Two sides to everything……

I was told many years ago that your first contact with someone is the most important, it sets their opinion of you. Hence in business your receptionist is perhaps the most important person in the firm. This goes for both face to face contact and phone contact…..

So why do companies insist on using faceless call centres to deal with both new and existing clients?

My ‘history’ with Virgin Media is well documented on this blog, so I won’t go back over old ground. However I have again this week had dealings with one of their engineers who attended to install a new modem (or ‘super hub’ as they call them). He was very efficient, polite and quick – I couldn’t find anything to complain about (strange I know) – and this has always been my experience of their staff on the ground – simply brilliant!

But, to get an engineer you have to go through the call centre! On this occasion they had given the engineer the wrong house number (I corrected it when he called to say he was 10 minutes away). It had taken me four people to get to someone who could deal with my enquiry – and I was returning their call asking me to contact them!

So Virgin – as usual, brilliant staff who actually deal with your clients on site. But your call centre gets worse!

Why can’t you see this?

 

A case of ‘cart before the horse’?

What happens when you put a package delivery service together with a mobile phone operator? Chaos!

Over the last few weeks I have been intrigued by the actions of the delivery company Yodel – they tried to deliver a package to me – but I wasn’t expecting anything and it wasn’t anyone’s birthday for months. So what could it be…….

I decided to wait until it had been attempted to be delivered three times, so that I could then collect it from the depot (in Loughborough). Unfortunately the third delivery attempt was not notified to us by a failed delivery card (although according to the Yodel website it occurred when we were in the house!). So the package ended up being returned to the sender.

A call to Yodel confirmed the sender was Virgin Media – I am a Virgin customer so I rang them to ask what they had been trying to send to me – and why I had not been notified! I was told that nothing had been sent and that they would have advised me if they were sending something out to me.

Fair enough – this was a few days ago, and I decided to let it rest. And then today I received the attached email saying they had sent something to me. It is also related to a safety recall. It appears that my current modem power supply could overheat and catch fire (as confirmed in the link they sent me).

So I am not impressed with Virgin for a number of reasons;

1. They didn’t tell me the item was on its way to me

2. This is a safety recall – surely it should be dealt with in a more professional manner?

3. A text? really the best way to deal with it?

And as far as Yodel are concerned – next time you ‘deliver’ at 8.30 in the evening perhaps it would be worth actually coming to the house? I might even be in!

 

More ‘joy’ with a mobile provider!

I appear to be developing a bit of a ‘thing’ with mobile providers – I don’t know if I expect too much from them, or whether they are just all useless – but they really don’t ‘cut the mustard’ as far as I am concerned!

My latest problem is with T Mobile (Now called EE it appears). My stepdaughters iPhone was stolen and is not insured with T Mobile but via Endsleigh Insurance (who I would add have been brilliant – highly recommended!) To sort out her insurance claim we need two documents from T Mobile – the first to confirm the blacklisting of the iPhone, the second a proof of purchase. One would not expect this to be a problem – it has actually been a nightmare and I have had to resort to emailing the CEO of EE (Olaf Swantee). Rather than explain the story the email is set out below. I have no idea if I will get a reply – I hope I do – but I am not holding my breath!

Dear sir

I am sorry to have to contact you, but I am running out of alternatives. I am attempting to obtain a proof of ownership and blacklisting document for my stolen iPhone which is on contract with T-Mobile (but not insured through yourselves).

I first requested the documents on the 17th December, your call centre in the Philippines confirmed the documents would be mailed to me and I would get them within 5 days. I was also told that one of them would be emailed to the EE store on Clumber Street in Nottingham for me to collect the next day.

On arrival at the store no such email had been received, as I had made a special trip into town I was not amused (and out of pocket due to parking) however I shrugged it off as the documents would be in the post.

Roll forward to Christmas Eve – nothing in the post yet so I rang again. This time I was told that one of the documents was only done the day before (not on the 17th as I had been assured previously). I asked for them to be emailed to me which I was told was not possible – on hearing this I asked to speak to a manager. As it was lunchtime in the Philippines there were none available, so a ring back was arranged between 1pm and 2pm.

As you will probably be guessing now, this call did not arrive, so I called again at around 5pm(hopefully not tea time in the Philippines) again to be told to expect a call back.

You guessed it – no call back again!

As it was Christmas Day and then Boxing day next I did not call again – as no doubt there would be no managers available on such ‘holidays’. So I called again today (27th) and have been promised a call back again as soon as the previous call the manager was taking was complete. That was over 20 minutes ago! All I can assume is that you have many disgruntled customers who have lots to complain about!

Please can you sort this out for me? I am a reasonable man, but this is beginning to try my patience rather!

I look forward to hearing back from you at your earliest convenience.

Regards

Simon

I have received some contact from EE via twitter which may prove fruitful, I will update this as soon as I have more news!

 

Losing the will to live….. And then…

Sounds dramatic doesn’t it – but dealing with Virgin Media must have an effect upon the nations suicide rates! Luckily I appear to have survived, my problem has finally been resolved, the experience was not a pleasant one though.

I thought I would be in my grave before this was sorted!

We were almost at the 3 week mark for my issue with Virgin – I won’t summarise the story, you can look here for the trail in my blog (I have even given Virgin their own category as they are a major contributor now!).

Suffice to say the depth of incompetence here was staggering. Initial advice and action at the call centre was all wrong (and numerous ‘untruths’ appear to have been told).

I knew from my wifes experiences that I needed to escalate the matter from the call centre as quickly as I could, and I did. My email to the MD was answered personally by him within 30 minutes (and at 9.30 at night) – so fair enough I was impressed.

Added to that Sophie in the CEO’s office has been helpful and has finally managed to sort the issue for me – but she had to take over from the three ’experts’ that were given the job in the first place. Apparently the IT issue was being dealt with by the head of IT eventually!

Virgin added lots of freebies to the phone over the last 3 weeks, which are appreciated but how about actually providing decent service in the first place Virgin? I find it appalling that a company that has Richard Branson’s name on it can be so bad! And the number of people that have told me their tales of woe with Virgin in the last few weeks beggars belief!

So the matter is resolved (as far as I know) – am I a happy customer? Well I am certainly happier than I was, but Virgin really need to address a few basic issues before they have me fully back on board!

 

The Virgin chronicles – a brief update!

Nice adverts Richard - now how about sorting my problem out?

As anyone who reads this blog will by now be aware I have ‘a bit of an issue’ with Virgin Mobile/Media that has now been rolling along for 17 days. I am beginning to get slightly confused as I was originally dealing with Virgin Mobile and was under the impression that they were a separate entity to Virgin Media (certainly the deal I am attempting to use was sold to me on that basis). However things have moved on…..

I am now definitely dealing with the Virgin Media complaints department – I have a direct number if anyone needs it. I am also now onto my fourth ‘expert’ within the department – and more exciting I have an extension to ring now that will put me straight through to Matthew who is my new contact.Is this an indication that they are finally taking the matter seriously – or just that I have now educated them in the ways of good customer care?

Matthew has got off to a shaky start – I asked for any calls regarding the matter to come via my own mobile number and not my son Sam’s, (it is his number that we are trying to sort out), but he tried ringing Sam’s first. However a quick email to me subsequently saved the situation! Plus point also for contacting on a Bank Holiday!

But, we are now into week three with no answer in sight. I am told that the IT department are still ‘looking into it’, however I would hope they may move to ‘doing something about it’ anytime soon!

I think I may have finally worked out Virgins customer complaint game plan – make it take so long to resolve that when it finally happens I am really appreciative? Hate to tell you Virgin but when it is finally sorted that is only the beginning…

 

Progress is a relative thing!

I think not!

My Virgin Mobile (or Media) issue rumbles on – I now have a ‘personal expert’ called Gary who is ‘dealing with’ the matter. He is very friendly and has the usual Virgin characteristic – of apologising all the time! To be fair he has managed to achieve something – we appear to have a direct debit set up in favour of VM (let’s get the money sorted boys, sod the actual service).

So as I type this I am becoming increasingly weary of the matter (and VM). We are now well into day 10 and are only a small way to a resolution – in summary what I have gained in 10 days;

• I now have a contact in the CEO’s office at VM called Sophie.
• I have an email apology from Graeme Oxby the MD of VM.
• I have Gary – who is ‘sorting it’ and will ‘ring me to update me’.
• I have a direct debit in favour of VM.
• I have significantly more grey hair!

What I don’t have;

• A phone transferred onto the tariff I requested.
• A phone on my online account – it has been transferring from my wife’s since last week.
• Any updates in the last 24 hours.
• Any faith in this being sorted anytime soon!

So as I say, progress is relative – I am sure VM would claim they are doing everything they can to resolve this mess. I have news for you boys – it isn’t enough.