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It isn't just Virgin Atlantic....


Alan Stubbs

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Since September, I've been receiving offensive calls and text messages, including death threats from someone I know, who has lost the plot. I have told him I want no further contact with him as he is a wife beater, a drunk and a liar.

I'm trying to download these text messages to my pc in order to hand them to the police - so I don't lose the use if my phone. The phone is my old Virgin Mobile... you might want to read this if customer service is important in your decision making processes....

 

 

Attn David Foster – Customer Services Manager

Virgin Mobile Ltd

Willow Grove house

White Horse Business Park

Trowbridge

Wilts BA14 0XY

 

Dear Mr Foster

 

RE: Mobile ***** ******

 

Thank you for having broken into your day to read this letter, which is written in a combination of sadness, frustration and anger. I have always believed that I would never write a letter I wouldn’t want to receive, however, I know I wouldn’t put myself in a position where I wouldn’t have to receive it, in the first place.

 

Having worked in customer services environments myself for over 30 years, I am pleased to advise you that dealing with Virgin Mobile is the only business I have ever had dealings with which charges existing customers for contacting them regarding issues which aren’t included on the automated ‘self service’ module. What must surely make it more satisfying to your company is that when your Customer Services Agent is unable to deal with the issue and promises a call from his line manager within 24 hours and fails to ensure that promise is kept and the customer has to call back to try to achieve a resolution, the customer is, you’ve guessed it, charged for the dubious privilege of having some patronising, but well-meaning ‘advisor’ making the same failed promise again. A not too subtle income generating ploy, it would seem.

 

It has obviously not been understood by Virgin Mobile, but what I have described is not ‘Customer Service’, but definitely is ‘Customer Time-wasting’. I will happily overlook my consultancy fee in the hope that you will divert the funds you’d otherwise have spent in the course of resolving my on-going problem in getting it sorted. I would also expect that the agents who failed to ensure the promised manager call back and the ignorant managers who felt they could ignore these requests sign your reply with the required apology. It might help ensure that no other customer suffers from the arrogance, lies and incompetence I’ve had at your company’s hands.

Your staff seem to labour under the no doubt Bransonian notion that agreeing with the customer that their situation is ‘bad’ and promising to do something about it, and then failing to do anything constitutes customer service. Not in my book. Sir Richard said that the Virgin is one of the country’s most trusted brands. God help us. The trust is misplaced and a sad indictment of the people of the country that they set their aspirations so low. My family's experiences at the hands of Virgin Rail, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Retail, Virgin Money and Virgin Mobile shout loudly that this trust is seriously misplaced.

 

Since September 2008, I have been receiving abusive text messages and phone calls at all hours of day and night from **********. The line is used by Mr ***** ********, who has been told to cease any contact with me. He has been formally requested by me to cease any and all contact with me. His calls constitute repeated offences under the Mobile Communications Act, and your company’s failure to help could conceivably be construed as aiding and abetting that offence…..

 

If I don’t act on this, the other option is to request a change of mobile phone number because another of Virgin Mobile’s customers is making mine and other’s lives a misery. Why should I have to pay to change a number I’ve been using for around 10 years and allow this man to continue to harm other people? Your company’s inaction thus far simply encourages him to continue to do so. Still, as it is a revenue earner, and that seems to be your sole driver, I can hardly be surprised that you are indirectly encouraging him to do so.

 

My mobile phone is my principle means of communication with my family in Kent. My mother is in her mid-70’s and my 50 year old sister, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy lives with her. As a result, I need to be able to download these text messages to my computer to present to the police in order to have legal action taken against this man. I cannot afford to be without the phone. I am not the only person receiving his unwanted attentions.

 

The only advice I’ve been given by Virgin Mobile is that it can’t be done. It must have been overlooked by your staff that it can be done, or they wilfully lied – the police get it done for court cases! So, I’ve also been lied to on this basis as well. One of your managers passed an answer via the original adviser (presumably because I, the customer, am not deemed important enough to waste their Customer Service skills on), that they could offer me a SIM swap. What good would this have achieved? Save your breath. It would have done nothing and is either a ‘fob off’ or the incompetence I’ve come to expect at the hands of Virgin Mobile.

 

I called back, the second chasing call, this morning to be told that ‘within 24 hours’ the technical team would call me back. I had a call from the adviser, *****, telling me that she’d spoken directly to her line manager who advised that texts can’t be downloaded to a pc but unofficially, if I were to check out ‘SMA’ on Google, that would work, but Virgin don’t support it.

 

So, logically, Virgin Mobile staff have lied to me by telling me that it can’t be done, but that it can be done although it will invalidate any warranty if my mobile is damaged in the result. I wonder what Sir Richard would think of this shiningly brilliant example of customer service. Yes, you were meant to feel the waves of sarcasm. I’ve been driven to it in desperation.

 

I do apologise if this letter has lulled you from your company’s delusion of adequacy, but my comments are most definitely deserved and proportionate. Please reply in writing within 7 days of posting date.

 

Yours truly,

Edited by Alan Stubbs

This is a signature, there are many signatures like it but this one is mine

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Surely if you are receiving nuisance calls in breach of the Mobile Communications Act then that is a matter for the Police?

Geoff

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Angly, the man wants PROOF - not just his say-so!

 

Alan, having said that, can you not ask the local costabulary to put a trace on your line, so that the minute you phone them, they can retrieve said text?

5460c629-1c4a-480e-b4a4-8faa59fff7d.jpg

 

fishing is nature's medical prescription

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You can use my name KB, that's why it's in my signature. :)

 

I'm not sure the company can act against B on the say so of person A without either Police authority, or more likely a Court Order. Once a complaint is lodged with the Police, they can request the phone records (which must be kept by law for a minimum of 12 months I believe), and the matter can be taken from there.

Geoff

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Surely if you are receiving nuisance calls in breach of the Mobile Communications Act then that is a matter for the Police?

 

 

I agree, Angly. What I am trying to achieve is a 'packaging up' of evidence so that I don't lose the use of the phone for an indefinite period.

 

Virgin basically suggest that I can always get another phone and sim card (chargeable of course) to use whilst rsolving a purely temporary issue.

The process goes along the lines of Someone complains and produces evidence, The police visit and say 'naughty, naughty don't do it again', the guilty party continue and the police get the network to restrict the calls to emergency services only; miscreant goes and buys a pay as you go simcard and carries on. The police then prosecute. So, it's going to continue for longer than necessary.

This is a signature, there are many signatures like it but this one is mine

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Why not just get a friend with a phone that connects to a PC and forward the texts to him so he can download them for you? I save texts on my PC on a regular basis ( into my diary)

IF YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE THE BEST

Don't seek a second opinion.

 

http://www.anglingireland.info

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Linocut fishy prints..

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Why not just get a friend with a phone that connects to a PC and forward the texts to him so he can download them for you? I save texts on my PC on a regular basis ( into my diary)

 

 

Hi Greg, Thanks for the thought.... if the forwarded text messages carry the original date and time stamp, that is a simply awesome idea.

 

Thanks again. This may be the way forward.

 

Alan

This is a signature, there are many signatures like it but this one is mine

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Alan,

Why can't you download them to your computer?? or have I missed something?

 

I got a cable to connect and a disk to install when I bought my phone so I can store numbers, messages etc.

 

I hope you get it sorted.

 

I'd be interested to know if it's possible to block texts from certain locations? such as "You are a winner" call this number to collect your prize.

 

Colin

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