18 month contract expires but...

[Timmybob]

Started an 18 Month Contract in April 2022 at £51/a month

But my September bill 2023 is £64.08. Not £51.

Having spoken to VM on WhatsApp they said that this is because my contract is coming to an end.

But the thing yes it may be coming to an end, but it's not ended yet, so why have I been charged £64.08.

Please note my phone bill is £0 etc. 

Looking at the contract I cannot find the reason behind the rise.

It seems very sneaky of Virgin Media to do this before a contract ends because if I don't stay with Virgin Media it feels like they taken £12 or my monies if I decide to leave. Trying to get through to Retentions on WhatsApp takes forever.

The bill apparently will go to either £108 or £92 on October 12 and I'm starting to see an interesting link between the figure of £64.08 and those two figures above.

Any support is appreciated thank you.

[Joseph_B]

Hey @Timmybob,

Welcome to the Community Forums and thanks for your post.

With your bill going up, as you have mentioned that your contract is coming to an end, this can increase the bill before this date depending on your billing cycle. We charge our bills in advance and so if you look at the dates covered in your current bill, it will likely cover a period after your contract end date, this is why the price is slightly higher but not entirely higher as per the later amounts you have mentioned. You can learn more about your bills via our website here. 

Joe

[japitts]

What is the monthly package price on your contract, and monthly bills before discounts? And what is the value of those discounts?

In April 2022 you started a rolling contract with a minimum term of 18months. You probably had discounts correlating with that minimum term, which were due to expire around October 2023. You're billed in advance, and your September bill very likely covered part of October which did not have those promotional discounts on.

Your contract is not coming to an end until you have explicitly given and served 30days notice, all that's happened is your minimum term has finished - but service has continued.

[Timmybob]

£108

To

£51

[Adri_G]

Hi, Timmybob.
Thanks for your posts and replies, in regard to the price changes due to your contract with us coming to end soon, have you checked what dates your latest bill includes and if the billing period extends above your expiry date?

If so, you can make changes by contacting our team at 0345 454 1111 and discuss your options and prices on new contract deals.
If a new contract takes effect on or before your current deal end date, your following bill produced will include the pro-rata corrections to make up for incorrect rates/charges on your previous bills (based on your new monthly rate agreed).

As we appreciate this may be confusing (due to the fact that you pay for the month in advance and any changes in between bills may not be reflected to the ones already issued), we're eager to best support you with any further billing issues or queries.
Let us know if this helps clear things for you and if you need more help or advice.

Lastly, do the above figures of £108 and £51 you posted reflect your contract price before and after discount on your current agreement, just to confirm this?
Cheers,

[japitts]

---

@Timmybob wrote:

£108

To

£51

---

Not sure what this means, but if you're alluding to your discounted & full price package amounts, a >50% discount is very good.

Feel free to post up suitably redacted copies of your contract & bills if you'd like a second opinion on your contract & billing dates.

[Timmybob]

Hi japitts

That's right but the fact it is £64.08 and not £51 is confusing.

Thank you for your help. I will try and get a redacted contract to show 

[Timmybob]

Thank you for your help Adri

The £108 is what it is going to I believe.

Despite the contract saying I'm saving from £108 to £51. I believe the actual price is £92 discounted to £51.

[japitts]

---

@Timmybob wrote:

Hi japitts

That's right but the fact it is £64.08 and not £51 is confusing.

---

As mentioned in my original post, with an added highlight: You're billed in advance, and your September bill very likely covered part of October which did not have those promotional discounts on.

[Timmybob]

Thank you for your help japitts, my contract is below.

But also: 

What's confusing is that I've seen somewhere that my bill will be: *£52 a month until 12/10/2023 then £108 a month.

Then below that it states that my bill be *£52 a month until 13/10/2023 then £93 a month.

CONTRACT SUMMARY

You bought: Bigger bundle
Virgin TV
TV V6 Box, powered by TiVo Maxit TV
Fibre Broadband (see page 3 for broadband speed information)

M200 Fibre Broadband

Virgin Phone
Telephone Line Rental Talk More Anytime
Promotional Offer(s)
Bigger Bundle 18m discount (until 12th October 2023)
Then £93.00* from Friday 13th October 2023
Your monthly service charge £52.00*

Wednesday 13th April 2022 - Contract date

Minimum period: 18 Months
If you end your service(s) before 12th October
2023 you may have to pay an Early Disconnection
Fee, please click here for details.