Anyone Upgraded to Virgin Media Tivo?

[Browncoffee]

Considering upgrading our old VM box to Tivo (although not looking forward to dealing with VM's customer service team).

Has anyone upgraded? Is it better or should I stick to what we have?

My main issue with current box is that I keep being forced to delete recorded programmes (I haven't had a chance to watch) to accommodate new ones, thanks to the disk space (which fills up with very few HD recordings). I deleted a 3 hour HD series yesterday because it was "full" and suddenly had 24 hours free!

Tivo gives more memory space but I have read conflicting reviews online so still undecided. I also like the idea of the pictures, colours and more appealing onscreen look the tivo offers:-)

[steveo]

It's a curate's egg. I like the recording bit but using the Catch up section is slow and badly indexed. Hopefully they'll upgrade it

[El Pibe]

It's far from perfect, but on the whole pretty good.

[the-e-dealer]

I've tried twice to get Virgin. Each Time it has been botched by the Customer Service Team. I gave up.

"Oh yes you road is is cabled" "oh no your bit isnt" "Oh yeas it will be done before we come to connect"

"Oh no they havent done it yet"

After the Second time I took a day off work for Mr. Branston's Goons I gave up.

[Bluerevolution]

Don't record in HD? Use catch up?

[the-e-dealer]

Put A bigger Hard Drive in!

[Salsaboy]

What's wrong with a video recorder?

[the-e-dealer]

Salsaboy Wrote:

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> What's wrong with a video recorder?

what's wrong with standing around a piano

[Browncoffee]

Thanks All. Decided to go for it and expecting VM guys next week. Let's see if they actually turn up:-o

[Undisputedtruth]

I used to be a customer with Virgin under their previous name as ntl. I hate them so much that I'm still raging despite leaving the company eight years ago.

I urge you to take counselling before dealing with issues with Virgin.

[MrBen]

I think it either works perfectly or it doesn't. I've had no problems with them and moved house twice fairly seamlessly. The Tivo recording fucntions are good but overall the user interface is clunky, not always intuitive and at times has a horrible latency as it waits to catch up with the button you've pressed. A recent s/w update (sent over the wire) made it slightly better.

I've not actually watched telly for about 4 months though!

[Alan Medic]

Word of warning for you if you still read the thread. I upgraded too recently and what was offered to me on the phone is not what they started charging me. It's only ?2 but as I wrote to them, 'it's my ?2'. I've asked them to refund my fee and take the box back if they continue to say they can't find any record of my 'offer'. I'm still awaiting a reply.

I'd say the only reason I'm still with Virgin is that their broadband is excellent.

PS As for the box I would say the a Sky+ box is much more user friendly. I do like the fact though you can use U Tube on the tele with the Virgin one.

[STARJoe]

Alan Medic Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Word of warning for you if you still read the

> thread. I upgraded too recently and what was

> offered to me on the phone is not what they

> started charging me. It's only ?2 but as I wrote

> to them, 'it's my ?2'. I've asked them to refund

> my fee and take the box back if they continue to

> say they can't find any record of my 'offer'. I'm

> still awaiting a reply.

I have PM you

> I'd say the only reason I'm still with Virgin is

> that their broadband is excellent.

>

> PS As for the box I would say the a Sky+ box is

> much more user friendly. I do like the fact though

> you can use U Tube on the tele with the Virgin

> one.

[Alan Medic]

Another word of warning. About 3 minutes before the kick off off the match last night the service to that channel went down. Hadn't seen anything like it before but couldn't have happened at a worse time. Tried phoning them but impossible to get through. Did this happen to anyone else?

[Mick Mac]

I have just updated to Sky HD and retained the Virgin broadband. Best of both worlds hopefully.

[lofty23]

Virgin broadband and cable was down from yesterday afternoon and still was down this morning when I left for work. No TV (we have no outdoor aerial) or internet all evening, I had to speak to my girlfriend, then decided on an early night.

Tried calling then and after 5 minutes of different options including a final option on what music I wanted to listen to (including an option of Britain's Got Talent winners), I had lost patience pretty much by then, hung on for a few more minutes before giving up.

Just hope it's back on tonight

[the-e-dealer]

The thing is the 'Virgin ' network in East Dulwich was built by Videotron. They used untrained unskilled navvies to dig the cable. I remember a tree falling where they didn't reinstate the trench. They had a deal with Council - Free Local Calls NTL bought them and I think it was Home Choice next who soon discovered the cable wasn't up to TV on demand in many sections. Then Virgin bought NTL. So Virgin have bought a very flaky network and so if you are lucky you will get a good connection but if not be prepared for very poor signal , drop outs and unfortunately this is where customer service - also not very good comes in.

[lofty23]

I'm actually in Nunhead, and when I call the virgin helpline I get a automated message saying "Sorry you have a problem in...SW9"

Argh!!

[Loz]

A word of advice about Virgin.

Get everything - EVERYTHING - in writing. I had a similar problem as Alan Medic - negotiated a great deal on the phone, but when the contract arrived the price agreed was not on there. Spent ages trying to convince them (at 0845 rates), but there was 'no record' of my deal and they refused to pull up the call recording. It was only when I used the cooling-off period to cancel my installation that someone would seriously talk to me and, in the end, had to offer me an even better deal to keep me. At that point I demanded the rep email me the details, which I duly received.

Virgin broadband is good. Virgin customer services are just unbelievably appalling.