Meridian Virtual Office Ltd - Norwich

Paul P.

Been using Meridian Virtual Office for a year now, the call handling service they provide is brilliant, very polite, professional staff that always deliver, always receive call information within the hour via email with all relevant information on. For the price you can't get better. Had several customers mention through the year how polite my girls are.

konstantinos K.

Absolute 5 star service. Very friendly and professional, extremely knowledgeable. Vicki took time out of her day off to have a meeting with me and teach me how to use my accounting program, set up my payroll and explain to me how to use it, and provided remote support when needed. Can't praise her enough!

P B.

A company with delusions of adequacy. I can get over a few calls not being answered – it’s incompetent and unprofessional, and it could potentially mean lost business – but an apology should see this right. Nope – not Meridian! An email from the MD (Ms Victoria Viner) several weeks later to all customers admitting they experimented with something which didn’t work. At this point, paying more than £30 per month for a sub-standard service, I decided to find somewhere else.

BUT, I hadn’t reckoned on Ms Viner! Feisty and arrogant to the point of rudeness, I was chased repeatedly by email asking why I had the temerity to consider moving my business elsewhere. I simply pointed to their inability to provide the basic service covered by my contract, but it seems hell hath no fury like a virtual office scorned!

So, I ended up having to pay a bill for the previous month, together with another month, as this was the agreement in our contract; never mind that they hadn’t lived up to their side of the deal by answering my calls. I did suggest they let me out of the contract early, but this was swiftly kicked into touch by Ms Viner.

Whenever I was employed by someone else, had I spoken to any customer in the way Ms Viner addressed me, I would have lost my job. Ms Viner would do well to read the blog on her website encouraging people to meditate daily to reduce stress levels. Perhaps she might be a little more contrite in the future and learn that a dissatisfied customer becomes an angry one, when treated in the way she deemed appropriate.

I’m sure this review will attract a 57-point denial and various counter-accusations from Ms Viner. I leave you, dear reader, to sort wheat from chaff.

IN RESPONSE TO MERIDIAN'S RESPONSE TO MY ORIGINAL REVIEW

Meridian V.O. said: “We did unfortunately experience a technical glitch which ...”

My response: Funnily enough, the company I have moved my business to had a problem with BT yesterday, which was not of their making. They emailed their entire client base before anyone knew it had happened, with target times of when they expected the matter to be fixed, followed-up with updates until the matter was resolved. That’s how you run a virtual office telephone answering service! You, on the other hand, left it for me to find out that your service wasn’t working, then sent me a letter several weeks later saying you had ‘tried something which hadn’t worked’.

Meridian V.O. said: “Regarding service termination, we bill by term,...”

My response: It might be the same for all clients, but when you have let a client down, as you did me, just occasionally it serves to accept the failure of your organisation, and graciously let a customer leave without insisting they pay for an extra month. My calls were moved from your ‘service’ some weeks back.

Meridian V.O. said: “We are sorry if this inconvenienced you in any way. We are regretful you did not give us the opportunity...”

My response: You had ample opportunity to rectify the situation. Instead Ms Viner pursued me with emails demanding to know why I had the cheek to want to terminate my service with her and move elsewhere. Perhaps Ms. Viner should hold back on sending gloating emails in the future to say that she has got her money and I am now free to port my number away. I shared this story with a business networking group this morning, all of whom were appalled.

Meridian V.O. said: “We do thank you for your feedback..”

My response: I wish you all well for the future, and hope this has taught you a lesson in how to handle a dissatisfied customer, though somehow, I doubt it. More importantly, take a steer from my new call handlers as to how to communicate with a user base when your service lets them down, regardless of whether the fault is of your making. Again, somehow, I doubt any of this will sink in, and I urge anyone considering this company to think twice before placing business their way.

Following this review, their 1st on Google, they have clearly rounded up as many people as possible to post glowing tributes. Look at the posting dates!

UK F. S.

Very poor service, our calls and emails are
Not being answered after repeated attempts to contact Meridian.
We have not had any mail forwarded onto us (letters or documents) for well over a month that we know has been sent to us, some very sensitive!
I would strongly advise to look elsewhere.
We will be seeking legal advice, along with a logged complaint with trading standards.

Paulina S.

I was looking for a VA... Ms Viner, MD, was not friendly at all! After, unpleasant conversation, I looked at her Facebook profile and I could see her post where she is publicly laughing at somebody's CV! I am so happy that I decided not to take their services.

PS. Is Kay Kay a friend of Ms Viner?

Kimberly C.

Victoria Viner has taken our money and disappeared. Potentially hundreds of missed business calls. She has disabled her email address leaving us several hundred pounds out of pocket. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

Kay K.

Fantastic service. Polite, helpful, knowledgeable and provided solutions that freed my time. I would recommend.

Lady B. L.

Brilliant service and polite knowledgeable staff. Great quick help and support when I needed it.