Virgin Media Call-Centre Staff
I admit, I'm not a big fan of call-centre staff in general, particularly those on the sub-continent. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I dislike Indians and the first call-centres moved over to India, when the whole offshoring thing began, were staffed by well trained, well spoken, motivated staff. Sometimes the only time I knew I was talking to another country was that they were more pleasant to deal with than their UK counterparts. Nowadays, they're staffed by the same quality of staff as we have in the UK (i.e. crap), so I'd prefer to speak to a dull-witted call-centre drone with whom I theoretically share a first language, rather than an uninterested one on another continent who's language skills mean we both have to repeat things three or four times in order to be understood, thus trebling my time wasted on the phone.

Of all the call-centres in the world, though, the one whose staff I am most annoyed by are those that work for Virgin Media. I have the temerity to live in the City of Dreams (MK), one of the most modern cities in the country, which appears to have telecoms infrastructure from the 19th Century. I called Virgin, to enquire about broadband, when I told the 'girl' on the phone my post code, she actually told me that she was fed up with people from MK phoning up and wasting her time as there was nothing she could sell me and everytime she had a call that didn't translate into a sale, it messed up her figures.

I'd love two things.

1) Beardy Branson's email address, so that I could send him my thoughts on the matter (and Virgin Holidays and Trains as well)
2) Everyone from MK to repeatedly phone Virgin Media, weekly should do it, to enquire about faster broadband.
(lardyboy Next stop, Fissplap Central, Fri 28 May 2010, 16:29, 2 replies)

this is fascinating
apparently, MK is unique in that it has aluminium-based phone wiring*, instead of the widespread copper that has serendipitously proved realtively amenable to piggyback high-frequency broadband signals upon.

Have you seen this site? www.bb4mk.com/ It might help you.

As I understand it, you're at a disadvantage now; but might well leapfrog ahead, if the fibre-optic possibility pending in summer 2010 lives up to the hype.

* this is why broadband companies recommend against using cheap phone extensions, made of aluminium wire instead of more expensive copper, to connect your modem or router to the phone socket.

(minor ninja edits)
(The Incredible Sulk Finally remembered his password on, Fri 28 May 2010, 21:09, closed)

I care little for MK
I've watched the mighty Norwich City lose there twice in the last two seasons.

I'm glad your broadband is rubbish and I'm glad I don't have to go back. Harrumph!
( Dervel OTBC, Wed 2 Jun 2010, 14:53, closed)