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This polite enough?
http://www.x404.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8431		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Angelic [ Mon May 24, 2010 3:51 pm ]
Post subject:  This polite enough?
I've been slammer before for writing letters which I think are polite, but the receivers don't. Before I email this off to Virgin Media, reckon anyone would mind seeing if they'd get offended by it if it were sent to them? :)
Quote:
Dear Virgin Media,

I have been a subscriber to your service for nearly three years now, and have stuck with you through all the problems.

Never have I ever received the advertised speeds of 20Mb. Obviously I know this is a clever advertising scam, so that you can advertise these speeds and only deliver "up to" which can be 1Mb. Which is about what I get downloading.

However this is not my issue. I know that it is futile to try and actually get what I pay for, but when it comes to disconnection I give up.

I have complained many times over the phone about my internet disconnecting, and after a technician had been called out twice finally I was sent a new modem, which fixed the problem. This is what I had asked for in the first place, and had I gotten what I asked for in the first place I would not have lost over a month and a half of service from you.

However the disconnection problems are back, and I cannot be bothered to spend a fortune on the phone trying to get it sorted and being fobbed off with some terrible "technical support".

My issue is this:
It has gotten to the point where it would have been cheaper to buy a brand new set of landline phones and used your freephone number from virgin landlines, than it has been to call you from my mobile phone and be left on hold for hours.
My internet disconnects approximately every hour, and I do not want to be told that I have to turn it on and off again to try and fix the problem because, yes, I have tried that. I am not a moron.
The problem is that I am running the internet through a router which was not supplied by Virgin. The reason I am doing this is because I need gigabit ethernet, QoS and Draft-N wireless, none of which comes as standard on ISP-supplied routers. The technician continually blames this router for the problems, however seeing as I have tried it with three different routers (Belkin N+ Vision, Edimax BR6574n and Belkin Wireless G) and the problem still persists, I can conclude that it is not this. This is not exclusive to my PC, seeing as from our network we are running 5 PCs and 5 laptops and all display the same problems, so we will dismiss the suggestion that it is my computer which is at fault.

This only leaves the modem.

I am writing this email because I know that I will get nowhere with a technician and would like someone to be sent round to replace my modem. I am quite frustrated with Virgin Media, as it is exam period and the disconnections make it very hard to get a good amount of work done. Not only this, but to unwind I like to play a certain computer game and with the disconnections my account has been branded a "leaver", therefore rendering the game useless. This the first time that I have lost money due to poor service and I am sure that should my problem not be fixed it will not be the last. Seeing as Virgin Media is at fault I would like to be reimbursed for this loss.

My account number is: xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Regards
Author:  pcernie [ Mon May 24, 2010 4:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
Nice one, right to the point :D

If a landline is an option, I recommend O2 - VM are an absolute pack of... :evil:
Author:  finlay666 [ Mon May 24, 2010 5:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
pcernie wrote:
Nice one, right to the point :D

If a landline is an option, I recommend O2 - VM are an absolute pack of... :evil:


Or Be :)
Author:  Bluespider [ Mon May 24, 2010 5:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
personally I would say, while the tone is fine and you are not being abusive in the slightest, maybe tweak the content. leave out the bit about being a student, that won't help your cause, also the bit about the game, whilst informative and very important to you will mean nothing to the cs rep at virgin.

just mention a bit about continuity of service and unsuitable for the purpose it was intended. services still fall under the sale of goods act. They may be able to get out of the speed thing with their upto shenanigans but if they can't provide a stable connected line at any speed, they are in breach of contract.
Author:  Angelic [ Mon May 24, 2010 5:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
Thanks for the replies guys.

I've tweaked it a bit - removed the bit about the game (even though i'm pissed that my new HoN account already has 8 leaves with only 18 games played, but my beta account had 2 leaves and over 800 games played!

Gonna leave in the student bit - they'll probably be able to tell anyway considering I signed up on one of their student offers when they visited the union and the rest of my street are students!

How's this sound?

Quote:
I am writing this email because I know that I will get nowhere with a technician and would like someone to be sent round to replace my modem. I am quite frustrated with Virgin Media, as it is exam period and the disconnections make it very hard to get a good amount of work done. Seeing as Virgin Media is unable to provide a stable connection, I would also like to be reimbursed for the significant loss of my time.
Author:  Nick [ Mon May 24, 2010 5:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
Don't ask for a reimbursement of your time - ask them for a reimbursement of your expense in calling them. I believe that's their policy anyway?

From a mobile it's probably what, 20p/m to call them?
Author:  finlay666 [ Mon May 24, 2010 6:38 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
Nick wrote:
Don't ask for a reimbursement of your time - ask them for a reimbursement of your expense in calling them. I believe that's their policy anyway?

From a mobile it's probably what, 20p/m to call them?


0845/0870's are up to £1 a minute depending on operator and number, best check with your individual provider
Author:  davrosG5 [ Mon May 24, 2010 10:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
Is this cable based broadband or ADSL?
If it's cable have you considered going for Watchdog or your local trading standards?
Author:  Angelic [ Tue May 25, 2010 3:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
It's cable - why would watchdog or trading standards work better than for ADSL? I'll probably go to that step if this doesn't resolve anything.
Author:  Linux_User [ Tue May 25, 2010 3:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: This polite enough?
Out of interest, have you tried running your 'puter through just the modem? Is the service any better? The problem could well be your router(s), or even a configuration issue. The point is, you can't be certain that the modem is at fault until you have tried at least 1 PC connecting directly through the modem, if this solves your issue then the problem lies elsewhere, if not then the problem could well be the modem, or even an issue at Virgin's end.

Secondly, are you breaching their fair use policy? Are you a heavy torrenter? Both can attract slow speeds, which can feel like disconnection (pages time out etc).

Thirdly, are you sure it's not a DNS error? Try using openDNS or Google DNS - I know people have had problems with Virgin's DNS servers before.

The only way Trading Standards are likely become involved is if you've consistently not had access to your service - unfortunately there aren't provisions to tackle a poor service - only if you're paying for a service you don't have access to. If you have the service open to you, regardless of how slow/poor it is, there isn't much that can be done - pick another provider and try again. You definitely won't get anywhere by bleating about not receiving the advertised headline speed - not many people do, and Ofcom has stated before that it's more than OK with this. I also wouldn't be surprised if there's something in the small print exempting Virgin from liability for subsequent losses due to a loss of service (I don't think you'll see a refund for your game). The only way you're going to see expenses/refunds paid is by taking it to the County Court.

TBH if your service is that bad Virgin Media will probably capitulate, they'll have their own records on what kind of access and speed you've had, how much data you've been able to download etc, and if it's not much/below par then they'll probably refund the service charges and perhaps even release you from your contract - although the fact you've stuck with them for 3 years despite the troubles doesn't help your case much. The kind of response you get from VM will very much depend on the history of complaints with regard to the service - if you're springing all this on them recently they're less likely to be sympathetic than if there's a long history of complaints.
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