Results tagged “Virgin Mobile”

After finally leaving Orange, I'm happy to say Virgin have been pretty good. Orange screwed up my final bill, of course, and I had to write to tell them (again) that I'd cancelled my contract and they can't invoice me for another month. But hopefully, they'll accept my final payment.

Just as a comparison, my monthly orange bill was £30. That's despite my working from home most of the time. My first month with Virgin? £2.32.

I'd call that a result; wouldn't you?

Still, I would say if you're joining Virgin and not very literate technically, either get someone at a mobile phone shop to fix up the new settings on your existing phone or get one straight from Virgin. I thought I'd migrated over the settings correctly from Orange, but despite the fact I was able to send picture messages, I couldn't receive them. I had to re-install the MMS settings to get the messages that people had sent me. Odd, huh?

Still it all works beautifully now.

There's something about Virgin Mobile call centre staff. You just can't be nasty to them. It'd be like killing Bambi. You just can't do it.

As you may know, I'm in the process of moving from Orange to Virgin Mobile, a process that is taking way, way longer than it should. Since I've now got a PAC code from Orange, migrating my phone number to Virgin Mobile is now a Virgin problem, rather than an Orange problem.

Trouble is, Virgin aren't proving terrible efficient. There was that trouble with setting up my direct debit for starters. Although I mentioned in that last entry that I'd set up my direct debit, what I should have said was "I asked Virgin to set up the direct debit for me".

You see, two days after getting my new PAC code, I rang to give it to Virgin. The trouble was that direct debit hadn't gone through, so they couldn't start the migration. The fluffy person who took my call promised, just promised that as soon as it was authorised, she'd text me (on my Orange number) to let me know and that she'd start the migration as well, texting me the date of the migration at the same time. She was on duty till 11pm that evening, so she really would, honest.

Except I didn't get a text. A day later I tried my Virgin SIM card and there was a text waiting for me there, to tell me the paperwork had all gone through. No migration date though.

So I called the next day. Oh yes, the fluffy man at the other end said. She'll text you when it goes through. She'll do it for sure. That was Friday.

Today, textless on both SIMs, I called Virgin again. Fluffy new lady spent six minutes going through my account before revealing that the port hadn't been authorised because of the direct debit screw up. She'd put it through now and I'd be getting ported on the 26th.

That's 16 days and five phone calls to do something that should take seven days and one phone call at best. And yet, they're so fluffy at Virgin, I just don't have in my heart to complain. At least I'm on my way at last.

The one redeeming thing is that Orange's rubbishness means that I still haven't had my account disabled, so I can still use my old number for now.

Thanks heavens for small Orange mercies.

Curses. Just as I thought my escape to Virgin Mobile might lead to competent customer service for a change, I find out that NTL has just acquired Virgin Mobile.

May has come and gone, spring is here and summer is almost upon us. That must mean it's press trip season. I'm off to Monaco tomorrow, thanks to Dell, who seem very fond of whisking journalists off to foreign climes for a day to announce things they're going to press release the next day. Not that I'm complaining: you just don't get this on consumer IT mags - God bless trade mags!

Anyway, probably no blogging tomorrow, but I'll bring you back pictures of airports, train stations and probably not much Monaco on Wednesday. Assuming my camera doesn't get nicked like it did in Zaragoza.

Since it's nearly a year since that particular event took place, I'm finally able to cancel the contract that I took out with Orange when I got back from that press trip. Despite really wanting to like Orange, they've been nothing but rubbish and I'm paying out about £30 a month on a contract, even though I work from home and barely use the phone. So adios Orange, hello Virgin Mobile, I hope.

I say/write 'I hope' because getting an address to send my request to is particularly hard now they've merged with Wanadoo and redesigned their site. I've already tried speaking to a customer service rep, who apologised for Orange being rubbish at customer service and then told me to contact the company nearer the time. He really wasn't getting it, was he? I'll keep you updated on my progress.