Chorus - Apalling Service

Hi all,

I came across these forums when I googled Chorus and problem.

We are based in Athlone and have been Chorus mmds customers for over 10 years.

6 weeks ago we reported a loss of TV service to Chorus. They sent out a repair man a week later. He couldn't fix it as he said he rquired a cherry picker / crane to reach the antennae.

5 weeks later, still no service and I keep getting fobbed off. The customer service agents refuse to put me through to a manager unless I log a complaint about the complaint in which case, "someone will call me back within 10 working days".

The stonewalling is absolutely appalling !

They are actually encouraging me to terminate my acccount.

If I do this I will have to fork out for a sky box and dish as Chorus are the only authorised service provider for our location. I gather that since 2003 that they are no longer regulated by Comreg.

I really feel that rather than go to the expense of restoring my service that they would rather that I terminated my account and stopped bothering them.

Has anyone any advice ?

Or should I just take it from them and face the expense of switching to a dish system ( either SKY or a free to air system).

The consumer association say that they are in the middle of new legislation but at the moment they have no power to intervene with TV service providers.

Stuart

I had a very similar problem with Chorus about 3 months back, there customer service is absolutely appaling. I kept being told that a service call was logged, and one was never logged. Then I couldnt get an engineer out to the house, I had to wait over 2 weeks for someone to come out, Only to be told that they would have to come back a week later with a ladder so they could get up on the roof!! (I told them that the problem was on the roof in the first place!)
Enventually got it sorted, but I think the Chorus Service is terrible, I'm probably going to switch over to Sky in the next few months. I've had enough of frozen chorus screens and non matching programme schedules

I am a recent new customer for Sky and you get the +box and installation free (used to be extra €70 or €150) without subscribing to the premium channels.

So €21.50 per month (1/2 price first two or three months).

davidoco, I've just signed up with sky, ordered sky+ and have paid an installation fee of €75. The ongoing monthly fee of €15 (on top of the specific package charges) has gone for new customers though.

There's no charge for the basic sky box (until July when they introduce an installation charge for it). If you got free installation of sky+, well done!

Powerboat, I'm switching to Sky from Chorus - while I haven't had any difficulties with their customer service myself (and I had a phone service from them too for a while), I am aware of others who have had ongoing difficulties with the company and who are voting with their wallets! I'm switching because the TV service has disimproved since their recent upgrade and because Sky is cheaper for the channels I want.

I switched 3 months ago - my issues were:
- less choice of channels
- over-charged on at least 2 occasions
- poor response in event of loss of service (2-3 times)

The guy who came to take away the aerial said that he hears the same complaints about the service over and over.

In my case, with 4 "packages" on Sky, I pay about the same price as Chorus, for many more channels. Plus, I had Sky Movies and Sky Sports for free for 2 months.

....and let's face it, who the hell wants MGM Movies !

Re: Chorus - Appalling Service

Thanks for the feedback and advice folks.

Like I said, I am now firmly of the opinion that Chorus are hoping that I will ask for disconnection so that they can avoid the expense of a repair. I'm going to stick to my guns.

They told me yesterday that ( 6 weeks after I logged a complaint )they have no idea when one of their two cherry pickers will be available to repair my service.

They are still refusing to allow me to escalate my complaint to a manager.

I'll keep you informed with the saga !

I trust you're not paying for a non-existent service while waiting for the repairs.

Ive been with chorus for 3 years and never had a problem with the customer service. I have never had to hold longer than 3 or 4 mins when calling them, and the one and only time i called with a complaint of poor picture quality it was addressed within a day or 2.
However, i had terrible problems before with NTL, and was driven dememted with their "customer service".
I know that NTL & Chorus are now part of the same company, so perhaps Chorus have inherited NTL's appaling customer service team / procedures??

I will say though, even though i have never had a problem with Chorus, i have been tempted many times by SKY, purely due to choice of channels, because as jrewing said "who the hell wants MGM movies!!"

There may be something in what you say !

Over the last 10 or so years we only had to call Chorus service two or three times and were always met with courteous fast and efficient service.

My latest experience over the last six weeks is frankly shocking and so unlike my previous experience.

Maybe NTL Customer Service standards have now taken over ?

The service degradation also occurred around 6 weeks ago.

Is there a bigger picture behind all this ?

NTl trying to divest itself of rural customers?

I do have the distinct impression that chorus are trying to force me to terminate my contract with them by not responding to my complaint !

Re: Chorus - Appalling Service

I finally got an email from Chorus today ( 7 weeks after I first contacted them) !!!

It appears that the email results from my posting here about their "Customer Service"!!!

They promise that a Senior Manager will contact me on Monday !

Holding my breath !!!

I'll report back on Monday evening !

Many thanks to the creators of these forums !

Seagull said:

I trust you're not paying for a non-existent service while waiting for the repairs.

Click to expand...

Of course we are ! We're on Direct Debit.

I have asked for a refund for the 7 week period of no service but this has been refused.

Powerboat -- did you get a reply from Chorus?

Don't know if this helps but I had a similar long-running saga some time back with Esat BT and my broadband service. I had escalated via their standard customer service number and email address, plus they also have a "customer complaint" email address which I used. Needless to say I never received a response from primary customer care after numerous calls and emails. I was also promised a response from the "customer complaint" people and assured that this would be from a "senior manager". Again no response.

Finally I wrote a letter (yes the old-fashioned way) and in it I spelled out exactly the inconvenience that I had suffered over the previous 4-5 weeks (e.g., embarrassment, cancelled something-or-other, etc.) and stated that I presumed this would be addressed appropriately. I did not use the word "compensation" but I did receive a response very shortly after sending the letter.

I think the trick really is to quantify your problem -- in other words so that they think you could actually sue for out-of-pocket expenses. For example, in your case you might have had to go to the cinema every weekend. Be creative -- come up with some knid of expense which might be accumulating the longer the problem drags on. Anyway in the end I didn't have to pay for the period I had no service (quite right) and I also received a couple of months free. Having worked in the customer service world previously I know that he who shouts loudest.... etc.

Hope this helps and hope you get your problem sorted.

It amazes me how this company is still signing people up. I thouht its was a given that they shouldnt be touched with a barge pole.

Complete farce.

B

Re: Chorus - Appalling Service

Update - but not good news.

They finally called me back the other day full of apologies, claiming trouble with new systems, change over to NTL, new IT system, backlog of complaints etc. etc..

They promised that they would have someone out first thing yesterday morning and that they would have all of the equipment required ( Remember the mention of a cherry Picker in an earlier post !) to fix the problem.

They also offered me 3 months credit ( we are 2 months with no service ).

I have requested a cheque for the amount of the refund.

My wife stayed in to meet them yesterday morning and they did arrive !!

However they still had no cherry picker. They said that health and safety would not let them use a ladder and that they would have to come back with a cherry picker as the aerial was too high to climb to with a ladder !!!

Back to square one.

We still have no service after 2 months and are now probably at the back of the queue for one of the two chorus cherry pickers again.

I'll let you know if the refund arrives !

Cancel the direct debit.

Maybe i have a different phone number for Chorus than some of you, but i called them very recentely to turn sky sports off for the summer. I got through to someone very quickly, and made my request and was greeted with.... "yes no problem at all, and we will credit your next bill because you are cutting the package off before the end of the month" no prompt needed by me.

bill arrived yesterday, credit included.

and no, i dont work for chorus.

Bosshog said:

Maybe i have a different phone number for Chorus than some of you,

Click to expand...

You rang the sales department, the others were ringing faults

The advice that I am now receiving from the various Chorus employees that I am in contact with is to switch to Sky !!!!

To be honest, I thought Chorus would have gone bang years ago. I don't think it has ever made a proffit and don't see how it ever will.

Had to opposit experience. I used to have Chorus..but during bad/windly weather, the picture used to tile out. Each time I contacted them, they sent someone out in the following day or two. they replaced the receiver, the dish etc a few tmies but couldn't resolve the problem. I had no choice but go to Sky at the time... but it wasn't for the lack of effort on Chorus's part. They were very friendly & helpful to deal with.

Now, if you want to talk about really crap customer experience..... SKY's the limit!
ninsaga