I will begin by stating that this is the beginning of a “First World Problem” rant. I know that this isn’t a major issue like hunger in Africa or the withering of the environment under the weight of human exploitation, but this issue has steadily worn me down over a number of weeks until I have successfully reached breaking point.
When we returned to England at the end of August, a nice man from Virgin Media called to say the area we live in was upgrading to fibre-optic broadband; would we like this service like other lucky, anointed patrons of the company? As we currently have internet that would give dial-up a run for its money in slowness and an uncanny ability to cut out during sixty second Youtube videos, we happily agreed. Papers were signed and an installation date was set for mid-September. It never happened. Why, you ask? They needed approval to put some cables in the road. Fine. After a thirty minute phone call on my mobile and four people asking for my details we had a new installation date on the first Saturday in October. Fail number 2. After waiting between1-6pm, our technician showed up 30 minutes after that to tell us that their concrete cutting tool was broken and the shop below us had not been contacted for permission.
A third date was set for yesterday the 22nd of October, over two months since this process began. Once again we waited between 1-6pm. This time was even better; they didn’t even bring the tool to cut the concrete! Genius! They said they would show up this morning between 8-9. They didn’t. I called to find out what was happening. They said someone would call back within the hour. They didn’t. I called again to complain. They said they’d email me a form.
Richard Branson: I don’t know what bothers me more; that this has happened, or that it must happen so much that no one in your company seems to think this is unusual. Also, I am not immune to the fact that fibre-optic broadband is a privilege, not an entitlement, and there are many things in my life I am grateful for. Here’s what bothers me; losing my time.
While I sit around waiting for your technicians and listening to excuses from workers in your call centre I am not doing other things. I do lesson planning, pre-read literature I will be reading with my students, clean my house, do laundry, wash dishes. I have no trouble occupying myself; there is always more to do. But you think my time is worth so little that if I spend three days waiting for your techs that is perfectly okay.
I know your time is worth more than mine; I’m not immune to this. Each day you make £16000. I am only worth about £80 a day. This should not mean though that my time should be valueless. As I have spent three days shackled to my house and your company has failed time and time again, you owe me £240. Don’t worry about the cost of the phone calls; I’ll forgive you and cover this cost myself.
I look forward to your cheque in the mail.
Update: Not content with leaving my wrath to simmer in the annals of blogging cyberspace, I thought I would do what any rational person would do; find a way to contact the man himself.
I spent a few minutes online looking for the an email address to write to, and the general feeling was that the email used for the CEO team at the airline was the best bet: richard.branson@fly.virgin.com.
Let’s be honest here: why would there be any chance of actually contacting a millionaire? This was mainly to deal with my own frustration at the situation and I never expected anything to come of it.
Within 24 hours I had an email saying that a representative would be calling the next day to talk to me about my case. I was shocked. There was a case number and everything; it looked pretty official. It also seemed unlikely that someone would claim to be from the CEO Management Team of one of the most successful companies in the country just for kicks.
I waited. This morning someone called and an installation date has been set for just under a month from now. I wouldn’t hold your breath friends, but please cross your fingers if you get the chance. I think there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon . . .
Update Two: Yesterday we had an installation time set for 8-1pm. That five hour period came and went. At 1:30pm I called Virgin Media and they discovered that the Area Manager had not ordered the two man crew required to cut the concrete…again. Of course! Why would you fix a mistake you made two times previously?!
They said he would be there in the next two hours or so and that they would call 30 minutes before they arrived.
They didn’t call.
The two man crew never showed up.
Instead some guy named Dave came and told us very apologetically that they didn’t have “written” permission to cut the concrete…or apparently the people to do it as he was decidedly on his lonesome. I’d been racking my brain as to what silly excuse would be given AFTER someone showed up late, and it turns out you need “written” permission as an excuse for a fourth failed installation. Didn’t see that one coming.
I call my Complaints Consultant on Monday.
I wonder what happens next?
Windswept and Interesting 