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First win Intercity West Coast franchise

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DynamicSpirit

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However someone I know who works for VM gets a lot of stick from people who have VM whenever they have a problem (basicly because they get no where with the customer service department), which does seam to be semi often.

Although to be fair, the VM employee does do what they can to sort out the complaints (i.e. raise the matter with the relevent manengers).

I know it is a little off topic, but it does show that a company with the Virgin brand may not have amazing customer service and that it very much depends on the staff that you deal with (i.e. some go out of there way to be helpful, whilst others do just enough to do what they need to do) but that would be true of any company (including First).

Indeed. I've had Virgin Media both for cable Internet and for ADSL broadband, and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone, due to a combination of very unreliable bandwidth and great difficulty getting to talk to anyone about problems. On the whole my experience is that when you do get through to someone they try to be helpful, but getting hold of anyone is extremely difficult (website that appears deliberately designed to make it hard to find the right number to call, and huge waiting times when you do phone. To be fair, I haven't experienced other operators to any great extent so don't know if those problems are specific to Virgin or generic to Internet providers, but what you say is spot on: Virgin-branded companies don't necessarily have great customer service.
 
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davido39

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I've always said it. VT and VM Customer Services are crap, even the business end of VM (formerly NTL) is crap now too :(

Most of the call center staff are not contracted by Virgin Media, you generally find another contractor deals with the day to day running of call centers.

I worked for a coach company that had a contract to transport call center staff to the Lloyds tsb call center in Glasgow, all were contracted by Stellar UK.
 

Badger

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Virgin Media is not Virgin, it is just a licensing of the name. The Virgin group are a minority shareholder though.
 

Geezertronic

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Most of the call center staff are not contracted by Virgin Media, you generally find another contractor deals with the day to day running of call centers.

I worked for a coach company that had a contract to transport call center staff to the Lloyds tsb call center in Glasgow, all were contracted by Stellar UK.

That's probably why there is an apparent lack of care then. The Virgin brand suffers as well as the customer as a result


Virgin Media is not Virgin, it is just a licensing of the name. The Virgin group are a minority shareholder though.

In the eyes of Joe Public, by the fact that the name is Virgin Media, the Virgin brand is associated regardless of whether the Virgin Group is a minority shareholder or not
 
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Manchester77

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I used to be with ntl before virgin took them over and I never had any problems. We now have virgins TiVo and wifi and the TiVo service can be very unreliable at times and we've been through 4 remotes since we got it! Their wifi is OK but it could be better. Wwhen you complain though VM are not particularly helpful
 

HH

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Turnaround times could be tightened, but it looks like Virgin are proposing roughly the same level of service as First but with around nine fewer trains - even if you start "stepping back" at Euston, I can't see how that'd be feasible.

There will be a lot of "devil in the detail". First might be going to Shrewsbury four times a day, Virgin twice. Certainly First are heavily boosting Brum-Scotland, stopping at Nuneaton and MK more; so it seems reasonable that they would need more RS. Also VT may have negotiated more availability than First (at a price OFC); it should be possible to increase the current numbers. Maybe 3 additional trains could be made available this way.
 

emoaconr

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I used to be with ntl before virgin took them over and I never had any problems. We now have virgins TiVo and wifi and the TiVo service can be very unreliable at times and we've been through 4 remotes since we got it! Their wifi is OK but it could be better. Wwhen you complain though VM are not particularly helpful

Virgin Media Inc is a re-naming of the former NTL Inc, which traded as NTL:Telewest for a short while after 2006.

NTL Inc was infact, in legal terms, the successor to Telewest plc, however it was dominated by the former NTL which controlled 75% of the new NTL Inc shares.

The only part of NTL which was rooted in the Virgin Group was Virgin Mobile/Virgin Net, which NTL took over in 2006. Several bids were rejected and a takeover was only agreed when Branson took a personal 30% in NTL Inc and that it would use the Virgin brand for 30 years.

Like Virgin Trains, I would say the re-branding of NTL has definately worked its favours. NTL Inc was well known for its dire customer service (NTL Hell website!), poor service, poor financial stability and the fact it had snapped up almost the entire UK cable market in the space of a decade. VM tries to sell itself on the Virgin brand... it boasts itself as a "cool" company. Yet, underneath all that, its barely Virgin at all; it is still just as NTL as the day they changed the name.
 

WestCoast

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I've always said it. VT and VM Customer Services are crap, even the business end of VM (formerly NTL) is crap now too :(

I've never any particular problems with Virgin Media (no one I know has either) and essentially I've been a customer since 1998, when I took out a Telewest subscription. Had a few issues with connections e.t.c over the years, but everything has always been solved. The best part of it all is that with a phone package you don't have to deal with BT at all - who truly are crappy rip-off merchants!

Name me an ISP or phone/TV provider that doesn't have thousands of horror stories attached to it.
 
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Batman

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Virgin Media Inc is a re-naming of the former NTL Inc, which traded as NTL:Telewest for a short while after 2006.

NTL Inc was infact, in legal terms, the successor to Telewest plc, however it was dominated by the former NTL which controlled 75% of the new NTL Inc shares.

The only part of NTL which was rooted in the Virgin Group was Virgin Mobile/Virgin Net, which NTL took over in 2006. Several bids were rejected and a takeover was only agreed when Branson took a personal 30% in NTL Inc and that it would use the Virgin brand for 30 years.

Like Virgin Trains, I would say the re-branding of NTL has definately worked its favours. NTL Inc was well known for its dire customer service (NTL Hell website!), poor service, poor financial stability and the fact it had snapped up almost the entire UK cable market in the space of a decade. VM tries to sell itself on the Virgin brand... it boasts itself as a "cool" company. Yet, underneath all that, its barely Virgin at all; it is still just as NTL as the day they changed the name.

It must be a case of people assuming that Virgin Media has exceptional customer service just because it has the Virgin name. Probably for the same reason why I believe the majority of people who signed the e-petition regarding the WCML franchise did so out of sentimental attachment to the Virgin brand.
 

Lampshade

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Telewest had fantastic customer service, it got worse under NTL:Telewest and now under Virgin Media it's pretty shocking.

In my experience anyway.
 

WestCoast

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Telewest had fantastic customer service, it got worse under NTL:Telewest and now under Virgin Media it's pretty shocking.

In my experience anyway.

That's the way things have gone in many sectors, margins have been squeezed as operating costs have risen and what consumers are willing to pay/can afford hasn't gone up accordingly. Competition has also increased.

I don't actually find VM's customer service shocking and no I don't work for them, it's probably not as good as it once was though.

Shocking for me is reserved for that diabolical Spanish bank, I could write a book about their incompetence and attitude.

It must be a case of people assuming that Virgin Media has exceptional customer service just because it has the Virgin name. Probably for the same reason why I believe the majority of people who signed the e-petition regarding the WCML franchise did so out of sentimental attachment to the Virgin brand.

Virgin's name is attached to a positive reputation for most people, no doubt about it. Sir Richard is still seen as the the underdog (and this country loves an underdog) and is battling against the 'established' players for market share. The company is seen as an innovator, daring to do things differently.

In reality, they're a mature conglomerate with a lot of brands which fit in the category of "middle of the road" - and for some of those brands they are merely giving their name to another firm. Virgin Atlantic Airways is a fairly average full service airline, not really better or worse than British Airways or others. Virgin Active (the gyms) are nice enough, but again aren't at the top of the market. Virgin Holidays don't offer anything over what Thomson's and Thomas Cook's premium packages do. Virgin Megastores are hardly that much better than HMV. I could go on, but you get the picture.
 
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WestCoast

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HMV is one ahead of Virgin Megastores as it is still in business. After being sold and rebranded as Zavvi in 2007, it was placed in administration in 2008.

Ah yes, my mistake. I was sure I'd seen a Megastore recently, appears that was in France though. The Virgin shops here are Virgin Media outlets.
 

Badger

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I guess as with the railways it's all personal experience!

I was with Telewest->NTL->Virgin media, and had so many problems with Telewest (FilmFlex, etc); no problems with Virgin at all. Similarly I found Virgin Megastores much more useful and friendly than HMV. Without some kind of nation wide survey etc nothing can be judged by one or two personal stories. Likewise I've never had problems with Virgin trains and find them much superior to all of the others, but again, it's personal experience. I also like how they manage my station.

(I realise my avatar makes me look like a Virgin lover; it just happens to be the first time I took a train to London so took a pic from one of the stations).
 

tbtc

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Virgin Media is not Virgin, it is just a licensing of the name. The Virgin group are a minority shareholder though.

Many "Virgin" businesses are like this. Few people knew that "Virgin Radio" was actually owned by Scottish Media Group for a long time (rather than being Branson's plaything). Their cola has always been made by other people.

When Virgin do actually own a business (rather than just licensing the name) they are often a minority shareholder (rail being an exception because they own 51%).
 

Lampshade

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I was with Telewest->NTL->Virgin media, and had so many problems with Telewest (FilmFlex, etc); no problems with Virgin at all.

Teleport (as was) preceded even BBC iPlayer and Sky's On Demand service, you can't blame them for that. Virgin Media took over just as the problems were being ironed out, how convenient.
 

Skimble19

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So now he's leaking the fact that he's been having private briefings with politicians?

Armando Iannucci would struggle to write this...

It really has got The Thick of It written all over it.. :lol: Hopefully he's paying attention to this, could make for pretty entertaining viewing!
 

junglejames

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There will be a lot of "devil in the detail". First might be going to Shrewsbury four times a day, Virgin twice. Certainly First are heavily boosting Brum-Scotland, stopping at Nuneaton and MK more; so it seems reasonable that they would need more RS. Also VT may have negotiated more availability than First (at a price OFC); it should be possible to increase the current numbers. Maybe 3 additional trains could be made available this way.

But Virgin are claiming they will run more services than they do now, yet the number of units will be the same. It doesnt quite work out.
 

Wath Yard

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They would be able to run a small number of extra services. I don't think the timetable has changed since the introduction of VHF and they have received 4 extra units since then. Currently 1 or 2 at a time are out of service at any one time due to the H3 overhauls and lengthening of Pendolinos but all the additional carriages should be added by the end of this year and well before any additional services would start. They wouldn't be able to match the number of additional services First will be able to introduce though.
 

junglejames

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They would be able to run a small number of extra services. I don't think the timetable has changed since the introduction of VHF and they have received 4 extra units since then. Currently 1 or 2 at a time are out of service at any one time due to the H3 overhauls and lengthening of Pendolinos but all the additional carriages should be added by the end of this year and well before any additional services would start. They wouldn't be able to match the number of additional services First will be able to introduce though.

They will struggle to add the number of services they want to themselves. Bolton, Stirling, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and arent they also additional Bangors, just like First? Cant remember.
They certainly wont be adding many additionals at all.
 

SkinnyDave

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Stirling is a non starter now that EGIP has been cut back for foreseeable..

I can see Greenhill junction from my house and it would have been good to see Pendolinos cruising past my house
 

The Planner

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But Virgin are claiming they will run more services than they do now, yet the number of units will be the same. It doesnt quite work out.

They will squeeze the turnaround times at the terminals to as close to the bone as possible. They are trying to do that now to an extent. It is a risk as you lose the buffer for when it goes tits up, but I suppose the risk vs reward is worth it.
 

Erniescooper

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Stirling is a non starter now that EGIP has been cut back for foreseeable..

I can see Greenhill junction from my house and it would have been good to see Pendolinos cruising past my house

If it was a franchise commitment and Virgin had won then I suppose they would have to run the service whether or not it was electrified and it would have to have been another drag.
 

David10

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They will struggle to add the number of services they want to themselves. Bolton, Stirling, Shrewsbury, Blackpool and arent they also additional Bangors, just like First?
They may just be token one a day services like Wrexham at either end of the day.
 

Erniescooper

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They may just be token one a day services like Wrexham at either end of the day.

Virgin have sent a reply to the Shewsbury MP who told Virgin to give up and in the reply it states that Telford and Salop would be getting 5 London trains a day.
 
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If it was a franchise commitment and Virgin had won then I suppose they would have to run the service whether or not it was electrified and it would have to have been another drag.

I believe it was dependent on electrification. Could it have been done by splitting/joining 6 car pendos at Motherwell or is platform length an issue?
 

richw

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In honesty after Virgins childish actions in social media all week, I now cant wait to see the back of them. Seriously lacks professionalism some of their posts on social media.
As a FGW regular customer, If First run the long distance WC services in the same way as the long distance FGW services, it will be well run. FGW down fall is the commuter services around London, as the rest of their network is excellently ran, their staff always seem happy.
Based on the cheerfulness of the First staff I have encountered I dont believe for one moment they are a bad company to work for, despite what Virgin have been telling their staff. If they were bad to work for then there would be no chance of their staff being so happy doing their job.
 

Erniescooper

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I believe it was dependent on electrification. Could it have been done by splitting/joining 6 car pendos at Motherwell or is platform length an issue?

You may know more than me as the only information I have seen is in the challenge to First Group letter in the media room on the Virgin trains website. I'm sorry I can't remember how long the platforms are at Motherwell, I can just about remember travelling in a Mk 3 on the Clansman from Inverness and if I remember right the Glasgow portion was added at Carstairs.
 
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