2014-04-24

"we use the fibre optic cable to install the services at the customers property"

So, reply from Virgin says :-

"Just to inform you we provide copper coax cable till the main box and from there we use the fibre optic cable to install the services at the customers property."

Is it me or are they saying that they use the fibre optic cable to install the services at the customers property ?

That seems to be what they are saying, but I can be 100% sure that they did not in fact use fibre optic cable to install the services at my property.

I think this deserves another letter with more pictures :-)

9 comments:

  1. Interpreting their rather poor and ambiguous phrasing, what they actually mean is that they use fibre from their network to the local cabinet and then coax from the cabinet to the customer's premises.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, but their wording is crap. If that is what they are saying then it is "fibre optic broadband" to the "main box" and not to my home. I ordered firbe optic broadband at my home, so they will need to try again!

      Delete
    2. Of course, if they get really sneaky, the traffic on your cable modem connection does actually get to/from your home over fibre ... albeit not Virgin's fibre, and not as part of that service!

      I remember pointing this out to a Virgin sales rep back when I switched away - and was told they had as much fibre as allowed by Elf n Safety, which apparently prohibits actual fibre broadband. Of course, that's the same call where I was assured my usage (140Gb that month IIRC, almost all off-peak) would cost at least £150 on any ADSL provider...

      Delete
  2. I first read this as (with added bracketing to group the related bits):
    "Just to inform you we provide (copper coax cable till the main box) and (from there we use the fibre optic cable to install the services at the customers property)."
    But I think they meant:
    "Just to inform you we provide (copper coax cable till the main box) and (from there we use the fibre optic cable) to install the services at the customers property."

    It's damned ambiguous though. Punctuation and grammar are important - they should be saying:
    "Just to inform you, to install the services at the customers property we provide copper coax cable between the customer's premises and the main box, from there we use the fibre optic cable."

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's because the ASA allowed their adverts saying "FIBRE BROADBAND" years ago, Virgin got all fibre happy and trained all their staff to use the word fibre as much as possible.

    Now even Virgin themselves no longer know the difference between fibre and coax.

    In my opionion, only FTTP should be sold as "Fibre". FTTC should be "VDSL" in the same way as ADSL before it, and Virgin should just be called Cable.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You got fibre broadband installed to your property, a mix of optical fibre to the distribution point then metal fibre (aka "cable") to your property.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "You got fibre broadband installed to your property"

      Obviously not, he got cable broadband running via coax. (which uses docsis)

      Delete
  5. I thought they used fibre optic to the main box on the street and then coax to and within the customer property.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I thought they used fibre to the box on the street and then coax to provide service to the customer's property.

    ReplyDelete

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