Virgin Media around KTon University Penrhyn Road Site

7 years ago...

I don't normally do this, but enough is enough. The short version is this .... according to my reliable source, if you are a virgin media broadband subscriber anywhere around Kingston University main campus (Penhryn [sic?]), and you have been subject to the area-wide issues that have been ongoing since before January 2015 (ie: if you've had a crappy internet connection, either consistently low bandwidth or an intermittent service) then you may just be (/have been) entitled to £10 per month deducted from your bill due to a service not quite matching what you believe you are paying for. Surrounding the stated area by some margin the reported service is well below 10% of the maximum advertised. There are two things to consider here ... so in order of importance :

1. A service is being sold to this day in an area which is known to be oversubscribed. I know for a fact that the 100Mbps service still being sold in the area cannot be delivered. This has been confirmed by VM staff themselves, with the typical defence being "we only said UP TO 100Mbps". If any VM staff wish to challenge this, do feel free - I have recordings and I will publish them if you contest this.

2. Discounts are being applied to accounts only where the customer phones VM. Perhaps I am in the minority, but personally I have been hung up on (I am polite, I find it hard to be otherwise), passed around from department to department in what sometimes seemed like a game of who can wait longer. My issue with this is that if the company is aware of a substandard service, why are they not crediting accounts automatically ? The answer is obvious, obviously. Most people are too busy to do this. ALL people don't want to navigate the twisted waterways of VM for discounts.

Since I complained about this issue with the company, I have noticed a deterioration in my other services provided by them. It is entirely possible that this is merely a coincidence. Having said this, I think it is important that we share our experiences with any particular service provider with our fellow Surbiton/Kingston(ites).

Apologies for the brevity - happy to answer any genuine questions ... 50% rant, 50% desire to help others :)

Peace :)

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