Whirlpool

I had Virgin BB@Home for some 2 1/2 weeks now and am really disappointed with its overall performance.

it was easy to set up, straight out of the box - no problems whatsoever. Setting up the accounts and emails was easy as well - no dramas.

I live an an area with good mobile reception for all carriers but despite that the most I ever menage to get is 2 bars (low) on modem.

Broadband seems to work OK - when it works :-), the modem drops out randomly, every now and then - it works from 2 seconds to 6-7 hours and then IT"S DEAD- and you need to switch it off and back on in order to work.
this is OK if you are not using wireless network but it is a huge drag to have to run downstairs and switch off/on modem on regular basis.

The speeds are as promised , but I do not understand why do they shape p2p downloads. If you're into torrents , then forget Virgin BB - it is as slow as 56k dial up.
They should simply let us use our monthly quota at normal speeds regardless of content and then slow us down.

As for the phone side - I dont know, I tried to use it few times - it didnt work - then I gave up for a few days , then tried again and it worked OK, all thou a bit noisy, and the next day it was back to its peculiar behaviour of ringing and then dropping out or ringing engaged when I know it is not (my mobiles) , then dropping out as soon as you start talking :-) etc.

The phone side of this bundle is not worth the bother and I cant understand why are they offering it when it is so unreliable.

All in all - I'm going to give it a flick in a day or two - it is a very low quality product, not well thought thru, it becomes almost comical when you have to run upstairs - downstairs to reset the modem in order to use it in a wireless network . Phone use is beyond help and I'm not even trying to use it anymore - it is just plain silly.

$60 per month is a bit rich for the service as unreliable as this.

I can only commend Virgin for giving people a chance to test it before signing up

snailstar writes...

I can only commend Virgin for giving people a chance to test it before signing up

Indeed. "It's not for everyone".

If you have copper options, take them.

snailstar writes...

it becomes almost comical when you have to run upstairs - downstairs to reset the modem in order to use it in a wireless network .

Your able to reset through the web interface.

it drops out in hot weather for me, even with a 15dbi yagi attached

BLAKE AuST

snailstar writes...

I can only commend Virgin for giving people a chance to test it before signing up

That's just it. It hasn't worked out for you, you exit and are none the worse for it. It has worked for me (phone is very reliable and internet has the odd moment where a reconnect is required - for me that's fine for $60 a month although of course I look forward to the internet being as reliable as the phone) and I have been signed up since August, enjoying smaller phone bills with internet thrown in!! :)

snailstar writes...

I can only commend Virgin for giving people a chance to test it before signing up

Thats ok but what about the users, ex user now, like myself who had a superb trouble free 30 day trial and then the broadband slowly went down hill. $300 exit fees are a bit steep but better than paying $1200 for a crap product imho.

Mark n writes...

$300 exit fees are a bit steep

Unnecessary. A well argued case for a penalty free separation is not that hard to do.

deeranger writes...

A well argued case for a penalty free separation is not that hard to do.

They wouldn't budge, as far as they were concerned the service was fine and the full fees had to be paid end of. What ever argument I put forward I got the same reply.
Obviously you haven't tried it ;-)

Mark n writes...

Obviously you haven't tried it

Not yet.

I have enough consumer rights knowledge to win against a company not meeting their side of the contract.

In fact, you should have won more than a free exit.

Mark n writes...

They wouldn't budge, as far as they were concerned the service was fine ...

But it is not very good publicity when we have to warn everybody that we call that the phone call could drop out due to our unreliable Virgin broadband phone.

There is no way I would currently recommend it to a friend - as a phone system or a broadband solution.

^edit

The phone call that I made to my mobile phone tonight lasted 24 minutes before dropping out.

cyberknutt writes...

There is no way I would currently recommend it to a friend - as a phone system or a broadband solution.

True, I too recommended Vbb at home to friends during the trial period. Thankfully no one took it up.

deeranger writes...

I have enough consumer rights knowledge to win against a company not meeting their side of the contract.

Unfortunately I don't have a great knowledge of customer rights, I tried the argument of not meeting their side of the contract but to no avail.
I'm sure if I took legal action I could win a case but that will cost more than 300 bucks.

Mark n writes...

I'm sure if I took legal action I could win a case

Many solicitors offer a free first consult. Some offer "no win/no pay".

Find someone offering both.

My thoughts are that if the service ends up so unreliable as to being unusable (which it hasn't for me yet) then I will just cancel the credit card they are taking payments from. Nothing else direct debits that one so no big dramas.

With a letter to them stating why, and copied to the TIO with documentation as to why I am cancelling them I think would leave the ball in their court. If they want to sue me they can spend more than the remaining contract would be worth. And I would even send the modem back at my cost.

richary writes...

I will just cancel the credit card they are taking payments from

That could come back to bite.

I think it's better to fight them head on.

richary writes...

will just cancel the credit card they are taking payments from. Nothing else direct debits that one so no big dramas.

Sorry, but check with your bank, you will find that closing the account does NOT prevent further debits and then the bank will be on your case for the $$

Stretch writes...

Sorry, but check with your bank, you will find that closing the account does NOT prevent further debits

I agree, that's exactly what my bank told me.

..unreliable as to being unusable...

my thought exactly . Past are the days when internet was a curiosity and when we didnt care if it didnt work for hours or days.
I dont use it for business but I like to check the news, my bank accounts, my emails and so on every morning and evening without having to go crazy due to unstable, unreliable and unusable service.

I just realised (thanks to the fella above) that you can disconnect thru the console :-)
which saves me running and swearing, but still, as I said, you just expect these things to work if they are sold as a finished product.

Mark n if you have all your issues documented a complaint to the TIO should get you a review from VB on that fee.

Next point is canceling the card wont work but canceling the derect debit with VB and the bank will.

If they continue to charge after you have informed them the bank must treat it as an unauthorised transaction and do a chargeback.

But you really need to get it sorted at the telco because they wont chase you for it, you will just end up on their list of people that they wont provide a servise to.

you can instruct the merchant or your financial institution (eg the bank, credit union or building society where your account is held) to cancel a direct debit. You are not required to go to the merchant before you go to your bank or vice versa.

complaints about direct debits can be made to the financial institution or the merchant. A financial institution must resolve the complaint within seven days and they cannot require you to first take the complaint to the merchant. If you are unhappy with the response from your financial institution you may be able to take it to the relevant external dispute resolution scheme.

www.asc.gov.au/asic/asic...you?opendocument

and, page 2

www.fairtrading.qld.gov....ct_Debit_pit.pdf

Mark n writes...

Unfortunately I don't have a great knowledge of customer rights, I tried the argument of not meeting their side of the contract but to no avail.

You need good documentation to support your claim. It's very easy to do:

forum-replies.cfm?t=900892&p=1

Keep your records over a reasonable period of time -- 6 weeks should be long enough -- then contact Virgin again to negotiate a mutually agreeable cancellation of your contract. Virgin are entitled to reasonable evidence that they have failed to supply you with a reliable service within the terms of the contract. Once you have good supporting documentation I have no doubt that you will be able to cancel your contract without penalty.

While most subscribers to this forum would agree that Virgin are experiencing significant technical problems. I have never seen any evidence that Virgin are an unscrupulous company and I am sure they will treat your case reasonably without you needing to refer your case to the TIO.

Good documentation is essential for a good outcome.

VBB@H Experience

BB started great, then upgraded Firmware, Some Problems, Exchange Modem, Less Problems, then moved all the electrical stuff away from Modem, better but not great. Some days better than others.

Phone generally OK, with limited intermittant stuff.

Lately websites have started timing out - hit refresh and they come up. This is quite annoying.

Also my usage seems a long way off what my router is reporting.

venchelo writes...

You need good documentation to support your claim. It's very easy to do:

forum-replies.cfm?t=900892&p=1

Good documentation is essential for a good outcome.

Thanks for that Venchelo, it'a a little late for that now.
Maybe there could be a sticky thread to inform other potential victims of what to do to avoid ETC?

Gary Dunham writes...

Lately websites have started timing out - hit refresh and they come up. This is quite annoying.

This is probably the well known phenomenon known as Intermittent Internet Interruption - abbreviated III - which is a break of about 30 seconds (sometimes more) in the connectivity while the modem still reports that it is connected. There currently seems to be no solution to it.

I counted 12 occurrences in 2 hours a few nights ago.

It is causing much frustration to many users, including my wife who prefers to use our backup 3 broadband connection which is much more reliable.

Based on my current experiences, I could not honestly recommend Virgin BB@Home to anyone.

cyberknutt writes... Based on my current experience

I have moved from a Buy to a Wait Recommendation

I could not honestly recommend Virgin BB@Home to anyone.

Like the D&L Guide says It's OK but Don't Say I did not warn you …

Mark n writes...

Thanks for that Venchelo, it'a a little late for that now.
Maybe there could be a sticky thread to inform other potential victims of what to do to avoid ETC?

As many of you are aware I pulled the plug on VBB a couple of months ago and went to a copper wire ADSL2+ provider with VOIP, as I was lucky enough to have that option. I have had a couple of initial issues which were very promptly sorted out and I must say (VBB PLEASE NOTE) that after posting my issues on Whirlpool my current provider also posted a prompt return response saying to email them personally and they would look into the issue. Within a couple of hours - fixed!! My biggest problem with VBB was the lack of 2 way communication. I sent many emails that were never acknowledged. I made many phone calls and after being on hold for ridiculous times to be told the same old - same old - power off modem etc etc and went away unhappy. Virgin need to realise that many, many people use these forums as it beats the on hold times. It won't do me any good now, but VBB need to have a reasonable presence here to rebuild confidence in the product as I am one of many that feel that the product could be fantastic if it was supported!!!

A brief break from the thread topic

To ask any questions and to clear the air surrounding the recent closures/deletion of Virgin threads, please see:

forum-replies.cfm?t=938589

Putting it bluntly, there is no conspiracy to keep "bad press about Virgin Broadband silent". I am undergoing a big clean up of all ISP threads in the Wireless ISP's subforums, not just Virgin Broadband.

This has been needed to be done since the merger with Mobile Data and Wireless ISP's late last year (I have only had the time to do so now).

Whirlpool.net.au is a fully independent, non-commercial, community website, run by a team of unpaid volunteers

Any further claims that Virgin BB threads are being removed/closed/deleted because of favouritism (or trying to keep bad press silent etc) will be removed as trolling.

(Edit - I note these types of claims have not been made in this thread, but other Virgin threads.)

If want to make comment on the forum clean up, do not respond in this thread, please use:
forum-replies.cfm?t=938589

And now back to the General Discussion of Virgin Broadband...

?rD writes... Any further claims that Virgin BB threads are being removed/closed/deleted because of favouritism (or trying to keep bad press silent etc)

Dan Warne of APC magazine has been nibbling away at the VBB@ Home Performance and Customer Service Issues.

The wiki the real wiki on VBB@H has links to several articles on Virgin Issues and the contributing author is Dan Warne again

Dan Warne is the reporter for APC … see members online forum-user.cfm?id=2132

Any useful comments that may be used in an article on the Virgin issue may be whimmed to Dan Warne.

I suggest a precis of the issues along links to the relevant WP discussion rather than several pages will be better recieved as a Whim.

But before doing this read the previous APC articles

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Broadband_(Australia)

en.wikipedia.org/w/index...9&action=history

If anyone wishes to attract media attention then a single page brief outlining the issues to a media outlet is far better at attracting attention then several pages, remembering that the average TV story has to be told briefly …

apcmag.com/7900/virgin_b...regional_nsw_vic

Virgin is struggling to get network and modem problems under control that have caused … dropping off the network.

Customers frequently switch the … modem on and off to get reconnected....

Customer service call wait times are 90 minutes plus, but the Virgin service disconnects after 90 minutes.

The problems come at a bad time when competition… is ramping up considerably.

That is a fair shellacking based on feedback from Whirlpool and others, so any complaint that there is no voice is rather unfair and incorrect.

I would strongly recommend that nobody buys this product.
I am a customer and after the trial period the service has dropped dramatically on both the broadband and phone service. Customer service is near none existant.
I am about to cancel my service as it is much worse than living in a third world country.
Just as a matter of interest yesterday their customer service phone lines had the following wait times.
Sales- less than 1 minute
Broadband technical support- greater than 1 hour ( I hung up after that )

well, when you sign up with a virgin you can expect the worst root possible, no?
finally, after hours of waiting i got thru to them, only to be personally insulted by a helpdesk jockey called Bill when i refused his "troubleshooting" I cant believe that he actually challenged me. i told him that i had my cert 4 in networking to which he said that i didnt have a cert 4 in virgin networking!!!!! its enough to make a cat laugh, this punk kid, ex saffie no doubt... anyway.
told them to shove it and put a complaint into the tio:)

I need everyone's help if they can.
I have written to Today Tonight to see if they can do a quick story and survey on how many people are having problems with the Virgin Broadband at Home. I think this will give us a much better picture than whirlpool as all the non tech people then have the chance to ring them up and complain.

So anyone that is interested please back me up by filling in their form on the link below and see if we can get some media coverage on it.
If it's just me sending them something then they might not take heed but if enough of us can send them a form they might wake up and take on the story.

You can choose whether or not to be interviewed so why not do it.

au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/contactform/30607

I'm getting very cheesed with this so following it up with a genreal complaint to the ACCC.

Here is what I wrote :

Dear Sir/Madam,

I would like to complain about the service this so called phone and Internet provider is giving. They have advertised a product that is a broadband speed product and it doesn't perform to specification, Most times I can only get half the speed of the advertised speed. This includes multiple line drop outs, line disconnections. The phone sometimes works and sometimes doesn't and that applied for both incomming and outgoing calls. I have been putting up with this for 3 months now and the service is still the same if not worse at times. Many users using this product have complained of similar experiences through a website called www.whirlpool.net.au which i am a member of. Their complaint and issues can be founf in the wireless section and then virgin. Support is terrible as calls take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to get answered while they leave you on hold. Many people are trying to exit their contract and they won't allow them to exit and I'm sure you would have had a few of these enquires by now. I am not looking to exit or looking for compensation. I just want the product to work the way it has been advertised, I don't think that is unreasonable.

Again anyone that wants to also lodge a general complaint to the ACC Click on the link below.

www.accc.gov.au/content/...Url=.&type=Other

Toongy writes...

I just want the product to work the way it has been advertised, I don't think that is unreasonable.

The fastest and best way to resolve any issues you may be experiencing with our service is to contact us directly. We can provide you with all of the information and support we can to ensure it is resolved. Please email me at robert.tihanyi@virginmobile.com.au to discuss your issues.

Toongy writes... I need everyone's help if they can.I have written to Today Tonight to see if they can do a quick story and survey on how many people are having problems with the Virgin Broadband at Home.

Is whimming others who have left after struggling to make work a good idea ?

I remember there was several over the last 6 months or so who struggled valiently to make VBB@H work, failed and left …

cyberknutt writes...

Based on my current experiences, I could not honestly recommend Virgin BB@Home to anyone.

Same here.

In one night, I was up and down my stairs a dozen or so times, to reset the Modem to send just one email. I honestly thought I was moving a step up from my Supernerd Dialup.

Storm Dancer writes...

In one night, I was up and down my stairs a dozen or so times, to reset the Modem to send just one email.

Specifically what sort of problem did you see? Was the modem simply not connecting or was it freezing completely? If it was the former, then you can reconnect from the modem console, and the new firmware (www.virginbroadband.com....e/downloads.aspx) provides a much more stable internet connection as well. If it was the latter then it would be helpful if you provided us with more information so we can work out why.

Thanks to the VBB team for the release of the latest firmware :-) I upgraded last night & I've only had one minor connection drop-out but it rectified itself promptly. Overall things seem to be going smoothly & I haven't had to disconnect & reconnect from the network yet. Hooray!

Hi all,

I am unable to make any outgoing calls to landlines but able to ring mobiles. Any one have a clue on what could be the problem.

Your thoughts would be appreciated

Darren

dazza71 writes...

I am unable to make any outgoing calls to landlines but able to ring mobiles. Any one have a clue on what could be the problem.

We had an outage on part of our infrastructure that affected Virgin customers (both mobile and Broadband At Home) from around 6pm to 8.30pm. The symptoms were that only around 1 in 3 outbound calls from a Virgin Mobile device were able to connect. SMS was unaffected, as were inbound calls from other networks.

I was trying to get into my account online, and it says that "My Account" is locked. (I guess I typed the wrong password too many times)

Does it unlock itself, or do I have to get in contact with the Call Centre.

I can access my broadband usage and everything else though....

hey everyone

this is a bit off topic, but im trying to call an australian mobile number from virgin broadband phone service. thing is that this phone is over in america (my uncle im trying to call as he is travelling there). i have had many attempts to try call and have failed. I have used the phone service (virgin) and also a call card, and neither can get through

i type in the number like this 0011 1 4xx xxx xxx (the 4xx xxx xxx is the mobile number without the 0) and both services tell me there is not enough numbers. I then tried adding 702 (for las vegas) so its now 0011 1 702 4xx xxx xxx and it now says that the "phone is restricted"

any ideas on where i'm going wrong with the international format. googling this doesn't help at all ..

like i said it's a bit off topic, but would be greatly appreciated if someone helped =)

Vince ? writes...

any ideas on where i'm going wrong with the international format

Are you sure he has global roaming activated?

deeranger writes...

Are you sure he has global roaming activated?

he sure does. because i have called him (and also on other times my aunty and cousin) but its not a particularly "cheap" option, as it's nearly $1.25 a minute on prepaid. regardless of this, i just typed in the number as 04xx xxx xxx and it worked fine. but with the international dialling code, it doesn't want to work for some reason.

Vince ? writes...

but with the international dialling code, it doesn't want to work for some reason.

I have always just dialed the mobile number and let the telcos sort it out.

deeranger writes...

I have always just dialed the mobile number and let the telcos sort it out.

fair enough

well it was either $1.25p/min with a mobile or 0.5c p/min with this calling card . i know which one i'd choose ;)

i typed the 04xx xxx xxx straight out in the calling card service and it said i have 16 minutes left. funny that because i have about $9 left. i typed it as international format and it says i have 1050 minutes in this call, then it spits out that message of cant connect , restricted etc etc.

Vince you call him like you normally would if he was here in Australia and you will only get charged to call an Aussie mobile and the person you are calling wears the international cost.

james031 writes...

Vince you call him like you normally would if he was here in Australia and you will only get charged to call an Aussie mobile and the person you are calling wears the international cost.

oh okay thank you.

ON hold trying have my calls redirected to the mobile …

Message:Clients in NSW & QLD are having internet connection issues … Try again in an hour?

David Vincent Smith ? writes...

Message:Clients in NSW & QLD are having internet connection issues … Try again in an hour?

Far OUT! Virgin are finally communicating!! Unbelievable.

David Vincent Smith ? writes...

ON hold trying have my calls redirected to the mobile …

If it is a Virgin mobile, put the SIM in the mobile and do it.

David Vincent Smith ? writes...

Message:Clients in NSW & QLD are having internet connection issues … Try again in an hour?

How long has that been up. I have been having problems for a week.

David Vincent Smith ? writes...

Message:Clients in NSW & QLD are having internet connection issues … Try again in an hour?

FFS, not a good day for this to happen - looking forward to moving house, getting nDSL and dumping V.

redpill writes...

getting nDSL and dumping V.

Wish I could do the same but nooo telstra will not do anything to my line so I can get adsl.

Does anyone know if tesltra would do anything if I need it for business? I work from home now a fair bit and need to have a fast and reliable connection and Virgin is not the answer.

Phone and internet have been down most of the day for us. What a joke this thing has become. I can't believe I evangelised this thing early on. I'm making up for it now with plenty of anti-evangelising though. Maybe I'll send Virgin a bill for all the mobile calls we've had to make ....

Hey guys ,,, service is non exsistant now.

Have had ever increasing phone and internet problems over the last month.

Modem keeps freezing , having to constantly restart.

Contacted VBB last monday , guy asked me to hang off for a couple of weeks , to see if their upgrades sort the problems out , (can you believe it?)

To which I replied "thats fine , you 'll be happy to stop billing me then whilst I wait, wont you ?"

Apparently he cant do that , what a joke, So I asked to speak to a supervisor, they were all on breaks, So they were ringing me back as soon as there was one available.

Still waiting ........................

Rang again thursday, 88mins until answered.

Gave young lady phone number , name and pin. she got my details up in front of her , and guess what,..................... 90 minute disconnection.

Dont worry I thought , she has my number in front of her , she'll ring me straight back.
Nope,,,,,,,,,, dont hold your breath, she let me hold 88 mins then let me go.

Can you believe that , I cant, " Come on virgin "

Finally, I got on to them this morning, much more efficient operator, "Isaac"
Who went out of his way to help , and restore some confidence in VBB.

Gave me $20 credit on all three of my accounts, + has made a recommendation to refunding the last months service charge on all three accounts, However still waiting to hear back from the supervisor to confirm this.

I have locked the modem into GPRS to give a constant connection, its slow but at least , at this stage its a connection.

So I will sit tight until for a day or so to see what VBB does to fix the problem ,

Robert, from Virgin if your listening , I do hope you guys are on to this ,

Cos I think your in for a world of hurt over it , unless its nipped in the But real quick.

The Good - David Bowie Suffraget City On Hold Music

The Bad - You may WILL be waiting more than 5 mins

The Awful - Turn Off Your Modem and Lose Your Place in the Phone Queue

The Silly - If Your Call is NOT URGENT Try Calling Later …

David Vincent Smith ? writes...

The Good - David Bowie Suffraget City On Hold Music

The Bad - You may WILL be waiting more than 5 mins

The Awful - Turn Off Your Modem and Lose Your Place in the Phone Queue

I like the music but the tech messages are on overkill. Doesn't let u have a good listen to the tunes. Message pops up every 20 seconds or so.
:-/

Yer ,,,, if I hear

"try turning off your modem and turn back on again to see if it fixes the problem"

Im ganna scream................

45 minutes on hold … JHC

Answered after 53 mins … then ON HOLD … then told to upgrade Firmware … NO … Discussion on the lack of benefits for this … Request to do diversion at their end …
Back ON HOLD … Trying to do this … Back ON HOLD … Firmware is the ONLY answer … Issue Unresolved … Not helped !

martaroony writes...

"try turning off your modem and turn back on again to see if it fixes the problem"

How about:
"Try throwing your modem out the window and signing up with a different ISP."? That should fix the problem.

Can you tell I've gone all bitter and angry like one of the other early adopters did a few weeks back? Today was the last straw...

Hi,

I've been with VBB since September and over the last month or so the BB service has deteriorated to the point where it is virtually unusable.

When I first got my modem I was so happy with the service and that I (regretfully) talked it up to anyone who would listen, and that is even with the early "teething problems". In those happier days I was consistently getting 700+ kbps down and 350+ up even with the modem showing less than -110db, sometimes in driving rain.

Up until about 30 minutes ago I was on the original firmware and have only upgraded to R2C19 in a desperate attempt to get a resolution to the appallingly bad BB I am experiencing now. (I downloaded the f/w at work - wouldn't download here.) This step has made it worse.

Check it out...

Test Results from Oz Broadband Speed Test
----------------------------------­
Test run on 28/03/2008 @ 06:36 PM

Mirror: AAPT
Data: 70 KB
Test Time: 67.08 secs

Your line speed is 9 kbps (0.01 Mbps).
Your download speed is 1 KB/s (0 MB/s).

Yee haaa

Apart from the recent firmware update, nothing else has changed at my end...

Therefore:

This problem is not a firmware issue.
This problem is not a reception issue.
This problem is not a congestion issue. I even gave it a go at 1:00 am - exactly the same non performance as now and anytime (even whirlpool keeps timing out).

A clue ?? A few weeks ago I didn't have BB in the morning, I restarted the modem and it came up with UPDATING - what th'? Why would that happen - it happened the next day too but not again. Did anyone else notice this? Needless to say, the firmware was not updated.

It seems to me Virgin have a broken network. Why don't they fix it - it USED to work.

Will try Virgin support when I have a few hours to spare...

btw my postcode is 4211 (Gold Coast).

Thanks - I feel better now.

NoBB writes...

Mirror: AAPT
Data: 70 KB
Test Time: 67.08 secs

Your line speed is 9 kbps (0.01 Mbps).
Your download speed is 1 KB/s (0 MB/s).

Wow, that's really pathetic. I am surprised you even managed to get your post through :-/

Just sat on hold for 38 minutes to be disconnected!! Dialing back in now. They are now experiencing a high number of calls lol. Thanks Virgin Broadband :-)

The data transfer happens in bursts - I caught one.

Plus, I find banging my head on the desk helps.

As I said in my earlier post, Robert from Virgin,

If your listening or reading I should say.

This could put VVB into melt down if they dont get on top of it quickly.

Even just an email to all subscribers to reassure them that you are actively on to sorting the problem.

I guess the problem with that is most of us cant get a long enough connection to check our emails.

But it would have to go a long way to preventing a big portion of punters clogging the call centre, which only increases the aggravation.

Come on virgin , use your heads , communicate with your customers ,
dont isolate them.

Pro-active Communication goes a long way to dispelling consumer fear.

( Hint), to those with no connection at all, Lock the modem into GPRS only,

This will give you a constant connection with no drop outs,
Just extremely slow, but solid.

however , you wont have a phone then, So , you can divert the calls to another phone.

(ie), your mobile , you can only divert all calls from the consold if you have the latest firmware.

Just a band-aid to slow the agro.

Also guys ,

Another observation I have made is that when I do a speed check on my VBB now, on (speedtest.net)
It shows that my origin is coming from melbourne, not the Gold Coast , where I am.

Seeings that their on hold message states that NSW and QLD are experiencing difficulties , I would assume all of our traffic is being gatewayed to melbournes gateway.

Thus ,, clogging the network... perhaps....??????

Just my opinion.............

Second call tonight after being disconnected after 38 minutes the first time. This time I sat on hold for 68 minutes then the phone answered & what I could make out was customer service reps chatting in the background or something. Then I was put back on hold for about 30 seconds then the call dropped out. This is pathetic! Get your act together Robert. This kind of behaviour flows down from above these staff.
Just dialing back in & I'm back on hold!
:-/

After only having Virgin broadband for a week or so, I rang tech support to get help with similar problems everyone else is happening. Connection keeps dropping out, I restart modem, it comes back for a few minutes, etc. etc.

Tonight - waited on hold for tech support for 30 minutes (at least)...

Am now on hold waiting for Customer Service so I can cancel, have been on hold for 30 minutes so far.

So happy I didn't port my number or cancel my other ISP yet.

I'm just gonna keep trying till I get through. It may make for some interesting posts lol.

Welcome to Whirlpool blueberrymuffin! :-)

Hey guys ,

10 points for trying, but I dont think you will achive anything, Ive been through every senario with them , and it comes down to them having to fix it at their end.

Unless your trying for some compensation, the token $20 offering , or maybe the entire months refund .

I dont think you with get the desired result , of a complete fix by the time you hang up.

Lock it into GPRS until they get it sorted then hunt them down for loss of service afterwards.

At least you wont go grey in the mean time.

Dont forget we know more than most of the operators on Vbb.

martaroony writes...

Dont forget we know more than most of the operators on Vbb.

I think if they hire us to work in their tech support we'll get the job done lol.

At $35000 a year, I couldn't afford to pay for my therapy from working there :-P

Toongy writes...

At $35000 a year, I couldn't afford to pay for my therapy from working there

Compo pays for that.

Don't forget, you get free VB@Home too!

deeranger writes...

Don't forget, you get free VB@Home too!

You dont think these guys would be stupid enough to pay for this service.

martaroony writes...

You dont think these guys would be stupid enough to pay for this service.

Dunno, they are stupid enough to work there ! :-P

I called Virgin last night and after waiting over an hour on old, to be told the issue is with Optus, ring back tomorrow morning, I can't help you. - I'm sorry but my issue is with Virgin!

I rang this morning around 7.40am SA time, waited for 90mins and then was cut off.

All I want to know is when is the tower at 600 Main North Road, Smithfield SA, will be upgraded to return to the same capacity I had prior to 2/2/08. The reason I included the full tower address is that there is another Smith in NSW (which is another long story!).

Another example of poor customer service.

Mine was just as crap and I was about to do the speed test and it dropped out

Test Results from Oz Broadband Speed Test
----------------------------------­
Test run on 29/03/2008 @ 11:55 AM

Mirror: OptusNet
Data: 3 MB
Test Time: 37.75 secs

Your line speed is 649 kbps (0.65 Mbps).
Your download speed is 81 KB/s (0.08 MB/s).

A few thoughts of my own ,we have no other option for broadband here so tried
VBB ,it worked well for the month trial with no problems , however since then the speeds have halved, dropouts have doubled, blood pressure has quadrupled, we don't even use the phone line.

The change from the first month to the next two months makes me wonder if "they" have switch to flick once you sign up for two years.... And yes i know i could try and get out ,however stop start broadband is better than dial up at 28Kbs

hammer39 writes...

makes me wonder if "they" have switch to flick once you sign up for two years

Sorry to disappoint the conspiracy theorists but I signed up in August and no, it hasn't all been plain sailing but here is my current speedtest result:

Test Results from Oz Broadband Speed Test
----------------------------------­
Test run on 29/03/2008 @ 08:58 PM

Mirror: OptusNet
Data: 3 MB
Test Time: 39.01 secs

Your line speed is 628 kbps (0.63 Mbps).
Your download speed is 78 KB/s (0.08 MB/s).

Not too shabby although I must admit I have seen more slower results in the last couple of weeks than before ; someone must have signed up near by - maybe I should hammer the connection so that they get put off - just kidding :)

AFCfan writes...

Not too shabby although I must admit I have seen more slower results in the last couple of weeks than before

They are starting to move in AFCfan, or maybe other's have heard how good your's is and moved in close to you :-P

Toongy writes...

They are starting to move in AFCfan,

Yeah. I fear it could be the beginning of the end of good VBB@H for us.

Hi Guys,
Sorry to ask an off-topic question....but does anyone know if Virgin runs a Newsgroup server........ news.virginbroadband.com.au doesn't seem to work.........

Close Rellie had the cannot reach call centre to pay account. Account shut down.
Virgin CCO failed to send direct debit form dispite repeated request.
Both phone and mobile cut off.
Computer was under repair at the time so payment via the web not an option.

Call Centre times reported 50 mins plus with phone service now gone from good to ratty.

50 mins is consistant with my experience.

David Vincent Smith ? writes...

Account shut down.
Virgin CCO failed to send direct debit form dispite repeated request.
Both phone and mobile cut off.

Nearly had similar happen to myself. IIRC they don't give you much notice before disconnection. This company is a disgrace.

Edit: BTW, sending the DD form in doesn't help because they don't bother to make the deductions! Instead, they send you disconnection notices for unpaid bills and give you 2 days to pay - or else!!

Edit2: I'm actually looking forward to dumping this company more than I looked forward to ditching Telstra.

well for me since the firmware upgrade, my internet is fairly good but my phone service has gone bad Bad BAd BAD BAD!!!

pr@z writes...

well for me since the firmware upgrade, my internet is fairly good but my phone service has gone bad Bad BAd BAD BAD!!!

Did you reboot the modem after upgrading the firmware?

My phone settings went haywire prior to a reboot which fixed it.

I still get the very occasional call drop out.

deeranger writes...

Did you reboot the modem after upgrading the firmware?

My phone settings went haywire prior to a reboot which fixed it.

I still get the very occasional call drop out.

yes i did reboot, the call drop out is the only problem i have !!!... :(

If anybody is interested, Sir Richard Branson is in Sydney today!

Wouldn't this be a golden opportunity???

semi-lit writes...

If anybody is interested, Sir Richard Branson is in Sydney today!

Let's ring him!

Oh.

Sorry Robert but the new upgrade (R2C19) does NOT work on all modems and Virgin seem to be acknowledging this. I was having similar problems with disconnections and searching modes but could still connect to UMTS (without my antenna). I say UMTS / HSDPA I think the fastest speed I ever got was about 70Kbs but normaly sat between 6 and 35Kbs. As soon as I upgraded the firmware I could only get a GPRS connection (with my antenna). I don't believe I have signal issues as when the modem tries to connect to UMTS the signal is around -83dBM.

I finally got through to the support desk after another 90 minute wait. That was harrowing in itself as the recorded message kept distorting and a few times I thought the call was going to drop. Within a minute of explaining the problem I was promised a new modem would be sent out within 14 days. Why so long?

The only reason we are sticking with Virgin at the minute is we have been given a $30.00 discount for March and if we still have problems in April will qualify for another.

I think you need to come clean to the users what the system problems are and what is being or not being done to resolve these matters. It needs to be done NOW!!!

semi-lit writes...

If anybody is interested, Sir Richard Branson is in Sydney today!

Wouldn't this be a golden opportunity???

Yeah, someone has to tell him how his brand is being abused.

Uno, he is doing some radio interviews while he is here. "Everyone, man their Virgin home phones and start dialing!!" hehehe.

Once again Robert was this made public to the customers? Where any emails sent out after the outage to explain to the customers there had been problems or did you just rely on the number of support call to skyrocket or did you do nothing?

I think on one of the previous replys somebody put a link in for channel 7 news. I think that maybe the way to go. It's obvious Virgin have network problems and it's obvious they don't seem to want to do anything about it. They cannot provide the service they have promised. Since Mr Branson is in the country promoting his airline, maybe we should make him aware of what's going on.

Virgin do a similar thing back in the U.K. They took over a cable / internet provider that worked perfectly well for years only to stuff the services up. Again you couldn't get through to their support staff. It must be company policy to keep customers on hold for over an hour.

Well, today I have no broadband at all via UMTS/HSDPA. It does actually connect but no data is forthcoming. GPRS works fine and its 28kbps line speed is quite refreshing. Have tried support number, to no avail - will try again tomorrow a.m. maybe.

Why don't VBB publish something telling us what's going on? Maybe it's news to them that this is not a secret. Many places on the Gold Coast have no BB now and have suffered very poor performance over the last few weeks.

I am out of ideas. However, my mother is not. I persuaded her to sign up a few months ago and she's now considering writing a letter - look out VBB!

You know ... it just might work!

225wen writes...

Virgin do a similar thing back in the U.K. They took over a cable / internet provider that worked perfectly well for years

Unfortunately not quite true, NTL (the old company) was a disaster before Virgin touched it. There was even several websites/forums setup explicitly about the poor service NTLhell, ntlhellworld etc...

I think its time though that Virgin allow disgruntled customers out of the contracts now without penalty, at the rate its going its seriously going to tarnish there PR and mobile business.

deeranger writes...

Let's ring him!

Oh.

and lets hope the phone won't drop out!! LOL

There has been various comments before that Branson doesn't own (or maybe even have any commercial interest) in VBB. And it is owned by Optus. However he must be licencing his image to appear on it. For that reason alone I think it would be worth trying to contact him and say his image appears in a poor light on this offering and will impact people thinking about using other services perveived as his such as VirginBlue, VirginPacific and the new V Austrailia. Or even Virgin Music.

Not knowing him personally, but he is a pretty canny guy when it comes to licencing his name I would expect. I wouldn't be at all surpised if he owns the Virgin trademark and has just licenced it (just guessing here). In which case if the service is crap and could impact on his other brands, he would have some cloiut in getting things fixes or withdraw the agreement next time it comes up for renewal.

So if anyone can contact him please let him know our problems. He seems approachable though of course that could just be PR.

Optus is paying Virgin (Richard Branson) a licence fee to use the name "Virgin". This is what has sold the Virgin Broadband - if it had been advertised as Optus Broadband, it would not have generated the overwhelming interest - ten times what was anticipated and still growing, I think. Virgin rests on its name - or it used to, I'm not sure if it still does - probably does.

I remember someone saying in the media that the Virgin license Singtel has leased, is only for a set time. So, I don't believe it will come up for renewal. I guess Virgin Mobile & Virgin Broadband will eventually have a name change. Hopefully reinvention will coincide with a service that is actually working by that time.
:-)

I think the set time is 5 years.

Just looked at VBB and thought I'd use their coverage locater again and now it Does Not cover my area when it said that it did when I 1st tried VBB at Home a while back b4 returning it..

semi-lit writes...

Virgin rests on its name - or it used to, I'm not sure if it still does

Well, when I lived in Adelaide and used to get the 4:30pm or so flight back to Adelaide on Virgn it was always an hour late coming down from Brisbane to Melbourne to then continue on for my flight. Just as well there is a nice bar at Tullamarine (if I didn't have the car at the other end). Ended up telling work if they booked my on that flight the trip