Oh dear, Virgin Mobile!

Regular readers will be fully aware of my past and more recent involvement with Virgin Mobile, the issue with my wifes contract was finally sorted out (although it took probably 9 months). It was also blamed on the IT department, a theme which appears to be developing on my current problem as well!

How can something so small can be so troublesome!

So, to bring you up to date with my current issue (read about it here) – I finally lost the will to live on Thursday evening (6 days into the matter) and emailed Graeme Oxby the MD of Virgin Mobile, I did not expect to hear back, so credit where credit is due – I got a reply within about 30 minutes apologising and confirming it would be looked into.

Great, we were making progress.

That was the good news. I then got an email from the CEO’s office on Friday morning confirming that the matter had been sent to a ‘specialist’ to sort out, great! I waited until lunchtime but heard nothing so I rang the lady who had emailed me to ask what was happening – unfortunately the number given was an 0800 number so it should have cost me 14p a minute! Luckily I ‘have an app for that’ so was able to find the direct number – but it wasn’t a good start and I wasn’t impressed!

The lady informed me that it had been escalated, but they had 24 hours to respond (not again!) - so it might be later on Monday due to the weekend. Errr, wrong answer! I ‘suggested’ a reply the same day would be ‘useful’ due to the fact that we were careering towards the one week anniversary of the matter. She said she would try!

Mid afternoon Friday I did receive the call – a very helpful and polite chap confirmed my fears, the tariff was still not changed and hadn’t actually been added yet (despite two people already saying it had)! He confirmed it was now added, also added lots of texts, minutes and data so my son could use the phone. So things were looking up. I was also told it could take 24 hours to transfer but took a laid back approach as this man appeared to know what he was doing!

I was also promised that the matter would be handed to one of his colleagues to watch over the weekend as he was off.

However (you knew this was coming) – as I type this on Sunday it is now almost 48 hours later – the contract has not transferred, I have had no call from Virgin (so assume no one is watching the case) and we appear to be only slightly further forward!

Quite what I am supposed to do to finally resolve this is a mystery to me – if you are reading this on Monday it will be because it is 11am and I have received nothing positive from Virgin this morning. It is now 9 days and counting with no resolution to what should be an easy issue!

I will contact the CEO’s office again (but not on the 0800 number!), and also copy this blog to the MD. If you are reading this Mr Oxby I can confirm that I don’t give up on issues like this!

And I haven’t even started on the issue of compensation for my time yet………

 

What is it with Virgin Mobile?

I have a history with Virgin Mobile (VM) – if you have a moment and want a laugh you can read about it here. I had hoped that we had reached a position with them whereby things were back on the straight and level. Sadly we are not, my conversations with them over the last two days frankly beggar belief.

Just to set the scene, my sons mobile has been on a pay as you go basis with Virgin Mobile since he has had it. He is now developing a social life so it’s time to transfer to a monthly contract. Virgin Mobile offer a £5 deal for Virgin Media customers that provides 3000 texts and 100 any network minutes (plus unlimited calls to other virgin mobile numbers) – a good deal. So we decided to take them up on it, and this is when our ‘fun’ started.

To be fair my wife did warn me it wouldn’t be straight forward, her experiences are pretty torrid with VM, I should have listened!

The initial call to transfer was made at 8am Saturday morning – but we were told there was a credit score issue so it had to be transferred into my name. Strange we thought, as the two phones already on that account are on direct debits for a paltry amount – but we played along. We were told the transfer would be done in 24 hours and then we could sort out the change in tariff.

So Sunday morning comes and we make the call – only to be told it would now take 72 hours – call be old-fashioned – but I wasn’t impressed, I requested to speak to a manager.

After 30 minutes on the phone to the manager we learnt that a credit score had not actually been done on my wife – so that was a blatant lie from our first phone call – and that the number was now ‘locked up’ in the transfer between my wife and I, so nothing could be done currently!

We are now awaiting a call to tell us the transfer to me has happened, but it ‘may not be until tomorrow’ – not good enough VM!

I have no issue with Virgin Media, they are great to deal with, but the constant pain from VM is getting very tiresome. Why don’t they care about how they treat their customers? I will update this as soon / if the matter is resolved.

As usual I am not holding my breath!

UPDATE 1

As expected the promised phone calls did not materialise, so I had to chase Virgin Mobile. I was told that the number was still ‘locked up’ and they would now have to escalate it to the IT department – but that would take up to another 72 hours.

So currently we are looking at a potential 6 days to achieve something so simple that most companies do it in minutes – but not VM!

I did have to speak to a manager again (but you knew that already didn’t you!). Time to see if things start to move a bit quicker?

UPDATE 2

It is now Thursday evening, the contract is not set up still! I have made two and a quarter hours of calls to Virgin, many promises have been made – and broken. I am promised a call by 10 tonight, am I to be surprised?

UPDATE 3
I have emailed the MD of Virgin Mobile – and received a reply – things are looking up!