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philhunt47's avatar
philhunt47
Joining in
7 months ago
Solved

Broadband & Phone Closing Bill

My broadband and phone services finished yesterday (25th September) but today I have received notification of a bill and direct debit payment for the period 1st to 31st October. My previous bill was paid in full by direct debit and I should really be entitled to a small credit for the last few days of September..

I have tried twice this afternoon to get through to an agent via the app and twice I've been transferred to WhatsApp but having responded 'Hi' to the automated message in WhatsApp nothing further happens.

This is absolutely appalling. I don't mind using web chat or whatever to get a problem sorted but this experience is totally unacceptable

  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    7 months ago

    Messing with the regular direct debit payment, in the closing stages of leaving VM, is never a good move for the customer as has been shown by countless past topics on here (even when the customer has been in the right all along).

    If VM thinks it is owed money (rightly or wrongly) it will simply start its debt recovery processes. The end stage of those is a visit from debt collectors and a default on the customer's credit history.

    I would suggest that philhunt47 waits a few days after disconnection and sees if a final bill comes through showing a corrected balance before taking any further action

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  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    Alessandro Volta
    7 months ago

    What day of the month would you normally expect to see a bill come through on its regular billing cycle? VM bills you as per normal right up to the day of disconnection. You may just be seeing a regular bill come through if it coincides with your disconnection date.

    A few days after disconnection you should expect to see a final bill come through showing you the final balance on the account. The final bill should correct and replace any coming before it.

    You are unlikely to receive a reply from the VM forum team here in ‘Community Natter’. A VIP or moderator might move your topic to a better forum, such as ‘Managing Your Account – Cable’ to get a VM reply.

    • philhunt47's avatar
      philhunt47
      Joining in
      7 months ago

      Thanks, I would normally expect an email with next month’s bill around this time of the month so it may be that the bill I’ve received for a period after disconnection will be replaced with a revised closing bills. Fingers crossed

      • newapollo's avatar
        newapollo
        Very Insightful Person
        7 months ago

        Hi philhunt47 

        I've moved your post to the Managing Your Account forum as Staff don't tend to frequent the Natter forums.

        Virgin continue to bill you as usual until your disconnection is complete. This helps to make sure your final month of service isn’t interrupted.

        You will therefore probably see charges that go beyond your disconnection date, normally because your cancellation date takes effect mid billing cycle.

        Once your services are fully disconnected VM recalculate what you’ve used and send an adjusted final bill  detailing any credits you may have for the services you haven't  used. They then refund those monies.

        For example my billing date this month is 23rd, but it covers the services between the 19th September and 18th October. So if my services  were cancelled and disconnected on 25th then I would expect to receive a revised Final Bill with credits to cover from 26th September to 18th October.

  • pedlar1's avatar
    pedlar1
    Up to speed
    7 months ago

    Hiya Phil 

    best advice is contact your bank,  explain problem, especially as they have taken overpayment by direct debit.

    • philhunt47's avatar
      philhunt47
      Joining in
      7 months ago

      They’ve not as yet taken a payment for the 1st - 31st October period

  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    Alessandro Volta
    7 months ago

    Messing with the regular direct debit payment, in the closing stages of leaving VM, is never a good move for the customer as has been shown by countless past topics on here (even when the customer has been in the right all along).

    If VM thinks it is owed money (rightly or wrongly) it will simply start its debt recovery processes. The end stage of those is a visit from debt collectors and a default on the customer's credit history.

    I would suggest that philhunt47 waits a few days after disconnection and sees if a final bill comes through showing a corrected balance before taking any further action