12 June 2007
Virgin Media has announced that it will be increasing the cost of its broadband helpline telephone calls from the local-rate charge to 25 pence per minute.
According to the Register, the broadband provider has taken the decision to increase its helpline charges after it discovered that the majority of the calls it received were irrelevant questions about general broadband usage, rather than questions about the connection it supplies.
Customer Care Managing Director Steve Stewart told the Register: "Over half the calls we receive are general enquiries about using the internet or another company's software, rather than the broadband connection we supply, so we can't sustain our award-winning service with the existing local rate charges."
He continued: "We remain committed to offering the option of phone support, but we also provide a free status line, free email support and extensive information on our website."
A small piece of good news for Virgin Media's broadband customers was also announced yesterday in the form of its first internet protocol TV channel. The channel will be launched alongside its digital TV counterpart Virgin 1, which will broadcast acquired and commissioned programmes as well as user-generated content.