Ed Balls goes to war with Virgin Media on Twitter in battle to watch HD Sports channels… only to be left exhausted with users mocking his ‘full package’
- Ed Balls was frustrated after failing to get through to Virgin Media helpline
- So he took to Twitter to try to get someone to help him activate Sky Sports HD
- Messages were exchanged back and forth but firm couldn’t help him on Twitter
Ed Balls, pictured with his wife Yvette Cooper outside their home in North London
As a big football fan, Ed Balls was determined to get his television package sorted so he could watch the opening weekend of the Premier League.
But the Norwich City FC chairman was left frustrated after failing to get through to the Virgin Media helpline to activate his Sky Sports HD channels.
So the former Labour minister, 51, took to Twitter in a desperate attempt to get the channels sorted just minutes before the first match kicked off on Saturday.
At 10.49am, he tweeted: ‘Virgin Media, I’ve been trying to contact you for many hours now. Your chat line says it is currently unavailable and four times now I have waited on the phone for 15 minutes with music playing only to be disconnected. What’s going on?’
A worker manning the firm’s Twitter account replied: ‘May I ask what the chat is regarding, please?’ – and Mr Balls said: ‘It’s routine. I’m missing HD sports channels. But it’s just impossible to get through.’
They exchanged further messages, before Mr Balls said at 11.08am: ‘Despite thinking I have the full TV package I am not allowed access to Sky Sports HD channels.
Ed Balls took to Twitter in a desperate attempt to get the Sky Sports HD channels sorted on his Virgin Media package just minutes before the first Premier League match began on Saturday
‘I want to get them. And I want to speak to someone who can help. Why are all your chat and helplines down?’
The firm replied: ‘I see, so you do not currently subscribe to the aforementioned channels? If you call the team on 150/03454541111 they’ll look into getting these added for you.’
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But Mr Balls said: ‘I’m not sure that you read my first tweet. I have called them four times and each time waited to get through to somebody for 15 minutes before the call just terminates. And the online help service also says it is unavailable.’
Virgin Media then responded: ‘I can only apologise again for that, Ed, it wouldn’t have been intentional. If you do call the team, I’m sure we can get this sorted.’
Ed Balls, the chairman of Norwich City FC, is pictured at Carrow Road in December 2015
Mr Balls hit back, saying: ‘Err…. how?’ – then Virgin Media said: ‘The number would be 150/0345454 1111.’
But Mr Balls continued: ‘I refer you to my previous messages. The chatline says it is unavailable and the phone line just leaves people on hold with music playing and finally terminates. So giving me the phone number again and again doesn’t really help much.’
Virgin Media replied: ‘I do wish there was more we could advise Ed. As I say, I am sorry that the call did terminate, this wouldn’t have been intentional. ^JGS’
But Mr Balls said: ‘Goodness. How does that help anyone ? If you just say that your chat line and phone lines are all overloaded yesterday/today then at least that would be an explanation. I’m going to give up because your tweets are hugely unhelpful.
People responded to Mr Balls’s TV problems with a mixture of mirth and pity on Saturday
Virgin Media then responded: ‘I am sorry you feel this way Ed. Please do give the team a call and they’ll help further.’
Giving up, Mr Balls then said: ‘Good grief … this must be an automated reply service.’
He later added: ‘I’ve often wondered if using twitter to report a problem with a company works… Clearly not with Virgin Media.’
Other people expressed support for Mr Balls, with Joelle Nebbe-Mornod saying: ‘I can confirm it’s not just you.
Was on the hold music, then disconnected, and now the 150 just rings busy.’
Mr Balls famously danced to Gangam Style on Strictly Come Dancing with Katya Jones in 2016
And Nigel Walsh said: ‘Ed I’m in the same boat. Chat not working. Sent wrong engineer after 90 mins waiting and cut off last night … I want to cancel but they keep saying call us. But no one is answering. …’
Meanwhile one female admirer tweeted: ‘I bet you have the full package ‘down there”.
In 2011, Mr Balls famously accidentally tweeted ‘Ed Balls’ while searching for coverage of himself – an event now annually marked on April 28 as ‘Ed Balls Day’.
A Virgin Media spokesman told The Times that Mr Balls had not subscribed to the relevant channels.
Sky Sports is showing 126 Premier League games this season, and their coverage started with Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
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