all the while informing this guy that the problem was not at my end, and how i knew this, proved to him that my internet settings and connection was fine and that the problem persisted no matter which operating system i used because ( and i was getting a little frustrated at this point ) THE PROBLEM WAS AFFECTING EVERY NTL USER PLAYING WARCRAFT...


anyways, he said he would send an engineer out if i held the line, at which point i hung up.


Make of it what you will, but i was not happy with that call, other than that though, the service from NTL has been pretty decent.

[Bob Crabtree]

One little tip - if, like me, you have a transition period from your original email provider (in my case, Pipex) to Virgin, and still need to send emails from any accounts associated with the old provider, then you'll need to change the SMTP settings in your offline email app, be it Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird or whatever.

The new setting (in the old accounts) should be as per your Virgin account - in my case,

smtp.ntlworld.com

If you don't make that change, emails will not be sent from those old accounts.

Bob

[Bob Crabtree]

Possibly, I'm suffering from delusions of grandeur (not for the first time!) but it appears to me that Virgin might actually be keeping an eye on this thread and making some changes.

I say this because it seems that the company might have just changed the text of its welcome email from that which I posted here yesterday.

I created a bunch of new accounts and, having done so, received welcome emails on each.

But the text was greatly different from that of the first one I received and I've highlighted the thing that alerted me to this fact. The new emails said the following:

NEW VERSION

Sent: Friday, March 09, 2007 12:36 PM
Subject: Get the most from your new broadband service!

Hi there,

Say hello to your new, no-nonsense internet service from Virgin Media,

Now that you're with us, you.re going to get a whole lot more from the internet.

For starters, we're giving you free enhanced security, email for all the family and the very best of entertainment on the web.

To get started, just log on to www.virginmedia.com/customers/welcome and we'll show you the basics - like how to use your new email account, where to get your security up and running and loads of useful tips for surfing the internet quickly and easily.

Once you're ready to get going, check out www.virginmedia.com and you'll find the latest news as well as some top-notch entertainment and much, much more.

And if you need a hand at any time, pop over and see us at www.virginmedia.com/help
Here you can get help with your service and security. You can even install Broadband help, which will provide you with information to assist you if you ever have difficulties with your broadband connection..alternatively simply click www.virginmedia.com/help/cablebb to get Broadband help.


So now you're ready to start getting more from your internet service. Enjoy.


Kind regards,


The Virgin Media Team

OLD VERSION

Hi there,

Say hello to your new, no-nonsense Dial-up internet service from Virgin Media.

Now that you're with us, you.re going to get a whole lot more from the internet. Here's a quick taster of what's in store:

15 email addresses - enough for you and the whole family

Webmail - access your email from anywhere in the world

55MB of web space - so you can have your very own website

The best of online entertainment at www.virginmedia.com

Need a hand? There's loads we can do to help you out online, including:

Account management tools - to help you with things like setting up new email addresses.

Up to the minute service status information

Helpful advice so that you can get the very best from your service To find out more ,just log on to www.virginmedia.com/help

We make staying safe online easier than anyone. Here are a few of the things we can give you to help out.

Free personal firewall

Free Anti-Virus software

Helpful tips and advice on protecting your computer

To learn more, log on to www.virginmedia.com/security

And don't forget, once you're up and running, there's loads of great things you can do with your internet service - from starting your very own website to finding the best bargains on the web - it's all ready and waiting for you on our big, shiny homepage, www.virginmedia.com

Enjoy.

Kind regards,

The Virgin Media Team

Of course, it could just be that Virgin sends out a different welcome message to secondary and primary accounts but, hey, don't spoil my day by suggesting it.

Oh, and I've just noticed that one daft typo appears in both versions,

you.re

So, if you are keeping a watch, Virgin, you might like to change that, too, and, may be, email me to let me know.

Oh (2) and Virgin, do please know that my freelance fee for carrying out sub-editing work is very reasonable - though, of course, not ultra cheap - and that I'd be happy to sort out other stuff for you, too, on a chargeable basis.

[kalniel]

Originally Posted by Bob Crabtree

So, if you are keeping a watch, Virgin, you might like to change that, too, and, may be, email me to let me know.

That should be maybe, one word.

Oh (2) and Virgin, do please know that my freelance fee for carrying out sub-editing work is very reasonable - though, of course, not ultra cheap - and that I'd be happy to sort out other stuff for you, too, on a chargeable basis.

Ditto

[Zak33]

Originally Posted by Matt D

Routers are your gig, not VM's, they provide you with the modem,

For the Record: Bob's right to ask about it, cos you can buy all manner or routers from Virgin and then get no help from them on them.

http://accessories.virginmedia.com/w...elected=340202

They have always offered Routers, so it's not really fair that they deny other people might wanna share the connection.

I was with Virgin.net for a year, and while they were very helpfull in places, they clearly always had a staff training issue. ie none. If yu get a helpful/usefull person, it's cos they know about it anyway, not cos they were trainedby Virgin

Which is a shame.

[TiG]

well just on the phone to VM to ditch everything but the broadband, only really watched sky1, skysports news so no point in having anything but the broadband now.

however 22mins and i'm still queuing!.

TiG

[Bob Crabtree]

Originally Posted by kalniel

That should be maybe, one word.

Ditto

Would you like a cheque or cash?

Cash?

Fine, okay.

Have you ever seen a £4 million note? No?

Excellent!

(Courtesy of I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again circa 1965)

[Bob Crabtree]

Originally Posted by Zak33

For the Record: Bob's right to ask about it, cos you can buy all manner or routers from Virgin and then get no help from them on them.

http://accessories.virginmedia.com/w...elected=340202

They have always offered Routers, so it's not really fair that they deny other people might wanna share the connection.

I was with Virgin.net for a year, and while they were very helpfull in places, they clearly always had a staff training issue. ie none. If yu get a helpful/usefull person, it's cos they know about it anyway, not cos they were trainedby Virgin

Which is a shame.

And apologies to all. It was very remiss of me not to point out this daft contradiction - Virgin selling routers and yet telling customers on the phone that they don't support them, which was exactly what I was told when I called up to discuss the broadband options with Virgin.

[Lee @ SCAN]

Originally Posted by Bob Crabtree

Have you ever seen a £4 million note?

Nah... but we could really do with a 99p coin though.